Always smiling…

Finished cutting the banana trees down

Finished cutting the banana trees down

Walking down the road with the elephants

Walking down the road with the elephants

Filling up the truck with banana trees

Filling up the truck with banana trees

caring the tree

by Frank Felten – Mahout-Trainee at Elephantsworld in april 2016

As a child I always most enjoyed to be in nature and play with my dog. I love animals in general, watching them, connecting with them and learning from them makes me happy and grateful. Later as an adult I figured out for myself that a dog is man’s best friend.

On april 18th 2016 this fact suddenly changed and I will tell you why: I came to Elephantsworld near Kanchanaburi in Thailand and met the giant elephant woman “Kammoon” (sun & moon of the river). Born 1949, heaviest female elephant of the group and one of the first who came to Elephantsworld in 2008. She was rescued from a tourist camp and saved  to live a happy life.

I startet a “Mahout-Trainee-Program” for one week and worked for and with this huge, beautiful and always smiling lady. After learning some important cues it turned into a non-verbal deep & powerful connection and incredible love. She followed me and I followed her. We became one. I couldn’t believe this magic and spent every single minute with her and her best girl-friend Tong Kam I. And the other 23 happy elephants. She had a friendship with all of them. She is amazing! She is simply the best!

Watching Kammoon and learning from her, feeding her, giving her nice massages, washing her in the river and giving her the freedom to enjoy her day made me the most happy man on earth. And it reminded me of the deep and important connection between human beeings, animals and nature.

As a Pilates- and Yoga-Teacher I have a lot of experience in meditation, centering, being balanced and be present. With Kammoon and the other elephants everything became so easy, so playfull, so satisfying. No workshop or education in the world offered me an experience like this.

I had the best time of my life!

And I am so thankful.

After this week of unbelievable experiences, joy and satisfaction it was time to leave because my journey came to an end (I spent 6 month in india and 1 month in Thailand). I treated Kammoon on my last day with even more love, passion and awareness. And of course food. Because she not only likes to smile all day long she also loves to eat all day long. She gently touched my face with the finger of her trunk when she realized some tears were falling from my eyes…

I had never in my life had an experience like this. I have never felt a greater love. I am blessed and blissed. And I am 46 🙂

From the moment I left her and this beautiful and peaceful place of Elephantsworld I started to cry like a little boy. I cried on the way to Bangkok. Cried in the plane. Cried at home back in Cologne/Germany.

Kammoon – I will always love you and you are in my heart. For ever! I can’t wait to come back and see you again. You became my greatest love.

Always smiling,

Frank