We’re home from Laos, and I want to
share with you about our adventure at the Elephant Camp where we were trained
in being a mahout (pronounced ma-hoot), one of those amazing people who bond
with and work with an elephant.

First of all, it was amazingly fun! We
got to ride the elephants three separate times, usually on our elephant’s neck
and not in the houda, which is the saddle. When you’re on an elephant’s back,
it’s hard to imagine you are actually on an elephant’s back. When you look down
the long distance to the ground, all you see is the top of a big grey head with
rough skin and some bristley hairs sticking out. However, if you keep looking
down, a long, sinuous trunk appears, and you shiver with excitement.

Riding an elephant is very different
from riding a horse.  You’re sitting
right in front of the shoulders so your body shifts dramatically with each
massive step forward. This gets interesting when you’re walking downhill, and
your elephant shifts her head from side to side looking for food. Remember,
there is no saddle horn or mane to hang on to. Only your hands resting on top
of the elephant’s swinging head and your knees if you have them pressed against
the back of the elephant’s ears.

On the morning of the second day, we
took a long boat across the Nam Khan River and walked back into the jungle to
meet our elephants. Then we mounted and rode back to the river to wash them in the river. It
was a beautiful, warm morning, fresh and full of sounds. The elephants
themselves made virtually no sounds as they walked.

When we got to the river, my elephant Mae Wau walked right in and kept walking. She wanted to get to her breakfast on the other side, and nothing I or her mahout said or did was going to distract her from her goal. Instead of stopping and letting us wash her as all the other elephants did, she kept submerging her full body beneath the surface, tossing her head and submerging me at the same time. The cool water felt good, and it was fun.

I highly recommend this fun adventure. I’ll just let the photos tell you the
rest!

We returned to Luang Prabang three hours ago. Most of our day was spent traveling by boat down the beautiful Nam Ou.

One hour from Muang Ngoi where we spent the last three nights, and then 6.5 hours on to LP. I feel as if I'm still in the boat–a little tipsy and floaty.

It was a pretty exciting ride back at times. First, it was so beautiful as we floated down the canyon and through the mountains. About half way, all of the passengers had to disembark and walk about 15 minutes downstream to meet up with the boat again. Too shallow.

Then about an hour later, our boat slowed and the driver turned off the motor, jumped into the river in his skivvies, and starting beckoning to a group of about 10 boys on the beach to come help us. Basically it was another shallow and rocky spot, and the boat had to be carefully guided through it. At one point, several people had to jump out and wade since we were scraping the river bottom. Everybody was having fun, and the boys were cute and doing a great job.

Muang Ngoi was peaceful and quiet. The only access is by boat. Took a bit to stop watching for cars and motorbikes. We awoke each morning to a chorus of roosters about 5:30, followed shortly thereafter with the roar of motors from the boats on the river and Lao people starting their day.

We stayed in a small bungalow with private bath and cold showers. Pretty basic but comfortable. We overlooked the river and had two very comfortable hammocks on our front porch. A very relaxing time.

The first day we hiked back into the countryside about 30 minutes to an interesting cave. Along the way, we saw many beautiful butterflies, including a black one with a 4 – 5 inch wing span.

From there we hiked another 45 minutes to a Lao-Khmu tribal village. So very authentic. We walked through town and ate at a guesthouse overlooking a huge rice paddy with a mountainous backdrop. Beautiful and the vegetable noodle soup was delicious!!

Tomorrow we leave for a day and a half at a nearby elephant camp where we learn how to be mahouts, to ride on the elephant's neck and guide them. Plus we get to wash them the next morning in the river. We leave pretty early so it's time to get some sleep.

Will write again soon after our adventure with the elephants.