The average temperature since we’ve been in the region has generally been mid to high 30’s with humidity in the high 90%. So it was nice to spend time in the pool this morning and get completely wet instead of just being constantly damp. 

And then we went to see the Elephants! 

Firstly we had to sign the disclaimers which were similar to those for the scooters.

If an elephant tramples on us, it’s our fault, if it sits on us, it’s our fault, if it gores us with its tusks, it’s our fault, if any harm whatsoever comes to us – all together now – it’s our fault!

Kulen Elephant Forest is located about an hour north east of Siem Reap in the foothills of the Kulen Mountains. 

It is a sanctuary to protect the elephants that spent their lives working at Angkor in the tourist industry and a place where they can once again roam free in 1,100 acres of their natural habitat.

There are only 300 wild elephants left in Cambodia plus 75 in captivity and ten are here at the forest, one male and 9 female.

Each elephant has a Mahout who traditionally, was responsible for training them for combat but, at the sanctuary, each is responsible for the Elephant’s welfare and he is also their best friend and, they say, can communicate with them.

The Mahout loves his Elephant and the Elephant loves his Mahout.

One of the Mahouts told us that he had two wives, the first is his Elephant the second is at home with his children – and the first pays for the second.  

Vets visit twice a month so the elephants are very healthy and their life expectancy, which is around 40-50 years in the wild is around 75-80 here.

They grow all their own food for them as it has to be organic so as not to make them ill.

You quickly realise how well treated they are, the Elephants look so happy when see their Mahout. 

The Mahouts are like a horse-whisperer for Elephants although whispering is pretty useless because they have such big ears.

The Elephants are washed every morning and evening, pampered and preened, nails filed, teeth cleaned, and well fed, (they eat 300-400Kg of food, that’s 10% of their body weight, each day (which is an awful lot of grass).

It was such a fabulous and uplifting experience spending time with these majestic animals. We made their food, (sticky rice cakes with bananas and tamarind paste), fed them with cakes, bananas and pumpkin then we walked with them and washed them. 

Have some photos….

It was one of our favourite days, and one that I stumbled across on google after deciding I’d like to see Elephants.

Note to Jacquie – you need to add this to future tours, it’s a fabulous experience, unless you have Pachydermophobia!

It was so good that I really considered staying with the Elephants and become jungle boy but, sadly, my days swinging from tree to tree are now behind me, so we returned to Siem Reap for dinner. 

I completely forgot about filling in the information about celebrations on the booking, so it came as something of a surprise when a cake turned up, that I nearly didn’t have time video it…

Strange things

Not had one for a while so here’s a motorcycling dog!

Oh, and a wide load, Cambodian style…

Food quiz

I thought yesterday’s two for one food quiz was being too kind. Well done James for spotting that it was, of course Papaya and Guava (Papaya is the big one).

I keep saying I’m not going to fruit shame but ‘Cucumber’? Cucumber? Really? Hang your head in shame, you know who you are!

More tomorrow when we travel to Phnom Penh.

Siem Reap 28th November 2024