Elephantitis!

Yes, we got elephant fever in Phuket! This was my all time favorite thing that we did on our trip. We went three times, and the kids loved it as much as I did. A mere 5 minute tuk-tuk ride from our beach was a place to ride elephants. Unlike African elephants which are deemed impossible to domesticate, the Asian elephants are kind, thoughtful, lumbering animals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant



These elephants were about 10 feet tall, aging from 12-36 years old, both males and females. To get aboard we had to climb up a platform to reach them. We did one hour tours that took us through jungle and up a hill. At the top we could see Kata Beach at sunset. On our first ride we had a monkey named Charlie follow us the whole way, swinging above us in the upper jungle canopy. Mia got a big kick out of Charlie.

Mia liked feeding the elephants bananas.

This is how Mia rode the elephants, on their heads. They seemed to like her hugs and gentle petting of their ears with her feet.

Each elephant was teamed up with their guide. The guides were personally responsible for their elephant. Our guide had worked and lived with his elephant for seven years. After our sunset ride, he rode home on his elephant, on the main road alongside cars whizzing by. It was quite a site to behold.

We were impressed by how well the elephants were treated. I was impressed by how soft and warm their skin was. We weren't allowed to wear shoes during the ride, so I snuggled my feet up against our elephant. It felt like a warm foot bath to me.