The Adventures of Brian & Julia

Here’s a scenic shot from our 2 day slow boat trip down the Mekong river from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang, Laos.

Hey Everybody-
In an effort to keep our little site interesting, I’m going to try and post a picture or video every day. Here’s our first- This cool plant we came across in Sukhothai, Thailand. I actually recognized them from a scene in Terrance Malick’s “The Thin Red Line”. Watch the video and you’ll see what’s so cool about it.

Elephants are a big deal in Thailand. Actually they’re probably a big deal anywhere, but here they’re considered a symbol of national identity. The shape of Thailand on a map is often likened to an elephant’s head and trunk, tusked elephant carvings appear in many major Buddhist temples, and the most popular beer is named Chang (the Thai word for elephant). Loads of tourists buy beer Chang T-shirts as a souvenir of their time here because the logo is a very wearable stylized image of two elephants under a tree.

Unfortunately, the popularity of elephant imagery doesn’t translate into reverence for the real animals. Live elephants in Thailand fall into two categories: wild and domestic. Those in the wild are fighting extinction, but are now protected as an endangered species, and the penalties for poaching are taken seriously. Domestic elephants, though, enjoy no such protection (they are treated as livestock), and their plight goes largely unnoticed.

Until 1989, when logging was outlawed in Thailand, thousands of elephants worked to demolish their own natural habitat, often under harsh and inhumane conditions. Following the ban, many were sold to trekking camps for riding or put to work in elephant shows, where they dance, paint pictures, and perform entertaining routines for tourist dollars. While there is often nothing inhumane about the tasks the animals perform, the training process can be unbelievably brutal. Some companies treat their animals better than others, and responsible elephant handlers do exist here, but since there are no penalties for elephant abuse,everyone stays in business it’s hard to tell the good guys from the bad ones.

On recommendation from Dale and Amy, some friends we met in Bangkok, we decided to check out the Elephant Nature park instead. We spent the day there yesterday (that’s how I know all this stuff), and found it to be everything they said and more. Basically, ENP is a 60 acre reserve in the hills north of Chiang Mai that provides a loving home for elephants rescued from all manner of suffering, along with assorted dogs, cats, and tons of volunteers who come to help out.

We had a wonderful time, especially after it became clear that we were allowed to mingle with the inhabitants of the park much more freely than we had expected. After a brief orientation, we had a chance to feed the elephants (old ladies first), and assist in bathing them in the river that runs through the park. To be honest, neither of us got in much scrubbing, but after we got back on dry land, one of the elephants decided to give me a grateful kiss anyway (see video!). overwhelmingly, my impression of the elephants was that they were bigger than I realized (I’ve never been so close), as well as smarter, gentler, and much more complex than I can explain in words.

It was unforgettable to stand shoulder to shoulder with such majestic creatures and feel like we were on their turf. In spite of their difficult pasts, hey (and the staff at the park) were extremely gracious hosts. Towards the end of the day, we got a chance to watch some of the baby elephants play, and helped out with another round of feeding (elephants graze about 18 hours a day, so hungry doesn’t even cover it!). As we were leaving, one of the larger family groups (elephants are very clique-y, apparently) was headed back to the river for– you guessed it– another bath. I was sad to leave, but glad to see these elephants in such a lovely place, and grateful to have made a contribution to their well being. If you’re ever in Thailand, it’s well worth coming here. In the meantime, we took some pictures

One of the highlights of my last visit to Thailand was experiencing the Loy Krathong festival in Sukhothai. Every year at harvest time (usually the full moon of November), Thais give thanks to the Goddess of water by sending elaborate floating baskets called krathong into every river and body of water available. The tradition and its history are far too rich to lay out here, so I suggest popping over to wikipedia for a read if you’re interested. The abbreviated outsider’s take goes something like this: Sukhothai is the birthplace of Loy Krathong, and they go pretty big with it. The town is impressively loaded with old temples, wats, Buddhas and ruins, but 361 or so days out of the year, it’s a pretty sleepy country town. But when the full moon is waxing in November, thousands of tourists, Thai and foreign, pour in for the festival. There are parades, pageants, dancing, arts and crafts and tons upon tons of food. Thai teens from all over the country don traditional costumes for various historical presentations, and each province provides its own ornate krathong for display. On stage you can hear live performances of classical Thai music, modern pop tunes, lecturing monks, or if you’re super lucky, the insanely catchy Loy Krathong Song. But all this is just to get started. The real show starts after dark, when the 700 year old ruins of Wat Mahathat are lit up like a rock concert, and hundreds of paper lanterns and fireworks light up the sky. Here are about 25,000 words worth of pictures:

It’s easy to see that this experience will be a highlight of our trip. I’m glad we got to participate in Thailand’s equivalent of Thanksgiving, since we’ll be missing it at home. It’s interesting that every culture seems to recognize the importance of being glad for what you have. I think we should co-opt one aspect of Loy Krathong for our Thanksgiving holiday though- forgiving your grudges and sending your bitterness down the river with your krathong. That and the laser shows.

Tuk Tuk? Songthaew? Rickshaw?

Most people in SE Asia don’t own a car (or couldn’t fit one in their backpacks), so personal transportation is big business. In case you’re confused about what’s what, here’s a short guide to the most common types:

Tuk Tuk:

These loud, 3-wheeled contraptions are everywhere, and you can’t walk down the street without being offered “took-took?”

Rickshaw

You don’t see a ton of these, as most Asian cities have long since left pedal power behind for motorization.

Songthaew:

These are a little less common, but there are still plenty of them. You’re not unlikely to be crammed in the back of one of these with 8 other stinky backpackers on their way from the bus station to the guesthouse ghetto.

???

We cant figure out what these are called, but they’re basically a passenger box on the front of a motorcycle. Sorry, the video is obviously more about the ride than the vehicle.