Home of the Elephants - 24/07

Today we headed out to Tarangire National Park (the real park, not my bedroom at Home Base). From my pretrip reading I knew that this was the place to go if you wanted to see elephants - so obviously it was on my to do list!  In case I had missed that tidbit of information, there was a sign announcing we were entering the home of elephants as we approached the park. I later found out that Tarangire means River of the Warthogs and NOT elephants  (elephant is Tembo, FYI).
As a group we had a goal- spot the leopard, the final animal on our Big Five list. A few of the volunteers were also looking forward to seeing giraffes. I have to admit they weren't really on my list but they were beautiful to see. I snapped some good giraffe shots if I say so myself. 
Nixon and Hillary  (the driver for the West Point volunteers) spotted a leopard in the high grass and we could tell the giraffes were on alert but try as we may we could not find the leopard. Some of the West Pointers said they saw the tail though!  That's pretty cool. 
We had lunch in the picnic area before heading home. We were warned to watch out for the cheeky vervet monkeys.  As we were eating someone, I think it was Becky, wondered if monkeys actually like bananas or if that was just something people said. Not a minute sooner did a monkey scoot down a tree and grab Andrew's banana that was sitting on the table next to mine!  There was a brief moment of madness as we screamed, laughed and jumped out of the monkey's way! The monkey made his way to a branch near the top of the tree  and enjoyed his free snack while we continued to laugh and settle back at the table.  We were able to take a few monkey selfies before leaving the lunch area. Another cheeky monkey stole a chocolate bar from someone else's lunch as we were on our way out.  These monkeys must really enjoy the safari visitors!
After lunch we drove around by the river before heading out of the park and back home.  We didn't have any luck with the big cats, but all in all it was another beautiful day on safari.

Luck of the Maasai - 23/07

Today we departed camp just after 7:00am heading for our destination of Ngoragora Crater.  The crater was once an active volcano and is now home to many members of Tanzanian wildlife, including all of the Big 5. For those of you unfamiliar with African safaris, the Big 5 are lions, leopards, water buffalo, rhinos and last but never least, elephants. The other inhabitants of the crater are members of the Maasai as they will live peacefully with the animals without hunting them... which sadly can't be said for all humans. There are rangers patrolling the crater rim on guard for would be poachers.
When we reached the top of the crater we saw a few baboons. Nixon  (Nick) informed us that we should keep our windows closed because the baboons can be quite dangerous. While we were waiting for our park pass we also saw some ants working away at something.  They were huge!
It was quite a drive getting to the crater's rim and then driving down to enter the park but it was about to be worth it.  I felt the anticipation a child does when they're about to visit Disney for the first time - was it going to be everything I hoped?!
I'm pleased to tell you it was an AMAZING experience!!! The roaming zebras and wildebeest were abundant as well as the warthogs and gazelles. There was an enormous flock of flamingoes in a salty lake, stretching further than the reach of my fancy camera lens.  We saw an elephant on its own (guess who spotted that first?),  which seemed a bit strange to me. Nick said it's herd was probably nearby. One big highlight was seeing lions mate!  There could be 2-4 little simbas running around the park in approximately 110 days! We spotted some water buffalo and those things are huge! They were mainly relaxing, hanging out, not up and about much.
Like I said, it was an amazing day. I'm sure you can tell by my overuse of exclamation marks ;). On my first ever safari experience I saw FOUR out of the Big Five!  How cool is that? Wonderful. Seriously wonderful. The group of volunteers that safari-ed before us had told us they saw a rhino in the crater and since that I was hoping I'd get the opportunity to see it.  I know- you're surprised I didn't say elephants.  Don't get me wrong. The ellies will always be my favourites, but at the rate life/humanity/human-animal interaction is going, who knows how much longer rhinos will be found in the wild. When we entered the park I asked Nick about the chances of seeing the rhino and he said he couldn't promise any sightings but we'd need to be pretty lucky to see a rhino. I joked and said the Maasai told me my bracelet was good luck.  When we were finishing up Nicole mentioned that maybe my bracelet is in fact lucky. Either way, tonight I am thankful for this amazing opportunity to see these wonderful creatures of God's creation. Asante.

Today we visited the ancient ruins of Ayutthaya, the former capital back when the Kingdom of Thailand was known as Siam or the Siamese Kingdom.  It was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in December 1991.  Our tour guide for today was a very warm, cheery and knowledgeable man named TicTac, I promise you I did not make that up, my creativity isn't that good! According to the video TicTac showed us in the museum there are a few things you should do in Ayutthaya.  Here they are, in no particular order:

• Maha Ut Chapel
• Take in the many Buddha images and paintings
• Visit the Reclining Buddha 
• Admire the Royal monuments, ancient palaces and architecture
• Visit any of the various museums, including the Bang Sai Arts and Crafts Museum
• Explore the history of the foreign settlements
• Browse Ayutthaya's markets
• Cruise around Muang Islet
• Take your choice of tour by elephant*, bicycle, tram car, tuk-tuk or rickshaw
• Enjoy a Thai meal at a riverside restaurant

Despite the intense heat, I enjoyed our day in Ayutthaya.  The highlight of my trip was seeing the Buddha head surrounded by Bodhi tree roots.  I had seen photos before coming to Thailand and it was amazing to see in person.  It didn't look exactly like I expected and when reviewing my photos from today I realised it reminded me of a particular Disney movie.  I wished I had noticed before so I could have posed more appropriately 555. I hope you enjoy my photos from today. 

