Monterey

I could get used to living here. I don't say that about many places. I loved visiting Sonoma but I couldn't live there. I sort of hate San Francisco (shhhh!) with all those hills and tightly packed buildings. It seriously makes me feel a bit claustrophobic- what can I say, I am from Illinois and am used to being able to see for miles!

Anyways, I could picture myself living in Monterey, Ca. It's beautiful. It has a bunch of different festivals. Live music. A plethora of good restaurants. Plus I've seen more hot guys here in the last two days than I have seen everywhere else in the last five months combined. It's a little on the chilly side but the ocean and otters more than make up for that.

What can I say? I just really like it here. Perhaps I'll move here and get a job at the elephant reserve.

Oh, the elephant reserve! The place where really nice elephants go when they retire from the circus/ carnivals.

I don't even know where to begin because I know that no matter what I say I won't be able to do it justice. Elephants are just so cool. And smart. When you look in their eyes you can tell they are thinking. But what you don't realize until you are standing RIGHT next to them is how ridiculously big they are. It is sort of like how in your head you know that someone who is seven feet tall is really tall but you don't realize quite what that means until they are next to you.

When I was washing the elephant, Butch, today they made him kneel/lay down and I still couldn't see the top of him!

Their skin is crazy.

But my favorite part is the end of their trunk which has so many specific little muscles that it could pluck a blade of grass. I got to feel it as he sucked the pieces of bread out of my hand!

Anyways, it was actually a lot of work washing the dang elephant but it was a great experience that I would recommend to anyone!!!

This seriously has been the best vacation ever! Yeah life!