BekahDiBali: Our long-awaited Elephant Safari!!

On Friday we went to the near-by elephant park. My sister and brother-in-law gave us the gift of 'Bathing and Swimming with the elephants. It was the most amazing experience! We got there very early in the morning just as the elephants were waking up. The handlers brought them to us so we could bathe them - hose them down and scrub their bodies. Our elephant was Mr. Wong - a giant male with long white tusks. It was truly a magical experience (of course tinged with sadness because they couldn't be free in their natural habitat). But the park was immaculate and the handlers treated the animals with care and love. We got to 'swim' with them in their bathing pool - ride their backs and dive under with them! Then we had a great buffet breakfast, saw them perform in a mini show and then got to ride on their big backs through a jungle path. So fun! Just a few pics below - more later...