When dreams come true...

With heavy hearts, we left Siem Reap Cambodia after our relaxing days, the impressive temples of Angkor, and our beloved little hotel with a pool and fish spa behind us. We had already booked a direct bus back to Bangkok through the company Giant Ibis and were not disappointed with the service and the ride, although we didn't have such an amazing tour guide as on the way there ;-)

The border crossing from Cambodia to Thailand turned out to be more stressful and time-consuming than the other way around, so we had to wait for nearly 2 hours upon entering Thailand until everything was done and the stamps (even the correct one with a 30-day visa instead of the usual 15-day visa for overland entry) were in our passports.

Afterwards, we took the same bus towards Bangkok and got off at the final stop near Khaosan Road. From there, we immediately chartered a taxi to our hotel and once again battled through the rather unpleasant traffic of the Thai metropolis.

For the evening and as a reward for the exhausting day, we went to a really good Italian restaurant where we treated ourselves to delicious pizzas =D, in order to be fit and strengthened for another highlight the next day - our tour to Erawan National Park and an elephant camp.

Our alarm clock mercilessly rang half past 5 the next morning, and once again, it was hard for us to get up early. But we knew what we had to do that day, especially for Lisa (Jonas' girlfriend), who had an absolute highlight ahead of her.

In addition to the beautiful Erawan Waterfall, we were going to see elephants up close that day, which had always been a lifelong dream for Lisa. We wanted to fulfill this wish for the two of them during their visit on our world trip and had booked a corresponding tour for this.

The tour started at 7:00 am on Khaosan Road, where we boarded a minivan for the 3-hour drive to Erawan Waterfall. We definitely won't miss the mini vans in Southeast Asia and their sometimes crazy drivers after our world trip, but unfortunately, we had no other option for this tour either.

Around half past 10, we finally arrived at the national park and had 2.5 hours of free time. We visited the first 4 steps of the impressive waterfall and then chose the most beautiful part from our point of view for a small photo shoot and a swimming break. We spent quite some time at Step 3 and enjoyed a little fish spa at the same time, although it was a bit uncomfortable because we couldn't see what was nibbling at our toes and feet in the slightly muddy ground =D. Unfortunately, steps 5-7 of the waterfall are not as easily and quickly accessible as the first 4 steps, and we simply didn't have enough time that day. But of course, it's worth spending the whole day at the waterfall in the national park, and we really enjoyed our time there.

After a quick lunch, we continued our journey towards the elephant camp. Lisa was getting more and more excited because she would finally see the elephants in person.

At the beginning, there was a small bath in the river with 2 elephants on the program, where visitors were allowed to climb onto the back of an elephant and were splashed by the elephants. Afterwards, you had the opportunity to ride the elephants, but we absolutely didn't support this and stayed away from it. Instead, we had a little photo shoot with the friendly giants and then spoiled them with bananas.

This day will remain unforgettable for Lisa, as her wish came true and she was able to get very close to the elephants. Some beautiful pictures were taken as well =)).

Generally, we have to say that the time with the elephants was very scheduled, and the mahouts should have treated the animals more lovingly. Unfortunately, you never know something like this in advance when booking a tour. We didn't witness the use of elephant hooks or obvious animal cruelty, but the elephants probably had to work in the scorching sun all day. Riding elephants should not be supported in Thailand, as the animals have a frame strapped to their backs, which usually digs deep into their skin. We didn't support this and instead wanted to enjoy our time with the animals. If you have the time and absolutely want to see elephants in Thailand, you should do it with Elephant Nature Park in northern Thailand, as according to our experience and the reviews on TripAdvisor, the animals have been rescued from bad conditions and are very well taken care of.

After a very nice but also exhausting day, we were glad to be back in Bangkok after the return trip with the minivan. For dinner, we had Pad Thai at our favorite street food stand on Khaosan Road, and this time, Jonas could show off his chopstick skills instead of using a fork. ;-)