Elephant Training Course

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22.3.2012

We were driven about an hour away from Chiang Mai, up into the mountains. There was were the elephant training course was. We were greeted by about 4 elephants as soon as we jumped out the truck. We walked to the site were we were introduced to the elephants and told what the plan for the day was. There were 4 big elephants and 1 baby one, who was 6 months old. They had other elephants here but they were up in the mountains and only get brought down when needed. They are asian elephants, smaller than african ones but still big and quite intimidating at first.

We put on the cloths that we were given, as we were going to get wet and dirty, and we looked like people out of the Bible. As a group we fed the elephants bananas, either letting the elephants take them out of your hand with their trunks or throwing them straight into the mouths. We then learnt how to tell the elephant some basic commands. We learnt for it to kneel down so you can jump on its back, turn right, turn left, forward and stop. There was no seat or saddle on the elephant, youu were sat on the neck and held onto the head to stop youu falling off!

We were then given our elephants to go trekking with, me and Sophie went on the same one. She was the biggest (39 years old), and she was the mum of the baby so we had the little one following along side us all the way, weaving in and out of her legs. It was so amazing on the trek to think we were riding a elephant bareback through the jungle was amazing! The first trek was about 40 mins, when we got back to camp we had lunch.

After lunch we fed them more bananas, they could eat them all day I think, and got back on our elephant. They're not that comfy really, quite boney and when they move fast bumpy as well! We then headed for a watering hole, it took us about 40 minutes to get there with our one stopping every so often for a cheeky feed on some leaves and foliage. We arrived at the watering hole got down off the elephants and they went running in. They looked so happy, ducking under the water, throwing mud and water over themselves. We then got to scrub them and wash them, they seemed to enjoy that. We then got photos with the elephants in the water. They would give you a kiss on the cheek with their trunk and they could pick a het out of the water and put it on youur head! We trekked back to camp trying not to fall off, as we went a different way back which overlooked a cliff.

We had such a fantastic day, by the end of it we felt very close to the elephants and didn't want to leave them. It was brilliant, you'l never forget something like this. On the way home we went to see a 10 day old elephant. Who was actually quite big, bigger than we thought it would be Mx

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