100 years ago in Thailand when there was extensive logging of teak there were 100,000 domesticated elephants. Today the logging of teak in banned and there are just 3,500 domesticated elephnats left mostly employed in tourism. Just south of Chiag Mai is an elephant sanctuary that helps to train Mahoots (elephant keeper) and provide medical help to elephants. They keep around 70 elephants at the sanctuary including some of the Kings elephants. Including the highly prized white elephants, they have white patches rather than being totally white. This is where the term white elephant came from. White elephants were given to the king to keep. He could not put them to work so had to spend money to keep them but couldn't get any work in return.
We set off early to arrive in time for elephant bathing. The centre allows tourist to stay for several days and learn how to be mahoots. These are the people shown in the photo's below. After bath time the elephants perform a show to demonstrate all the things that they can do. This including the traditional timber handling skills as well as painting! See the video clip below.
After the show we were able to feed sugar cane to the elephants as a treat.
In the afternoon we headed back the the hotel and spent the afternoon playing the pool and chilling out. In the evening we went out for dinner at the 'food court'. You purchase coupons for food and then select from around 15 different food counters to order your food. You then eat you food in a central seating area shared by all the chefs. This way lots of people can earn a living from preparing food without having to invest in restaurants and paying staff to wait on the people. We had a meal for 4 including drinks for £10.
After the meal we went to look around the night market again. We bought another beaded tapestry, this time of an elephant. Julie drove a hard bargain and go the price down from 2500 bhat to 1000 bhat. We then went to a chilled bar and played connect 4 and pool with the kids.
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| Smile for the camera |
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| Neve meets an elephant |
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| Bath time |
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| If you went close you got sprayed by the elephants |
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| The two big elephants are holding a drum and the little one in the middle is beating it (in time) |
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| Each elephant bowed or curtsied when their name was called |
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| The parade, all holding tails |
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| Elephant being instructed to lie down |
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| The elephant was placing the hat on his mahoot |
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| Balancing on a log, including turning around |
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| Traditional Logging Skills |
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| More traditional logging skills |
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| Painting a picture. They hold the brush inside their trunks |
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| The End of the Show |
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| Feeding sugar cane to the elephants |
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| Felix meets an elephant |
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| More meeting elephants. All sugar cane gone by this point |
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| Making paper from elephant dung |
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| Feeding baby elephant at the nursery |
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| They really like bananas |
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