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Since we spent 2 days sightseeing here in 2006 we wanted to do something different this time. When we were planning the 2015 Insignia WC we had booked an overnight at the Elephant Safari Park Lodge and it was one of the things we had to cancel after theh engine fire. When we saw the Bali overnight on this circumnavigate Australia cruise we knew we were coming here this time. So here we are at last.

We had a rougher ride last night and a heavy rainstorm this morning. Still we arrived at least a half hour early. We had a late breakfast at Terrace and an early lunch at Waves. We were to meet our driver to Taro and the Lodge at noon. We  had 2 different instructions on where to find him. Originally we were told outside in the parking lot. Two days ago we were told in the cruise terminal. Since we were early, we missed him outside the first time we checked. Clay had to phone and they confirmed he was out there so we went again and saw his sign immediately.

Traffic was infernal and much as remembered. It took almost 2 hours to get to the lodge. We will have to leave here at 1pm tomorrow to make sure we get back before 3:30pm all aboard.

The Lodge is very nice.. We paid extra for a park view room and right now there are about 20 elephants standing outside our balcony. We can hear them munching and occasionally rumbling. We went on our package's elephant day ride at 3pm. It was back breaking! We can recognize our elephant as his bench rides low on his butt. It was painful. They picked us up at our front door where there is a special railing gate for boarding elephants. That was a gas! They will be coming back to pick us up to go to dinner in about 30 minutes. This is fun but I wouldn't want to spend long here. The Sirena is much more comfortable and the view always changes. We are supposed to bathe an elephant in the morning, but we watched a bunch of elephants poo in the bathing pool, so we're both planning to pass on that. We also had incldued an activity. What you might ask. We learned on checkin that the choices were white water rafting, mountain cycling or jungle trekking. We opted for jungle trekking until we learned it was over 2 hours walking. In this heat? Plus we need to leave by 1pm. After some discussion, they offered us spa services for 1 hour in the morning. We didn't want that either until after the elephant ride but now we both need a back massage and possibly a spinal realignment.

After the ride we watched a short elephant talent show and then took about an hour to wander the park and interact with the elephants and their mahouts. Oh, these are rescued Sumatran elephants. Bali never had native elephants living on it.

I will be back after dinner.

Well, dinner is over. I had looked forward to that elephant ride to dinner for months. Not so much after this afternoon's ride. When they called to give us a 5 minute warning as the skies opened up and it poured so hard I couldn't hear the phone for the rain beating on the roof, not so much. I had changed for dinner. I changed back. We were soaked. We had a better elephant and bench seat after a scary start. They had about 4 elephants in the narrow passage between the cabins (I guess they are kind of like cabins.) and they were rumbling and roaring and screaming and trumpeting something incredible. It was shaking the ground and the walls. I was a little terrified. They had to separate them and make another trip 2 by 2 instead of all in a line. We and a family of 4 across from us were left to wait the longest because we were at the end of the lane so to speak. That was good news for us as it had almost completely stopped raining by the time we got down to the restaurant. As we rode to the restaurant, I noticed elephant poo in the path. I told Clay. The mahout overheard and we both heard him say, "Tastes like coconut." Now I really hate coconut, but seriously and who would know. Him? I started laughing and Clay asked him, It really tastes like coconut? He whipped around to look at us laughing and he started laughing and said, no he wouldn't know. He said that it is "sized like a coconut. Tastes like compost, I imagine." It was pretty funny.

Dinner was a fixed menu. Starter was an amuse bouche of guacamole, pineapple,and strawberry. Next course was a choice of Gindara fish or Thai vegetable rolls. We got one of each and Clay ate both. We both skipped the cream of asparagas soup. Clay ordered the beef and I ordered the vegetable fettucine Alfredo. They also had a chicken dish. Dessert was very good, a chocolate truffle cake. I had peppermint tea. Dinner was nothing to write home about. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. The setting was unique. It was probably great if you like eating outside!

Clay won't post photos until we are back aboard Sirena. So come back in a day or 2 to look for live photo links.

Photos