Stacey and I are back in Kanchanaburi, but it’s way more bitter than sweet. We both completely fell in love with the Safari Park Volunteer Program, the people we worked with and, of course, the animals.
When we first started planning our trip Stacey found this volunteering opportunity, and I have to admit she was way more excited about it than I was. However, after my very first day I fell head-over-heels with this place. We originally planned to stay only five days, extended it by two days and then three more days.
Yesterday, we packed our bags, said goodbye to our favorite animals and people and reluctantly rode to the bus stop with Salapong (easily my very favorite Thai person on earth). I will have so many more details when I actually start writing about my trip once I’m home. For now, know that this was one of the greatest experiences of my life and if you don’t believe me, just check out a few photos:
Although I can’t say that birds are my absolute favorite things, you can’t deny that they’re incredibly beautiful.
It wasn’t all cub cuddles. We did a lot of work too- scrubbing enclosures, feeding animals & shoveling giraffe and zebra poo! It was fulfilling work, though and always worth it!
This deer is the absolute cutest thing ever! We lovingly named him Brady after my dog. This name had better be passed along 😉
How can you not love this face?! Isosceles was so precious and it’s crazy how much he grew in the 10 days we were there!
Getting to bottle-feed Myrtle (named after Moaning Myrtle because he cries so much) was a highlight for sure. I loved the way he grabbed my wrist to hold on. It was so sweet!
Asian Elephants have always been one of my favorite animals. Getting daily time with these beauties was a dream come true. This lovely lady, Jim, is my favorite elephant there. She just has this beautiful, free spirit about her.
To be honest, I am typically in no way handy. Being told to saw, hammer and chisel things was a bit intimidating, but it was one of the many ways I was pushed this week, and I found that I’m capable of so much more than I knew. Plus, it was amazingly rewarding to make toys for the monkeys.
To find out how to volunteer click here.
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