Elephants n Pajamas

This is the part where you are going to get really jealous and forget we ever used a bedit as a shower.

Arriving in Chiang Mai, we immediately got a taxi which took us about 30 minutes into the mountains to Maesa Elephant Camp. We had signed up for the 1-day Mahout Training Course. When I set this up I knew it was going to be a little hokey and very touristy but I really didn't care and Tammy and Suzi were game for whatever.

As it turned out it was hands down one of the most amazing experiences any of us have ever had. They greeted us at the entrance of the camp shleped all our bags down into the camp. They took us to this amazing little cabin with 3 beds and a private bath which we would be able to use throughout the day.

On the beds they had laid out our Mahout Training clothes. They looked like blue pajamas and also included a totally cool safari hat. We know that when you see the pictures we will be innudated with requests to bring them back to all of you. Well we can't, because only people who have been especially trained can wear these outfits, so save your e-mail stamps we can't get you the PJs or the hat.

Mahouts are the folks who train and keep the elephants. When an elephant is pregnant, nearing the end of her 18 - 22 month term... Yep that's right imagine if the doctor told an expecting mother they will have their baby in one and half to two years, give or take... The mahout actually sleeps near the elephant and once the baby is born continues to sleep nearby to make sure everything is okay.

We learned some of the basic commands:
Ben sai - Turn left
Ben qua - Turn right
Pi - Go
How - Stop
Ouch - Don't step on me

We learned how to mount the elephants, which Tammy kept calling "horses". (I can't begin to explain why.) And then drum roll... we rode them around and then up into the jungle and down to the river were we bathed and scrubbed our amazing Mastadone decendants.

Tammy rode and worked with SongPen and Suzi with WanPen and mine was MaeMa. Mine was a little older and didn't seem in a hurry to be anywhere too fast. I think God was trying curb my "road rage" tendencies and teach me a little patience. There is not a lot you can do if your elephant is perpetually walking as if she is going through a school zone.

After the baths we went to the the Elephant show where the elephants played soccer, did a parade thingy, painted pictures, played the harmonica and had a dart competition against our own Tammy. Who won... like beating an elephant at darts makes her an Irish Bar contender.

The son of the owner of the park came over later and explained the philosophy of the park and answered any and all of our questions. He probably spent about 30 minutes with us and then made a presentation of our diploma as honary mahouts. They were so earnest, kind and sincere, it took out all the corney factor and we felt truly honored.

At the very end of our day we each got to paint a picture with WanPen. No kidding! We would get paint on the brush, point on the canvas where we wanted Wan Pen to paint and then the mahout would give a command for either stroke or blot.

WanPen painted a painting that sold for 1.5 million dollars that is in the Guiness Book of World Records. Our painting came free with the Mahout Course. Seriously so cool! The elephants are such a noble animal it was a once in a lifetime treat getting to spend the day with them.

This little narrative just doesn't do it justice.

tammy, suzi, & shawna

p.s.
There used be over 20,000 elephants in Thailand. Now that logging machinary has made the elephant need obsolete and city sprawl is taking away their habitat. They figure there are only about 3000 elephants in the country today. These camps serve to feed and care for them as well as breed them.

Here are links to the camp:
http://www.maeaelephantcamp.com/
http://www.gallerymaesa.com/