One of the key attractions of this tour has to be this unique experience of watching elephants being groomed and taken care of like children at this orphanage. When our bus stopped at the gates of the orphanage zoo it looked like any other zoo.
The moment we stepped in the atmosphere changed. In the distance we saw a herd of 4 elephants in an open area jostling around.
A closer look and we saw there was a group of mahouts surrounding them and feeding them fruits. It is a custom in Sri Lanka to feed elephants a fruit bowl (costs SLR 250.00). The bowl included bananas, apples, pineapples, grapes, etc. The tuskers were enjoying these delicasies but were bound by chains.
A stroll around the area and there were sections where these elephants were trained to heavy work and the most interesting aspect was to see them feed on big tree branches and bamboos shafts. The way they were breaking those shafts into pieces for eating was fascinating to watch. They used their trunks to hold the wood shafts and using the powerful fore limbs kicked them hard. They would then put up the broken pieces in their mouth. Water was served for them too.
We then crossed over to the other side of the orphanage (the river side) and an even more thrilling experience awaited us. It was the bathing area of these elephants. We walked down to the river bed to see that glorious "bath" show. See pics
They were enjoying their bath in the river. There was also an artificial water spray being sprayed over them by their attendants. This is probably for tourist entertainment as everyone seemed to be enjoying the scene merrily. A lot of elephants posed for the camera and also stuck out their trunks towards the cameras. (Caution advised - not to get too close though).
After the show, we spent in some time at the local marketplace shopping for memoirs and lot of articles from elephant poo! The herd of elephants crossed us back to their training area. This was an awesome sight.
We exchanged currency from a local shop in this market supposedly for the best conversion rates. It was fun moving around and first glimpse of Sri Lankan pearls.
Our entourage then moved toward our next destination Kandy whcih was a 3 hour drive. Along the way we had lunch at a nice looking hotel.
We checked in to Topaz Hotel at Kandy atop a large hill.
The big buses couldn;t get there, so we were picked up by mini-buses from a base camp point leading to the hotel (8 km drive uphill).
Checked in and yes... got the locks picked out at long last. Our bags were now open! It was a long day and lack of sleep had drained most of us. After having a quick dinner, everyone settled in their rooms and dozed off merrily.
The next day was visiting Kandy Town and its featured places.
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#YaadgarRahein
The moment we stepped in the atmosphere changed. In the distance we saw a herd of 4 elephants in an open area jostling around.
A closer look and we saw there was a group of mahouts surrounding them and feeding them fruits. It is a custom in Sri Lanka to feed elephants a fruit bowl (costs SLR 250.00). The bowl included bananas, apples, pineapples, grapes, etc. The tuskers were enjoying these delicasies but were bound by chains.
A stroll around the area and there were sections where these elephants were trained to heavy work and the most interesting aspect was to see them feed on big tree branches and bamboos shafts. The way they were breaking those shafts into pieces for eating was fascinating to watch. They used their trunks to hold the wood shafts and using the powerful fore limbs kicked them hard. They would then put up the broken pieces in their mouth. Water was served for them too.
We then crossed over to the other side of the orphanage (the river side) and an even more thrilling experience awaited us. It was the bathing area of these elephants. We walked down to the river bed to see that glorious "bath" show. See pics
They were enjoying their bath in the river. There was also an artificial water spray being sprayed over them by their attendants. This is probably for tourist entertainment as everyone seemed to be enjoying the scene merrily. A lot of elephants posed for the camera and also stuck out their trunks towards the cameras. (Caution advised - not to get too close though).
After the show, we spent in some time at the local marketplace shopping for memoirs and lot of articles from elephant poo! The herd of elephants crossed us back to their training area. This was an awesome sight.
We exchanged currency from a local shop in this market supposedly for the best conversion rates. It was fun moving around and first glimpse of Sri Lankan pearls.
Our entourage then moved toward our next destination Kandy whcih was a 3 hour drive. Along the way we had lunch at a nice looking hotel.
We checked in to Topaz Hotel at Kandy atop a large hill.
The big buses couldn;t get there, so we were picked up by mini-buses from a base camp point leading to the hotel (8 km drive uphill).
Checked in and yes... got the locks picked out at long last. Our bags were now open! It was a long day and lack of sleep had drained most of us. After having a quick dinner, everyone settled in their rooms and dozed off merrily.
The next day was visiting Kandy Town and its featured places.
Powered by
#YaadgarRahein
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