Caring for Elephants & Thai Cooking School

We woke up in the morning bright and early, got dressed, and went to breakfast.  Today was going to be a very busy day.  This breakfast was really good with lots of western choices including donuts and hot chocolate.

Our Guide, Mike

After breakfast, we drove to Elephant Nature Park where they rescue elephants (and dogs and cats).   When we got there we sat down at our tables and our guide explained how the day would go and introduced us to Mike who would be leading us around the sanctuary.  Mike’s English was very good and all self taught from working with the western volunteers who came to the sanctuary. 

The first thing we did was we feed two elephants fruit.  I think the elephant's favorite were the bananas!  After we were done feeding, we walked around for quite a while and we got to see lots more elephants and water buffaloes. While we were there, I learned a very cool thing.  Some dogs get so attached to the elephants they become their guardians and when people come close they start barking unless it is their keeper. 

After we walked around for a while they rang a bell that meant lunch.   For lunch I got fruit, rice, soup, and noodles.   Lunch was so fun and after lunch we got to go shopping in the gift shop.   Though I didn’t get anything, Ally got green elephant pant-shorts and a shirt that said “Save the Elephants”.   After shopping it was time for what I think was the most fun part of the day,  washing the elephants. 

We walked down to the river and used buckets and threw water on two elephants while they ate bananas.   One time an elephant almost ran away, but came back when she saw the other had bananas left.  We washed the elephants because horse flies can lay eggs on them and we want to make sure there aren’t too many flies.   After the elephants were all washed it was time for them to apply sunscreen.  Since elephants don’t have their own sunscreen like we do, they throw mud on themselves to protect themselves from the sun.  Halfway through applying sunscreen, 3 elephants and a baby walked over.  The baby elephant on its four feet was taller than me!  

After that we walked over to fences that said “Danger”.  It was the male elephants.  The strongest of them all was named Hope.  His got his name because he has an infection and they hope he will survive.  Hope was trying to throw full bamboo stalks at the elephants across from him.   After we left the males, we went to an elephant’s pen.  I asked what was wrong with her foot because it was all purple.  They said she had broken her leg.  She had stepped on a landmine.   We went and saw a few more after that.   There was one really cool one that their trainer put a flower in her ear.  She had an earring because one of her injuries was a hole in her ear that would snag on thing and tear bigger, so a keeper designed an earring for her.   She was one of the elephants that I mentioned earlier that had a guard dog.   He was really cute.   This entire time we are walking right along with the elephants...no fences, no barriers, except for the male elephants.

Champagne with her earring

After we went back to our table, there were tea coffee and deserts waiting for us.   When we were walking out, we passed a giant map and dog pictures and an article.  The map had pictures of people who had adopted dogs from the sanctuary.   These dogs had survived things like floods, mean owners, and trash filled areas.   

After that we drove for about an hour and a half and we finally arrived at Baan Thai Thai Cookery School!   We were going to make 4 things.  We had a choice of options to pick from.   For the soup, I picked chicken with coconut milk.  We also did a papaya salad,  fried rice, and a dish called Khao Soi.  Mom was most excited for the last one.  I like the fried rice.  My sister learned how to make springs rolls and loved them.  Dad loved his curry.  After a very long time cooking, it was time to eat.  The meal was good but it was mostly fun to cook the food.  I was trusted with a large knife of my own and hot cooking woks…but Mom was always close by.  Though the sad thing was that every kid got burned on the pans but Ally.  My parents enjoyed it because they learned how to make all kinds of things to cook at home. 

We got back to the hotel very late at night and got on our jammies and went to bed since we were going to have to get up early the next morning to give Alms to the monks.

Limes, Weaving, Monk Chats, and Durian....Oh My

We are now on Day 5 of our trip with REI and it is another long drive day with a good break in the middle.  Destination tonight is Ching Mai, but along the way we stopped at a village where the local leader, a woman, met us and showed us around to see how their community operated.  It's called Ban Na Ton Chan.  You can read more here in this National Geographic article. 

