Elephant !

December 7, 2024 – Bang Ka Nak – Baan Nong Juan (near Prachin Buri) – 62 Kms – Panpim Resort

December 8, 2024 – Baan Nong Juan to North Gate, Khao Yai National Park – 65 kms – Issan Isan Concept Resort

December 9, 2024 – Issan Isan Concept Resort – 0 kms (jungle tour)

December 10, 2024 – Issan Isan Concept Resort – 29 kms (day ride)

Gordon: I was prepared not to be surprised by the size of a wild elephant if we had the good fortune to see one, but as the grey shadow moved from the forest into the clearing by the road, my jaw dropped open.  This was a very impressive creature.  Like the other tourists and their guides I immediately started to take photos.  Happily waggling his ears and tail, the elephant appeared relaxed, but he kept slowly advancing.  At a certain point the guides all became alarmed and there was a chaotic retreat of vehicles.

The mixture of delight and concern was not without reason.  This was our third visit to Khao Yai National Park, and second jungle tour, and we had never seen an elephant.  Our guide JJ was in communication with other guides who had seen elephants that day, but by her own admission sometimes a month passes between sightings.  In terms of the hazards of elephants, JJ told us that earlier that day a large bull had “kicked” a car.  We later learned that in the aftermath of the “kick” the occupants of the car required medical care and the vehicle was a probable write off.  It made me curious as to how much JJ pays for an “elephant rider” on the insurance for her pickup.

On our last visit to Khao Yai, in 2016, we had gone on two excursions with JJ, and while we were unsuccessful in seeing elephants on that trip, we were impressed by her enthusiasm and knowledge.  When we once again found ourselves in the Park, we searched for her name on the Internet and arranged for a tour the next day, along with a trio from Taiwan and a couple from Israel.  We saw a variety of animals, including barking deer, sambar deer, a number of Giant Hornbills, several giant squirrels, a five foot monitor lizard, a pair of silver pheasants, many white footed gibbons and a few of the quite rare pileated gibbons (and their hybrids, those naughty apes), and, finally, a wild elephant.  It was a remarkable day in an extraordinary, UNESCO designated, natural environment.

Post script:  This evening, as we were walking the hundred metres back to our hotel from our dinner restaurant, we noticed a commotion on the road ahead.  Seconds later, a big bull elephant sauntered across the road and started sampling the wares at the fruit stands lining the road.  Trucks with rangers arrived, but it was clear that an elephant goes where it wants, when it wants.  A sighting in town is clearly not that common, as the locals were as excited as we were.

Gordon gets credit for all the wonderful photos here.