Day 120 22 Oct - Another WOW day at Baanchang!

One day the magical Elephant training course
- E lephanst
- L ovely guide
- E xcellent food
- P roper good elephants
- H appy beasts
- A mazing views
- N aughty baby elephants
- T ill next time !!!

Today we experience another "Golden Day" at the Baanchang Elephant Park an hours drive outside Chiang Mai, a location chosen to provide as much of a natural habitat as possible. The park is dedicated to providing elephants with the highest quality-of-life possible whilst at the same time educating visitors about the importance elephant preservation and proper eating, sleeping, bathing, and exercising methods. We start the day by exchanging our clothes for our rather fetching double denim mahout uniforms, before heading outside to meet the elephants. Our first job is to feed these beautiful creatures basket loads of bananas. We are immediately walking around admidst about 20 elephants popping whole hands of fruit directly in their mouths.

 

We wander among the herd and feed whichever elephant takes our fancy. Elephants sleep for only 3-4 hours a day, the rest is spent eating and so food is a great way of making initial contact with them. Rowan is a bit daunted to start with, but the mahouts, who each care for a single elephant, guide her and reassure her and she begins to relax.

 

Our next lesson is how to climb aboard! They are big animals, especially if you are only 7 and 9 and we have to master the command "Non Long" - which means lie down. Then we have to heave ourselves up, holding onto the top of the elephant's ear and then the elephant will stand. Then we have to put our hands on the humps on the head! So much to remember and we havent gone anywhere yet!

  

  

We are then taught the commands for "this way" - "kway - kway" with a squeeze of the opposite leg, "straight on" - "pai" and "stop" - "how" and we all take turns having a ride up and around the trees first one way and then turning and coming back the other.

David and Tiegan each get a kiss from their elephant and then it is time for a delicious lunch before we start our jungle trek on board.

 

David shares an elephant with Rowan and Nicole climbs aboard with Tiegan. The elephant skin is very rough with wiry, coarse hair. The motion is not unpleasant as we climb the steep hill, but slightly precarious as we have nothing to hold onto. Our seat is made even more difficult as the elephants stop for a snack en route!

At the halfway point we all dismount - actually we need to feel some cool air on our legs. The heat radiated through the elephants skin is amazing and we are all distinctly moist as we take a well earned rest and Tom, our guide, shares the histories of each elephant in our group. We are riding Thong Yai - who was rescued from an illegal logging camp and Mae Noi who was rescued from a life of street begging. The elephants are also have a rest and are free to wander through the jungle with their mahout to eat, rest or just have a really good scratch!

Time to mount up again for our steady walk through the jungle and back down the hill towards the camp.

 

Sadly - no one had told Nicole and Tiegan;s elephant not to roll in the dirt - and we have a very dirty elephant to ride back!

 

Our elephant ride comes to an end far too soon and none of us really wants to get off, but there is one more treat in store for us as the elephants are led into an enormous pool to cool off and enjoy their second of three baths in a day.

What else do good mahouts do for their elephant but grab a bucket and a scrubbing brush and say thankyou to their friend by giving them a good scrub down. We wade into the water... a bit reminiscent of the hot mud pools in Fiji - very squidgy under foot and join our elephants.

Not sure who enjoyed the bath more... the elephants or the humans!

We say one last long goodbye to the elephants - none of us wants to leave. It has been another remarkable day, a privilege to get so close and spend such quality time with such remarkable and majestic animals. What a day!