Lots of Poop

If there is one weird commodity that Chiang Mai, Thailand has more than many places in the world that I have been, it is elephant poop.  They have found a very unique way to take this rather crappy item, (see what I did there), and turn it into a money-maker.  Way to turn the brown into green!

Also, if you ever wanted to know how WiFi is made, it is literally from the farts of elephants.  

So, the whole process starts with... poop.

Which you then boil.  In true tourist fashion... we paid money to boil poop.  Yes, I actually paid cash to boil elephant poop.  

For those of you who have never worked in sewage reclamation, this is what boiling poop looks like.  Yes, now you know, you are so welcome for that image.  

We then got our hands... dirtier... and put the poop pulp onto a screen.  After the poop is boiled, a dye is added and then they put that over a screen like any other paper making process.  This then allows for the poop to settle over the thin mesh and make... poopy paper.  As my hands were a bit dirty at the time, I only took a few photos of the poop paper drying in the sun.   

Next time you are in Chiang Mai, and feel like getting your hands dirty, check out the Elephant Poopoopaper Park

Elephants!!!

Sometimes you just need to get kissed by an elephant.  There is no way around it.  You just need a big smooch on the cheek.  Thankfully, when that urge arises there are a lot of elephants in Thailand.  

Sometimes a hug helps too.  I mean, who would not want a hug from a wet baby elephant on a muddy riverbank in Thailand?

This is an elephant informing me that I really need a shower.  I must have been extra stinky that day!

Don't let the cuteness fool you, they will steal any and all food.  They may look innocent, but their trunks have the skills that rival an inner-city pickpocket.

They also poop... A lot.  We rafted back down the river and I got a great shot of my friend staring at one of many elephant-made islands dotting the river.