Staying in the homestay is such a unique experience. I wake up very early to the rooster and other animals waking up, to the smell of fish cooking for the family and the squeals of this little sweetie Yahya. She’s 4 years old and quite a monkey. Giggling and babbling away in the tribal language that I have no idea what she’s saying. We communicate through sign language and play - this is added to as for some reason she seems to think I understand her.

Our session today is to hike into the jungle to check on the rescued elephants. There’s 5 now, bought from locals to avoid being used as tourist attractions or labouring animals. Mae Doom is the eldest and was rescued first. The final one Dodo was rescued only last month so he’s still a little unpredictable. The group of volunteers is made up of girls from different countries. I’m impressed with their ability to pick up the language and keep data on the elephants to ensure they’re benefitting from being rescued. The data reveals that they’re slowly starting to behave like elephants who have grown up in the wild.

Tonight’s lesson after a sudden downpour of rain is basket weaving with a local woman. She’s chuckling away at the foreigners (us) when we make mistakes. I wonder what they think of visitors to the homestay?