Elephant Ride on Arabian Sea Beach

I've been lounging at swimming pool, treking beach, & enjoying the company of folks I've met here - including several 8-ball pool game "tournaments" with some other ladies I met from Dubai!
I have ridden horses on many beaches in US, Caribbean, south America, even Morocco! But today was a FIRST - riding an elephant on an Arabian Sea beach! Her name is Cheetah & she just celebrated her 35th birthday. We even went into the surf (water) which she seemed to enjoy & I got soaked! Because her skin is sensitive to salt water - she had to be completely hosed down after being in the salt water. It was an amazing experience!

Guruvayur - Punathoor Elephant Fort 1

I arrived in Guruvayur late yesterday afternoon.
This city is located in Kerala State which is renowned for its elephants. For centuries, all Kerala residents had at least 1 & often more elephants which they revere for their "work ethic", ability to bring good luck/fortune to their owners & their integral symbolism in the Hindu religion. Because of costs & "mechanization" (aka tractors), few families now own elephants.. But there are still 100+ elephants here (most owned/cared for by individual Hindu temples) & the city is still famous for its annual "Elephant Festival" - attracting thousands of visitors from all over the world.
One of this city's famous sights is the Punathoor Elephant Fort - built over 500 years ago to feed & provide herbal medical treatments to Kerala Hindu Temple elephants. The "fort" is huge & on any given day there are 60+ elephants here for feeding, bathing & medical diagnoses/treatments. They are scattered (to avoid "male-to-male conflicts") over a 25+ acre area. Above are pics of various areas of the park.

Guruvayur - Punathoor Elephant Fort 2 & Communism

Top pic is of the largest tusker I saw at the "fort". He was isolated from all other elephants because he was in "musk". Yes - that is a pile of 4-5 days worth of feces in background.
Center pic is of a mahout giving his elephant a "palm thrashing (whipping)massage". She really appeared to enjoy it!
Btw - Kerala is 1 of only 2 communist states in India - bottom pic was a reminder of this <-- I thought that I had left the hammer/sickle in Vietnam!? This state is also known for the active, well-armed "Maoist guerrillas" who operate & are located primarily in the rural jungle areas. My driver, Mohan, has assured me that we have avoided & will continue to avoid these areas.

Singara, Mudumalai, & Bundhipur National Parks 1

I have spent the last 2 days/nights at the "Lodge at Northern Hay" (www.serendipityo.com) - a still working coffee plantation located in the middle of 2 adjoining. National Wildlife Parks. This privately-owned property's original plantation enclave has been converted into 11 or so roomy accommodations. It has been owned/run by the same family since the 1890s. The facilities are very basic but surprisingly comfortable. Its location in the middle of the parks makes all the best wildlife spotting areas easily accessible in a short period of time. Top pic is of my mud, thatched hut - very large w seating area inside & a nice covered porch with table/chairs.
I was told by the staff not to leave the compound area without being accompanied by one of their staff people. Soon after I arrived here while having a late afternoon tea one of their excited staff people came to get me. We walked just outside the gate to their compound area & there stood the huge, loner tusker shown in below pic! He threaten us, the staff person said not to move & then he bolted into the thickets. It was a neat experience!
Btw - this is a mountain jungle area where it is very cool & like the lodge where I am staying, there are many working coffee plantations.

Singara, Mudumalai, & Bundhipur National Parks 2

Saw many wild game in the park - but most I had seen in the other parks & included pics of them in earlier blog updates.
At this park, I saw many more elephants than in previous parks. The biggest Asian tusker I have ever seen (in the wild or otherwise) was the one shown in the top pic! This one occasionally fed at this one location in the early AM. Fortunately for me he happen to be there when we went looking for him! The pic says it all - he was magnificent!
The bottom pic is a lucky shot I got of an Indian wild dog. S/he was hunting with a pack of about 10-12 others.

Singara, Mudumalai, & Bundhipur National Parks 3

There are many domesticated elephants in & around these national parks. Many of them & their "owners" congregate at a single location every few days for an elephant feeding "get together". The owners discuss "work prospects" & the health of their elephants. The day I visited was for "males only".<- bc when the sexes mix there can be problems.
Top pic is of elephants waiting to be fed - there were more than 40 tuskers there but they keep them well apart from each other.
They feed each elephant a huge block of "individually prescribed" (by vet) food - that's a prescribed meal on the shoulder of the man in center pic. Each is a mixture of cooked rice, sugar, salt, vitamins & ground/concentrated grains.
Feedings are visited by a state-paid vets who, if an owner requests, will check the elephants, prescribe medications, & provide general medical consultations/services. The bottom pic is of a vet administering what appeared to be an enema??
Because elephants are my favorite critters - I felt honored to be amongst these gracious, gentle beasts.

Singara, Mudumalai, & Bundhipur National Parks 4

Some wild & domestic elephants - each was awesome! Note mountainous terrain in top pic.

Nagerhole Wildlife Sanctuary 1

I did 2 safaris today - 1 early AM & 1 early PM. Saw many things that I had not seen up north in Sariska!
This sanctuary has the largest heard of wild Asian elephants in the world - numbering over 1,200. This time of year most have migrated north. Today we saw 2 small heards numbering 5-6 elephants each. These were the first "wild" elephants I have ever seen. The top pic is of a male tusker and female..
The center & bottom pics are of a female that disliked our jeep & repeatedly charged us! The guide said this rarely happens & she probably thought that her very young calf was threatened. In any event, I was sitting in the rear of the jeep - closest to her! I did not use a zoom to get these pics - she was within 10 feet of me, running, & pissed,

Nagerhole Wildlife Sanctuary 2

The Gaur is the largest "wild cow" in the world. They have never been domesticated & are huge/massive - large males, like those shown in top pic, can be up to 1 ton! Gaur are not found in north India but can range as far as SE Asia! They are very shy & normally feed only at night.
The spotted deer are very common throughout India. I liked the bottom pic above because of the impressive rack on the male - left side of pic.
Saw many other critters including many langurs, wild boar, wild dogs, Sambars, barking deer & numerous birds. But aboves pics were the most worthwhile.
Btw - Most tourists here are Indians from Bangalore and Delhi! They say now is the very best time to tour south India - the direct opposite of online info!?!?

Nagerhole Wildlife Sanctuary

After a 4+ hour drive from Bangalore, arrived at the Nagerhole Wildlife Sanctuary see HERE
Accommodations are very basic - but comfortable. I at least have a fridge to keep my insulin chilled. Surprisingly - the weather here is much, much cooler than it was in North India, there is a constant breeze & no AC in the "cottages'!

On the way we stopped at a silk cocoon market - top pic. "Silk Farmers" raise silk worms in there homes, boil the cocoons to remove pupae (sp?) which they "save" & bring the cocoons to market to sell to silk merchants who remove silk from cocoons & spin into threads for dying.

Tomorrow an early AM & late PM "safari.

Amber Palace & Fort 1

Jaipur is famous for its Amber Palace and Fort built in 1590 - top pic. Because of drought, the Raj moved his palace into the city of Jaipur in the 18th century.
Tourist get up the 1km steep, uphill trek to the palace/fort on elephants. There are 122 elephants that provide this service - only during the morning hours.
Bottom pic is of me on my elephant transport.