Weekly Travel Feature

Don't Miss the Elephant Round-up and Show at Surin

Prepared by Harold Stephens
Travel Correspondent for Thai Airways International

The month of November in Thailand witnessed one of the Kingdom’s most beautiful and popular festivals, Loy Krathong, also called 'festival of light.' Every major hotel and every village, no matter how small, celebrated the grand fair. Now another event is coming up from November 21 to the 23 that shouldn’t be missed. It’s the spectacular Elephant Round-up at Surin, a town southeast of Bangkok. Visitors can see this incredible show that includes pre-hunt rituals, a demonstration round-up, tug of war between elephants and soldiers, and elephant races. In between there's traditional dancing and singing. There’s still time to book hotels and to get tickets to the Srinarong Stadium.

Elephants play an important role in Thai society. Elephants have been prominently featured in Thai legend, literature, art and architecture, and during the reign of King Rama II, an image of the auspicious elephant, symbolic of the King, was featured on the flag. The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant is the most awarded order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Rama IV.

In the Thai language the name Erawan is the name of the mythological elephant Airavata. The name may also be seen in the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, the Erawan Museum in Samut Prakan. The Erawan National Park in Kanchanaburi which contains the Erawan Waterfall, the Erawan Cave in Na Wang, and there’s even the Erawan gas field in the Gulf of Thailand.

Probably the most bizarre is the Thai Elephant Orchestra, a musical ensemble consisting of as many as sixteen elephants near Lampang in Northern Thailand. The elephants play music on huge, specially designed, musical instruments. The orchestra was created and is conducted by elephant conservationist Richard Lair of the Thai Elephant Conservation Center.

And we have also heard of the term ‘white elephant.’ The term derives from the sacred white elephants kept by Southeast Asian kings of Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. To possess a white elephant was regarded (and is still regarded in Thailand) as a sign that the monarch was ruling with justice. Buddhist scriptures associate a white elephant with the birth of Buddha, as his mother was reputed to have dreamed of a white elephant presenting her with a lotus flower, a symbol of wisdom and purity, on the eve of giving birth. Because the animals were considered sacred and laws protected them from labor, receiving a gift of a white elephant from a monarch was both a blessing and a curse: a blessing because the animal was sacred and a sign of the monarch's favour, and a curse because the animal had to be kept and could not be put to practical use to offset the cost of maintaining it.

And elephants in Thailand have been taught to paint pictures and play polo.

In Thai history elephants were trained for war, to be guided by humans for combat. Their main use was in charges, to trample the enemy and to break their ranks. Picture charging elephants that could reach speeds of 30 km/h (20 mph). Nothing could stop them, not like the horse cavalry that could easily be halted by an infantry line's spears. Elephant power was based on pure force, and that was crashing into an enemy line, trampling and swinging its tusks. Imagine this terror that elephants could inflict on the enemy. They could cause an enemy to break and run. The elephants' thick hide made them difficult to kill, and their height and mass offered considerable protection for their riders.

One famous battle took place in 1591 when the Burmese army attacked Siam's Kingdom of Ayutthaya. The war ended when the Burmese crown prince Minchit Sra was killed by Siamese King Naresuan in personal combat on elephant back in Nong Sarai (Suphanburi) on what is now reckoned as January 18, 1593, and observed as Armed Forces Day, public holidays in Thailand. A fine statue of this battle can be seen in the ground of The Ancient City near Sumit Prakan.

In daily life, as man and elephant depend on each other, the elephant is treated as part of the 'family'. How could teal logs been harvested with the use of elephant? It sound like fantasy but today we can still see elephants walking along the streets of Bangkok. But it’s at the Surin elephant round-up that we can see the central theme of the everyday life of the Thai elephant and its keeper for both domestic use and for battle.

The Surin Elephant Round-up takes place on the third weekend of November in Surin. It is of recent origin, first held in 1960. The people of Surin were traditionally excellent at capturing elephants in Cambodia, then training them as working animals. Civil war in Cambodia and the elephant's decreasing economic importance has forced the elephant handlers (mahouts) to turn to entertainment to make a living. Elephant rides and jungle safaris and treks throughout Thailand and its islands have become very popular with tourists. Every visitor, it seems, wants to ride an elephant, at least once. There is even an elephant hospital near Chiang Mai that visitors can see.

The Surin Elephant Round-up consists of a series of shows displaying the strength and skill of the animals, such as football games, and it offers the chance of visitors to ride the elephants. Those who plan to go, may I suggest that they go early. Even to watch the elephants parade through the streets en route to the stadium is a wonderful experience. And, of course, not to be missed is the scrumptious breakfast given to the elephants on opening day.

The elephant show include a demonstration of techniques used in capturing wile elephants and training techniques for elephants at work and a presentation of the ancient art of warfare on elephant back.Tickets for The "Elephant Show” are 500 Baht and 200 Baht. Advanced reservations are available for the 500 Baht tickets. For more information you can call Surin Provincial Office: 0-4451-2039

This year the dates for the main events will be Friday 21st November for the elephant breakfast, and Saturday and Sunday 22nd & 23rd for the shows. There are five ways to come to Surin if you do not have your own transport.

1) Train. Trains leave Hua Lampong about 8 times a day. Most of the travellers do tend to take the overnight sleeper, which departs BKK around 21.00 and arrives in Surin sometime between 04.00 & 05.00. The dining car is open for breakfast. If you want to tidy up before going to the event, book your hotel the night before.

2) Bus. Buses leave Mo Chit terminal on a regular basis. Just look for bus #31. There are several tours companies that private buses and vans, but they unfortunately usually run one bus a day, which is normally full.

3) Air. PB Air run a three times a week service to Burirum, which is 65 km's (40 miles) from Surin. Vans from there run to Surin.

4) Taxi. You can travel by taxi from Bangkok which usually costs around 4,500-5,000 baht but that is negotiable.

5) You can rent a car. Royal Orchid Holidays and help you arrange this.

Whatever way you decided to go, this is a festival that you won’t want to miss. After all, elephants are the soul of Thailand and the Thai people.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q. Dear Mr. Stephens. I read with interest your article about the jungles in Thailand Outdoors. I enjoyed it very much, but I am confused. What you have to say doesn’t jive with what the press has to say about the destruction of the rain forests of Asia and South America. They tell us that the wild life is disappearing. Who do we believe? Can you tell your readers? Charley Schaffer, NY

A. Dear Charley. Thailand has 48 national parks, many of which are easily accessible to the visitor. Space prohibits me from listing them all but let me tell you about one, Khao Yai National Park, the oldest national park in Thailand and by some standards the best in the world. Khao Yai has large areas of rain forest, an abundance of wild life, and over 500 km of hiking trails. The park is located in the northeast 205km from Bangkok and can be reached by bus or train. Accommodation can be arranged with the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Harold Stephens
Bangkok
E-mail: ROH Weekly Travel

Note: The article is the personal view of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the view of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited.