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Published: January 7th 2007
I've been at the elephant camp a week now and things have defienitely improved, so I am going to stay here for a month. I didn't think I'd be making that decision a week ago! It's definitely a slower pace of life, but I have got myself into a routine that keeps me busy, and I have achieved quite a few things and overcome obstacles during the past week - and had lots of fun.
My day roughly goes like this: I get up at 5.45 or 6.45am depending on whether the elephants need to be brought back from the forest or not (not really a forest, usually just waste ground) then spend the hour before breakfast tidying the area where Surichok stays during the day. This involves raking away old food that she's had (remnants of pineapple leaves) and sometimes elephant dung. I actually spend a considerable part of each day hoping that she uses her walking time as toilet time rather than going in her area, although there is a small amount of satisfaction in playing elephant dung golf! Then I have an hour for breakfast, and at 9am return to the camp. Usually spend 30 muinutes walking her
me and Surichok2
Nipon teaching me the first steps to being a mahout - long way to go!!round the camp then, and sometimes take her for a shower. At the beginning of the week I would just walk around with her so that she could get used to my voice, on the second day I rode in the chair on her back, and now I've progressed to riding on her neck - a major achievement!
I knew that I had a problem with heights due to not likeing changing light bulbs, but until I got here I hadn't realised how bad it was. Riding on the chair is ok because you have something to hold onto, but when I first got onto her neck I was terrified. You have to sit quite far forwards and rest your hands on her head, and she seems to have quite a small head. And it's quite squishy so doesn't feel all that supportive. On Wednesday I was a complete baby. Mr. Tong, my mahout, was trying to get me to sit on Surichoks neck but I just couldn't do it. I was so angry with myself (and had a bit of a strop kicking my broom). I think partly it was because Nipon wasn't there. He seems to give me
more confidence (perhaps because he speaks good English so I know that if I'm not feeling comfortable/safe I can tell him whereas Mr. Tong tends to disappear and leave me and doesn't speak English), so I just rode around in her chair again. On Thursady I was determined to ride on her neck as I'm tired of riding past each of the mahouts houses around the camp and them looking at me and laughing - not very good having a mahout tat's scared of heights!. I did ride on her neck on hursday, but I also held on for dear life with one hand to the chair. I wouldn/couldn't let go. Mr. Tong was riding behind me trying to get me to let go and rest both hands on her head, and all I could hear was him pissing himself laughing. He was a sweetheart though and never let go of my arm. The second time I tried was a little more successful and I rested my hands on her head. I still had Mr. Tong with me, but apparently he let go of me about 1/2 way round. I wouldn't let her go for a drink though with me
riding on her neck! The rest of the morning is then usually spent just sitting around, keeping your elephant topped up with pineapple leaves and sweeping if necessary. Heather and Katrina have been here two and three weeks respectively so they spend their time snooxing lying in the chairs on their elephants backs (I'm not quite brave enough to do that yet) and they take tourists for rides as and when needed. Lunch is 12 - 1, although we often stretch that, then the afternoon is pretty much a repeat of the morning until we finish at 3pm. The beginning of the week I found boring as teh other girls wrer off giving rides, but it got much better after a couple of days as the mahouts became familiar with me. They will call over to say hello now and I was invited over for breakfast on Wednesday. That was a difficult one as I didn't want to offend them, but pork and chilli with rice (and another unidentifiable dish) didn't seem too appealing. I managed to have a little bit though.They also keep bringing bits of fruit over for us to try. After 3pm it's shower time - always
Neil the puppy giving me a shower
Not sure if thet's the Thai way to spell it! get very dirty - then free time until dinner, which on tuesady and thursday is at 6pm, but on monday/wednesday and friday is at 7pm as the elephants are taken to the forest for the night. My first time of doing this was Wednesday. Quite a trek down a busy side street...then we had to cross both sides of a dual carraigeway, must have been a very surreal sight to see a huge elephant walking across the road, es[pecially as wee had to stop 1/2 way across to let the traffic pass. we then walked Surichok through a building site and onto some wasteland to saty for the night. I ended up covered in sticky stinging nettles attached all over my trousers. After dinner we usually just sit and chat for a while - mostly about what funny things our elephants (or mahouts) did that day. Usually back inroom by 9pm at the latest and asleep by 10pm to start over the next day.