           

Lime Farm

      First, we visited a farm for limes and bamboo.  Limes are used in almost every dish here in Thailand and are one of their more lucrative crops.  They are in season now so she taught us how to pick a good one and then sent us out into the fields to find the best one.  Then she as the village leader selected the best from the adults and best from the children.  Andy/Dad won best for the adults which was quite nice as it was his birthday.  They enjoy limes cut fresh with salt and honey.  Next, we saw how they made bamboo into chopsticks as well as cups.  Riding in the back of her family’s farm truck we went to her home where she showed us how to prepare a spool of thread and then how to weave using a loom that the pattern was controlled by our feet.  This village is famous for its cloth as it is very soft.  How does it get so soft…one of the steps before they dye it using natural plant dyes they soak it in muddy water.  Apparently, the women of the village figured this out after the hems of their dresses would get soaked in the muddy rice fields and then washed and over time got very, very soft.

     Also at this village we were taught to make our own lunch.  A piece of muslin cloth stretched tight over the top of a clay pot full of steaming water….we poured a pancake/crepe type batter (except made from mung bean) and let it steam while covered with a bamboo hat/tent structure.  Then on another drum head we cooked an egg.  We placed vegetables and glass noodles in the center of our “pancake” and then were taught how to fold it into a Thai burrito using a bamboo stick.  We placed this in a bowl, topped it with our egg, some broth, and then chilis, cilantro, and crispy pork.  Really good!  Ally even enjoyed her all vegetable one.  The dish is called khao poep.

                                                  

      Back into the cars we traveled to the busy northern city of Ching Mai.  Along the way we saw many small parades of school children and in the front of the procession was an elaborately decorated pick-up truck bed with a giant candle.  This week the Buddhist lent season starts and the monks are not allowed to travel much and as many temples do not have electricity the people in addition to food and other supplies bring these giant candles as an offering to provide the monks light during their 3 month lent. 

     We worked our way through the Ching Mai rush hour to the Wat Suan Dok.  Here we got to do a “monk chat.”  Yes, this is what they called it, not us.  But seriously we got to spend an hour with Monk KK.  He’s been a monk for 15 years and started at age 13 after losing both his parents.  All men are required to spend time as a monk in their life…even if only for a few weeks.  Most generally do several months.  A lot of orphans or children of poor families are given to the temples to be monks to ensure they are taken care of and educated.  We learned about their way of life including some of the 227 rules they must follow, including never, ever touching a woman.  In fact Ally and Mom had to be well covered in their presence…to their ankles and no bare shoulders.  Monk KK was very nice and answered our questions non-stop and in the end showed us the three ways they are allowed to wear their robe.  Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any photos of the monk.

      Before leaving the temple area we found our guide, TK, had been out doing some shopping.  As a post monk chat snack he brought us durian.  Look it up.  It’s an incredibly stinky fruit, that is actually quite expensive and generally reserved for special occasions.  He brought a very ripe one and not so ripe.    We all tried it with our noses pinched.  Dad preferred the soft, ripe one.  Alec and Mom the less ripe one and we couldn’t convince Ally to try either.

      Off to dinner we dined at a river side restaurant overlooking another beautiful stupa.  At the end of dinner our guides had arranged a birthday cake for Andy as it was July 6.  We checked into the beautiful RatiLanna Riverside Spa Resort.  We get to stay here for 3 nights.  Everyone was so excited after moving every single night except our first two.  Another birthday surprise greeted us as instead of two separate rooms we received a large connecting suite for our family that upon entrance had 2 cakes on the master desk again wishing Mr. Paul Andrew Jolly a happy birthday.  But we couldn’t eat another bite and we had an early morning date with some elephants, so off to bed for us.

Temple Out!

The next two days are going to be blogged by Mom and Dad.  Reason being…our guides gave us another term to use…like Happy House means bathroom.  Sticky Rice means we need to gather together closely so they can talk to us.  There’s also one called “Temple Out”…which means OK…we’ve had enough temples and for the next two days we would travel north through the first and second capitals of Siam and do a bunch of temples.

          
So our next day we would travel north to the city of Ayutthaya.  Ayutthaya was the longest capital and second of Siam.  On the way there, we made a stop at a roadside delicacy vendor, barbecued rat.  The Thai people live off the land and do not eat much processed food.  So in the area we were traveling there were a lot of rice fields and the rats love to go there, so that is where they are hunted.  They are grilled and served with a chili sauce.   If they are really lucky, they find a snake in the field to BBQ and sell as well.  

