Coming Face-to-Face with Elephants
Promise me you’ll never ride an elephant
Don’t Blink
Staring into an elephant’s eyes will blur your definition reality. We are accustomed to placing ourselves at the top of the intellectual and food chains. But today, that gap narrowed for me.
You look into an elephant’s eye and see someone looking back at you. You watch a mother care for her child and think of your own family.
The Ride
We were picked up from our lobby at 830a. Our forthcoming one and a half hour ride would take place in the back of a pickup truck. The bed had been outfitted with two benches, a roof, and a number of bars to hold onto as our driver sped around the curves of the road.
Awaiting us were four others. A Canadian couple on their honeymoon who had just come from Cambodia, a Polish thrill seeker no older than twenty, and woman from Montreal who’d quit her job two years ago to travel the world.
Our group was rounded out as we picked up our seventh, a diminutive Chinese gentleman from Shenzhen.
As we shot down the highway, the bustling streets of Chiang Mai receded into an assortment of estates, shacks, and neighborhoods surrounded by walls and guards.
After ten minutes of warming up, the next 30 minutes flew by as the gropu swapped stories of travel, adventure, and excitement about seeing elephants in person.
The Canadian couple had come from Siem Reap and stayed at a wild hostel by the name of Mad Monkey. Stories of Aussies setting drinking records were paired with lessons of scams to be aware of and rules of thumb like, “Any place with “Fancy” in the title ain’t fancy”. Our Polish friend had seemingly been everywhere despite being the youngest in the vehicle.
Shortly after getting off the highway, we stopped at a small rest area for snacks and bathrooms. Ice cream, coffee, and chips were the only options on the menu.
We quickly hopped back into the truck and the road began to weave. Grips tightened around the aforementioned bars lining the truck bed.
Within minutes, the truck began to climb into the mountains. The turns became sharper and more violent. Conversation shortened and primarily revolved around the absurdity of not having seat belts.
Entering the Sanctuary
Ashley chose this particular elephant excursion because the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary prides itself on ethical treatment of the animals.
As we rode up the mountain, we passed other centers where folks were riding on the backs of the elephants. This is plainly wrong.
Elephants are not horses and not able to be raised for humans riding them. To prepare an elephant for such a life, they need to be tortured as babies to have their spirit broken and an intense fear of punishment installed.
Most elephants in Thailand work in the tourism industry and many of the customers are simply unaware of this reality.
I’d suspect a revealing documentary, similar to Blackfish, will emerge in the near future if it hasn’t already.
We chose a sanctuary where the elephants are never ridden or tortured. To get there, we turned off our paved, windy, uphill road and traded it for a twisting dirt road that fell sharply downhill (Check out my vlog for footage).
When we arrived at the bottom, we unloaded bananas and wood that we would be sharing with our multi-ton friends. A brief hike led us to a breathtaking valley that would be our residence for the day.
After a short orientation, we rushed to meet the seven elephants residing at the camp. Four old mothers and three young babies came to greet us and the bananas we carried.
Face to Face
Hanging out with elephants would probably do more to cure depression than any prescription pill. Honestly I lack the writing skills to articulate the experience (which is why we shot so much video and took pictures.)
Long story short, we could not take our eyes off the gentle beasts. While in their presence, we simultaneously felt their power and grace. Despite the strength to bat us like flys, most elephants made a point to walk around a person, as opposed to through us. After an hour of feeding them, we were hungry and feasted on chicken, veggies, and soup.
Then, we changed into our bathing suits and assisted the elephants in taking a mud bath. This is where their personality truly started to shine.
Pita, a three-year-old male, would push his sister with his head to get her out of his way. When his mother pushed him away, he would roll around on his back reaching for us to splash water on him.
The afternoon ended with us chasing the elephants into the nearby river. Together we rinsed the mud off, laughing from start to finish.
The Return
After a long day, you’d expect the ride back to be quiet and contemplative. It proved to be exactly the opposite. Our new human friends could not wait to recap and reflect.
We climbed back up the dirt road and slashed down the mountain at breakneck speeds. The truck pulled off the road and picked up two Aussies (a couple) who had signed up for two days of elephant play. They’d spent their second day at another camp in the sanctuary and were ready to talk about all their experiences.
Conversation digressed and splintered until it seemed like everyone was excitedly talking about something.
The Chinese gentlemen proved to be a podcast junkie (be still my heart!) and a fluent English speaker who’d recently visited Pittsburgh(!). We talked about learning languages, hidden gems destinations of the USA and China, and our favorite parts of Chiang Mai.
By my side, the Aussies held the floor jumping from person to person asking questions and sharing tales of their own.
It seems that an excursion to an elephant sanctuary in northern Chiang Mai is the ideal place to find a group of diverse, fascinating people. You need to figure out a way to come here.
Days like these affirm my faith in humanity.
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