Kanchanaburi

Our last couple of days at orientation were spent in Kanchanaburi.

It was so much nicer than Bangkok.  I didn't explore Bangkok at all, but what I saw was smelly and dirty.  Would not recommend.





Kanchanaburi was much nicer.  Here is the view from our hotel room.




In Kanchanaburi, we visited the Taweechai Elephant Camp and the Bridge over River Kwai.

We first took a raft down the river.  It was so relaxing and gorgeous.

Next came the elephants.  I'm always conflicted about animal places.  I love animals and I want to touch them and hug them and play with them and smashing my face against the glass in a lion den at a zoo is the closest I'll ever come, and the selfish in me is ok with zoos and elephant camps and the like, but then on the other side, I know an elephant isn't meant to be treated like a dog you can ride.  

But we went to the camp, and I rode an elephant and I touched and hugged one and I was happy.

I did have a pretty sweet experience, I wasn't holding on well and almost fell off the elephant.  I had my phone between my knees, but for some odd reason, I decided not tumbling to my probable death was the thing I should focus on and instead, my phone fell.  But all was good because the elephant behind us came up, sucked up my phone with his trunk and handed it back to me.

There were also baby goats that I pet.  Hooray.







After that, we went to the bridge over River Kwai.  It was the most disappointing experience. Of course it isn't the original bridge and the only piece of remembrance is a small placard.  The rest of the area is a really trashy tourist mall.  I thought it would be a sad place, and it was, but not at all for the reasons I would have expected.