Picture: Me wondering if I could fit the elephant in a garage at home.
One morning in the lobby of my hotel in Cochin, Kerala, I overheard a young tourist asking about a Hindu celebration involving elephants. Later during the day, while sightseeing in a tuk-tuk, the driver pointed out to a Hindu temple to me that was gearing up for a celebration. I asked him if they have elephants and he said yes. As it was early afternoon there were no elephants there yet. My driver asked some bystanders about the whereabouts of elephants and soon we were zipping past a side-street towards a shady temple compound. The driver parked his noisy tuk-tuk and I squeezed out of the small vehicle. I entered the temple compound and there they were, three massive Indian elephants, chained to palm trees. Marvelous! The mahout, smoking next to the elephant immediately sensed a money-making opportunity and told me to take off my shoes. Barefoot I approached the massive creature which slowly started to kneel down in front of me. The mahout told me to step on the elephant's front leg and with a strong shove from behind me, I sat atop the massive creature. The elephant continued feeding himself and flapping his ears while I gave him a big hug. For a brief moment the world stood still and I couldn't help but grin widely. A truly magical moment that is so typical for India. Incredible India!
Picture: The same elephant but ready for some temple marketing.
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