On Friday I was much improved riding on Srichoks neck. Mr. Tong rode in her chair (i.e. not holding onto me) and I even rode her without holding on - no hands. Typically no-one was around
Puppy the puppy
Yes, that's her name. Here she is annoying a cockerel by pulling his tail feathers, and she's the one that jumped out of the truck to see this. Everyone was out on rides or asleep. We also had two new volunteers tur up today - Chad and Chloe. They are looking after Soitong and Saamcom on each side of me, so it's nice to ahve someone to chat to nearby. The mahouts pulled a big low table out so that we could all sit and chat. My Thai dictionary also turned up when they brought it out. I'd left it by "my tree" where I sit and it had disappeared. We were trying to see which mahout was speaking better English - turns out it could be Mr. Tong. Just what I need, him knowing more English to be even bossier!!! On Friday night we took Surichok to a different part of forest narer the river where we'll be going tomorrow morning. I'm sure Mr. Tong deliberately chooses to walk along busy roads so that more people will see us. I think he likes the attention! As tonights forest was a bit further away Nipon came in his pick upo truck to take us back to the camp. I was the first to be collected so hopped in the front. As we were driving along,
Ao
Amazingly he's posing in this picture..... thankfully slowly, the puppy that was in the back decided to jump out. Now this is a tiny puppy that cannot even jump down from the low table we sit on. So I jumped out of the front and dashed around expecting to see a splatted puppy. But he was ok. To be safe though I carried him with me in the front from then on. Just as we were gettign tback to the camp we almost an over the black puppy! I thought we had but we just managed to stop in time (by this time I was in the back of the truck with the other mahouts and Chloe). Friday night turned into a bit of a party with us sitting round drinking and quizzing Gof who is around the apartments alot (not sure what he does,although today he had built a very nice open hut thing where we sat for dinner) about his pregnant wife and 4 girlfriends. He spends an awful lot of time on his mobile phoning each one in turn, although apparently the only one in his heart is number 1 AKA wife. Lucky her! His name from now on is gigolo (which he
seems to quite like). Late night drinking is not an especially good idea when you have to be up the next morning at 5.15 to take elephants to the river. I should point out that by late night I mean 11pm!
Saturday morning started at 5.30 with us all meeting outside to go and collect our elephants. Wouldn't you know it Mr. Tong arrived, then disappeared, so I set off with Nipon to try and find Surichok, and Chloe with her mahout Hor. Nipon and Hor strided ahead with Chloe and I struggling behind in the pitch blackness of early morning trying to navigate thick grass,sand, holes and elephant dung without embarrassing ourselves and falling over. After managing this, and safely through a pack of wild dogs, we reached the forest. Surichok had decided to wander into some head high grass and couldn't be found, so we left that task to Mr. Tong and walked to the river. The other elepants arrived and had their bath, with Mr. Tong and Surichok ambling along after everyone had left. I tried to get on Surichok for the ride back but just ended up hanging there from her ear and gave up, so
Lam & Gof
Lam is the cook - v v good Thai green curry. Gof is an artist, soldier, party organiser, Miss Universe organiser, gigolo??? We've not quite worked it out yet! walked back with Nipon. Then usual routine back at the camp, but we finish at 12.00 today. I walk Surichok around and she actually does as she's told. then I give her a shower, which involves throwing buckets of water at her. I always get completely soaked as well. Whicha, who is Chads mahout is like an excited child now that he has a volunteer. He's always been really shy up until now, although like the others he will say hello and smile if you do first. Now that he has a playmate though there is no stopping him. He takes Chad off on his motorbike to the market to buy bananas for the elephants a couple of timesm, to meet his mum, and comes and sits with us. Part of my duties I thought I would have here included teaching the mahouts English, but it actually turns out that they spend more time teaching us Thai phases!
Saturday afternoon and Sunday are spent pretty much chilling out, doing laundry... I do laugh when I think back to last week and thinking Heather and Katrina were really boring not doing anything, and here I am doing the same. It's very
Baby foal
This foal was born at 3am on Wednesday morning. Picture taken about 12 hours later tiring getting up at 6 every morning, sweeping and riding elephants all day! I'll try and keep up with my diary more regularly next week and not post so many pictures all at the same time!
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