Thailand Adventures – Day Four: Elephants, Passionfruit & A Little Bit of Chaos!

Everyone was keen for a sleep-in this morning, but unfortunately for the sleepy members of our family, today was NOT the day for it. We had a very special adventure planned: an Elephant Sanctuary!

We were picked up by private transport and headed off for what would turn out to be one of the most memorable days of our Thailand holiday.

Our guide for the day was a lovely man named Now, accompanied by our driver, whose name was considerably longer and, despite my best efforts, remains something I simply cannot pronounce!

The drive took around 1 hour and 20 minutes, giving us plenty of time to chat with Now about all sorts of things. We discussed different types of coffee, temples and the temperature differences between Thailand and Australia.

We drove through the beautiful countryside, taking in the scenery along the way, while the children entertained themselves by attempting to kill each other in the back seat.

Soooo peaceful. Just your average family road trip! 😂

Naturally, we needed an important coffee stop along the way before continuing our journey.

Once we arrived at the sanctuary, we were introduced to our two elephant friends for the day:

- Heng Heng – a gorgeous, energetic 7-year-old elephant.

- Mae Kamnoy – a beautiful 42-year-old elephant who was also Heng Heng's Nanny.

We started by feeding them bananas and bamboo, which they were more than happy to accept!

There is something quite incredible about standing so close to these enormous animals and watching them gently take food from your hands with their trunks.

We then followed the elephants through the jungle, watching them go about their day. They climbed hills, scratched themselves against trees and happily helped themselves to all sorts of plants along the way.

It was fascinating to watch them in their natural surroundings, moving around at their own pace and doing exactly what elephants do.

After our jungle walk, we returned to the shelter for a delicious vegetarian lunch.

Aaron, however, decided to branch out and try some water buffalo larb, which he enjoyed alongside Now.

Lunch also gave us a wonderful opportunity to talk with the kids about animal conservation and the importance of supporting ethical elephant sanctuaries.

We discussed how important it is to protect these beautiful animals and support places that prioritise their welfare, so that elephants will still be around for future generations to enjoy.

It was lovely being able to have these conversations with the kids while they were experiencing everything firsthand. Sometimes the best lessons happen outside a classroom.

After lunch, the kids were given the opportunity to prepare a special cake for the elephants.

And when I say cake, I mean an absolute feast!

Their creation included rice, dragonfruit (which made the rice a rich purple colour), pumpkin, banana, watermelon and cucumber. A rather impressive birthday cake-style spread, although I'm not sure the elephants were particularly concerned about presentation!

Once the cake was prepared, we headed down towards the stream to watch the elephants bathe.

On the way, we wandered through beautiful passionfruit vines and were able to pick and eat fresh passionfruit straight from the plants, along with some citrus fruits.

This was a definite highlight for the fruit-loving members of our family.

Frankie made the observation that "there was something so satisfying about picking the seeds off the tentacles".

I'm still not entirely sure how to describe that particular experience, but she was clearly enjoying herself!

Rory, meanwhile, absolutely DEVOUR​ED the passionfruit. We genuinely thought he might turn into one by the end of the afternoon!

Eventually, we made our way down to the stream to watch our elephants enjoy their bath.

And boy, was it hot!

The temperature was absolutely ridiculous. Very, very, very VERY hot outside!

The elephants seemed perfectly happy, though, enjoying their time in the water before throwing dirt over their backs to help cool themselves down.

Watching them splash around, bathe and then cover themselves in dirt was such an amazing experience. It was lovely seeing them behaving naturally and enjoying their surroundings.

After their bath, we walked alongside them back up to the shelter.

It was then time for the moment the elephants had clearly been waiting for: CAKE TIME!

We brought out the delicious fruit and rice cakes the children had prepared earlier, and Heng Heng and Mae Kamnoy thoroughly enjoyed their special treats.

Kailey had become increasingly curious throughout the day about exactly how elephants eat and drink using their "trumpets" – otherwise known as their trunks.

She spent quite a bit of time watching how they picked up their food and brought it to their mouths. It was wonderful seeing her curiosity grow as the day went on.

