Elephant Polo: Is this the biggest thing in Thailand?

Editor notes: The sport of elephant polo attracted a lot of negative attention after inhumane practices were observed at the 2018 event. As such this article is provided for historical reference only and makes no endorsement or otherwise of the event.

A sport of massive proportions, this rampaging ball game is not to be taken lightly. Roderick Eime takes a wild swing at elephant polo.

Hanging on for dear life as my mount sprints down the field at full gallop, I prepare to swing my long lance-like weapon at the tiny object on the ground. I raise the shaft and with all my strength, unleash a mighty blow on the little rolling target. The heavy mallet head strikes the turf and messy tufts of grass go flying as if propelled by an exploding hand grenade. The ball, however, rolls pathetically toward its objective with barely a fraction more speed than before.

The royal and lavish sport of polo is, by reputation, reserved for kings and the wealthy elite, not some clumsy suburban ring-in. But I have an excuse. Sure, this is the first time I have ever played polo and the level of difficulty (or should I say ungainliness) is elevated somewhat from atop an elephant.

True, here in Thailand the King’s Cup Elephant Polo tournament is now a permanent fixture on the social calendar, attracting the well-heeled and the well-coiffed from the world of business, finance, leisure and luxury consumer brands. Instead of the rapid patter of frantic hooves and the panting of thoroughbred steeds, it’s the thud of massive pachyderms trampling their way up and down the pitch, occasionally trumpeting their enthusiasm or challenging an umpire’s decision via trunk call.

The commentator calls the event with all the enthusiasm and dry wit as if it’s a country cricket match, but despite the obvious comic element, the royal sport of elephant polo is a serious affair. The field is festooned with salubrious brands like Anantara Resorts, Audemars Piguet, Mercedes Benz, IBM, British Airways and American Express. Big money is at stake and the cast of celebrities can (and has) include New Zealand All Blacks, Miss Tiffany Thailand, Isabelle Fuhrman, former Thai PM Aphisit Vejjajiva, supermodels Cindy Bishop and Lukkade Methinee plus proper royalty like Prince Carl-Eugen Oettingen-Wallerstein and his wife Princess Anna and daughter Princess Joanna.

The money raised, however, does not line the pocket of some rich sheik, instead it goes to charity projects that help the elephants themselves including an elephant ambulance, the rescue of mistreated or neglected street elephants and even an elephant hospital in Krabi. Since the tournament was introduced to Thailand in 2001 by Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, it has grown to become one of the biggest charitable events in Thailand that has raised almost US$500,000.

“We strive to make each new tournament bigger and better in terms of teams, fun and activities,” said Mr. Bill Heinecke, CEO Minor International and owner of Anantara. “But we must never forget the true meaning of holding the event and that is to make a considerable donation to the conservation and welfare of the Thailand elephant population.”

The event has gone from a small two-day event in 2001 to one of Thailand’s major and internationally best loved events. The 2012 tournament featured 12 teams encompassing over 40 players. A celebrity auction has also been held with international celebrities including Olympic 100 metre Gold Medalist Linford Christie, Grammy Award winners Lady Antebellum, UK fashion designer Anya Hindmarsh and Korean Pop Star Park Jung Min.

To the casual observer, there appear to be no rules. But there is even a World Elephant Polo Association, formed in 1982 and based in the Royal Chitwan Park in Nepal. From this lofty pillar, the august body oversees the sport which is played also played in Sri Lanka.

To throw some light on the method behind the monstrous mayhem of an elephant polo match, each team comprises just three animals played on a 100m pitch using a standard polo ball. The player sits on a saddle behind the mahout (elephant handler) who controls the animal according to player’s instruction. Each match is divided into two 7-minute “chukkas”, or halves, with an interval of 15 minutes. A goal is scored, clearly enough, when one team hits it between the goal posts.

Early games were attempted with a soccer ball, but the naughty elephants would get great fun from popping the leather ball, so that idea was changed. Foul play includes having your beast sit down in front of the goal mouth or pick up the ball with its trunk. You could even try bellowing your own commands at your mount, but unless you are fluent in elephant Thai, your most ardent instructions will go ignored.

Every tournament is attended by either a vet, an elephant behaviour specialist or both. Any animal that stops enjoying the game is allowed to go goof off and just muck about in the big enclosure out the back. Naturally, with any activity that involves the training of animals there are those who decry the sport as cruel and unnatural. Without seeing the training, I can attest that the animals do actually seem to enjoy the boisterous game. I visited a few of the resting elephants in their “green room” between matches and each seemed quite relaxed, standing quietly and gently enquiring of me if I had a banana or apple on my person with a quick examination of my pockets. A far cry from the pathetic animals I recall from my childhood, chained up behind the circus tent.

Tourism dollars flow into the host locations which have included resort cities like Chang Rai and Hua Hin. The 2013 event returns to Hua Hin from August 28 -September 1 and promises to be every bit the spectacle of previous years. Put on your best shirt, wear your fanciest watch, sip Blue Label and hobnob with the glitterati. Just mind out where you step!

