We have been at an elephant camp yesterday , even for us it was the first time. Pickup was around 8 and one hour to drive to the mountains. We got the instructions about the camp and the elephants, their life and food and for sure how to handle them. Small group of 6 people. It was a little bit difficult to get on the back to ride. A small bamboo stick helps , rub on the front head and yell “thoi” means go back , jut means stop. After the lesson was done we had a lunch and afterwards we were making balls of tamarinds , salt and rice to feed the elephant. Our elephant was a female and her name was Khon-Dee. The mahout was with us for sure. one elephant one mahout – a relationship for an entire life. It felt scary for the first meters , sitting on the giant. You sit on her back , 2 meters high, nothing to grab and you will realize that a wrong move might be the end of the journey. But Khon-Dee was really good, we stopped when she was hungry and found a lot of green plants on the way. It was a great feeling to ride an elephant. An elephant needs a bath 4 times per day. So let’s go swimming :) A small pool fits up to 3 elephants. They were scrubbed and washed , and they obviously enjoyed it. When we finished the  elephant washing ceremony … we brought them to the mud bath. It’s like a body lotion , bacteria protection and sun protection as well to them if they over and over covered with mud. 

It was really an enjoyable day and to ride an elephant is a once in s lifetime experience , if you have the chance , do it.

Pictures will follow.