How good is your Disney knowledge?

* I would not endorse the elephant tours.  While I would like to spend all of my time with the lovely ellies, these ones are made to wear harnesses which makes me sad. 

Students visiting a temple at Ayutthaya

My second Reclining Buddha of this trip

Head of a ruined sandstone Buddha image surrounded by tree roots over the years

Best Day Ever cont.

Chai Lai Café had something for everyone;  Sam had his favourite dish, French fries. Ada and Amanda had Thai dishes, Ryan had a drink and Heather and I went with dessert. After lunch we were told the local group had not informed Chai Lai that they had planned a tour with the elephants so we would have to wait for our turn. We were bummed to find out that the elephants were shared between both companies knowing that the other group uses harnesses. One of the partners of Chai Lai explained to us that the elephants are shared but they all sleep freely under the pavilions at Chai Lai. The local, family-run elephant business doesn't see the harnesses as bad things because elephants are so strong but both groups treat the elephants well.  It put a slight downer on the feeling of the day but after getting to know everyone at Chai Lai all morning I decided that I would still ride the elephants. My hope is that as more tourists use companies like Chai Lai that provide only bareback rides,  other companies will see that you do not need to provide a harness for tourist rides. I'm sure it will take a while but fingers crossed. Heather, Amanda and I went to feed the elephants while we waited.
When the elephants came back they removed their harnesses so we could head out on our bareback ride. Ada decided she was too sad about the fact the elephants are harnessed and she did not want to ride so she stayed at the café. I respect her choice and conviction but because I had good feeling about the practices at Chai Lai I went ahead with the ride.
Four of us headed out to meet our elephants.  I had the largest elephant in the herd who is actually the mama of the cute baby elephant. Heather had the older, bigger sister of the baby. Our elephants wandered away to munch on the vegetation while Amanda and Sam got on their elephants.  The atmosphere is very laid back at Chai Lai  (so much so that I hadn't actually paid for any of my food yet). The mahouts were a little too calm with the fact our elephants were doing their own thing for my comfort!  Heather and I had no idea if this grassy patch was even on the right route!  Reader, I'm not sure if you've ever ridden an elephant. If you have, you may know the nerve wrecking feeling that you might fall off as your elephant heads down a steep, muddy hill. If you haven't... think about how it would feel not knowing if you're about to fall off an animal that's almost as tall as a small building and not knowing where you'll land in relation to its very large and powerful feet. I think you get the picture.
Anyways, it turns out our elephants were right which I should have known.  They probably walk this same route every time and an elephant never forgets. It also turns out that we had the hungriest elephants. Thanks to the 'stop and snack' philosophy of our elephants, Amanda and Sam overtook us in no time.  My mama elephant wouldn't go too far ahead of her baby, Tom Po. If Tom Po stopped for a snack we waited. Such dedicated parenting.  
Despite their bulky build, elephants are amazingly graceful creatures.  At one point I witnessed Heather's elephant walk up a muddy bank by balancing on tree roots!  Tom Po hasn't quite mastered the art of gracefulness. One of the mahouts had to help her up the bank with a push!  It was funny to watch. Tom Po often sat on her bottom to scoot down small hills as if they were slides. 
As we approached the river I realised what was about to happen. I can't speak Thai mahout orders but I understood - they told the elephants to sit!  I tried my best to stay dry and I actually did a pretty good job.  Perhaps it was too good of a job because my mahout came over and splashed me until I looked like I had fallen in the water. Oh well, so much for the dry part of the day. After the elephants had cooled off we rode them back up to the pavilion. Our songtaew driver was waiting; my time with the elephants was up.  We cleaned up and checked our bills before heading back to the city. The internet was down for the moment so Chai Lai couldn't process payment with cards but the lady gave our driver a list of who owed what and instructions to stop at a bank atm. That worked out fine. As the mountains faded from our view, we talked about our day and looked at each other's photos.
All in all, I could not think of a better way to spend my day in Chiang Mai. I am truly grateful to have had this opportunity to get to know the gentle giants I have always loved from afar. After today, elephants will forever hold a bigger place in my heart.

Best. Day. EVER!

