Elephant work crew

Another adventure in Chiang Mai was the elephant training camp.  We arrived by three different "taxi" transfers, one being 45 minutes, which is not the most comfortable way to travel in 85 degrees, although Forrest somehow slept while the rest of us just perspired. 

Nonetheless, we arrived.  But we arrived without reading the fine print of the pamphlet, so everything was a bit of a surprise.  Jeff and I blame Forrest because he should have read it, knowing that Jeff and I can't read fine print without assistance these days. 

So, when we got to this establishment, we were directed to a hut so that we could change our clothes.  We were informed it was safer to have everyone (there were three other tourists who joined us) dress in these clothes that would be familiar to the elephants. That's all I needed to hear and I was in!  Only Claire and Taylor looked cute in these outfits.  The rest of us looked like we escaped from a local prison camp.  I wish we could have gotten more pictures, but after the initial training (where we had our camera), the guide told us to leave the camera because it would get wet on the ride.

All of these pictures are from the beginning of the "training."  Honestly, we were given a sheet of paper with Thai commands so that we could speak to the elephants when we began riding.  The guide was a great English-speaking guide who spent an hour with the nine of us showing us how to feed the elephants (first lesson so the elephants would like us), to get up and down on the elephants, and to direct the elephants from left to ride, etc.

What we found most interesting is the way they treated Claire. They gave her no special treatment because she was seven years old and four feet tall.  They expected no less of her than the rest of us.

When we began riding, we all rode bare-back.  The girls and I rode on one elephant, a 38 year old pregnant girl that seemed to be quite a wonderful old elephant. Claire got on at the front, near the elephant's head and was given the bamboo stick that was used to lead the elephant.  

Forrest rode with Jeff, and Ellis rode with a young Chinese woman from Hong Kong, who was traveling in Chiang Mai for the long holiday weekend, as well.  The other two tourists went for a later ride.

We rode for a good hour through mud and streams and ended in a small pond. 

Once we finished the ride, the guide met us at the pond with our camera.  He stood on the bank and took a few pictures. It was at this point that I realized he was the only one who could speak English; but he was no where near us while we were on the trail with the elephants. Three Thai men walked along side each of the three elephants that carried us. The soapy stuff we used to wash the elephants was from the bark of a tree.  

Again, after we changed clothes, we had a sit-down Thai meal.  I noticed the kids just ignored the ants near the plates.