Chasing Amy-Lou

Two days ago, Chicago and I had parted with good money (125 USD to be precise – more than I’d paid for my flight to Laos) by booking ourselves onto an elephant experience day through the conservation company, Mandalao. Today was the day of reckoning – the day of all days; the day that would make or break my crazy decision to blow half my Laotian budget on a few hours spent in the company of some magnificent giant beasts with huge ears and massive noses.

So was it worth it? You bet your bottom dollar it was!!!

Right from the off I could tell that the day was going to be special. Our tour guide – an absolutely gorgeous and adorable young Laotian guy named Tan – picked us up around 8am and immediately began to fill us in on what lay ahead; what Mandalao was all about; how the company operated, their ethos; and most importantly, how they cared for the elephants.

The regal elephant is the mother animal of Laos, and Luang Prabang has many different elephant villages and sanctuaries, most of which claim to promote the wellbeing of the elephants, yet they still operate in a very inhumane way. Most of the companies that offer tours still use chains on the elephants feet; they still use hooks and whips to hit the elephants with and to scare them into following orders; they still maintain an intense labour ritual for the creatures – allowing tourists to ride the elephants, not just bare-back, but by using the suffocating and belittling howdah saddles that restrict their breathing and cause them intense pain. And many of the companies still force the elephants to walk loops of their enclosures, several times a day, for the sake of a few hundred dollars. The newest elephant company in town however, the company we chose, is trying to change all this.

Mandalao is a centre for preservation; promotion and wellbeing. In refusing to use any of the disgusting procedures the other companies pride themselves on, they are the first company in Laos that has recognised that riding elephants, and using violent techniques towards them is not the way forward. They want to help the elephants; they want to increase their chances of a long life; they want the creatures to breed; and they want them to be free of the pains of labour.

Tan explained all this to us in great detail; his passion and natural energy shining through – Mandalao meant serious business when it came to the treatment of these wonderful creatures, and we couldn’t wait to get up close and personal with them.

Taking a short ride over the river to the elephant’s playground, we waited with baited breath as the mahouts (elephant trainers) guided them towards us – Mother called Ton Khoun, Matriarch called Mane and Mister Kit, the only baby in the sanctuary, and the only male – he was the most important of them all; the hopeful future saviour of the ever dwindling population.

My heart was in my mouth; the closer they came, the more full of emotion I became. I’d never been so close to a creature of such beauty before, and seeing them face to face, getting to touch them, getting to feed them, getting to wash them, and getting to make eye contact with them was sensational. I was in absolute awe: a little scared, a little excited, a little sad, but overwhelmingly happy to be in their presence.

The following three hours passed in glorious fashion – from feeding them hundreds of bananas, to bathing them in the river; from following them on a short trek through their habitat, to stroking them and taking pictures with them as they ever so gracefully allowed us to enter their territory.

Their auras were fascinating – so gentle and slow yet so powerful and rapid; their ability to be loving and caring, mixed with their natural desire to stamp and flatten everything in their path. Elephants are a powerhouse of mystery; a sacred animal that deserve so much more than what we as humans so cruelly subject them to.

After spending a few precious hours in their company we were reluctantly led back to base for lunch and a debrief. The day had been fantastic. The whole experience an eye opener and an emotional rollercoaster. Elephants are still in danger, they are still poached and they are still treated as slaves. But as we left, we couldn’t help but feel humbled and satisfied, satisfied that by contributing to a good cause such as Mandalao, we’d done our best to help the survival of future generations.