In Ayutthaya we visited the king’s summer palace called Bang Pa-In.  It is very different from Camp David…the king who built it wanted to show Europeans they were just as civilized, so it almost felt like you were walking in Epcot…there was Thai architecture, Chinese, European, and more.  

From the palace we took a longtail boat down the river and were picked up by our vans and taken to a local restaurant…very good.  From there we went into town, checked into our hotel, and quickly changed for a bike ride.  Very refreshing, we rode through the rain to Wat Phra Si Sanphet.  We were there at dusk and in addition to the beautiful stupas we got to witness hundreds of bats exiting the buildings.  This evening we would dine on a rice barge…and yes as loved in many cultures in Asia we enjoyed a little karaoke.  Lots of temples and we were all tired, but the kids enjoyed the roof top pool before crashing out at Kantary Hotel.

Up early again the next morning we were on the road again, continuing north.  This time to the Sukhothai, the first capital of Siam.  We stopped at the Wat Tha Sung ..btw Wat means temple.  This temple is also called the glass or crystal temple as it is very opulent inside with chandeliers and little diamond-shaped mirrors covering everything.  It was built to enshrine a monk who is believed to have reached enlightenment because when they went to cremate the body it did not burn.  Along the way we stopped in the town of ____ (back to you later with this one).  Here we stopped and toured a local market and tried several things.  The item the kids enjoyed the most was lotus flower seeds.  They taste very much like snap peas. 

From there we went to the river and climbed aboard a rice barge for a trip down a river which is home to the last river families in Thailand who’s homes are built floating on the river.  Many have fish farms right along side their home.  The government has allowed this one to stay established as in the past they moved their homes and children never went to school regularly…by allowing them to stay in one spot children can attend school.  From here we went onto Sukothai, checked into our hotel, Legendha Sukhothai Resort, and again biked out at sunset among the temples, including one containing a very large Buddha.  Back at the hotel we enjoyed dinner and a Thai cultural dance and drum show.

TEMPLE OUT!

Time in Kanchanaburi, Thailand

When we got up that first morning we got dressed and headed to breakfast.   I ate a lot because I had a big day ahead of me.   I ate 4 pancakes, 2 pieces of toast, 1 croissant,  2 pieces of watermelon, and 2 glasses of sweet juice.   The restaurant was very cool because it was outside and looking over the river. 

After breakfast, we got in the vans and drove to a resort where bikes were waiting for us.   Dad and I had a little trouble at the start but we accidentally took a short cut and caught up to the group.  I had a little trouble because dogs kept getting in front of my bike.  But I learned that because people have no fences the dogs are on their property to guard it.   We rode by a school and a farm that was harvesting eggplants.  We also rode past rubber trees.  They get the rubber kind of like maple syrup.  They drain it from the trees and dry it to make rubber.   My least favorite part of the trip was when I got caught in a mud puddle and fell over.   Luckily after we biked in the smoldering heat, we got to go kayaking!  I went with my Mom.  There were some beautiful buildings along the way.  Almost at the end, two of the people in our group were pointing to something up on a hill.   There were elephants!   Finally after a long kayak ride, we pulled in and got off the kayaks.  It was just in time because it started raining.   After we left the beach, we all piled into two trucks.   The trucks drove us to the ‘Happy House’ (that is a word our group used for bathroom). 

After the break we got back in the vans and drove to lunch.  When we were eating lunch a huge storm started.  Luckily we had games to play like Mafia.  After the rain stopped we got back in the vans and drove to a waterfall.  This was no ordinary waterfall.  It was a seven level waterfall.  At the 7^th level it looks like an elephant with 3 heads.  This 3-headed elephant is important because it is one of the Hindu God’s vehicle.  The elephant’s name was Erawan,which is the same name as the waterfall.  We started by hiking to the 4^th level.  There were fish that nibbled at your feet at the edges, so it was hard for me to get in.   I slipped and bruised my foot, therefore I didn’t swim in that pool the rest of the time.  I watched people go on a natural water slide and get their feed nibbled by the fish.   We went down to the 2^nd pool.  There were still fish!   This time I was eager to get in and cool off, so my Dad and I hopped in.   All of the girls were doing the ‘fish spa’, so I decided to stick my hand in.  I only got two nibbles but I was still proud of myself. 

