Wednesday was our last full day of sightseeing in India. We had made an appointment to go the Elefantastic. Outside of Jaipur is an "elephant village" where elephant keepers live. Most of them use the elephants to take tourists up and down the hill at the Amber Fort. They also let tourists come and interact with the elephants.
We had heard good things about the Elefantastic from our friends here in Astana. Yulia looked them up on the internet, and found great reviews. She made an appointment with them. Our guide from the day before and our driver tried to convince us to go somewhere else - our driver even had a brochure from the place he wanted us to go. We told them both that we were going to Elefantastic.
On Wednesday we had the morning free, and when the driver came to pick us up at 11:30, he tried to convince us to go to the other place. We were firm. When we got to the elephant village, he wanted to take us to the other place. We finally got to Elefantistic, and we were glad we did.
We had four elephants for our group. When we arrived, we were given drinks, and then an introduction to the elephants. All of the elephants were females, and our ranged in age from 19 to 52. Yulia and I got to interact with the 19 year old because she was nervous around small children. We spent about an hour feeding them a mixture of alfalfa and modified corn that were bundled up by the handlers. While we fed them, we also petted them on their faces and on their cheeks to bond with them.
After we had bonded, we painted the faces and bodies of the elephants with a mixture of paints that were made from rocks and glycerin mixed together. The girls had a great time with their decorations. After we did our decorating, the handlers moved the elephants out to the lawn and we washed them off and gave them water to drink. The younger girls rode their elephants over and they got sprayed as they used their trunks to spray themselves to cool off.
After everything was cleaned off, we rested for a few minutes and then the girls got on the elephants for a ride through the elephant village. I chose to walk - Yulia road our elephant - and was the designated camera man for the parade.
When we got back, we said goodbye to the elephants and handlers, and then we were driven to the house of the owner of the operation. She had prepared a lovely meal for us. In the house she had a pug, golden lab, and bunny rabbit. The meal was vegetarian, but was very delicious and filling. She made some pumpkin that was sweet and a bit spicy and very delicious that was a big hit with all of us.
We got back to the hotel in time to all go swimming together. It was a nice end to a nice day.
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We loved Elefantastic. The elephants were all well taken care of and their handlers treated them well. It is set up as a foundation to help the elephant handlers and their families break the cycle of elephant abuse and tourism. The handlers receive benefits - and their children receive education and health care. The whole experience was very nice, and we appreciated how well everything was run and the higher purpose of the experience.
We had heard good things about the Elefantastic from our friends here in Astana. Yulia looked them up on the internet, and found great reviews. She made an appointment with them. Our guide from the day before and our driver tried to convince us to go somewhere else - our driver even had a brochure from the place he wanted us to go. We told them both that we were going to Elefantastic.
On Wednesday we had the morning free, and when the driver came to pick us up at 11:30, he tried to convince us to go to the other place. We were firm. When we got to the elephant village, he wanted to take us to the other place. We finally got to Elefantistic, and we were glad we did.
We had four elephants for our group. When we arrived, we were given drinks, and then an introduction to the elephants. All of the elephants were females, and our ranged in age from 19 to 52. Yulia and I got to interact with the 19 year old because she was nervous around small children. We spent about an hour feeding them a mixture of alfalfa and modified corn that were bundled up by the handlers. While we fed them, we also petted them on their faces and on their cheeks to bond with them.
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| Meeting the elephants for the first time. |
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| Rahul (the owner of Elefantastic) is explaining to the girls about how to communicate with their elephant. |
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| Lina was in heaven! |
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| Yulia with our teenager (she is 19 years old, elephants live about 75 years, pretty much like people) |
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| The place had a bunch of other animals. |
After we had bonded, we painted the faces and bodies of the elephants with a mixture of paints that were made from rocks and glycerin mixed together. The girls had a great time with their decorations. After we did our decorating, the handlers moved the elephants out to the lawn and we washed them off and gave them water to drink. The younger girls rode their elephants over and they got sprayed as they used their trunks to spray themselves to cool off.
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| Hard at work |
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| They said that painting of the elephants is traditional only for that part of India |
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| Here you can see how they wrap a bunch of corn in alfalfa because the elephants prefer alfalfa but the corn has very important nutrients for them. |
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| I think we did a great job! The handler is making a feeding roll but our girl figured it out and tried to shake the corn off leaving just alfalfa |
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| Having fun! |
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| Drinking time! |
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| When the elephant drinks, she sucks in the water and then blows it into her mouth with such force that you hear it going right down her belly. You see how her belly got bigger! |
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| Lina and Taraz washing their elephant. She was the oldest of the ones we had for our group (52 years old), and her name was Naughty! Lina said she was constantly trying to steal food from everyone's hands. |
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| Scrubbing the trunk with brushes. |
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| Muscan, I think, is 22 years old and is very playful. She was always trying to spray the girls with water. |
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| They are really amazing creatures! |
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| Lina and Taraz are going for a little ride. |
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| After this adventures they were soaking wet but it was almost 99 F that day, so I think they really appreciated it! |
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| And here is Muskan giving a shower to the girls! |
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| The best day in India! |
After everything was cleaned off, we rested for a few minutes and then the girls got on the elephants for a ride through the elephant village. I chose to walk - Yulia road our elephant - and was the designated camera man for the parade.
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| Getting ready for a ride in the Elephant Village. The top of elephant's heads are covered with this anti-mosquito mixture (black) |
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| Yulia is on her elephant |
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| The parade. |
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| During the rainy season which will start in a couple of months, this whole area floods, and then the elephants like to swim in the water. |
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| Some pigs we saw along the way |
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| And mischievous goats |
When we got back, we said goodbye to the elephants and handlers, and then we were driven to the house of the owner of the operation. She had prepared a lovely meal for us. In the house she had a pug, golden lab, and bunny rabbit. The meal was vegetarian, but was very delicious and filling. She made some pumpkin that was sweet and a bit spicy and very delicious that was a big hit with all of us.
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| At Rahul's mom's home. |
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| She fed us amazing dinner, and the dogs and the bunny kept the girls entertained |
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| This bunny was very social |
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| And so was this pup... |
We got back to the hotel in time to all go swimming together. It was a nice end to a nice day.
_____
We loved Elefantastic. The elephants were all well taken care of and their handlers treated them well. It is set up as a foundation to help the elephant handlers and their families break the cycle of elephant abuse and tourism. The handlers receive benefits - and their children receive education and health care. The whole experience was very nice, and we appreciated how well everything was run and the higher purpose of the experience.
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