Elephant Trek
Our first morning after the full moon party, Megan and I decided to do something we’d been excited for ever since we first thought of Thailand -- go on an elephant ride! It is a surreal experience that you really have to see to believe. The elephants are ginormous, and riding on top gives you an incredible view.
Our elephant’s name was Dumbo, and he had the ears to fit the bill. He was about 45 years-old and we were told that an elephant’s lifespan is as long as humans. We were glad we got Dumbo; he looked like one of the biggest elephants. We rode through beautiful, lush jungle and open grassy areas with nothing but palm trees as far as we could see. The ride is bumpy up top and you have to hold on to keep from falling off. While we rode, we would pet the elephant’s tough hide with our bare feet.
The elephant would stop to eat plants but not stop to poo. It was incredible to see the elephant’s large and agile trunk swing down to pick up some grass or even pull a whole plant, roots and all, out of the ground. The most amazing thing, however, was leaning over the side to see the elephant nimbly place its foot on a coconut to crack it open, then pour the milk into its mouth.
The elephant rider, or mahout, would give the beast pokes above his eye on the left or right side to encourage him to move. The mahout could also give verbal commands. After a while, we had reached a small stream in which the elephant needed a drink and some shade. The elephant fills his trunk with water and sprays it on his sides and belly. Then he fans himself with his gigantic ears. We got soaked!
After the ride, we were able to feed the elephant whole bananas. There are around 40,000 muscles in an elephants trunk, making it sensitive enough to pick up a blade of grass, but strong enough to pull branches off a tree. It is definitely weird to touch!
Go ahead and follow the link to look at the pictures! Enjoy!
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What a cool adventure! I do feel a little sad about the pet monkey, but I suppose he has a pretty decent life. So neat to see how big Dumbo's head and trunk were, too!
what an awesome adventure. Pretty much one-of-a-kind! So how tall is an elephant, anyway? And were the edges of Dumbo's ears healthy? they looked a little ragged.........
When I worked at the zoo, I got to pet and feed an elephant. They told me that I'd probably be fired, or at least trampled, if I tried to ride one though. And Tucson doesn't look nearly as, um, tropical as Thailand does.
Deverie, it was a wild monkey who lived in the palm trees around the elephant camp. She just comes down sometimes and they put a leash on her.
Mom, the elephant was probably about 13 feet tall, but sitting atop we had a view from almost 20 feet in the air and it felt quite a bit precarious. As for the elephant's ears, I think they were okay. We saw many other elephants with the same thing. He was 45 years old!
Justin, that is a very astute observation about Tucson compared to Thailand. You must have a goshdarn Traveler IQ of 99.
You want to get a monkey? That's a bad idea - and let me tell you why. It's not just dancing with tooth brushes....
wow, what a cool experience. you were right, you cant have too many pictures of yourself on top of an elephant!! nice that you kept the monkey company as well.
more blog, more blog!!! love you guys!!
Did he crap in his hand, throw it around, and dance in a festive manner like it was a party of monkey poop? But really to be serious it seems as though the monkey was chained up maybe a slave to a higher anarchy of monkeys maybe dressed up in battle armor?