We started this morning with a group picture of the volunteers — I’ll need to get a picture from Sabine.  I requested a group picture of our VCs and VCs in training:

This guy was howling to get down to us:

And Sabine was getting some morning hugs:

Went to cut corn this morning. On the drive down, we saw the trekking camps with people smoking their cigarettes while going on trekking rides. This breaks my heart AND makes me very angry. I shouted out to a few of the riders, not to the mahouts, “Please do not support elephant trekking! It’s inhumane!” Sabine suggest I be quiet but it is so difficult to see educated people be that ignorant and self centered that they would ride on an elephants back. We SAW the hooks they were using which were huge and damaging and menacing. And one of the elephants has serious scars on her ankles from being ‘broken’. Sabine was crying silently for a while.

Anyway, we got a little lost on our way to corn cutting but eventually made it.

We did cutting, and the hauling of bundles back to the truck. It was neat to see how the locals used thin bamboo strips to wrap the bundles; everything is biodegradable and from nature!

After we were done we went to a 2nd area where we did the same thing.  Coconut tree sighting 🙂

On the drive back, we stopped at a local shop where we got drinks and ice-cream. I got a KitKat ice-cream bar. Yum!! I have never seen these before. A full KitKat stick down the center. Must look for these at home!

We had lunch back at the park and then I hugged Lucky:

We were supposed to wash the corn after lunch but the VC’s decided against it. So Sabine and I spent our after hugging a few dozen cats at Cat Kingdom and then hugged Steel and her buddies.  Hi Steel!!!

I love the way the legs are in this sweet guy.

Then we went across the street to see the sanctuary dogs.  Nothing but love here.

This guy is determined to find something in this hole.

Our walk back from the dog park to the elephant park:

More big news! A new elephant arrived from Surin late afternoon. Her name is Sook Sai. She has an abscessed cheek (size of a grapefruit) and a broken and horribly healed and from 5 years ago.

More Sook Sai info to come!

Dinner tonight was a special treat!  We had tables set up in the yoga room.  The children from the Hill tribe school came to perform!  It was lovely!!!