Our Day with the Elephants... Guest post by G

Guest post by G.....

In Chiang Mia the thing to do is go for an elephant ride but we were not doing that exactly, we were being mahouts for a day.  Mahouts are the people who care for the elephants.  Here are some basic commands for the elephants when you’re just walking with them:

•   Ma = go

•   Ha = stop

•   Melon (me-LAWN) = lay down

•   Look (luke) = get up

Here are the commands for when you’re riding them:

•   So = let me up your leg

•   Cumpot (KUUM pot) = let me up on your trunk

•   Huey (WHO ey) = go

•   DD (DEE dee) = be nice

•   Yahna (YAH na) = stop eating

The most common command was “Huey” during the ride.  You would always be hearing, “Huey! Huey!” the whole time.

We were riding bare back, which is much better than the seats that some people have on the elephants.  Some people tie these seats with a rope around their tails so when they are going down the chair does not slide forward, and they do the same with the neck and a rope for going uphill.  Also there is a rope around the stomach to keep the chair from falling off the side of the elephant.  This rope is constantly moving so it cuts the stomach and then keeps on rubbing the already cut stomach.  As this is all happening, this is mixed with constant work hours and not much food, the elephants actually try to make the tourists fall off.  Riding bare back has no ropes so it is much better.

Many elephants that are near the city are dying because of contaminated water from the factories that dump waste into it.  When the elephants eat, which is pretty much all day, they want to drink after that. When the elephants drink the contaminated water they get constipated and do not eat or drink.  After 3 days they die of constipation. The only way to prevent this is putting your hand up their rear and pulling the poo out.

Elephant poo is actually used for many things including paper and cigarettes.  The people who take care of the elephants smoke elephant poo with a little tobacco wrapped in a banana leaf and they say it helps them not get a cough.  If you can imagine elephants have a lot of poo and pee!

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The first thing we did was washing the elephants.  This was fantastic!  We had to get them thoroughly wet, then scrub them down, then get them wet again.  Each elephant had a mahout.  My elephant’s caretaker would hold his trunk and I would pour water down it and then the elephant would blow it all over itself.  Riding the elephants was amazing!  We sat up on its neck, but the guides didn't really care how you sat, so us boys would lay down like we were riding a road bike.  We went through the streams and then stopped for lunch. 

Mahout pouring water down elephant's trunk

Our family with elephants after bathing them

Mom, Dad & SJ's 1st time un on the elephant!

G & mahout riding on the elephant

G riding on his elephant

Oldest son riding on the elephant

Mom, Dad & SJ trekking along

After lunch we served the table cloth to the elephant -  it was a leaf and the elephants got all the “leaftovers.”   Then we went swimming with the elephant.  She lifted us up on her trunk so we did the sexy pose while being lifted up on the elephants trunk, it was awesome! Then we did some more riding.  I would pick leaves and put them in front of my elephant’s eye and she would lift her trunk up and eat them. Elephants eat basically everything green; bamboo, sugar cane, and a variety of different leaves.  All the elephants were female.  My elephant’s name was Chabaka though I called him Chewbacca.  My middle brother’s elephant was Maman though he called his “My Man.”  Mom, Dad and SJ’s elephant was named Cosoy and my oldest brother doesn't remember his elephant’s name.

Lunch time

Family swim with the elephant

Boys on the elephant

Sweet elephant pose!

Here come Mom, Dad & SJ!

Oldest giving his elephant a snack

Middle brother loving his ride

This was one of the things I was really hoping to do in Asia.  So I was really excited to have the unique experience of bareback riding elephants.  My favorite part was when the mahout would hold my elephants trunk and I would pour water down it and she would spray the water all over herself.

G with the baby elephant!