After we got out and dried off we got in the vans and drove back to camp.  At camp, we ate dinner and played games.  We even made some new friends from Thailand!   When we were playing games, everyone was super crazy.   After playing, I went back to my tent with my Dad and we packed up to leave the next day. 

Last Day in Singapore and On to Thailand

Thank you so much to Mrs Ringham, Grandpa Steve, Nana, Cousin Lisa, Mrs Tenorio, Papa, and Ms Kent for leaving me messages on my first post.  

This is our last day in Singapore.  Today we are going to a place called Santosa Island, which is a little island off Singapore filled with shopping, restaurants, and attractions.  Instead of taking a cab or Uber today we walked to the subway/metro station.  Unlike in New York City the subways here are very clean.  There is no eating or drinking allowed (in fact chewing gum is illegal in the country).  And instead of everyone pushing to get on and off…there were markings on the floor and you stood in a certain place to board the train and there was a space for people to exit the train.

After we got off the train we walked across a bridge/boardwalk to the island of Santosa.  After getting onto the island we had some trouble finding the monorail that would take us even further towards the shoreline.  After we got off the monorail we walked to a ride called “The Luge.”  In case you don’t know what a luge is..it is a Olympic sport.  Normally it is a sled with blades on an ice track…this is a sled with rollers on a cement track.  We got checked in, got our helmets, and were on our way.  We actually rode a ski chairlift to the top of the luge.  Half way up I got a very good view of the Merlion, one of the symbol of Singapore.  After a short wait in a line, and a lesson on how to drive, the race began.  We raced down the course.  We did it three times and it was so much fun.

After that we were getting hungry.  We walked to the shore and there were lot so of little beach restaurants/bars.  We stopped at Sand Bar for a tropical drink and crepes.  We had a lemon curd and pineapple one and another with yogurt and berries.  Both had vanilla ice cream.  YUM!

After that we went back to the monorail and back to the metro and we were off to the Gardens by the Bay.  It is very big with lots of gardens and giant metal trees.  There were also two HUGE glass domes.  We bought tickets and the first one we went in was the Flower Dome.  Besides lots of plants there were many literature themed areas, including Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh…and lots of dragons.  My favorites were the dragons as they were carved from wood. There was also a cottage in the center surrounded with lots of flowers, including Great Grandma’s favorites hydrangeas in lots of colors.  After we went to the second dome called the Cloud Forest Dome which was much larger and had a huge waterfall several stories tall.  We got to see many cool trees and plants and took an elevator to the top and then walked a skywalk all the walk to the bottom through the misty cloud forest.

We were too tired to go out to dinner, so back at the hotel we ordered room service and went to bed because we had an early flight to Bangkok.

We got up very early and flew to Bangkok.  After getting through Immigration we collected our bag and took a shuttle to an hotel right there at the airport to meet out REI guides.  There were three guides…Anon, TK, and Vicky.  Vicky is training to be an REI guide.  They were very nice and gave us welcoming gifts…first a flower bracelet called a Phuang Malai for welcome and good luck.  Second a beautiful bag with the very popular elephant pants.  We also met the other 3 families on the trip. Everyone was very nice, but there are mostly girls.  Only one other boy named Charley and he is going into 3^rd grade, but has become like a little cousin. 

We divided up and climbed into vans for our 3 hour drive east to Kanchanaburi.  Along the way to stopped at the “Happy House”…what the guides told us to call the bathroom.  We also stopped at the JEATH Museum which was about the POWs, Prisoners of War, from WWII who built a bridge over the River Kwai for the Japanese army.  After visiting the museum we drove to the restored bridge and walked across it. 

Then we drove to our first hotel.  It was actually a river camp on the River Kwai called Hintok River Camp.  I thought since it was a camp it would be little tents.  It was not.  It was large cabins made out of tent material.  It even had a bathroom and air conditioning.  We had some time before dinner and went swimming in a natural pool by the river.  It was refreshing.  We then sat at one big table for dinner.  I tried some new foods, but was very happy they have my favorite soda, Fanta.  Then off to bed as we had a big, busy day tomorrow with biking, kayaking, hiking, and swimming in a waterfall.

