Arriving at the Conservation Center

     Based on what we learned at various hotels and travel agency, the local bus to Saiyabury leaves at seven or eight or nine.  Definitely.  Unless it leaves when it's full.  To be on the safe side, we planned to arrive at seven to make sure that we got seats.  The one thing everybody agreed on was that you couldn't buy tickets in advance because it was free seating.  (That wasn't true).
     When various factors outside of our control aligned to make us late, the bus was mostly full but we found two seats next to eachother in the way back and one nearby.  Too bad that while we were sitting there other people bought them.  Instead we joined the people sitting on plastic stools in the aisle.  Make it clear that there wasn't a backrest, at every turn the stool went sliding one way or another, add on a dozing French girl on either side perilously close to using one's shoulders as a pillow and a mini dust storm centered mostly on us aisle-ers and three hours later you'd have our busride.  At least the music wasn't too loud or obnoxious.
      The ferry across the swift river held vendors selling snacks.  By the time we reached land again bags of snacks were being passed around with complete disregard of who bought what and who knew whom.  A man laughingly offered me some roasted crickets and my dad tried some.  He says they were tasty, but I was too vegetarian to sample any.
 

       A tuk tuk was waiting for us and the three French girls who I sat near.  Though bumpy we were going to slow for much dust to assault us and the ride was fairly short. The boatride that followed was also pretty short, though fitting seven people plus luggage on a bought with three one-person benches was a feat.
       The lake we motored through was covered with water plants.
 

        I almost lost a flip flop in the mud when we disembarked but saved it just in time.  There were a couple of planks that we could step on and some dry patches but it was a bit of a scramble to the path.  The bungalows only housed maximum of two people but we were next too eachother. Sandwiches from a Scandinavian bakery as well as the last of the Siem Reap mustard made a delicious lunch and afterwards we had about an hour before we needed to do anything.
       After meeting up again in the dining area we got a tour of the complex before going down to the pavilion where the elephants were brought.  Introductions were first, but I can't remember any names other than Mae Bou Nam (19) and Mae Do (over 60).  'Mae' is an honorary term meaning 'mother'. The other elephants were 21 and 35, male and female respectively.
       Elephants are such large, beautiful creatures.  I'm afraid that pictures don't do them justice at all.
       The mahouts had them demonstrate the various ways the elephants could let us climb up to ride them, such as kneeling or lifting one knee to work as a step.  It seemed unkind.  My mother and I almost didn't ride but changed our minds at the last second and took our turn around the small loop. Elephants can drag very heavy things but cannot carry much weight on their backs.  One, or even two if they sit forwards, are comfortable for the elephant but howdas not so much.  Particularly if they hold two or more people.
         Here I rode sitting on Mae Do's neck, my legs tucked behind her ears and my hands on her head to steady myself.  Elephants have what is basically a ball-joint in their ankles and so are immensely stable, but the rise and fall of their shoulders makes it a bit scary.  No falls, but when I was concentrating on keeping my shoes from falling off and petting her head it felt a bit precarious.
 
    

                            

                              
 Once I had half-climbed, half-slithered from her back she joined the others by the benches to one side of the pavilion, asking for bananas.  We were each given a bunch to share among them and they went quickly.
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    What with their tough skin and coarse bristles elephants are not the cuddliest of animals but it means that they aren't hurt by thorns and branches when in the jungle.  After dinner (veggie options consisting of meatless meat options--that is, exactly what the other people ate and without the protein) we walked with Mae Bou Nam's mahout Pang over a couple of hills to where she pulled here chain from the bushes.  Practically, it makes sense to attach her to something during the night as it is a lot harder than one would think to spot a elephant in the trees and 300 meters is really long but it was depressing watching her pull her own chain towards her.