The elephant safari was my first excursion … an hour after I arrived at the hotel, they said I had to go on the elephant safari. Apparently, my flight was delayed, and I had missed the safari with the other guests earlier.

I actually rode on Santi Kali – ‘Beautiful Peace’. They told me several times that she was the most gentle of the elephants, and very experienced. hmmm … It did seem that they used her a lot for most things. The other female had just had a calf – nine months ago – and sounded like she had just started on the safaris again, with the calf trailing along behind her.
The newest elephant in the herd, 9 months old. He will start training at 8-9 years old. The hotel’s new toy – everybody played with him. One push from him and they would all tumble down to the ground, laughing.
We trekked through the jungles to the rivers for the elephant baths. We were invited into the water with them, to splash along. I changed my mind at the last minute …
Off to collect grass