This is officially the first day of our holidays as yesterday was a public holiday at home. We really feel that we have done so much. Another early start as today we are off to Elephant Nature Park.
Picked up at hotel at 8am. On the trip we are shown a dvd about the park. Had tears in my eyes when they showed a baby elephant begging on the street in Bangkok. He was rocking back and forth and they commentator told us that elephants have very sensitive feet and feel the vibrations through them. The traffic and people were all around him and he looked so sad
When we arrived we were shown the correct way to feed the elephant, then feeding time came and a lot of the elephants came up to the feeding platform for us to feed. We were told a bit about each elephant. The elephants have all been rescued by a lady called Lek who has done an enormous amount of work to put a ban on elephants being used to attract tourists while working in the streets in Bangkok. She was a tiny little lady that obviously had a heart as big as her elephants. There were about 30 elephants on the property and they had made about 5 herds. They all had very sad stories. One had half its hind foot blown off by a landmine, another had been drugged so that it would work around the clock. It came to the park addicted.
One had lost its baby giving birth while working and the baby rolled down the hill and died. When the elephant refused to work the mahout stabbed it in its eyes and blinded it.
My favourite one was 65 years old named Kuhn Pan and she had only been in the park for a year, she had not made any friends and except her mahout who she followed around like a puppy. If he fell asleep in the grass he would awake to find her with her trunk wrapped around his body. All of the other mahouts followed their elephants .
The one with the foot that was damaged by a landmine was due to have her baby any day. You could see it moving inside her and we all put our hands on her stomach and felt it.
It was unbelievable how quietly the elephants moved. We would be standing looking at them when all of a sudden you felt something behind you and looked over your shoulder and there was an enormous elephant just about a meter away.
The 2 baby elephants were about a year old and such happy little things they were in the same herd and played just like brothers and sisters jumping all over each other in the water and in the mud. At one stage one of the babies got scared and all of the adult elephants charged to make a circle around them. They stayed like this until the baby had settled.
We got to go down to the river with the elephants and throw water over them. It was a bit daunting being in the water with this huge animal and not knowing which way it was about to move.
The park is manned by lots of volunteers and some of the people there had been there for months. The volunteers worked in groups doing different jobs but seemed to have a lot of time to just go out and enjoy being with the elephants.
Watched another DVD on the way they break elephants. The cruelty involved in this was horrifying.This time tears were streaming down my face. Never again will I ride on an elephant.
We had dinner tonight at a seafood restaurant in Anusarn restaurant really yummy with 12 beers and a large entre to share and 4 mains altogether $52.
We then went to the fish spa and internet café. This was a unbelievable feeling having tiny fish nibble on your feet and clean off the dead skin. Our feet came out really clean. We then did a bit of shopping before going back for bed. This was our latest night so far as each night we have been so exhausted. Back to the hotel by 11.30.
Picked up at hotel at 8am. On the trip we are shown a dvd about the park. Had tears in my eyes when they showed a baby elephant begging on the street in Bangkok. He was rocking back and forth and they commentator told us that elephants have very sensitive feet and feel the vibrations through them. The traffic and people were all around him and he looked so sad
When we arrived we were shown the correct way to feed the elephant, then feeding time came and a lot of the elephants came up to the feeding platform for us to feed. We were told a bit about each elephant. The elephants have all been rescued by a lady called Lek who has done an enormous amount of work to put a ban on elephants being used to attract tourists while working in the streets in Bangkok. She was a tiny little lady that obviously had a heart as big as her elephants. There were about 30 elephants on the property and they had made about 5 herds. They all had very sad stories. One had half its hind foot blown off by a landmine, another had been drugged so that it would work around the clock. It came to the park addicted.
One had lost its baby giving birth while working and the baby rolled down the hill and died. When the elephant refused to work the mahout stabbed it in its eyes and blinded it.
My favourite one was 65 years old named Kuhn Pan and she had only been in the park for a year, she had not made any friends and except her mahout who she followed around like a puppy. If he fell asleep in the grass he would awake to find her with her trunk wrapped around his body. All of the other mahouts followed their elephants .
The one with the foot that was damaged by a landmine was due to have her baby any day. You could see it moving inside her and we all put our hands on her stomach and felt it.
It was unbelievable how quietly the elephants moved. We would be standing looking at them when all of a sudden you felt something behind you and looked over your shoulder and there was an enormous elephant just about a meter away.
The 2 baby elephants were about a year old and such happy little things they were in the same herd and played just like brothers and sisters jumping all over each other in the water and in the mud. At one stage one of the babies got scared and all of the adult elephants charged to make a circle around them. They stayed like this until the baby had settled.
We got to go down to the river with the elephants and throw water over them. It was a bit daunting being in the water with this huge animal and not knowing which way it was about to move.
The park is manned by lots of volunteers and some of the people there had been there for months. The volunteers worked in groups doing different jobs but seemed to have a lot of time to just go out and enjoy being with the elephants.
Watched another DVD on the way they break elephants. The cruelty involved in this was horrifying.This time tears were streaming down my face. Never again will I ride on an elephant.
We had dinner tonight at a seafood restaurant in Anusarn restaurant really yummy with 12 beers and a large entre to share and 4 mains altogether $52.
We then went to the fish spa and internet café. This was a unbelievable feeling having tiny fish nibble on your feet and clean off the dead skin. Our feet came out really clean. We then did a bit of shopping before going back for bed. This was our latest night so far as each night we have been so exhausted. Back to the hotel by 11.30.
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