On my first day in Bengkulu, I was surprised to see a couple of elephants roaming around along the beach, taking the kids on their back, and it was very cheap (less than a tenth of the elephant ride in Thailand).
The elephants’ names are Dino and Natasya, the pets of the owners of the cottage we were staying. I told Kristina and Gina that I wanted an elephant as a pet, but I wanted it to be forever small (to save space). When I learned about how much it cost to feed an elephant, I changed my mind. I don’t think I can afford it. Anyway, we made friends with the owners and they invited us to come and feed them. They usually go to the school every morning, to learn the trick and also learn how to play football. Maybe someday there will be a World Cup tournament for the elephants and I bet Indonesia will win.

The next Sunday, we were at the same cottage again, after touring the area. And the elephants were still there, tempting me to ride on them again. But this time, fatigue defeated my desire, as I just wanted to sleep. Sandra arrived that day, she came late because she had just gotten back from visiting her boyfriend Daniel in the US. I told her about the elephant, but never thought we would get a chance to have a ride.