Just got back from a two day elephant trek, my first time riding the beasts and spending up close and personal time with them. They really are quite big! You ride so high up, and it’s quite a swaying motion that you have to get used to. But it’s a very pleasant way to traverse the rain forest, and the animals lumber along like a low torque diesel engine.

The big news is that the Bunong people really do love these wild animals, and sort of have adopted them in an unusual hybrid model where they manage them but don’t own them. They go gather them, but only ride them for 3 days. Then they are free to be let go to chill for a couple days.

They never force the elephants to do anything, and from I saw, never hurt them either. They just bond with them, and give them little love smacks and kicks and noises to get them to move along. But if the elephant wants to stop to eat some bamboo, or needs to slow down to go up a hill, that’s totally OK.

And you can see how much the elephants are truly loved by these people. There is a tremendous care and affection that all the Mahouts I was on my trek with have for their animals. I was particularly lucky insofar as I had the very young son of one of the senior Mahouts as my Mahout (along with his Dad most of the time).

My little guy was only 10, and was a dead ringer for Mowgli from the Jungle Book. He was totally fine having this highly unusual childhood, an utterly blissed out soul. His friends were the elephants, and he managed the one I was riding like a true pro. His Dad would come along during some portions, but most of the time it was just me and him and the jungle. With his little frame sprawled out over the elephant’s head and neck, making little noises and undulations to get the elephant to do what he wanted it to do.

Slept in the jungle in a hammock last night, and it was an absolutely gorgeous evening. I recommend Nature Lodge here in Mondulkiri. You can fly into Phnom Penh, be up here in about 6 or 7 hours, and go on a jungle trek. You can even visit Bunong villages and eat Bunong food. More on that next post.