A quick trip to Bandar Ikan Patin - Part 2

Part C: Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary
The trip for elephant rides were initially scheduled for the afternoon, but had to change to the morning because it was fully booked. Morning rides were brief and just went round once a small area, but I think the novelty of sitting on an elephant without harness, safety equipment, etc was quite exhilirating itself for most, especially the young kids.

Shouts of "Pau Ching Ching" or "Hold/hug tight tight" permeated through the air as the local guides attempted to speak Mandarin to the kids, with the kids' supervisors on hand also readily reminding and possibly worrying like mad for the little ones.

Afternoon rides will apparently, bring riders into the river, and a change of clothes is expected as getting wet is a certainty. Think there's a programme to bathe the elephants, etc. Now that would certainly be a novelty in itself. Perhaps something to plan for the future.

Could be the onset of school holidays, as there were bus loads of people, especially kids. However, was told that the crowd is quite large on a daily basis. Kuala Gandah elephant sanctuary is gaining more popularity. See? I didn't even know they had an elephant sanctuary right next to KL itself! Overshadowed by the likes of such camps by our neighbouring Thailand. There's even a deer sanctuary nearby.

All around, you could see the place is extremely popular with kids and adults alike. Here's the sanctuary of the great beast, a humongous sized being, in a semi wild life environment. Some were a little apprehensive, some were eager to touch, and some were just pleased to be there snapping photos away. I looked around, and hardly saw any grumpy faces. But the best is the look on the little ones' faces, as they come face to face with such a gigantic being. More so, the excitement and happiness after, which I am sure, will more than light up all parents' faces as the little ones look on in apparent joy.

However, unlike the more commercialised Thai elephant sanctuaries, this one has fixed show times and ride times. If walk-in visitors wander in half way between the programmes, there may not be much to see. Got to check and prebook the rides, etc. Can find out more about the place here and here.