Eventually, it was time to say one final goodbye to Heng Heng and Mae Kamnoy.

What a privilege it was to spend the day with these beautiful animals. It was certainly an experience we will all remember for a very long time.

We climbed back into our private transport and began the journey back to Chiang Mai.

One of the entertaining parts of the drive home was overhearing Aaron educating Now about some of Australia's more unusual wildlife.

Today's topics included purple eggplants, platypuses and Tasmanian devils.

I'm not entirely sure what Now made of this collection of Australian facts, but Aaron was certainly enjoying his role as unofficial Australian wildlife ambassador!

Back at the hotel, we were almost being teased by the swimming pool.

The housekeeping fairies were attending to our room, which delayed our much-anticipated pool visit by approximately five whole minutes.

Five minutes!

But honestly, I absolutely love coming back to a freshly made-up hotel room. There is something quite magical about returning to a room where the cleaning fairies have been busy while you've been out exploring.

Before long, we were finally beside our beloved pool.

Frankie ordered herself a delicious mango smoothie, and we settled in to enjoy some much-needed downtime after our very hot day with the elephants.

We also had a lovely little chance encounter with another hotel guest. She mentioned that she and her husband had arrived in Chiang Mai yesterday from Bateau Bay on the Central Coast!

For anyone who doesn't know, that's also our neck of the woods back home.

What are the chances of travelling all the way to Thailand and bumping into someone from practically around the corner?

Such a small world!

Our ongoing hot water issues decided they weren't quite finished with us.

After a bit more investigation, it turns out there is an electrical issue affecting our room, which we are hoping will be fixed tomorrow.

For tonight, we have access to another room to shower in. It's a little inconvenient having to relocate for something as simple as a shower, but at least we have a solution in the meantime.

The lovely people at The Pingviman have also offered us 1,000 baht credit per day to use at the restaurant and bar to make up for the inconvenience.

Well, if we must put up with a little inconvenience, I suppose poolside cocktails are a rather reasonable consolation prize!

Bring on the cocktails! 🍹

By the time evening rolled around, Kailey was completely exhausted and overwhelmed after what had been a very stimulating day.

So she and I decided to have a quiet night in together.

Frankie was kind enough to help me pick out some food for Kailey and me at 7-Eleven before heading out on her own adventure. She also grabbed herself a ham and cheese toastie (a Thailand holiday staple, apparently!).

And naturally, she made sure she was dressed appropriately for the occasion, rocking her rainbow elephant pants on the trip to 7-Eleven. Living her absolute best Thai tourist life! 

Our glamorous dinner consisted of a 7-Eleven feast, complete with the cutest little strawberry jelly cake. Honestly, sometimes the simplest things make the best holiday dinners.

Meanwhile, Aaron, Frankie and Rory decided to head out for another adventure, this time visiting Mae Kha Canal Market.

They jumped into a Tuk Tuk and headed off to explore.

Aaron later told me that this market wasn't particularly tourist-focused and had more of an emphasis on handmade goods and local products, which made for a lovely change.

Rory enjoyed some skewers for dinner, Aaron finally managed to get himself a Beerlao, and, naturally, more nick-nack shopping took place.

I think we can safely say our souvenir collection is becoming increasingly eclectic.

By the time they returned to the hotel, Rory barely made it through the door before completely crashing out.

I suspect someone had reached the absolute limit of their holiday energy!

Today was one of those days that reminded me just how special travelling as a family can be.

From meeting Heng Heng and Mae Kamnoy, learning about elephant conservation, eating passionfruit straight from the vines and watching elephants enjoy their bath, to unexpected encounters with fellow Central Coast locals and some rather questionable souvenir purchases, there was never a dull moment.

The kids have learned so much, experienced things they wouldn't ordinarily get to experience and made memories that I hope they carry with them for years to come.

And while we're all getting a little more tired each day, I think we're also getting a little better at embracing the slower moments in between the adventures.

Tomorrow, hopefully, there will be hot water, more pool time and another day of discovering what Thailand has waiting for us.