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Liberated Elephants - The Muddening
The sad thing about all this is that these elephants will never be released back into the wild, primarily because..
Liberated Elephants - The Muddening
Visiting elephant in Thailand was always something I was extremely wary about, there are so many places that treat these beautiful creatures badly that still in 2017 get tourists visiting them.. It really does blow my mind to see posters advertising elephants riding and actually think that people my age are doing this sort of stuff!
The big problem is ignorance. People just simply don't care enough to do any research into what they throw their money at. If anyone was to actually look into the kind of practices that take place to condition these elephants into submission so that they allow people to ride them, they would be horrified! But then again, if people were to look into the kind of life a cow or chicken is given before its turned into food they would probably never eat factory farmed meat again.. But then again this brings up the subject of the horse meat scandal in the UK, where people value one animals life higher than another, people can be disgusted by the treatment of elephants and then happily sit down for lunch to eat a animal which suffered all the same. (PS: I don't believe eating meat is a bad thing, if you eat meat that has come from an animal that lived a good life and wasn't mass farmed or stuck in small cages then that's fair enough)
Anyway, the elephants, that's why we're here! As you can probably guess, I visited a elephant sanctuary where a small number of elephants who used to be used for riding are now free to roam the fields and do whatever they like (as long as they like getting muddy, swimming in the lake and eating lots of food fed to them by humans).
The owners who used to make money from the riding tourism have been visited by the Elephant Nature Park founders, who introduced them to the idea of tourism that means no harm to the elephants. This way the owners are happy, the elephants are happy and the tourists can leave happy!
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The day consisted of feeding the elephants breakfast followed by a hour or so of 'free time' in which the elephants just roamed around their fields and ate grass, this was an amazing experience being able to just walk freely amongst these massive creatures, it was also a great opportunity to photograph them behaving naturally.
Then it was time for the humans to be fed, we walked with the elephants towards our little shaded hut and had a great vegetarian lunch. Afterwards was time for the muddening to begin.. we gathered around the mud hole and awaited their arrival, sure enough they came.. and they sure got muddy! And so did everyone there, the elephants kicked and squirted mud everywhere and we threw some mud back at them.
Bathing time was up next, we joined them in the river to splash about and enjoy the sounds of enjoyment coming from them! The day finished with another feeding session, and then we watched them wander off to enjoy the rest of their day as we left..
The sad thing about all this is that these elephants will never be released back into the wild, primarily because they will just be caught again, they have become tame to humans and this is there downfall, capturers will have an easy time luring them back into captivity. At least with this current trend towards 'no riding' in the tourism business, elephants who once faced a life of performing, torture and captivity can now enjoy a life of less misery.
Planning on visiting a elephant sanctuary while in Asia? Let me know how it went in the comments..
Thanks for reading!
Taran here, owner of Nomad'er How Far. I'm fond of psychedelic rock, photography & videography, anything to do with space and I'm also partial to the odd gaming session. Oh and I love to travel :P Get to know me here!
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Epic Water Festival In Chaing Mai, Thailand - Photo Essay
"you will find yourself amongst groups of people from all races and walks of life, all smiling and laughing together as you spray, throw and drench each other in water!"
Epic Water Festival In Chaing Mai, Thailand - Photo Essay
Upon arriving in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, we were met with the craziness that is the Thai new year water festival, Songkran. This world famous week-long festival takes place all over Thailand but is known by many to be especially great in Chiang Mai, and it certainly didn't fail to blow us away (with water that is).
This ancient tradition that involves dousing everybody you see in water is a time of unity and people who have moved away return home to their loved ones, the pouring of water represents purification and the washing away of sins and bad luck. Of course, since this has become a must-see attraction for people all over the world the main bulk of the festival involves a huge water fight, and ancient traditions of pouring water over hands has been replaced with firing water guns at peoples faces while they drive past on their scooter..
Nether the less this is an epic water fight that is not to be missed if you get the chance, it really does bring everyone together, you will find yourself amongst groups of people from all races and walks of life, all smiling and laughing together as you spray, throw and drench each other in water!
Two young Thai girls waiting on the side of the road for someone to soak.
Joining in with the craziness and getting completely soaked! We joined this big group who stood by the side of the road and awaited victims to pass by..
The street market in Chiang Mai is epic in size, after walking for 30 minutes we still had not got from one side to the other, let alone seen all the stalls! Pictured above: a mother and daughter selling small trinkets to try and make a living.
Chiang Mai's centre is surrounded by a huge moat, this used to be the old perimeter of the city with some of the old walls still standing.
A group of friends and family stand outside their shop with hoses and water guns, laughing as they spray everyone that walks by.
Street food is a massive part of Thai culture, there a stalls everywhere and you can get just about anything, including full grilled squid for $2...
The temples around the city are a true work of art, and to keep them looking that way requires a lot of maintenance. Here is a classic example of Thai scaffolding, bamboo tied together with string.. If you work in health & safety, this picture must be giving you anxiety!
A sample of the artwork found inside the temples.
A young Thai girl sings her heart out while playing guitar, trying to earn money for scholarship fees.
A young monk on his way to class at the temple, we joined in with their English learning class by having a discussion with one of the monks. Interested in more temple photography? Check out 'Temple Hopping In Bangkok'.
My favourite picture from the water fight, this could easily be seen as a photo of a protest if the water guns were replaced with actual guns.
So are you ready for Songkran? I hope this article has inspired you to take the trip to Thailand and experience it for yourself!
Thanks for reading!
Taran here, owner of Nomad'er How Far. I'm fond of psychedelic rock, photography & videography, anything to do with space and I'm also partial to the odd gaming session. Oh and I love to travel :P Get to know me here!
Be social and come follow me across the virtual world!
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Taran & Makoto here, together we form Nomader How Far photography.
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