An elephant ride was a "must-do", and Mae Ping Elephant Village was the venue. We arrived just in time to see the "show" but were in two minds about this, wondering if cruelty was involved in training these incredible animals. But then I thought, if an elephant didn’t want to work, I’m sure it would make its reluctance clear. They are, after all, amazingly powerful creatures. We saw elephants dragging logs, playing football, balancing on their front legs, playing drums, dancing, painting, and perhaps most bizarrely, walking on two legs. Impressive? Yes, but still somewhat perturbing.
After the "show", the elephants and their trainers trundled down to the river, and they rolled and "frolicked" in the water. As excited tourists watched, the elephants moved back towards the bank and sprayed what seemed like gallons of water at the onlookers. We were well back from the bank, so we could enjoy the spectacle.
Despite our reservations about the show, we thoroughly enjoyed the next part of this trip -- a ride on an elephant through a variety of terrain. Our elephant was determined to be in front and strode purposefully over the river, took a short-cut up a steep incline into the hills, and then had to negotiate down what felt like a potentially treacherous, and certainly very steep, slope to edge into poll position. Thereafter, she ambled through the forest, occasionally stopping to grab some vegetation, knowing that none of the following elephants could pass her on this narrowest of routes. The sensation of riding the elephant was strangely relaxing after the first part of the "race", and it was intriguing to watch the symbiotic relationship between the elephant and her handler, to feel the gentle breeze created by the intermittent flapping of the animal’s huge ears, and to note the gracefulness of her each and every move. This was a priceless experience that can never be repeated – our first-ever ride with the gentle giant of the animal kingdom.
Our feet were momentarily on terra firma, but then we were led back to the river for a bamboo raft journey -- yet another new experience. We were given large bamboo hats to wear, and then we were punted down the river. At about the time we saw a village and working elephants, we noted three or four women stood in the water, immersed up to their waists and holding cheap trinkets for sale, As we were approaching them, we noticed that we were being overtaken by fast-flowing, floating elephant dung. Not sure I’d fancy standing in that river, but in the distance, we saw those buoyant deposits being reclaimed from the river. We later found out they were "processed" into writing paper and gift cards, some of which we purchased for friends’ and family’s birthdays!
The final treat of this visit was a ride in an ox-drawn cart – an incredibly bumpy ride, and one we were relieved to finish.
A superb visit that we were both glad we made.