Sri Lanka is a country that really, really loves elephants. Around the country there are multiple reserves for elephants, some of whom were sick or injured, and some of whom are former temple elephants who could no longer be cared for properly. The MEF, like many of these reserves, allow tourists to interact with the elephants in exchange for donations. The elephants seem to particularly enjoy some of these activities, particularly the “take fruit away as rapidly as possible” game, and the “spray the tourist with water” game. Somewhat thematically, we visited a cashew plantation on our way. Deviled cashews are very, very tasty.
