The rain starts to fall on the Elephant Retirement Park. I watch the rice fields and the luxuriant jungle surrounding what will be my home for that night. For a short moment, time stopped here in these green lanscapes. It feels good.

I’m in the middle of nowhere… Actually, precisely, I’m in the middle of the Golden Triangle which was “famous” for the production of drugs few years ago. But I’m safe here so, armed with my 60D, I cross a bridge and jump in the jungle for a short walk on my own. No need to say that everything around me is even better than in my dreams. I feel like a Lara Croft with no mission… A pacific Rambo, just discovering what the Wild Nature can offer.

  
 I come back to the camp and driven by Noi, five Mahouts in the back of the truck, we drive direction a little village.

I am the only tourist and I accept all the stares as they are always followed with a big smile. Noi and the boys are buying food for the barbecue. He explains what are the differents things in the bag and tells me that I will have a special meal with “no spices”. I knew by experience now that it means that I will have my mouth on fire but it will be nothing compares to what they are used to eat.

  
The fish is slowly cooking on the fire. I’m observing the way they prepare the differents meals and try to learn everything. I even try this strange flat thing that looks like a crisp after being grilled on the fire. I understand afterall that it was cow skin. Hmmm. Ok… Not for me!

A lot of smiles and laughs were exchanged that night. It was a bit frustrating not to be able to have a proper conversation as I can’t speak Thai but the most important remained: happiness and respect. You have to pay attention to the body language and any kind of details that the eyes could express. You need to open your arms and do a lot of strange gestures to try to communicate. You need to know how to laugh about yourself. Feel confident enough to be surrounded and not be able to be understand. You don’t feel alone but you need a lot of imagination to speak to yourself as everybody talk to each other’s. And it’s alright, because that night is special. Of course, I paid to be in this kind of situation but I felt like I was a guest and everybody had little attentions to me, specially Noi who was doing his own business but was always here to replied to my questions or explain me how to cook something or offering me cakes and juices.

After dinner, time to relax and to have a last talk about elephants and how to speak to them before going to sleep, protected by a Moskito net. As I close my eyes, I hear the soundtrack of my night: elephants trumpeting and exotic night birds singing. Tomorrow morning, I’ll be a Mahout but tonight, I feel like the Queen of the Jungle.