11th January- Patara Elephant Farm

Had the most incredible amazing day at Patara Elephant Farm. We drove into the mountains to an area that looked just like it was the fieldy bit of jurrassic park. Couldn't spot the elephants at first, but then found them on the distance. SO HUGE and prehistoric looking. We were taught to approach them with a basket of food and lift a banana into the air and shout their name, if the elephant accepts you it flaps it's ears, lifts it's trunk and makes it's trumpet noise at you. Which was unbelievably sweet! Apparently they sometimes have trouble with the male elephant not accepting men to ride it and instead staring at the man and standing stone still, so they have to swap elephants. We were each allocated our own elephant, mine called Tap Tong, and the elephant's mahout (carer and owner) for the day. We learnt first how to feed them, by saying 'BON' and they raise their trunks and open their mouths for you to place in the fruit. Got covered in slobber! We learnt a lot about the care of our elephants, health, how to inspect their dung, check they've been sleeping, check they're happy, and about their history and breeding. We walked them into a stream where they lay down and we washed and brushed them, which turned into a water fight between mahout and elephant and us. We were then taught the various methods of how to get onto the elephant bareback, and commands to use with them. I chose the method where you tap their leg so they bend it and allow us to use it as a step up onto their necks. The riding took a while to get used do with nothing to hold onto! The walk took us through rivers and up and down mountain tracks, the uphill and downhill was SO steep I couldn't see myself staying on trying to lean back or forward and resist the forces of gravity pulling you off from the height while balancing with big elephant bones wobbling about underneath you. We arrived at a gorgeous waterfall and river pool, where we swam with the elephants who behave so strangely in water, submerging themselves completely on their sides floating about with their huge feet swishing around. They're really so gentle! While we were swimming the mahouts prepared us the most amazing Thai lunch picnic, layed out on leaves on the rock. They asked us if we'd like to ride elephants in pairs on the way back. Emily and I thought we'd try.. You ask the elephant to lower it's head then hold it's back and frog-leap up onto it's neck, which was raaaather interesting considering my lack of athletic ability.. When emily jumped up the elephant lifted it's head too early and she was lifted into the air balancing on her stomach with her legs flailing about behind her. She sat infront on it's head with her legs dangling down it's forehead, and I sat behind her with my legs around it's neck. Neither of us had anything at all to hold onto except for eachother and we spent the walk back through the stream in a mix of screams and hysterical laughter trying to balance on it's wobbling head. Honestly didn't think we'd make it back to camp without falling all the way down off the elephant and into the mud. The mahouts found our panic hilarious and kept encouraging the elephant to jiggle more.. But we made it back clean apart from the mud the elephant squirted all over us with it's trunk. Definitely did not want to say goodbye to the gorgeous creatures! 
  It is so unlike other elephant camps in that you have your own elephant for the day and do not ride in a cage or a saddle but bare back, you arent just allowed on a little trek but spend the day caring for them, and learning about their lives. No circus tricks or touristy shows and you can tell just how much the mahouts care for their elephants. All the elephants have been rescued from cruel backrounds. They allow them to breed and when the babies are old enough they're released into the wild. SO AMAZING. If you're ever in Chiang Mai you should definitely spend the day here. But FUCKING HELL my bum bones are bruised.