Thy and Tim picked me up this morning at 11:20am, and we began an hour-long drive to the Kulen Elephant Forest. There is a bus that leaves town in both the morning and the afternoon to take guests out there, but I wanted Tim to come on the tour with me, so we decided to have Thy drive us. I had absolutely no idea what to expect—only that we were going to an elephant sanctuary.
I loved driving through the countryside. There were lots of dogs, each with its own personality. The thing about these dogs is that they all look so sad and angsty. I don’t think it’s a reflection of how they’re treated; there’s just something about them.
When we arrived at the elephant sanctuary, we were told to get out of the car and walk down a long bamboo bridge that led to a hut equipped with a basic restaurant and couches where we could sit and wait. Tim and I were the first to arrive, so we sat down and talked until more people showed up.
A busload of people from town soon arrived at the forest. There were two sets of lounges, and Tim and I were sitting on one of them. When the new arrivals came through, they bypassed us completely and went to sit on the other lounges. It almost reminded me of my days at Saint Peter’s Girls, but I think they just did that because they weren’t sure who we were and probably didn’t want to intrude.
Our guide came out, introduced himself, and talked a bit about the sanctuary. There were ten elephants—nine female and one male. These elephants were retired from the tourism industry, where they had been used, particularly around the temples. They weren’t originally from the forests of Kulen Mountain, where we were, but the sanctuary had been set up for them there, and they thrived in this environment.
Altogether, there were around thirteen of us in the group. Before we got started, we were asked to sign a waiver. I quickly read through it; essentially, it stated that if an elephant killed you, it wasn’t their fault, or if you had a heart attack on the walk, that wasn’t their responsibility either. I signed it without hesitation.
The first activity was preparing food for the elephants. We made balls from a mixture of banana, sticky date pudding, and bran, while the guide cut up some pumpkins. Once everything was ready, we headed down the stairs into the sanctuary.
We walked along a small path leading to an open area where five elephants were waiting to be fed. After the guide gave us safety instructions, we all stepped forward and fed the elephants. Below, you can see our guide with the elephants in the feeding area, as well as Tim giving one of the elephants one of the food balls we made for them.
As we walked through the forest, Tim talked a lot about the plants—he’s so funny. He found a leaf he uses to create music by blowing on it, and he started playing a tune. All the Western tourists looked around in awe at him. He makes me laugh; he’s quite shy but also a bit of a showman.
I got chatting with a young Australian woman who was backpacking through Southeast Asia. We talked about how sad it was that two young Australian girls had recently died after drinking spiked cocktails in Laos. She mentioned that she hadn’t come across any other Australians in Cambodia and not many during her travels in Vietnam either. I was surprised to hear that. I haven’t interacted with many other travellers—just Thy and Tim—but I would have thought there’d be more Aussies in the backpacker scene.
Later, they set up afternoon tea for us on big wooden tables with flimsy wooden benches around them. The spot where we had afternoon tea was near one of the pools, and below you can see three of the elephants enjoying a swim.
As we said goodbye, Tim and I returned to the car, and Thy began driving us back toward the city. Something I was thinking about in the car was the elephant handlers, or "mahouts," as they are called in Khmer. I’ve noticed in life that certain people command a bit of a fan base or entourage. For example, my friend Mariah, who is an astronomer at the Planetarium, has people who gravitate toward her—not only because she’s the coolest chick I know but also because her job has a certain allure. Another man at the Planetarium is similar; he has people who look up to him and treat him like a bit of a rockstar. I’ve seen the same dynamic with some professors, particularly astrophysicists, and others in those kinds of fields.
It got me thinking—when circuses had lion tamers, I bet they attracted groupie types, too. Some of the mahouts were very attractive men, and they were directly engaging with the elephants. I couldn’t help but think that certain young women, in particular, would likely find that appealing.
When we got back to the city, I asked Thy if he could take me to Burger King for dinner. I know Burger King is the American version of Hungry Jack’s, and I was curious if I could get a Whopper. Luckily, Whoppers were on the menu, so I ordered a meal. Tim joined me, so I got him a Whopper meal too.
Below, you can see a photo of the Burger King sign and Tim enjoying his Whopper.
Today was a very special day with these beautiful animals, who are being well cared for in their retirement. I loved every moment of spending time in the forest with Tim, who has an incredible knowledge of the plants, insects, and animals in the area.
