Elephant Village

---

13-19th Mar
Today we are going to Vietnam but we decided to go on some elephants before. It was really scary because we went down a steep hill. Mum and I were on one elephant on this seat and I felt like I was going to fall out. When we got to the bottom of the hill there was a river. We got into the river and the man said "come and sit on the elephant's neck". I was really freaked out because all you could hold on to was the elephant's head. When we got out of the lake I was fine but then our elephant went a little weird . It kept trying to overtake the other elephants and it nearly ate a garden tree. I reall enjoyed the ride. The plane was only 1-hour to Vietnam so it wasn't bad. Sophie

In the shallow river we rode to a rocky island where we took billions of photos. We then went to the road and villagers gave the elephants banana stems. Then we fed them bananas and as soon as you gave it it was gone. Jonathan

Parental Facts - Elephant Village has only 10 elephants and an onsite vet who had been trained in Thailand. All the elephants are female with an average age somewhere between 30-40 years old. The elephants spend the morning giving rides to tourist and in the afternoon they return to a local forest. They only sleep for 2-3 hours, have no stomach so eating is a preoccupation, and are pregnant for 23-months (18 if it's a female).

---

Comments

[Bryan Pannett]

Elephants
Great picture. You don't look very relaxed Richard! You are having many great experiences. I trust they continue.

[The Elegant Elephant and Mischievous Monkey Tour]

Elephants and more
Hi Bryan, yes the elephant riding was a memorable experience. They really were well cared for. As for the seat, yes I did feel like I was going to slip through and on the way down the slope it felt like the elephant was going to fall off the edge. As for the $1.00 haircut, Libby cuts the bits I miss and really there isn't much to miss anymore :-)

[Aunty Julia]

Elephant riding
Wow, the elephant riding looked a little steep and scary, but lots of fun. You must have had to hold on tight! Have a lovely time in Vietnam. Julia xx