Survived the Elephant Ride!!

Today was pretty awesome!! We got to go to an elephant park and partake in some sweet adventures.  We first got to ride some large elephants.  Apparently they were Asian elephants and small compared to others, but they were still pretty large!  Morgan and I got on the back of one...most fearful adventure of my life!  We were only strapped in by a rope, which was fine for most parts.  The whole ride was bumpy as we traveled on very uneven ground.  The scariest part was traveling downhill.  Trying to hold on for dear life and not slip out.  It felt as if we were traveling straight down and nothing could hold us in.  We did get some good commentary on the camera as we traveled through this route.  I am excited to watch it and hear all our comments.  I am betting it is pretty humorous!

We then took a ride down the river on a bamboo raft.  This was very relaxing.  We got to just sit and enjoy the scenic view.

Our last part of the morning was spent watching an elephant show.  We saw elephants do handstands, walk on their back legs only, kick a ball, and dance.  They also did tricks with the crowd where they placed a hat on a persons head, and they gave massages.  Two elephants also each painted a picture.  One painted an apple tree and the other flowers.  This was amazing!  To train an elephant to do any of these tricks is just beyond amazing.  It was so much fun watching all the tricks.  We then got to sit on the elephants and take pictures with them.  These elephants were much smaller and standing on flat ground.  I felt so much safer!  The whole day was so much fun getting to interact with the elephants and see what amazing things they can do.  I wish they were pet appropriate in America!