The elephants story

Now let me tell you about a young girl , maybe 7 or 8 years old, who went to the Shriner's Circus with her family and wanted to go for an elephant ride or after the show.  For whatever reason, the wait was too long or price to high, she was told to get back in the car and went home without the elephant ride.  It  felt like a great injustice, she never forgot that moment.    That little girl finally got her wish today, 40 years later, in the mountains of India.

 

  Barely holding back the tears of joy and wonder  sitting atop the beast.  I was in touch with this little girl and noticed also the adult in me becoming  nostalgic about the fact that I had waited 40 years for this occasion to present itself and it only lasted 10 minutes. (mindful of every second!).
   The desire to sit atop a large scary beast in safety is a common theme that comes back in stories , ''Where the wild things are'' and legends . Many others wanted to ride the elephants today.  Some did and probably  some didn't because the wait was too long...

The Elephant rehabilitation center also offered me the opportunity to assist in the bathing and observe the feeding of elephants aged one to 70 years old!  These elephants are here for treatment or just to retire from service.

The blue shirt make the ball of rice, pass it to the handler..

He shoots it in , he scores!!!

They also like to eat tons of foliage...

For obvious reasons , this little guy packs his own lunch.

tea shop

The western Ghats again!

Washing the baby elephant

The handlers scrape down the skin daily,  they talk constantly to the elephants and observe their every move.  They must be in tune with the animal to survive.

 

when an elephant roars you notice and shake a little.

Special thanks to my driver and guide , Sadish, who got us there first thing in the morning so we avoided the crowds and got to ride the elephant without a 2 hour wait! Then I visited Neyyar Dam and the nature reserve... A great day