Elephants and the beach....What more could I ask for?

Hello everyone! Wow, I can't believe it's been over a week since I last posted....these past few days have gone by so incredibly fast!

Last Saturday, we went to Pattaya, an area southeast of Bangkok on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. We got up bright and early at 7:45 am and got on the bus to make the two hour drive to Pattaya. 

Bus Ride to Pattaya!

Of course, I have to mention this first- I SAW REAL, LIVE ELEPHANTS. For those of you who may not know, elephants are absolutely my favorite animals ever. Now I'm sure I've encountered an elephant or two in my lifetime (at the Philly Zoo or something), but definitely not since my love for elephants began. As we were walking from the bus into Nongnooch Tropical Gardens, someone mentioned that they saw elephants and I began freaking out!! I had no idea how to react when I came face-to-face with one. I walked up to the first elephant I saw, and reached out to pet his trunk. I can't even describe how happy I was to reach out and touch this giant, amazing, beautiful animal- but at the same time, so sad to see them chained up. :(

Baby!!

After seeing a somewhat touristy Thai cultural show and wandering through the botanical gardens (losing one or two people along the way), we left Nongnooch and headed out for the beach! At this point, the heat was becoming unbearable and everyone was looking forward to a nice dip in the ocean. We were able to spend the afternoon at the Asia Pattaya Hotel laying in the sun either on the beach or by the pool, and then finished the evening with a beautiful dinner overlooking the ocean!

 Nongnooch Tropical Gardens

 Asia Pattaya Hotel

 The Beach

"Studying" Abroad.......

 It's hard to believe I've been here for three weeks already.....time here goes so fast, yet so slow at the same time- it's hard to describe. We've done some pretty amazing things so far, but I know the real adventures of this trip have yet to really begin!

P.S. I just booked my flight to India last night.......from July 20th - August 4th, me and two friends will be traveling in Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Goa and finally ending our time with a few days of service in Calcutta with the Missionaries of Charity. Stay tuned!