Travels on My Elephant

its a shame this man died so tragically. I would have like to met him. Straight shooter and very funny. Also pretty fearless.

This book by Mark Shand is a remarkable travel journey of how Shand saved an elephant from cruel keepers and went traveling with her. He is the brother of the Duchess of Cornwall and future Queen of England, Camilla Parker-Bowles. He passed away in 2014 after he tripped and fell outside a club in New York.He was a remarkable person in that was a champion of elephants and their protection and also of the environment. It is a wonderful read and I'm so grateful I was able to get this copy. It is in excellent condition and even has the book jacket. I highly recommend this as a great read.

Mark Shand's adventure in India was a marvelous story. I have loaned it out with the promise it will be returned. It will be kept in my permanent library ! Highly recommend this book.

I throughly enjoyed this book. It was on a list Camilla, Mark Shand’s sister made and publicized. It was wonderful and touches my heart.

I really enjoyed reading about Mark Shand's travels to India in search of an elephant. The story is sometimes funny, sometimes serious and very moving. Mark found his elephant, which became known as Tara, and as the journey across India unfolds, Mark is drawn closer and a special friendship forms between man and elephant. Mark realizes these are not unintelligent creatures. He learns a lot about elephants along the journey.

Really fun! My Mom bought it for Greg's birthday, who's been to India now a few times. I was the delivery person so I didn't get to finish it but what a character! (I mean Mark, not my brother!)

A fascinating story about Mark's experience traveling in India on the elephant. Very humble and touching indeed. One would not guess that he is a brother of the duches of Cornwall and brother in law of the prince of Wales.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mark Shand a couple of months ago and I share his passion for elephants. So, I had to read his book.It made me fall in love even more with elephants and Mark. Sadly he is no longer with us, but I am sure his love for preserving the Asian elephants will live on. This is a wonderful book for anyone to read.

An enjoyable travelogue with a twist. As time went by I grew more and more involved with the story and the people (and of course the elephant, with whom Mark Shand was obviously totally smitten). There are rough edges, intolerances and prejudices to Mr. Shand's personality which sometimes show through, but I had the feeling that as the story evolved he grew and mellowed and that both he and his elephant were much the better for their shared travels. The other members of the entourage are all described with affection and generally without condescension, and to someone who has never been to India the book seems deeply imbued with a love of this vast and varied country. I can't say how accurate the depictions are, but they certainly seem authentic and full of the liveliness for which the subcontinent is famous.

Mark Shand is an excellent author who tells a great story having lived through the experience. Having read River Dog which inspired me to go to Assam and the Brahmaputra river I was keen to read more of Mark Shand's adventures. I'm an animal lover and at the same time like to explore places slightly off the beaten track and love to travel. I love the adventures that Mark, the elephant and his crew get up to, wonderful tales that are a joy to read. Equally it also brings to the attention of the reader the chaos and destruction that elephants can create for farmers and how authorities need to find a way for elephant and man to live/work together. The book has some beautiful photos of Mark & Tara the elephant having a bath in the river and travelling across India - just wonderful and what a fantastic adventure. I wonder what the next one will be?

I loved this book by the late Mark Shand. It was full of humour which I enjoyed. His travels through India on his elephant Tara made such a deep impression on me. We have elephants in South Africa too, but they are mostly in the wild. We are faced with the horrors of poachers of both our elephant and rhino. I appreciate that Mark Shand set up his elephant foundation to help save Indian elephants.It was so sad that he died suddenly but I am sure that his elephant trust will continue. I wish more people like him would help us save our wild life.

I read this book shortly after meeting Tara in the Kipling camp where she now resides. She is an amazing animal and I had to read this book after.It is a fascinating account of the author's trek across India on an elephant. The story starts as he decides to do this slightly crazy feat, and then tells of the difficulty of purchasing an elephant. Tara, when he buys her, has not been well-treated, but with love and good food she soon becomes a beautiful animal. We learn just how many people are needed to look after and drive an elephant, meet some fascinating characters along the way, and discover a great deal about Indian culture.

If you love elephants and the idea of an elephant safari with lots of fun and laughs on the way, then you will enjoy this book as much as I did.Mark Shand writes in a nice easy readable style, laughs and learns from his mistakes and builds a bond with Tara the elephant.Suggested further reading:- (can't wait to get this for my kindle) Queen of the Elephants in which Mark Shand meets Parbati Barua.....