Highlights of Thailand

Here's a sampling of Vivian's favorite activties on our recent trip to Thailand:

1. Visiting the Chiang Mai zoo and waving at the giraffes

2. Petting a tiger, also at the Chiang Mai zoo (don't worry...the tiger hasn't been alive for quite a long time)

3. Making new friends

4. Riding around town in open-air tuk tuks

5. Visiting the ancient ruins at Ayuthuya

6. Goofing around in mom's new sunglasses (Chanel, fake of course)

7. Playing with dogs, dogs everywhere

8. Making more new friends

9. Swimming. We swam everyday, so she is quite confident (and reckless; she jumps into the pool all by herself)

10. Playing with monkeys (this one was named Pattaya)

11. Best of all: ELEPHANTS! She says Ellie now whenever she sees an elephant, be it live, a statue, a character on her favorite TV program, a stuffed animal...you get the picture. She's elephant obsessed.

Little wonder, as elephants are everywhere in Thailand. We visited an elephant camp where elephants that are retired from logging are working as entertainers and giving rides through the jungle.

I think the #1 highlight of the trip may have been the elephant ride. Vivian loved it and it was a lot of bumpy, lurching, at times hair-raising fun for all of us. In the photo below, the elephant is fishing for a handout of bananas. They're pretty smart!