The Elephant Safari in East Arunachal
Friday, March 7th, 2008
When we set up a new project like the Great Indian Elephant Safari in a remote area like Eastern Arunachal Pradesh, we are always a bit fidgety when it finally goes live. Receiving a feedback like the one from Leslie than feels like balm:
“The trip with Raj was amazing, more than anything we could have hoped for. Raj is an amazing man, I am so grateful you put us together. I am so glad the 2 people that backed out did so, the trip could never have happened the way it did if they had been there.
The [Pangsau] pass was closed when we got in the area, but we were able to visit with the Commanding Officer of the Indian Army Rifles that control the check points & he phoned ahead. At each check point, soldiers met us with tea & wanted to visit. The road was a mess which made it all the more memorable so John , Raj, & me were going to hike to the pass the last 5 miles. But several Indian soldiers went back & got the stuck vehicle out & we went on getting stuck several more times but managed each time with the help of an Indian soldier that went up with us.
Everyone was so very interested in John’s dad having been in the area during WW2, the adventure just never stopped. The elephants were great, I could have stayed with them for days, took lots of notes & got more info on elephant management from Raj & the mahouts than could ever be found on the internet.”
