Our day started in a shuttle van with AC! Most of the other elephant sanctuary trips traveled up the mountain in the back of a pick-up truck on benches. This was a 1.5 hour journey up a winding road. I knew that Mack would be done before we even began if we made her do that. We paid a bit more and got a private tour which included the van. It was well worth the extra money. There were 8 people in our group when I read that some other companies take 30 people at a time.
The ride was great. Lots of scenery to watch go by. Beautiful pops of color from houses, roadside shrines, wandering dogs dodging oncoming traffic, and so many other unusual sights for us to take in. As we got to the top of the mountain, Fi started seeing elephants from the window and got so excited. When we pulled into the place we were headed, we saw Valentine.
Valentine is a 4 month old baby elephant. He is tiny. He is huge. He is tiny and huge at the same time. He and his mom, Lucky were in an enclosure near the front of the property. They were waiting to greet us. This is where we got a very brief introduction on elephants and how to be with them. It was extremely overwhelming to be standing near a giant elephant who was approaching me for food. I was scared. Unfortunately there was a litter of adorable puppies running around too. We found out that elephants do not like puppies. Lucky trumpeted so loud as any protective mama would to chase away the pup. It scared the living daylights out of Mackenzie. She wanted out of that enclosed area and was elephant shy for the rest of the day.
Our next stop would be to change into our elephant keeper clothing. The girls looked completely adorable. After we changed, we got to mix up treat balls for the elephants in a mortar. We mixed cooked rice, fresh picked rice, tamarind, and bananas in the peel all together and formed balls with the mixture. These would be used as a treat when we learned how to feel the elephants. After the feed and greet, we would begin our hike into the jungle with our elephant friends on our path. This was amazing and scary at the same time.
There is something so peaceful about elephants. I felt that when I was around them. I felt nervous (and Mack petrified) when an elephant was walking behind me on the trail. The trail was not very wide and when an elephant wanted to pass you, she just passed. Its an overwhelming immensity that overtakes you. We were completely safe, but felt a little vulnerable as well. Mack just couldn't take it when there was one coming. It was easier to just pull over and let it pass.
We hiked until lunchtime and were led to a lunch pavilion overlooking a waterfall and swimming hole. Lunch was a Thai lunch cooked by people in the surrounding Karen tribe, and was tied up in little leaf packages. I enjoyed the simple taste of the lunch followed by a branch of fruit from a "feather" tree. It was similar to lychee, but it was very tart like lilikoi.
Lunch was followed by a swim with the elephants. We were given bowls and scrub brushes to help bathe the elephants. This part was really hard for Mack. Fi enjoyed it a lot. The elephants were trained to lie down in the water while we poured water over them and scrubbed their leathery skin. At one point the elephants began shooting water from their trunks and spraying all of us. It was a really great time. This part was not long enough though. Just as we were finding our groove in the water, the elephants were led back out to the trail.
The hike out was great and included the overwhelming elephant pass once again. It was really beautiful out there. Cicadas filled the jungle with their songs while the elephants echoed the cracking and breaking of tree branches. I was sad to see the day end. It wasn't over until we got to play with baby Valentine one more time. He was so adorable. He was very clumsy and had learned that rubbing his body on the fence felt very good. He has some really funny moments of clumsiness trying to scratch his back.
Today was magical. The girls loved it. This is something they probably won't get to do again and I am so glad we were able to give them this opportunity. Mr. Nat, our guide, was so great. He really helped make the day fun for all of us.
Everyone in this house is sound asleep. It was exhausting today. I think it's my turn now too. Not sure what we have going on tomorrow other than the night market. Maybe a relaxing day by the pool? Maybe a temple visit? Definitely some shopping!
This looks amazing. The elephants look so relaxed. What a great day!
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