This elephant had arrived in costume for a wedding at a beautiful resort in Sri Lanka that was destroyed by the tsunami 7 months later.
I spent a lot of time going around Sri Lanka on my own, as the person I was visiting was off shooting a movie (lovely film called "Water").
I grew up a very shy child, terrifically frightened, and still am at times, to approach strangers, to engage others first.
I try to get over that every day, and sometimes it pays off.
(See also fencing bear riding an elephant in London.)