I had the best time today on the elephant trek!!!! Scary being unbalanced then the NZ girl said centre self and follow the elephants flow which worked! sat on her neck, hands in her head but felt I was pushing down too hard even for her; and she was a bit stroppy, didn’t want to be there or do what she was told. on occasion, checked the bush covered ravine to see if she could rebel, or find food! I thought she was Lucy but they called me that😀!

After changing into navy pants and tops, just there and then but then I went in the hut to put on swimsuit. I didn’t know if others had theirs on already but guess not from later! we trained commands first, then tried to get on and off, Monday and Jenny. then had nice lunch and chatted over chillies 😉!

we walked to the pen, fed them more bananas and then got on from the stand. I was very insecure and wobbly, and wanted the back to hold on the rope but one girl said it wasnt better so stayed on my own, but then settled in ok, if uncertain. up hills, down slopes, steps and small paths taken in her stride.

At one point I looked up and saw five elephants in front of me, winding their way through jungle in a caravan!!! What an amazing sight and not something I even dreamed of or thought I would do!!!!! The mountains, cloud cover in parts, between the hollows, made it eerie and surreal, but really jungly!!!! superb views. so unreal, so lucky!!!

After a while, my hands numb with pushing forward on her head, leaning forward as she didn’t lift her head, we stopped a while and had to catch a big bag of food thrown up to us! then our elephants, more familiar with the routine, put their trunks back to get the food off us!!! Wandee or Lucy, got sooo excited and demanding at the food, she didn’t actually make it into the hut!!!

then we handed over cameras and phones… ready to go into the river with them!! they just waded in, then some of them, once we got off over their heads at the bank, lay down and frolicked, esp the baby!!! he was, at one point, lay on his side fully submerged and loving it!!!!

Lucy and another eventually sat down and then proceded to rub against each other as if scratching, and cleaning. we had brushes, threw water in them and each other, and one was trained to spray us from his trunk!! i was first, from behind, about four times until I moved and pointed to others to get wet. then everyone had a go for photos. it was great fun. who would have thought bathing elephants in a river full of their ‘khakah’ would be ok let alone fun!!!

we had a great time, fantastic experience, and then walked back to camp, changed and drove back to Chiang Mai. So qglad I did this amazing opportunity!!!!