According to my iTunes playlist, I’ve been listening to Rachael Yamagata’s Elephants for 1,620 times. I really like that song. It is a sad and melancholic song which I would put on when my heart aches. Or when I have a fight with the mother. Or on days when I feel like I just want to feel sad.
I really like this song because I feel like if there ever was an animal equivalent sorta chart to describe humans, I would be an elephant. I am fiercely protective of the ones I love. And I remember everything…sometimes to the point that family and friends think I am making things up. Anyway, I digress.
Ellies, ellies everywhere
I grew up in Singapore where the only animals I come into contact with are stray cats and pet dogs. Thankfully, there is an awesome Zoological Gardens in the Garden City and I make it to the zoo every other month. You see, I work in a company where I get to ballot for free passes to the zoo. Otherwise, it would really be quite a hefty sum to pay for every entry. On weekends when I don’t get to go to the zoo, I try to travel out of Singapore and I was very fortunate to be able to visit an elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai with a bunch of colleagues as our team retreat.
Watch where you’re heading, missy…
The elephants at the Elephants Nature Park are very endearing. You get to bathe them. Feed them. I didn’t mind the sloppy tongues at all. There was this one naughty ellie which had a bell tied to its neck because it was prone to be in a bad mood. Trust me, you don’t want to be in its way. The elephants here were rescued from evil people who used them for logging or begging…some of these elephants were so badly hurt that psychologically, they never quite recover. Sounds like some people I have met…except that there is no such sanctuary for people who have been hurt.
Of Traditions & Tobacco Barns
Have you ever been in a really old place and feel like you were transported back to the olden days? The Kaomai Lanna does that to me. It is a really quaint place. Simple and tastefully restored from its days as a tobacco barn, the Kaomai Lanna has its bed on a platform; just like how the Thais used to sleep back in the olden days. The toilets have very pretty tiles which I don’t see in my part of the world anymore. Maybe, when I have found the photos of the room, I will share them.
If you’re tired of Bangkok, maybe, you could consider visiting Chiang Mai and say hi to those ellies on my behalf.
Maybe, one day, I will go back to Chiang Mai and see how these ellies have grown.
Do you ever feel like you need to do some form of charity on a holiday to contribute to the local community?
::: Someday, we'll know ::: 