Greetings to our Great Eight!

Oh my gosh, can you believe it has been so many months since our Thailand adventures?! While the staff is either back in America (Denver for Diana) or is still in Thailand (Craig moved to Bangkok), we still reminisce about waking up to the sound (and usually smell) of elephants in our back yard, geckos chatting away, and being celebrities at local Thai schools!

We hope you’re all having a great time back in school. Some of you are prepping to go off to college, some are working hard at your sports (Lindsey, hope the guard camp payed off! Spin those flags, girl! Sophie V, hope your horses are doing well!), and some are getting in to the swing of high school. We miss all your funny stories (Emma, keep ’em coming!), your music sharing (thanks again for the playlist, Molly!), and comedic input (looking at you, dynamic vegan duo of Antonia and Caroline).

We also hope that you’ve taken some valuable life lessons and experiences from our time together. Mainly the importance of compassion (by the way, Sophia C, hope the altruistic soap business is going well! Thanks for always having a kind word, Julia!), involvement in adventures, and openness to trying new things.

We hope our paths cross again one day. You truly are all the leaders of tomorrow.

Thanks for making our Thai time together unforgettable!

In the spirit of adventure,
Diana Gonzalez and Craig Marsh

 

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Hello students!

Sweat. Elephants. Fried chicken. And more fried chicken.

Seems just like yesterday that we were throwing back ice cold Thai teas on the scorching hot school days. Risking hand cramps from autographing and running in endless circles, the students at Ban Mae Chan surely kept you guys busy. The fun at EVT began with nugget pickup; favorites included nugget toss, assembly line, stacking and juggling. Elephant conservation isn’t all fun and games, as we learned with grass harvest/planting. We can’t wait to see your labors come to life as future elephant snacks begin to grow.

Over those two memorable weeks, we saw immense growth within all of you. Through both your struggles and successes, you grew and stretched beyond your perceived limitations. We were sad to see you go, but we’re proud to send you off with those new memories and skills that will last a lifetime.

Remember…

“stay together
learn the flowers
pack light”
Gary Snyder

Best wishes,
Brendan, Mattie, Suzannah, Flat Ears, KFC, and Peanut

 

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Greetings to our world-traveling, game-changing, terrific team!

Oh my gosh, can you believe it has been so many months since our Thailand adventures?! While the staff is either back in America (Denver for Diana) or is still in Thailand (Craig moved to Bangkok), we still reminisce about waking up to the sound (and usually smell) of elephants in our back yard, geckos chatting away, and being celebrities at local Thai schools!

We hope you’re all having a great time back in school. Some of you are prepping to go off to college, some are working hard at your sports, and some are getting in to the swing of high school. We miss all our fun times together, like having ping pong tournaments at the sanctuary, pool parties at the resort, and exploring new spots throughout Chiang Rai!

We also hope that you’ve taken some valuable life lessons and experiences from our time together. Mainly the importance of compassion, involvement in adventures, and openness to trying new things. (including new and spicy foods!).

We hope our paths cross again one day. You truly are all the leaders of tomorrow.

Thanks for making our Thai time together unforgettable!

In the spirit of adventure,
Diana Gonzalez and Craig Marsh

 

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our 2019 programs, or enroll now.

Hello students!!

Round, firm and a little moist, we started our time together picking up precious golden nuggets. From the moment you arrived to the moment of your departure, your energy and laughter and spirit impressed us. The hours we spent toiling in the field at EVT will be fondly remembered and appreciated by the elephants. Leeches, mosquitos and other unidentified flying insects proved to be a challenge for many but none to great for any of you.

Our trip took us into the Thailand hills, overlooking beautiful scenery, and gave us all the opportunity to cook our own Thai barbecue as the sun set. The early morning hike was definitely a character building experience but thankfully, stepping into Laos made it worth it.
The last week was spent playing with kids and giving endless autographs to your endearing fans. House dance parties and bracelet making became part of your nightly rituals.
We were impressed with your enthusiasm and commitment to reflecting on all of your experiences and maintaining positivity for the full two weeks. We wish you all the luck on your journeys to come. Fly eagles fly.

