Elephantology 101

Bonjourno from the land of Pad Thai and Red Curry, where we have had one of the most amazing experiences of our trip so far ... a day at an Elephant Conservation Camp in Chiang Mai!

The initial idea of paying to hang with elephants left us a bit quesy (horror stories of abused animals are rampant in Asia), but our fears were unfounded, because after spending a day with our elephants there were no questions in our minds that these animals were loved and well taken care of!

The day started out with the four of us (our friends Dan and Maria are here from Canada) getting a little Elephant 101, and then introductions. At first we were a bit intimidated because elephants are GINORMOUS and could squash us if they wanted to, but we quickly learned that they're very gentle animals! After the intial "greet and eat'" (we bought baskets of fruit from farmers to bribe our elephants for affection/tolerance), we got a lesson in daily elephant care and then set to bathing our elephants in the river. Trevors elephant was a momma, so we had her 4 month old baby "Bee Mai" slipping around, getting into everything much like a human toddler would! She always wanted to play, and her game of choice was "knock the human over". It was very entertaining (but alarming when she knocked Trevor down and stood on his knee)! After bath time, we discovered that we were going to be riding bareback and got lessons in mounting and dismounting, and then set out for a trek into the jungle. We were taught a few commands in Thai, such as "Go", "Stop" and "Don't" (used when your elephant is trying to uproot an entire banana tree and you're concerned about your ability to hang on), but we also had the trainers with us at all times, so our inability to remember what means what didn't affect much! The trek was a little steep for us (try sitting gracefully on an elephant while she navigates her way up and down muddy/rocky slopes!), but we all arrived unscathed and had an awesome traditional Thai lunch at a waterfall. After lunch came swimming time (with the elephants of course!), but our shindig was cut a bit short by a downpour and back to camp we headed. From there we learned another riding technique and set out for a ride throughout the rice fields and down a shallow river, this time balancing ontop of the head with our legs hanging down the trunk instead of with our knees tucked behind the ears. That brought us to the end of the day, where we once again bought fruit from farmers (this time not as a bribe, but more of a "thank you for not squashing me" reward) and said our goodbyes.

What made the day so cool was that first off, it was just the four of us, so it felt alot like a private or personal experience rather than a gong show tourist attraction. The opportunity to connect with such a majestic animal and to see that they have personalities just like we do was incredible. And the staff were wonderful! They were patient and friendly, and seeing them play with the baby or giving affection to the adults was rewarding and heartwarming. Knowing that these animals really are loved means alot to us!

It was definitelly one of the highlights to our entire trip and a day we won't be forgetting anytime soon!!

T and K

P.S. For other travellers, the name of the camp is "Patara Elephant Farm" and we highly recommend them!!

P.P.S We should also mention that we didn't take most of these photos ... as much as we wish we did! :D

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