Getting There: THAI flies 42 times a week from Australia to Bangkok.

For the latest special fares and promotions, contact travel agents or visit thaiairways.com.au.

Hua Hin is currently not served by scheduled airlines and can be best accessed by private road transfers or coach.

Staying There:

Anantara Hua Hin www.anantara.com Or InterContinental Hua Hin Resort www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental

Playing There:

More on Thailand: www.thailand.net.au

Thailand Elephant Polo 2012 - Hua Hin

Warning: September 12-16 2012 pacy pachyderms will be running riot in Hua Hin, the royal seaside town just south of Bangkok.

Unstoppable: D2 makes a run down the sideline ...

Fortunately, their top speed is only around 30km/h, and they will be under the control of experienced mahouts, and goaded on by largely middle-aged, corpulent players in bright shirts, all under the guise of 'sport'.

In this case, elephant polo, jing jing.

Read my previous blog on this rather eccentric sport which brings together some heavy hitters from around the world, all building up a good sweat, quenching voracious thirsts, and building up a good amount of money to conserve Asian elephants.

The Anantara Group is behind this as usual (they set up the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation in northern Thailand), and this September the tournament returns to its spiritual home, Hua Hin, where it was first staged.

Guests at the gala dinner ...

'Anantara has partnered with some of the world’s biggest personalities of the screen, stage, fashion and business world and asked them to share their larger than life artistic talents to help raise money through an ele-auction to be held during a gala dinner,' trumpets their press release.


Over half a million dollars has been raised for charity in the 11 years this tournament has been staged.


Your humble scribe will be participating again this year (yes, as a player, not as an elephant as some have unkindly suggested!) 


For more details on Anantara King's Cup elephant polo 2012, click here.

Anantara hat-trick in Travel + Leisure Awards USA

Every year Travel & Leisure USA asks billions (well, OK, lots) of its readers to select their top hotel picks from around the world to ascertain the 500 World’s Best Hotels. This year their readers’ poll ranked three Thailand-based Anantara Resorts & Spas worthy of inclusion.

(Anantara is a home-grown hotel and resort group. You might remember me gushing about their pool villas on Phuket some time back?)

1. Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa (photo above):  in the country’s legendary northern jungle sits on a hill ridge overlooking the misty forested slopes of Myanmar and Laos, as well as the Mekong and Ruak rivers. Highlights of the 160 acre resort include the on-site Elephant Camp and a pool which overlooks three countries.


2. Anantara Hua Hin: Proving that quintessential seaside charm in Thailand’s Royal Paradise delivers equal allure. Nestled on the golden sands and temperate waters of the Gulf of Siam, this picturesque resort is designed to resemble an authentic southern Thai-style village.

3. Anantara Bophut, Koh Samui Resort & Spa: This romantic haven blends island magic with Thai charm and Anantara style. (Actually it's directly opposite the Samui go-kart track, the real reason why it won. Jing jing!)

William E. Heinecke, Chief Executive Officer of Minor Group under which the Anantara brand operates, commented on the win: “These multiple award wins place Anantara on an unquestionable pedestal, highlighting the brand as a globally revered luxury hotel company and a leader in the hospitality business. We are delighted to once again be celebrating Anantara’s interactive concept of indigenous luxury in the most exotic destinations around the world.”

Overall, Thailand scored 19 hotels in the Top 500. That's 4% of the world's best hotels. Right here. Amazing Thailand!

For full listing see http://www.travelandleisure.com/tl500/2010/region/asia

KOH SAMUI -- A NEW SENSE OF DIRECTION: SHOOTING FOR THE STARS

Here's a funny thing. It's been about seven years since I've flown to Koh Samui, and I heard things have really developed since then (that'd be right, just after I sold my house on the beach here). Flying in low over the island to land, it was a picture postcard scene: brilliant sunshine, emerald waters, white limestone upthrusts, and idyllic unhurried looking resorts dotting the waterfront here and there.

Typical over-exaggeration, I thought, it's still the sleepy hollow I knew before. Then the plane kept on flying for a bit and we landed on Samui. I had been looking down on Koh Phangan!

Samui sure has changed. Long time friends in Bangkok used to tell me: 'Oh you should have been here in the 70s. You had to come by train. Beach front land was for sale for cents, but none of us bought because it was so damn far away and who would come to come to this island anyway?' Last seen, these friends were still working hard for a living, with severely bruised backsides from the repeated kickings they'd administered themselves for missing the, um, boat of Samui's development.

Then the airport went in, back in 1989 and everybody said that'd be the start or the death of Samui. Like a weather forecaster's each-way predictions: 'Tomorrow will be sunny, er, unless it's raining.' A lot of people nearly asphixiated on the body odour of the backpackers and hippies who washed (?) up here in their droves. Looking for that perfect piece of escapist paradise.

