Saturday, June 27, 2009

A day at the elephant camp....

The alarm goes off about 5:30 a.m.



Opening my door .... the tropical jungle greets me.



By 6 a.m. time to pick up elephant dung .....



Sweep the elephant's living area ...



Amble down to the river riding the elephant ... with the mahout



Bath the elephant.... then give the elephant its breakfast of two to three bundles of grass.



Now I can have breakfast! It's about 8 o'clock in the morning...



Tourists begin arriving at the sanctuary about 9 a.m. so it is time to lend a helping hand, if needed, as the tourist mingle with the elephants!



Help the mahouts with the 9:30 a.m. show



If time allows after the show, head off on an elephant ride into the jungle with the mahout... to give the elephant some exercise (and train me in the ways of a mahout!)




11 a.m. and I'm off to teach the students at the public school just up the hill from the camp.



English lessons to middle school children...



After lunch.... cut grass around 2:30 p.m. ... its tall and the leaves can easily cut the skin.



Carry the very heavy bundles of grass to the truck.. whew it's humid!



Put the bundles of grass on the truck.... oh so hot mid afternoon.



By now it is getting close to 4 p.m. when the elephants get their second bath for the day, BUT before then.... it is again dung pick up time ....



Late afternoon bath time for the elephants ....



Nearing to 5 p.m. I climb the stairs to my house in the sky...



So high is it that even the bugs don't come up and bother me...



Relax for awhile ...



Lay in the hamock high above the water ... since dinner will be ready about 7 p.m. or so..



It's been a long and very busy day.... so time to enjoy my home in the sky...

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