Peaceful, playful pachyderms

This morning we woke up nice and early to prepare for a full day of mountain adventure. Rachel had suggested a place she visited with the previous set of volunteers called Chai Lai Orchid. I couldn't find it online at first, but when I did I was pretty sure this was the type of elephant experience I was looking for in Chiang Mai. We had chosen the adventure package which included bathing the elephants, a hike through the mountains to see waterfalls, bamboo river raft ride and bareback elephant riding.
Chai Lai is a socially conscious organisation that provides a safe-house, free education and paid vocational training for ethnic minority women at risk of trafficking. After our hour ride from the city in a very hip and entertaining songtaew, we were a bit skeptical upon our arrival.  We could see elephants with harnesses on their backs- definitely not the humane riding we had signed up for! We found out that was not affiliated with Chai Lai.
The day was going to start with a hike.  The group opted for the short hike which would last approximately 3 hours.  I decided to sit it out and hang back at the café where I had prime view of the river and passing elephants.
I had a coconut waffle with honey after the group left for their hike. My waitress' name was Ben and I later found out she was not from Thailand but spending two months working there.  She had spent six years in school learning Thai and English so that she could teach others.  She was so polite and soft spoken and even though there was a bit of a language barrier I could tell she was a kind and gentle person.
After I finished my delicious waffle I met Alexa, the owner of Chai Lai, who was in the café with some of the other fluent English speaking staff.  Unfortunately I did not get the name of the lady who assisted me but let's just say that everyone was friendly and welcoming.  This worked out to my advantage because I was going to be there for a while! I read the binder with details about Chai Lai and learned that they share the property with a local elephant camp and hope to show them by leading with example how elephant tourism can be both gainful and still humane for the elephants. That explained the passing groups of elephants with harnesses. I asked if there was anything elephant related I could do while waiting for the group that would still allow me to be ready to go when the group finished their hike. The answer: yes!
Ben would take me to feed the elephants and then I'd have a short wait before being able to bathe an elephant. Winner, winner chicken dinner!🎉 If you know me, you know I'm borderline obsessed with elephants so anything ellie-related over hiking is a no brainer.
Ben and I talked as we crossed the bridge and that's when I found out more about her. I wanted to make sure I heard her name correctly so I asked her in Thai and then told her my name. She asked if I spoke Thai but unfortunately I have yet to improve my skills beyond basic phrases.  Ben wanted to know why I did not do the trek through the jungle with my friends. I explained that I liked elephants, showing her the elephant charm on my wrist. Turns out Ben likes elephants too. I was pleased to see that the elephants were not harnessed or set up to do any form of tricks.  If you ever go to see elephants and are promised a show of any sort whether it's painting or playing football, I sincerely hope you walk away my dear Reader. But I digress, I proceeded to feed a bag full of bananas to these beautiful creatures. The baby elephant was the cutest; I wanted to keep her.
After the feeding we went back to the café where I had an orange juice while waiting for my ride.  Ben had taken a few photos of me feeding the elephants.  I decided not to post anything online since my phone battery has been so temperamental out here. I needed to save power for more photos.
A short time later I was introduced to Bae, the mahout who would take me to bathe the elephant. As we walked over the bridge I learned that Bae was from Myanmar and has been in Thailand for eight years.  I told him I'm from Bermuda and I've been here one week. When we got down by the river, I could see another mahout coming with the perfect size elephant- not huge and not small enough that I wouldn't want to ride it. This mahout's name was Muk and he is from Thailand. The elephant was a four year old female named Duong Dee, which sounds very close to Do-dee. Duong Dee and I then became friends as I bathed her. Muk told me how to wash her- you have to scrub using a brush in order for her to feel it on her thick skin.  I had a feeling my arms might be aching the next day!  Elephants also like to have sand scrubbed on them.  I felt like a spa masseuse giving a fancy body scrub except for the fact I was thigh deep in a murky river and my client was a playful pachyderm! Much like most four year olds, Duong Dee loves to play.  With some verbal encouragement followed by pieces of fruit from Muk, she enjoyed splashing me and giving me kisses.  The fact that Muk was using the positive reinforcement of treats rather than a bull hook to have Duong Dee follow commands made me even happier with my choice of Chai Lai - it's once thing to read that they encourage responsible elephant care but it's better to see it in person.
After Duong Dee was bathed and I was soaking wet, Muk told me to get on Duong Dee for a ride.  Getting on the back I could handle.  Getting on the head and sliding back, which Muk demonstrated so gracefully, was not easy for me. I fell a few times!  Elephant kisses make murky river falls all better though!
I rode Duong Dee downriver for a bit and then back.  We played in the water some more before I headed back to the café. Full of excitement, I posted a photo of me bathing Duong Dee on social media.  Shortly after I got back I was informed that the group was finished their hike and ready to go on the bamboo raft.  I rode in the back of a pickup truck to meet the group. 
Ada, Heather and Sam had gone on the first raft which left Amanda and Ryan waiting for me.  We hopped on and our guide expertly manoeuvred us down the river.  It was a nice ride with a few fast currents along the way.
Our ride finished back at the café where Muk met us to bathe Duong Dee. What can I say she loves bath time!  I think she enjoyed it even more with more people to splash and play with! After everyone else had a turn riding Duong Dee, Muk let me ride her back to the café. We went to have lunch and Duong Dee entertained herself on the river bank.