A Day with Asian Elephants

Today I went to the Elephant Nature Park in northern Thailand. It was such an amazing experience. I have seen elephants before, but never have I had the opportunity to spend so much time with them and experience their personalities. Each elephant had a story about how they ended up at the sanctuary. Many had stepped on field mines on the Burma/Thai border. Many had worked in the logging industry. Many were from circuses and many were forced to work the streets to beg for money. Some were blind and many have psychological issues to overcome. They are all in a much better place now. We spent the day feeding them and learning about them.

I will post some videos when I get home.

Towards the end of the day I started to not feel well. Unfortunately, I had an idea of what was going on....it's the same feeling I had in Bejing. I got back to the hotel and decided to go to the hospital. The girl at the front desk said it was a five minute walk....advice...it's never a five minute walk :) Anyways I got to the hospital not knowing what to expect, but I knew it couldn't cost as much as US healthcare. They were great! They actually have one person whose job is to assist foreigners....there are so many US retirees in Chaing Mai. She escorted me everywhere. Even got me a tuk tuk ride for the way home, since I really couldn't walk back to my hotel. With the doctor visit, urine lab tests, and prescriptions...total was less than $50 US. I guess I'm traveling the world comparing health care costs for treating UTIs. (sorry too much information). Ends up it has a lot to do with sitting in airplane seats for so long with a seat belt on and waiting too long to use the bathroom. Anyways, I'm glad I took out the travel insurance, since I can send in my receipts when I get home. I just had to share my experience, since I'm always amazed at the graciousness, efficiency, and affordable costs of healthcare abroad.