Best Weekend Ever! Kanchanaburi !!!!!

So this has been my favourite weekend so far in Thailand and one of the best in my life! I have heard many great things from everyone that has already visited Kanchanaburi, but I was finally excited to experience it myself, and on a long weekend so I got one extra day! Friday night after school a group of us met up at the Victory Monument van/minibus station and got our tickets! Vans are an okay way to travel. I would prefer a bus even though they take longer, but that's because the van drivers are crazy! And the pack the vans so full, it can get uncomfortable. They can usually fit around 10 people, so they sell 10 tickets.... but there is no truck so your bags must stay on your lap or go in the small walkway. Well we all had our big travelling backpacks so we were squished in. This however, was not the worst part. This driver I swear needs his license to be taken away. This is a summary of his driving. Gas, break, gas, break, gas, break, speed swerving through traffic, make own lane on shoulder lane, break, gas, break, drive on the wrong side of the road (yes he did this because there was no traffic on that side of the road, then cut back in), u-turn, gas, break, u-turn, break. Also the music was so loud you couldn't talk to the person next to you, and it was club music. The look on all of our faces was priceless. It was a mixture of I'm going to throw up, WTF is going on, and I have a migraine. I had to laugh because I mean what else do you do. We got in pretty late, so we went to bed that night right away! The guesthouse we stayed at was really nice! Right on the water the beds were comfier than most so that was a plus! When we woke up I got to see the view and it was nice being on the water with the sunrise! We got up nice and early to beat the tourists at Erawan National Park. This is where the Erawan Falls are and because it was the King's birthday on that day we knew it would have foreigners and locals just celebrating. The National Park opened at 7, so we planned on going for around then. We didn't realize it took about an hour to get there, but we arrived around 8. We got a songtao (pickup truck with seats in the back) to drive us there and he gave us a good price and waited at the park until we were done to drive us back! Erawan isn't just one waterfall, it is a hike with 7 main waterfalls and other small ones along the way up! The hike wasn't as bad as Khao Yai National Park and not as many steps, but it was still tough. At the waterfalls here though you could stop and swim! The water was so blue and beautiful it felt magical. We got there at the perfect time and no one else was really swimming, but then that just meant we were the only white people for the Thai's to look at. They all swim with their clothes on and we didn't want to do that, so we gave them something to whisper about lol. The water was a little chilly but very refreshing about climbing. At one of the waterfalls there was a rock slide, and man was that fun! This was probably one of the busier waterfalls. Even with all the people swimming around, all these fish would surround you! They would actually nibble on your feet and eat the dead skin off! At first I would scream every time I felt a fish but then you embraced it, and it felt kind of cool! I got some great pictures of this beautiful places, but they still do not do justice! It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen! On the way back down we bumped into Jessie, Annie and Bailey (there bus was late). We went back to the guesthouse to shower and have a nap then out to dinner! We ended up at this pizza place, which was amazing!!! Mary and I shared a pizza and salad and I was in heaven! You don't see salads too often, so it's nice to have a good salad! Then we called it a night because we wanted to be refreshed for the elephants the next day!!!!!! We had breakfast at the guesthouse which was good! Eggs and toast with bacon :) The songtao came and got us at 9... but there was a larger group than I think the driver expected and we all wouldn't fit... we tried but they called another guy to come and get those who didn't fit. It was about a 45 min drive to elephant world as the first thing we see when we pull in is elephants! They had some eating from the trees right at the front and I was in love. Elephants are so beautiful. We signed in and then out day began! As soon as we got there they gave us some information about elephants and how to be safe around them. Then they told us to grab a basket and directed us towards the elephants! The basket included pumpkins, mangos, bananas, watermelons and corn. It was sooo cool giving the food to the elephants. How they grab it with their truck then throw it into their mouth was actually really cool to watch! Then off we were to start making sticky rice balls for the older elephants. During an elephants life they lose their teeth about 5 times when they are 20,30,40,50 and 60. So after 60 most elephants don't have any teeth. In the wild the most common way to die for an elephant is starvation because they can't eat much without teeth. So we cut up pumpkin into very small pieces and cooked some sticky rice, we then went to have lunch ourselves while the rice cooled. We came back and mixed the rice, pumpkin with pellets filled with nutrients and calcium to help them get the good stuff they need. Then we got to feed them :) this time sticking the rice balls right into their mouth. Omg... their tongues felt sooooo weird but so cool lol Then we got to watch the elephants give themselves a mud bath. It helps keep them cool and avoid getting a sunburn because Asian elephants have very sensitive skin and even though their skin is 2 inches thick they can still get a sunburn! It was so cute watching them all throw dirt and mud on their backs. The two babies were playing around with each other and their adoptive mother following close by. It was again so magical watching them interact with each other. They are such smart animals. We also got to see a mahout (people who work with the elephants) work with the blind elephant. It was so neat to watch her help guide this huge elephant that could crush here through the water and to food, because he can not do that anymore. All of the elephants at elephant world are rescued and come because they have been abused or hurt and they bought them from the people who mistreated them. They really do great things for the elephants. Makes me want to go back and volunteer some more. Then we went and cut down some corn stalks and bana grass for the elephants to eat... yes more food. Elephants need a lot of it! Look how big they are! So we cut it down put it on a truck and then dumped it off for the elephants to eat! After that was bath time! We got to get into the water and help bath the elephants. I was lucky enough to get to sit on an elephant. When done correctly it doesn't hurt the elephant. You should never sit on an elephants back. It is the weakest point on their body. They should have a hump but many don't from being used as a tourist attraction and people sitting on their backs and hurting them. Sitting on their neck is okay, this is the strongest place on their body! We also did it in the water so it takes off even more pressure. I was the first to get on and the mahout asked me if I could swim, I said yes and told me to hold on and all of a sudden the elephant was rolling over and dunking us in the water!!!! I was not expecting that but wow was that fun! The elephant did it a couple more times in between me rubbing the dirt off his head and ears. It was so cool. Something I will never forget. Once the elephants were clean we went back to where we started this morning and grabbed more baskets to feed them again. This time I was feeding an elephant named Malee. She used to work the streets of Bangkok and beg for money for her owner. Then one day a truck hit her leg, leaving her badly wounded. She is an older elephant and still to this day and does not use that leg a lot. While we were feeding her, you could see her leg lifting and she would only stand on three. This visit to see the elephants inspired me to educate people on how they are treated at Zoo's and trekking camps and please do not support this. After this we all headed back to the guesthouse, napped, showered and got ready for the night! We went out for dinner at this vegan restaurant, and hands down the best food I have ever had in my life. omg so goooooood. Soo good we went back for lunch the next day and got takeout to take home. Then we hit the town! There is a bar stand on the corner of a street and you can get 10 baht shots!!!! (a dollar is about 30 baht).... yea so we stayed there for a while! Then we just wondered from bar to bar having a really good time :) I was so happy to be surrounded by my new friends who are awesome, and just dancing like fools. As silly as it is I felt really happy in that moment and free. Like I was meant to be here with these people, who will now be life long friends. Everything in thing in this town closes at midnight, but the guesthouse next to us was having an after party, but we mainly just went for the puppies because they had the cutest dogs ever!!!! The next morning we had breakfast did a little shopping on the street and then headed home in a nice squishy van again! Best weekend ever :)