A bus from the Elephant Company arrives to pick me up at around 6:45am, and has me relieved to see some native english speakers already on board. The Kingdom Hotel pickup adds myself and a group of about fourteen Dutch to the mix. Rhonda, the New Jersey minister is one of the Americans already on board, so we talk during the 25-minute journey to the elephant depot. After half an hour or so learning the various safety proceedures, such as “don’t get between a elephant and a hard place”, the elephants themselves arrive for the tour. We board them via a raised platform and sit on a fairly basic saddle. Once the elephant starts moving I begin unconsiously rocking back and forth, and my thighs quickly start complaining bitterly.
The African bush elephant is one of two varieties found in Africa, and is significantly larger than its companion, the African forest elephant. Each elephant weighs between four and seven tonnes, and can be up to four metres tall. They are fairly docile creatures, who effectively form their own food chain, since they eat only vegetation, and have no predators. In fact the most common cause of death in bush elephants is starvation caused by teeth wearing out. The elephants live in a very sociable society, exhibiting a great deal of complex behaviour commonly associated with humans. For example, an elephant who knows he/she is about to die will go back to the ancestral home and may be buried by his/her family. In another example, female elephants about to give birth will be isolated from the rest of the tribe by their fellow females who will then assist with the birth.
Weighing as much as they do, the elephants require about 200kgs of food per day, each. I soon realise how appropriate the safety advice was as I watch the animals rubbing up against one another and generally playing around. Getting a playful head-butt from a four tonne elephant could be quite painful, I think.
When the tour ends I am very glad to be able to get off, and then have the opportunity to feed the eles some treats which they hungrily vacuum up with their trunks. Finally we sit down to a delicious breakfast and watch the company-produced video, which is of course available to buy at an exorbitant price.
After the tour I return to Wilderness Safaris to check in with Elina, and book my White Water Rafting for tomorrow. I start walking back to the Hotel, and decide to stop by some curio vendors to get some souvenirs for my family and friends. I buy a necklace, knocking the price down from $700 to $600, although I think I could do much better. I mentally kick myself for my timid bartering and resolve to be tougher in the future.
My resolve is tested almost immediately by the reappearance of George, a street ‘dealer’ who had approached me yesterday and Sunday wanting to change my money for me. I convince him that I have no pounds to sell, but he just smoothly changes tack. “You want souvenirs” – it wasn’t a question. I still do, so I stop and think about that for a second. I did want a few nice pieces of sculpture, and I tell him so. Eyes brightening immediately, he says, “we go to office, follow me”.
George leads me off the main road and round the back of the craft village into a maze of hundreds and hundreds of traders with ramshackle stalls and all sorts of wares for sale. The ‘office’ turns out to be a clearing in between three trees in the bush, where George’s family/friends are busy carving away. One is just finishing off an elephant, which I begin negotiating for. George’s english may be sporadic at best but he is amazingly fluent in trade talk and mental arithmetic. “So I’ll give you $500 for this.”, is my opening. “No Andrew come on man $600”. “No, no – I said $500”. “Come on Andrew make a deal”.
At this point another member of the clan gets my attention with a pair of hippo for which he wants $900. I feel very glad I only have about $1200 on me as I offer $1000 for the elephant and both hippo. Eventually we settle on $1100, about £5 at the time of writing this, and I attempt to end negotiations citing lack of money. This tuns out to be no problem at all. “I like your shoes”, says one guy, following up with an offer of several pieces in exchange. Unfortunately for him I like my shoes very much too, and the price I put on conducting the remainder of my trip barefoot is certainly more than he can afford. I make my way out, glad to get away with both a good deal and all of my posessions.
George wasn’t far behind, and was still after my pounds. I managed to decline offeres of everything short of a prostitute for the evening, although he managed to squeeze another $50 out of me for a couple of serpent pendants. If he finds me again tomorrow I may have to give the man some forex for sheer persistance.