Koh Samui became synonymous with Full Moon parties -- nevermind that they were held across the water on Koh Phangan. But just like Byron Bay and Waikiki the mainstream mobs soon followed, lured by the magical settings they'd heard and read about about.  And watched: Alex Garland's The Beach was inspired by a setting on Samui (although it was filmed on a man-made beach near Phuket, but that's Hollywood for you.) And soon the backpackers and hippies decamped to Phanghan and Koh Tao, leaving Samui to much more monied masses. More than 1.1 million arrivals per year in  the last couple of years.  A new load of sun-seekers seems to land every couple of minutes.

The airport was renovated in 2007, becoming one of the most endearing in the world, like a bunch of bamboo umbrellas amid the coconut plantations. And gaily decorated little trolley busses. It feels fun.

I hardly recognise Samui. Where before there had been acres of green fields and coconut plantations and ramshackle rasta bars (with curious clouds of blue smoke billowing from within), now stand gleaming designery boutique hotels and sprawling resorts. Four, five and even six stars. Why even Chaweng's main road -- nothing more than a red rutted clay track before, making it a 4WD adventure ride in the wet season -- is now fully sealed and lined with Starbucks, 7-11, fish spas, 7-11, MacDonalds and 7-11.

Places like Poppies and Tradewinds that used to stand out, just blend in to the stylish streetscape now (well, not completely stylish -- it's Thailand so you're always going to have spaghetti-like scrambled strings of electrical wiring to blot the landscape). It's not nearly Patong or Kuta, but I am a stranger here nonetheless.

***

To make sense of the new Samui, I chat to Khun Seni Puwasetthawon, the MD of Coral Cove Chalet and President of the Tourism Association Koh Samui (the loud shirt pictured above is the official uniform the president is required to wear, I believe).

'Samui is an island difficult to access,' the likeable chap says, 'which is good and bad. Usually the middle and high class come to Samui, looking for 4 or 5 star, pool villas. Also more MICE [don't worry -- it means meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions, not rats] asking for high end.'

The high end is represented by foreign chains; Conrad, Four Seasons, etc, as well as home-grown local groups such as Six Senses, Anantara, Mai, Kirikayan and literally hundreds of others.

So what's the attraction, Seni? 'Nature. We are a green island; now we care more about environment, co-operate and keep Samui clean and green. A sustainable destination,' he says, ticking off just about all the buzzwords to call Bingo! 'Relax. Do Nothing. Nightlife, very fun. Angthong National Marine Park. Diving -- Koh Tao and Nanyuang are just 1.5 hours away. Waterfalls and mountains, fruit gardens ...' I can see now why he's the president of the association.

'Also, there are different categories of hotels to choose from 500 baht to 100,000 baht per night at Four Seasons or Everson Six Senses Hideaway.' (I scribble a quick note to myself to try request a freebie, I mean an inspection visit for professional research purposes.)

He's warming to his theme now: 'And great food,' enthuses the man who's clearly tested his island's product. 'Original Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Western. Good steak. And original Thai, fresh seafood.'

OK, thanks Seni, that's enough -- you're making me salivate. I'm off to find some grilled red snapper. Which I find, at a cool local restaurant right on the sand nearby, at just 50 baht per 100 grams. A five-star experience at a one-star price.

Aah, it doesn't get much better than this. And, no, I'm not exaggerating ...

Phuket -- Now Bigger and Better?

In Phuket this weekend, attending the Andaman Travel Trade Show 2009. And if there's a phrase I 've heard more than 'Hello sexyman where you go?' it's 'Pool Villa'. While Patong is all still reassuringly about the beach and babes and bars, the rest of Phuket has gone upscale ...

My big question is what happened to the Phuket I first visited in 1988? You know, the little tropical island I used to tootle along on my rental scooter along dusty red dirt roads on? Now it's all multi-laned expressways, mega-malls, and Las Vegas envy. Which seems to suit most people fine.

Chatting with Bangornrat Shinaprayoon, the director of Tourism Authority of Thailand (Phuket), she seemed happy that the tourists were back. I can vouch for that -- my flight here was so full it was standing room only. And the Anantara Resort (did I mention pool villas yet?) is running 100% this weekend. And, judging by the number of coaches double parked at Phuket FantaSea last night, I'm not Robinson Crusoe here.

Anantara Phuket Pool Villas

Special interest groups, more high end, wedding groups -- we're getting more popular with pool villa rooms and luxurious rooms that wedding groups like,' Khun Bagornrat said.

It seems that the Tsunami and various incidents are yesterday's news here with 5 million tourists in 2008, and probably only 12% fewer this year (below the national average of around 20%). 'It's not a nightmare, but it's been a bad dream for the past year, ' said Nampetch Tipaxsorn, marketing communications mananger for Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa. 'But then we had sweet dreams for so long, so this forces us to give more to the customer; not lower rates but more service, more value-added.'

In the next week I'll be blogging on some top-end Phuket experiences: luxuriating in pool villas, golfing at Blue Canyon, a night out at Phuket FantaSea.

Now if you'll just excuse me. I just need to cool off in the pool ... attached to my master bedroom of course. It's not easy being me!