Gentle Giant

Without wasting too much time on the internet on this trip, I have to jump around things that have gone on so far. The most current and fresh is my day with the elephants. We were picked up early this morning for a beautiful drive out into this lush tropical valley to meet our elephant. My elephant was Boon Pak, the only male, tusks and all, and my partner was his trainer Kaw. We had read that at this place we went, you literally become the trainer for the day and "own" the elephant but I'm not sure we realized that it really meant that we would be immediately put in that position. It was amazing. We learned about care for the elephant, feeding, health and then commands and mounting. One of the elephants had a bit of a fit which was incredible to see...ears flared, loud quintessential elephant sound. It was a bit intimidating at first, seeing her do this but then we realized she just wanted her baby to come back to her. I must admit, I was really glad to have Boon Pak at that moment. He was so gentle, docile, sweet.

After some basic ground training, it was time to mount. There are a few ways to get on the elephant and I opted for up the front of their head. After placing my hands on Boon Pak's head and saying a command, he raised his trunk to make a step, I placed my foot on and it and he raised his trunk up so I could climb up onto his neck and spin around. I spent a large part of the rest of the day perched high up on his neck, wandering through the valley, crossing streams and swimming at a waterfall with Boon Pak...literally. We got to this gorgeous waterfall and walked the elephants into one of the lower pools and down he went...submerging himself with me still on top. Needless to say, I got a bath of my own. They served us an incredible lunch on the rocks, the remainder of which we got to feed our elephants. Talk about sustainable eating...even the tablecloth was a snack for them (banana leaves)!! We rode them for a while back to camp, learned some new riding techniques, waded through a river and had to say our goodbye's 6 hours later. Boon Pak was amazing, so was Kaw. The feeling of sitting on top of such a huge animal and letting it guide you over tiny trails high up on mountains, down muddy paths with a sheer drop beside you, through rushing rivers...it was incredible. They told us at the beginning how surefoot elephants are and now I see why. Every step they take, they are sure of before taking it. I was sad to leave Boon Pak...we had bonded. Such an incredible experience, so much more impactful then if we had gone and sat on a chair on their back and then watched them do tricks. It truly was something that will stick with me.

So many other amazing details of the day which I am leaving out, but I will save some for in person story telling. All in all, my love of and resport for elephants is enormous now.

Photos to come.