Wednesday 5 May 2010

“wash baby el’phant” (repeat endlessly……)

(A trip that Nick didn’t go on – so I realise this blog entry will not be quite as amusing but thought it might be of some interest!)

 

DSCF3042Fact 1: Isla likes washing baby elephants

Fact 2: The National Trust Home Farm (Wimpole) in Cambridge does not have elephants. This will be hard for Isla.

Fact 3: Did I mention that Isla likes washing baby elephants.

Mum arrived safely for her 2 week stay and without wasting much time we planned a 2 night trip to the Dubare Elephant Camp (90km west of Mysore). The Dubare Forest Reserve is on the banks of the Cauvery River and is where about 18 elephants retired from forest department work live on pension.

As with all adventures you have to get over the journey – me stuck in between 2 car seats in small taxi for 3 hours; arriving and trying to check in and being told that there is no reservation in our name and then realising thankfully that we were in the wrong hotel (after some communication break downs); finding that our lodge was the other side of the river and having to all get on small crowded boat with the normal 4 bags/all important peanut butter/2 travel cot tents malarky; and finally finding out our lodge does not take credit cards and me having to persuade another taxi (our one had left by then) to take me back down the road 30 mins, praying that my cash card would work (of course after crossing the river again).

 

DSCF3119 Now breathe……….. The individual lodges were lovely. There was a hammock and a nice guide came to tell us what we were going to get up to. Starting with lunch, hence the necessity for peanut butter – the girls still haven’t quite got the taste-buds for south Indian cuisine and I have found a shop that sells peanut butter!

6.30pm we set off on our safari. I don’t think any of us had any preconceptions of what we expected to see (except of course Isla – el’phants). Mum and I had a bit of a giggle when the guide got immensely IMG_0040

excited about a squirrel he could see up a tree –  we then turned the corner and saw some cows! It did get better though – Indian Bison, peacock, water buffalo, spotted deer. The highlight had to be the elephants at the end. I shout ‘elephant’ excitedly, the guide just looks at me plainly and may as well have said “your point is what?”. Apparently these were the domestic ones and his reaction mimicked what ours would have been if he’d seen another squirrel!!!

 

 

Next morning was the Elephant Interaction Programme and this was one of the most wonderful things I have ever done. DSCF3081 First you walk down to the river where the elephants have their bath and you just help to wash them. Walk into the river and splash water and give them a good back scrub. The girls thought this was amazing, as did we, and the elephants were, as clichéd as it is to say, the most gentle of giants.  Then (trying not to think about the amount of elephant dung in the water and your very wet trousers (or full clothing in the case of Beth)) you go and watch them eat breakfast. Big round football size lumps of baked meal/vitamins etc. (They are then taken into the forest to munch for most of the rest of the day). Finally you get to have a ride. Something I thought the girls would be IMG_0075tentative about doing. Oh no – there is quite a lot of love for elephants in our house……….

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We do another safari in the evening – with a few other people in our jeep this time. The man who’s in the back with us is from another lodge and keeps showing us pictures of tigers he’s seen there. Needless to say we didn’t see any tigers, no more squirrels either! Highlight of course were the ‘domestic’ elephants.

 

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IMG_0092Next morning we arose about 6 am for a ride in a coracle canoe on the river. Quite good fun – although not sure Mum enjoyed the bit where we went round and round!  

 

 

 

We then went for a nature trail walk with another couple IMG_0120and our guide – girls climbing across stones on rivers. For those who know my propensity to break things, where was their father!!?! We also managed to go and “wash baby el’phants’ again, and got squirted as the mahoots made the elephants splash water through their trunks. Amazing couple of days.

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