Wildlife Friends Foundation

29.10.2017

We took the State Train from Suratani to Hua Hin on 26.10 in a relaxed manner. However, on this day, the cremation ceremony of the king took place, so a state of emergency prevailed throughout Thailand. When we arrived in Hua Hin, our search for food was very difficult because almost everything was closed and the streets were deserted. So we had to rely on the only open location (Burger King). We chose the city as our destination because it was close to the Wildlife Friends Foundation and we really wanted to visit it. Compared to the rest of Thailand, the city was very westernized and there were a lot of tourists, especially older ones. The beach was actually very beautiful, but unfortunately very crowded. Despite that, we found a very nice, bustling and chaotic market where you could find everything you could imagine, or even couldn't imagine until that time. Meat, fish in various variations, fresh vegetables, countless stands with spices and pastes, and there were only locals here.

The elephant experience at the Wildlife Friends Foundation was wonderful. There, animals that were kept under poor conditions, often as victims of the tourism boom, live a life without confinement and with a lot of care. We saw several hundred animals that now lead a life without force and with a lot of care. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the walk we were able to take with an elephant. Completely without a "leash", armed only with a bucket of fruit, the constantly hungry elephant lady followed us through the forest. Afterwards, we were allowed to bathe her with a water hose and scrub brush, which she clearly enjoyed. We definitely don't want to miss this experience and can highly recommend this visit to anyone in Thailand. Here is the link to the foundation: https://www.wfft.org