If you’re ever in Thailand, in particular, Phuket, you’ll no doubt be lured by the many animal-focused tourist activities to partake in. Ride an elephant through the jungle! Take a photo with a tiger at a “tiger sanctuary“! Watch elephants perform at Fantasea! As animal lovers, we immediately knew that the latter two options were a definite no. “Elephant tourism,” on the other hand, including riding/bathing elephants, straddled more of a gray line (to be discussed in a much later post). There were elephant camps in Phuket, but according to a friend who had just visited, they were quite expensive. Our other options seemed like tourist trap elephant ride type places that cared very little for the elephant’s welfare. Ultimately, due to lack of research and interest, we decided to avoid anything elephant-related, sanctuary or otherwise.
So, Monkey Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suwan Khuha) it was! Continue Reading
