Backpack to Civilization

Well, time has decided to fly on by and our two months in Cambodia has nearly come to an end. Tomorrow we will head to the beach and then take a boat over to Thailand. We will have about a week to make our way up to Lampang in the north. There is a lot of unrest in Thailand, as I’m sure you’ve heard, so our travels will undoubtedly be limited. Thailand will be quite the change from our short time in Cambodia. In Mondulkiri province, not all the roads are paved, the town only recently received electricity, there were very limited food options, and the town closed down at 7PM. Plus, Jack didn’t have a kitchen so we had to eat every single meal out... and the food wasn’t all that much to be desired. Many people think of Thailand as “third world,” but it is far from it; it’s much more developed than Cambodia. We must admit that we won’t mind driving on paved roads and cooking for ourselves. Then, let’s not forget the wonderful work opportunities that we have for ourselves. Monte and I both will begin by working for Richard Lair, the Nelsen Mandela of the domesticated Asian elephant world. This will be a great honor and we will make some wonderful connections.
With all of that to look forward to, there will be a lot to miss back in Cambodia. While Jack’s personality proved to be a bit challenging from time to time :), he taught us a lot and even threw us a surprise going away party. We met many other people that we will also miss. Of course, what I will miss most are the three elephants that I came to learn and understand. They all had very distinct and unique personalities with amazing histories. I will spare you all on the detailed events on these wonderful creature’s lives because that might get a bit dull for all those not fully obsessed with elephants… All in all, we are quite happy that we were able to volunteer with E.L.I.E. It was a great opportunity and we were honored to be a part of it.