Years ago, I rode an elephant at Six Flags and it was entirely uneventful. So my expectations for our elephant trek in Thailand were clearly tempered.  

But this was a completely different and wonderful experience.  We all climbed onto our elephants with the mahoot (trainer) and headed up into the hills. Within a few minutes, however, the guides slid off the backs of the animals and disappeared into the bushes. I had no idea why. Occasionally, we would catch glimpses of them, collecting leaves, twigs and branches while our animals wandered the hillsides unescorted. When the mahoots came back, they had made these great hats for us out of the foliage.  

From there, we climbed over the hills, through the village area and down to the river.  Along the way, our guide was humming a familiar tune, then started singing in broken English, "In the Jungle, the mighty Jungle, the lion sleeps tonight." Cute. Riding the elephants in the river was an amazing experience. After we returned to the camp, the kids fed bananas to the elephants we had rode, and then watched another baby elephant play the harmonica. It was definitely a highlight of the trip for all of us.