Suprise!

-Mattie, Brendan and Suzannah

 

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Hey hey hey!

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. That explains just about how
crazy and awesome this program went. Pardon the rain every single day, last
minute changes due to festival traffic, everyone sharing close space at FAE,
throwing elephant dung at Dome, and the great mud fight.

The first week was a challenge trying to get to know each other and having to
maintain the decorum of FAE. How can you expect to have fun and stay quiet at
the same time? How could you have a movie/facial night with no popcorn? Our
7/11 stops never failed to bring in the entertainment, while we continued to stock
up like there was never going to be another stop.

FAE was a different world in itself; it had the seriousness of a hospital with
people working round the clock, the only agenda being to serve the elephants. It
was an eventful week where we got to work with Mosha & Boon-Mee, cut grass,
and clean the ever-falling leaves from the trees. We got to meet a lot of
interesting speakers like Dr. Preecha, a renowned elephant veterinarian. He
gave us a great insight to all the patients at the hospital and also about the
elephants, while sharing some of his life experiences.

The hospital was extremely busy while we stayed. We saw an aged male bull
suffering from a bacteria infection. We saw how the doctors were trying hard to
cure his illness. We also witnessed elephants being brought into the hospital in
the middle of the night. One of the patients brought in was a 4-year-old elephant
that had a fatal viral infection. She was swelling up as doctors from across the
provinces were dropping by to assess and provide care. But what connected us
all the most was having to clear and beautify the cemetery. It brought a sense of
connection with those majestic animals, while bringing the group closer together.
Week two bought us all back to Little Village but we could still not keep the boys
away from boys town.

This time they were a little closer and could cover the
distance with a 2 min walk. Finally the week everyone was look forward to had
come and the biggest agenda was SHOPPING and THAI MASSAGE. We kick
started the week with a cooking class and blessings from the white elephant who
sits on top of a mountain (Doi Suthep). This week also brought Dome losing his
phone to some bad karma on bamboo rafts, a biker gang entertaining us to some
hard rock tunes while we rafted down the river, and some of us trying to navigate
rapids on the raft with just a bamboo stick.

The day we’d been waiting for arrived and it was worth noting everyone’s
expression as they walked out after their Thai massage: it read I’m floating in the
clouds. Nothing could top that but the night market, which was absolute mayhem.
With only 2 hours and all of the souvenir shopping to do, some groups didn’t
even want dinner. It was running, bargaining, buying, and more running. None
the less, ended with loaded bags and loaded smiles.

After a supreme night of trying to fit all the purchases into the bags, it was time to
explore the northern Thai culture at the Hmong village. It was a challenge
walking up the hill and through the farmlands. The heavy rains and leeches did
not make the task any easier. However, the shaman cleared the air and blessed
us all to some pounded sticky rice that tasted better when grilled. While the views
dropped our jaws, the food closed them up for sure.

It was finally time to make our transition into our last week, and into our second
week of service. The team at ECH was very welcoming and it was fascinating
learning about Sab’s life and how he became a mahoot. We stayed at the Royal
Ping Resort and went to ECH during the day for service. At this point everyone
was ready to go and geared up for service.

Our routine involved cleaning up the elephant poop, having a shot put
competition with dung, cleaning the camp ground, walking and bathing the
elephants in the Ping River (in absolute downpour on some days), splashing
everyone who didn’t want to get wet, planting an entire field with
banana/sugarcane/elephant grass, having lethal mud fights, digging holes, and
carrying logs. We did it all in style with some drum jams over wet clothes, fighting
to get a spot on the chill hammock, baby elephants running while we watched out
for our feet, and never forget all of the mud and poop on our footwear!
All in all it was such a great 3-weeks! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Warm regards,
Neha

 

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