Where We Be
| Janaki the elephant sends a spiraling plume of water my way |
| Janaki says "Namaste!" -- hello! -- in elephant |
| When Robin had had enough, her handler took Janaki out into deeper water, and on his command the elephant sat down on her haunches... |
| When it came time to pay our elephant handler (just 100 rupees or about $1.50, although we gave more), we put the bill in Janaki's trunk and she "handed" it to him |
| Janaki says "Namaste!" What a great elephant! Note the other elephant handlers looking for prospective riders. |
| Riding an elephant bareback and feeling the thick hide beneath you is a real treat |
| After some coaxing my elephant sprayed me with her trunk -- before tossing me off again |
| I spent more time in the water than on the elephant's back! And clambering back up was no easy feat. |
| Here goes Robin! She hand-picked her elephant. Meet Janacki, 30 years old and wonderfully obedient. |
| Robin laughing after her first dousing |
| Janaki sprayed Robin with water over and over again, on command -- and she seemed to enjoy it! |
| ...and rolled gently to the side until Robin slid off her back. The elephants seem to enjoy unseating you -- but note the handler doesn't fall off! |
| Robin's ride on Janaki was so good I couldn't resist taking a second ride |
| A handler bathes and massages his elephant, something the elephant seems to enjoy immensely |
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| Chitwan Park, Nepal -- Elephant Bathing |
After breakfast we donned swimsuits to try our
hand at elephant bathing. This turned out to be
great fun. In the end we did more riding than
bathing -- unless you count all the baths I took.
As soon as we arrived a handler asked if I'd like
to ride and I said yes. The elephant got on its
knees and I clambered up. But it turned out my
elephant was not very well behaved; she spent
more time trying to tip me off than letting me
ride. Robin was wiser: she scoped out all the
elephants first before choosing one, and hers
was obedient to her handler's commands. Her
experience was so good I took a second ride.
Riding bareback on an elephant and getting
sprayed from her trunk is a hoot. Trying to stay
on when she wants you off, which she does by
sitting on her back haunches and rolling to one
side, was way beyond either of our abilities, but
we saw our handler do it repeatedly.
Watching others trying to ride was almost as
much fun. We became aware of how much
individual personality each elephant has. One
kept intentionally tossing her rider by shaking
back and forth as soon as the person climbed
on. Another casually tossed water over her
shoulder, unintentionally (we think) unseating
her rider each time her shoulder dipped down.
hand at elephant bathing. This turned out to be
great fun. In the end we did more riding than
bathing -- unless you count all the baths I took.
As soon as we arrived a handler asked if I'd like
to ride and I said yes. The elephant got on its
knees and I clambered up. But it turned out my
elephant was not very well behaved; she spent
more time trying to tip me off than letting me
ride. Robin was wiser: she scoped out all the
elephants first before choosing one, and hers
was obedient to her handler's commands. Her
experience was so good I took a second ride.
Riding bareback on an elephant and getting
sprayed from her trunk is a hoot. Trying to stay
on when she wants you off, which she does by
sitting on her back haunches and rolling to one
side, was way beyond either of our abilities, but
we saw our handler do it repeatedly.
Watching others trying to ride was almost as
much fun. We became aware of how much
individual personality each elephant has. One
kept intentionally tossing her rider by shaking
back and forth as soon as the person climbed
on. Another casually tossed water over her
shoulder, unintentionally (we think) unseating
her rider each time her shoulder dipped down.
| The elephant bathing area was an easy walk from our hotel |
