Day 3 started bright and early with a drive to the Bangkok airport to catch the flight to Sukhotai. We got to hang out at the Bangkok Airlines airport lounge for a short while before catching a beautiful morning flight. This was followed by a scenic drive out to the countryside from Sukhotai out to near the town of Phitsanulok, to our new temporary home at the 'Sappraiwan Grand Hotel and Resort'. This area is a quiet and expansive place. Students were shown to their very nice accommodations and then given an interesting lecture on elephant sign language (how elephants communicate) from a very experienced mahout (elephant trainer). Then the group were driven up to the elephant camp, where they saw how to cook rice inside bamboo and sat down outside to a delicious cooked Thai meal. After lunch, the kids got the chance to bathe and feed the Sappraiwan elephants, and each of them got to ride an elephant. DISK students were in great spirits throughout the day, and everyone came away with the feeling that they had learned a lot, and had experienced something very unique, establishing a personal connection with elephants!
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