Chiang Dao Elephant training centre.

We spent half a day at the Chiang Dao Elephant training centre. This was on top of Peppers list of things to do while in Thailand.

She had been talking for months about riding on an "efalant".

Her day had come!

 

First we had to cross a very very long swing rope bridge. What's more it was over a river. I pretty much ran across holding 18kg of Cooper as I was so scared! Pepper took her time, squealing most of the way across the river, while Woody and Andrew had fun!

 

We met the elephants and fed them bananas. (30thb bunch). Both kids were hesitant as the elephants trunk snorted and blew air at them.

 

We watched them bathe in the river.

We watched a demonstration on how they are used for work, such as moving big logs around and clearing areas. I loved that it was a show of sorts but no performing other than educating us on what elephants physically can do.

We then got to ride through the jungle for 1.5 hours to a Lisu hill tribe. There were 6 elephants on this little trek so the group sizes are very small which made it more personalised.

Not many 9 month old kids would have had this experience! Slung securely to Daddy!

 

My all time favourite part was riding through the river. I was thinking how lucky I was to be doing this at age 36 when I looked across at Masters 7 & 9 months and Miss 4. It was 11am and Coopers peers at school would be in PE class and here he was on the back of an elephant in Northern Thailand.

 

At the end of the day Pepper announced the riding as "awesome", Cooper as " awesome, with a big thumbs up" and baby Woody fell asleep while going down the river.