I think that elephants have dead eyes; if you want to learn an elephant's personality look at its trunk. The one behind us makes a sneaky grab for our bananas, its nose tip-toeing over our shoulders like cartoon fingers.
Their wrinkly skin makes them look supple, but an elephant's skin is actually very solid and rough. The hard wrinkles and thick hairs scratch my skin like a wire brush. They seem aware of their size, moving gracefully and lethargically about their business, apart from the baby which tries to put its feet up on the mahout's shoulders and rolls around in the dust.
They love the water. The second they see it they rush forward to roll and wallow in it. Their trunks waving in gratitude as we brush their hides for them. The baby rolls and splashes everyone; he likes it the most of anyone.
They also love sugar cane; the owner gives it to them as a treat and they snap the canes greedily in their colossal mouths. To make them open their mouths to feed them, you use the command 'bonsung!' But I find that this only works half of the time; elephants prefer to feed themselves and like to snatch the treats from your hands.
To climb onto an elephant's back you can use its strong legs as a ladder. The command 'yo-kaa' will make them bend it into a convenient shape and you can hold onto their tough leathery ears whilst you swing your legs over its back.
I'm convinced that their personalities are distinctive; our one definately has a temper. It ignores our commands, walks away from the track, eats everything in its path and sprays us with muddy water.
(We did woody elephant training out of Chiang Mai, Thailand: woodyelephanttraining.com)
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