First Days in Singapore

After a 15.5 hour flight on Singapore Air, non-stop from San Francisco to Singapore we arrived at our hotel, The Park Hotel Alexandra, and almost immediately went to bed.  We have a family suite…my sister and I have a room with two beds that connect to our parent's room.

Our first day we woke up and went down to breakfast. I got pancakes and bacon.  Yeah!  They have American breakfasts here…and all you can eat!  After breakfast we packed for the big day ahead of us.  In Singapore it is hot and it is the rainy season, so we packed water, rain coats, bug spray, and more..

The first place we went to was the Singapore Botanical Gardens.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  The first thing we did was go to the orchid garden for my Mom. There were all kinds of orchids…different colors, sizes, shapes. There was also statues of all kinds of animals from birds to giraffes. The orchids were really beautiful. After that we went to the learning gardens and then to the Treetops, where we walked on a high platform through the woods. There was also a pond that we saw with turtles, fish and swans.

After we left the gardens we went back to the hotel. At the hotel, we hung out at the pool and slept. Our pool was very cool…on the 7^th floor of the hotel it had an infinity edge.  After a nap we woke up we went across the street to a food court here called hawkers centers or food stalls.  This is where you get cheap street food. Ally and I got juices and my Mom and Dad got Laksa. Ally and I made a joke about laksa. It was, (a guy walks up to a laksa stand.) The man says” do have any laksa.” The chief says” lak-sa what.” Lot-sa laksa!” that joke lasted 45 mins.  

That evening we went to the Marina Bay Sands area because we had a dinner reservation at the DC Comics uper Hero Café.  I had a milkshake with a bat signal dusted in chocolate on top and the Batman burger which came with a black bun with a cheese bat signal in the top.

From there we walked over to the Singapore Flyer.  This is a ferris wheel is 165m (everything over here is in the metric system) high making it Asia’s largest giant observation wheel and takes 30 minutes to go one rotation.  It was pretty as we were on it for sunset and we were actually inside large capsules which held several people.  It also looked out on the skyline of the city which has amazing architecture, including the Marina Bay Sands hotel, which looks like a ship perched atop three towers.

Day 2 we had a special treat.  Our neighbor back home works with zoos and amusement parks all over Asia.  She has a good friend at the Singapore Zoo named Poh Shan.  She has worked at the park since 1998.  We met her early in the morning for breakfast.  But this breakfast is no ordinary breakfast…we were seated front row for breakfast with 3 orang utans.  A mother, her 8 week old baby and an older son of hers.  Poh Shan was amazing...she sat and had breakfast with us, taught us a lot about the zoo, the animals, her favorites, and more about her job.  She introduced us to all the trainers, who were all very nice.  After breakfast Poh Shan walked us to the polar bear exhibit.  This polar bear named Inuka was born at the zoo and is 26 years old...that's old for a polar bear and they suspect he won't live much longer (life expectancy is 25).  He has arthritis and is really slowing down.  Our friend gave us some advice and we were were off.  My favorite part at the Zoo was Reptopia because there were lots of cool turtles.  Then we went to the River Safari, next door, and my favorite thing there was seeing the Pandas.  

We decided to head back to our hotel for a break, swim, and more street food for my parents.  That evening we went back to the Night Safari, another area.  Poh Shan could not be there (she had tickets to a Britney Spears concert), but she had lots of friends that gave us warm welcome including priority boarding on the tram (which means no waiting in a really LONG line and we got to pick from the front row or the back row).  The staff told us to pick the back, which was good as we had more time to spot the animals our guide was trying to point out in the dark.  On the tram I really liked seeing the spotted hyenas because I did a report on them in 3^rd grade and they were all awake at night.  Then we went to a show…again our host took care of us and we were greeted by the staff and rushed passed the long line and seated in the front row.  We met all the trainers and after the show got to take pictures with the animals and stay after and talk to all the trainers and ask them questions.  My favorite part of the show was when an otter came and sorted the recyclables.  Oh and Dad got picked from the audience to carry in a HUGE Burmese python.

  We loved this park and their staff as they really, really care about the animals and the environment.  It was a really late night, but worth it.  And we are so grateful to Poh Shan for her kindness.