I wrote about getting to the Elephant camp few days back, and now I will write about what we did there for three days. I can very much sum it up in three words, we played, we ate, we napped, and then repeat.
All the ingredients for a happy vacation were there, well, maybe except that we had to get up early to go get our elephants from the forest. Did you know that healthy elephants sleep only three to four hours a day? Generally between 1100 pm and 0300 am, Supat said. So our routine was to go get them after they ate their breakfast in the forest at about 0630 am. We would brush their backs to get rid of all the dirt they put on there(elephants use their trunks to cover their backs with dirt as soon as we get off them in the forest), and then ride them to the lake, where they can drink and we can bathe them and have some water fun.
There are many interesting demonstrations of the intelligence of elephants. The mahouts use a very long chain to tie the elephants so that they don't wander so far away from where they were left. When we get back to the forest to get them, the elephants would pull these chains towards the mahout so he wouldn't have to go get them himself. I loved watching Tantawan do that. Another show of their intelligence is in the water. Elephants love to cool off in the water, and it was always great fun to bathe them and watch them move in the water.
After bathing the elephants, we would ride them back to the forest and ride a scooter back to our room at the resort. A delicious breakfast would be waiting for us,we would eat and take a nice nap. Couple hours later, we would go to get the elephants from the forest and repeat the cycle couple more times. At night, we would have dinner with Supat and talk elephant stories. The three days we spent at the camp were truly relaxing, fun and educational, and we will always cherish our memories of the time we spent there.
Related post:TECC:Getting there and first impressions.
Comments (5)
Hi Candi, These are some incredible photos. It looks like you had such a memorable 3 day experience at the Elephant Conservation Center. I really like the photos of you and your husband riding on top of your elephants. And your husband has great balance to stand on top of his elephant like that. Amazing photos.
Play, eat, nap . . . sounds like a nice relaxing vacation to me.
Thanks so much Candi for continuing to share your wonderful photos and experiences from Thailand. I have really enjoyed them all. Have a great day!
Posted by Kathy (Trekcapri) | July 14, 2009 6:28 AM
Posted on July 14, 2009 06:28
Candi, elephant camp sounds fantastic. What an extraordinary experience! I can't even imagine what that would be like.
The elephants do sound very intelligent -- and patient.
Posted by sandrac | July 14, 2009 9:36 AM
Posted on July 14, 2009 09:36
This truly sounds like paradise! Love all your photos.
Posted by Annie | July 14, 2009 10:17 AM
Posted on July 14, 2009 10:17
How interesting that you had to go fetch them and then take them to the water to bathe. Was it easy to identify your elephants? Sounds like so much fun!
Posted by girasoli | August 24, 2009 2:49 AM
Posted on August 24, 2009 02:49
Girasoli, it was not so easy the first couple times, but then I started recognizing her more easily by her size and shape, and then some marks.
Posted by candi | August 24, 2009 12:42 PM
Posted on August 24, 2009 12:42