We never imagined a trip that started out as an exotic honeymoon to Thailand would completely change our world. Walking along the beaches of Phuket, we stumbled upon a street cart rolling up what we discovered to be the simplest, freshest ice cream we had ever had. After a few return visits to that street cart and a 30 hour transatlantic plane ride, we were convinced that we needed to bring this innovative Thai inspired treat back home with us.
While on our trip, we were lucky enough to be able to spend a day at the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary in Phuket – an initiative by locals to help preserve and protect the native Asian elephant population. There we learned about these friendly, enchanting animals and the dangers that face them outside of the sanctuary. This visit was truly life changing. One of the rescued elephants was a 6 month old male nicknamed “Naughty Boy”. After 5 minutes of seeing him flopping around in the mud baths and stealing watermelon from the guests, it was clear to us how he earned his name.
We were so inspired by all that Thailand had to offer – it’s people, culture, wildlife and it’s food – that we could not pass up on the opportunity to bring a small piece of it back to Michigan with us.
Our nod to Naughty Boy is a reminder to us to enjoy life every day, and to keep on rollin’!
