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.
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 |
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! |
Great post, G! Wish I had been there! I just love elephants! They are so friendly! What an amazing experience you've all had. Unforgettable! So sad though about them dying from polluted water. So glad you guys gave them love and fun! Another one of God's amazing creatures.
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