Maddie loves things in this order:
Bunny is never allowed to be far from her reach, especially during our holiday where her usual routines and comforts weren't available. Maddie doesn't sleep without bunny, anytime that she has something to eat or drink bunny is sure to get some too.
Recently though, elephants have been creeping up the list. If you say the word "elephant", she throws up one arm like a trunk and makes an elephant noise. While we were in Bali, she would greet statues of the elephant god Ganesh with this as a salute.
When I read in the Bali guide book that there was an elephant park in Taro (which is not too far from our guesthouse), I immediately planned a trip there.
We set off on Thursday and Maddie seemed in a good mood, which turned sour not long after taking off in the car. Sitting down for great lengths of time is not toddler-like behavior, especially when there is climbing around the car to be done. However, several tantrums later, we made it to the Elephant Safari Park.
The safari park is a beautifully laid out area where worker elephants retire. They have a breeding program and the animals are treated well. They roam freely and for a fee you can not just look at the elephants, but ride one as well.
Upon entry, Maddie seemed mildly interested in looking at the elephants and far more interested on running near the filthy elephant pool, into the elephant's enclosures or up stairs towards a sheer drop. I abandoned my camera in favor of the baby sling to hold her out of danger. Bunny of course was in the sling with her, as no experience can be had without bunny.
Then we boarded an elephant, sitting on a long bench which was tied to the pachyderm. The bench came with a useless rope that pretended to provide security, but I had little fear as the rocking ride of the elephant walk began.
Our caravan of 6 tourist-laden beasts ambled peacefully into the jungle single-file. Our "driver" sat on the head of our transport, gently encouraging forward movement while thrilling me with all of the Australian clichés that he knew: "bloody great mate, Melbourne cup, bloody ripper". Riding the majestic creature took a little balancing, but it was fine, you just sway with the movement. As Maddie's face was pressed up against my chest in the sling, I turned from side to side to let her see the elephants in front of us and behind. The great flapping of our vehicle's ears was enough to keep me entertained and she seemed quite fascinated by the journey. For about half of it.
There are good times and bad times to throw the biggest tantrum of your life. A good time is in a barrel of marshmallows. A bad time is while someone is holding you and that someone is 3 and a half meters from the ground sitting on a bench on top of a moving two ton animal with only a glorified drawstring to provide him/her with any security. That's my opinion.
There was kicking and screaming and arching of the back and thrashing and turning and several near to successful attempts to eject out of the sling and off the elephant. Water, patting, kind words, laughter, even bunny was of no use. This commotion had the people in front turning and looking and even the guy who drove us to the park heard the noise from the car park
The ride couldn't be over fast enough as Maddie wasn't about to calm down. The pace of the elephant had turned from soothing to too bloody slow. Then something even worse happened - we believe that it was an accident, we'll never know - bunny was hurled from the elephant onto the forest floor.
That was a moment of sheer panic. "We need that" I thought, "not want, need". But there was no way off the elephant, of that I was sure because if there was I would have got off ten minutes ago. There were cries of concern from behind us as the people in the rear had seen bunny fall and knew the gravity. The driver looked down to see what had happened, said something in elvish, then the elephant stopped, backed up, picked up bunny in its trunk and handed it back to the driver. The driver wiped down bunny and handed it back with a smile. Cameras were clicking wildly behind me, but I paid no heed, I was just so happy to have bunny back. It did nothing to calm Madeleine though.
Maddie was eventually calmed by our driver who had taken us to the park. The Balinese are wonderful with children, and adults as well as he soothed my nerves not long afterwards. Maddie was much happier on the trip home and I am happy to report that bunny is still on top of Maddie's list of loves.
- Bunny
- Miscellaneous
Bunny is never allowed to be far from her reach, especially during our holiday where her usual routines and comforts weren't available. Maddie doesn't sleep without bunny, anytime that she has something to eat or drink bunny is sure to get some too.
Recently though, elephants have been creeping up the list. If you say the word "elephant", she throws up one arm like a trunk and makes an elephant noise. While we were in Bali, she would greet statues of the elephant god Ganesh with this as a salute.
When I read in the Bali guide book that there was an elephant park in Taro (which is not too far from our guesthouse), I immediately planned a trip there.
We set off on Thursday and Maddie seemed in a good mood, which turned sour not long after taking off in the car. Sitting down for great lengths of time is not toddler-like behavior, especially when there is climbing around the car to be done. However, several tantrums later, we made it to the Elephant Safari Park.
The safari park is a beautifully laid out area where worker elephants retire. They have a breeding program and the animals are treated well. They roam freely and for a fee you can not just look at the elephants, but ride one as well.
Upon entry, Maddie seemed mildly interested in looking at the elephants and far more interested on running near the filthy elephant pool, into the elephant's enclosures or up stairs towards a sheer drop. I abandoned my camera in favor of the baby sling to hold her out of danger. Bunny of course was in the sling with her, as no experience can be had without bunny.
Then we boarded an elephant, sitting on a long bench which was tied to the pachyderm. The bench came with a useless rope that pretended to provide security, but I had little fear as the rocking ride of the elephant walk began.
Our caravan of 6 tourist-laden beasts ambled peacefully into the jungle single-file. Our "driver" sat on the head of our transport, gently encouraging forward movement while thrilling me with all of the Australian clichés that he knew: "bloody great mate, Melbourne cup, bloody ripper". Riding the majestic creature took a little balancing, but it was fine, you just sway with the movement. As Maddie's face was pressed up against my chest in the sling, I turned from side to side to let her see the elephants in front of us and behind. The great flapping of our vehicle's ears was enough to keep me entertained and she seemed quite fascinated by the journey. For about half of it.
There are good times and bad times to throw the biggest tantrum of your life. A good time is in a barrel of marshmallows. A bad time is while someone is holding you and that someone is 3 and a half meters from the ground sitting on a bench on top of a moving two ton animal with only a glorified drawstring to provide him/her with any security. That's my opinion.
There was kicking and screaming and arching of the back and thrashing and turning and several near to successful attempts to eject out of the sling and off the elephant. Water, patting, kind words, laughter, even bunny was of no use. This commotion had the people in front turning and looking and even the guy who drove us to the park heard the noise from the car park
The ride couldn't be over fast enough as Maddie wasn't about to calm down. The pace of the elephant had turned from soothing to too bloody slow. Then something even worse happened - we believe that it was an accident, we'll never know - bunny was hurled from the elephant onto the forest floor.
That was a moment of sheer panic. "We need that" I thought, "not want, need". But there was no way off the elephant, of that I was sure because if there was I would have got off ten minutes ago. There were cries of concern from behind us as the people in the rear had seen bunny fall and knew the gravity. The driver looked down to see what had happened, said something in elvish, then the elephant stopped, backed up, picked up bunny in its trunk and handed it back to the driver. The driver wiped down bunny and handed it back with a smile. Cameras were clicking wildly behind me, but I paid no heed, I was just so happy to have bunny back. It did nothing to calm Madeleine though.
Maddie was eventually calmed by our driver who had taken us to the park. The Balinese are wonderful with children, and adults as well as he soothed my nerves not long afterwards. Maddie was much happier on the trip home and I am happy to report that bunny is still on top of Maddie's list of loves.
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