elephants in Tankahan

We came to Tankahan for elephants. Tankahan is a small village bound on one side by protected jungle and on the other by a mind-boggling expanse of industrial palm fields. Sarah and I signed up for a day trek, and after a long wait in the sun, six elephants approached from across the river.

Trek begins: a train of elephants, and we're at the rear. Riding these animals is incredible. Elephants plod, but they are a smooth sturdy ride. SO POWERFUL./ Arguably the most powerful animals on earth, they carried us up steep/rocky mountain slopes without losing momentum the way a horse would. It was less like riding a large horse than riding a noiseless tank. HUGE heaping shits on top of gallons of piss: it really makes you appreciate how prehistorically significant these animals are. At one point, the elephant in front of us ripped a small sapling from the ground with its trunk then immediately flicked it aside as if to say 'whatever'.

The harem consisted of 6 elephants, 5 females and 1 guy (with the group's first baby on the way). Our elephant was named Sori. At 45, Sori was the matriarch. Guides expect these elephants will live 80 years, which is about 9 yrs longer than the avg Sumatran.

Afterward, we followed the train down to the river for a bath. No one told you to keep your distance or watch your step and you could walk right up next to them adn pat them on the ass. The females were very tender with each other. On several occasions I watched one tear grass from the side of the trail and feed it to a neighbor. They also did that "holding hands" thing elephants sometimes do.

A pre-bath ritual: Look closely at the photo. Sori's expression says it all.
Mark and Lindsay met us here. The elephants had a huge vocabulary and responded to a variety of commands, including what amounted to "lay down", "roll over", "flap your ears", "bellow", and "nail THAT tourist with a powerful blast of water"

thick craniums, trunks. strange-looking aliens. Elephants communicate in very low frequencies, a vibration you feel in the hairs on your skin. the bottoms of their feet are remarkably flat and round and hard, like bone (like a flat hoof). A trunk has a life of its own-- it'll hit you with small blasts of air then snort in any dislodged scent with a rapid series of inhales. they have a finger-like nub above their nostrils that is also prehensile and can poke around at you. and like apes, when elephants look at you, you can feel their mirror neurons. A very intimate close encounter.

That night: No windows in the cabins of Tankahan, just plywood walls and a thatched roof. Sarah and i left the light on inside when we went to dinner and came back to a cloud of insects swirling around above our bed and this BEAST on the wall. The spider was larger than my hand. It's worth clicking on the picture: it's so big its cluster of eyes have that iridescent glow you get when taking pictures of large mammals at night. one of the creeper things I've seen in a while.

Indonesia almost over.