Elephants and Waterfalls

Our first stop on Saturday was the Hutsadin Elephant Foundation. It is a non-profit foundation that was started by three local businessmen to care for abandoned elephants. With the aid of a mahout (an elephant keeper) we had the chance to walk, feed and wash Tong Nam, a pregnant elephant in the foundation’s care. She came to them pregnant, so they are not able to precisely determine when she will give birth. We did have the opportunity to see the baby move around while washing her!
 

 

We fed her pineapple and bananas. While we pulled the bananas off one by one to give her, if she was given a pineapple with the stem still attached she could rip the stem off perfectly. She also ate banana tree trunks while we washed her. We sprayed her with cool water from a hose and scrubbed the dirt off. She was flapping her ears and wagging her tail, which according to her mahout meant she was a very happy elephant!

The foundation also had an elderly female elephant for whom they are providing hospice care. She is 89 years old and blind, but was very sweet and enjoyed a washing as well.

Lastly, we got to meet their baby elephant Song Kran. She has been raised at the foundation and is the star of their elephant show. She can paint, play soccer, give hugs, kneel to pray, and take donations in a little basket! She gave everyone a hug and liked us so much she wants to come back to Gannon with us.

After the foundation we drove about an hour to the Pala-u Waterfall. The Waterfall is actually 15 levels of small waterfalls, but climbing anywhere above level 5 is not recommended for novice hikers. We chose to hike to level 3 where there was a pool we could swim in. Getting there was not easy! In America, hiking trails are generally well-defined. Here we had to scamper over rocks and use ropes to pull ourselves along steep parts. The resulting swim was well worth it. The water was cool and fresh and the canopy above was green and lush. I think we would have spent all day there if we could.

Today was the perfect day trip: equal parts cultural, engaging and relaxing. Both the Hutsadin Elephant Foundation and Pala-u Waterfall are must-see destinations for anyone visiting Thailand.

**I have put the link to the Hutsadin Elephant Foundation website on the sidebar under Pages. Please check them out, they're good people doing good work!**