Holidays (YueSan)

I went to Thailand on my holidays, specifically Chiang Mai. The most memorable parts of my holiday was when I went to a hot spring, and went to the famous Elephant Park. At the hot spring, the water had a distinct sulphur smell, and a few women were selling eggs that were boiled beforehand in the hot spring. I went to the source of the hot spring, and gingerly dipped my feet in, but the heat soon became unbearable and I stepped out of the hot spring. At the Elephant Park, I saw a performance from trained elephants, who drew trees on a canvas and danced to music. At the end, we were allowed to feed the elephants sugar cane or bananas that could be bought, or pay a small token to have a picture with the elephants. After that, we went rafting, which was extremely casual and relaxing. The most exciting part of our visit was riding the elephants, and we went two at a time. The sensation was akin to riding on an extremely slow roller coaster, as the elephant slowly plodded down hills and into rivers. The ride was jerky, and even though we had safety rails, it was a rough ride, and certainly not one I was eager to try again, but definitely an experience to remember. After my visit, other than opening my eyes to new things, I also saw a lot of poor beggars trying to earn a little money to sustain themselves. It made me realize how fortunate I truly am, and helped me count my blessings.