29 June 2008

Meeting the Elephants

People often associated Bangkok with elephants. It seems only fitting that I would make my first weekend here an elephant weekend.

Saturday:
I joined another family from the embassy, also newly arrived to Bangkok, on a day trip to the Dusit Zoo. We had two young boys amongst us, so the prime attractions were tigers, lions, pandas and elephants. The mother of the boys kept doing an air punch after we were able to tick off any of the boys' priorities. Jetlag and plain moodiness don't mix well in three year olds, apparently. Watching the kid's temper swing up and down like a roller coaster made me feel vindicated for my own struggle with jetlag.

It took us ages to find the elephants. The older kid was getting moodier and moodier about not seeing his elephants. He has special interest in elephants, given that he shares his birthday with the National Zoo's Kandula. Of our luck, the elephant house would be the very last and final thing we find in the zoo.

It was pretty much a relief for all the adults by the time we found the elephant house. The boys were enthralled, completely forgetting how frustrated they had been earlier. As they were standing on a tiny wood observation platform trying to get eye contact with one of the elephants, I notices a man pushing a wheelbarrow down the sidewalk, stopping not fifty yards from me. The wheelbarrow contained an assortment of bananas, grapes, lettuce, and some other greens. The was feeding time for the elephants.

The keeper started tossing the food. Like any well trained animal, the three elephants saw him and lumbered over, opening their mouths for him to try to toss the food into. The keeper noticed the kids watching and started handing the banana bunches out to the kids, demonstrating how to make eye contact with the elephants and tossing the food as they lift up their trunks and open their mouths.

As the American family with two blond young boys (and an Asian nanny- me), we were given preference to have closer access to the wheelbarrow. I actually didn't throw as much as I would have liked. As the camera toter, I assigned myself the role of take photos. It was so much fun, nonetheless.

I should have taken note of the time.. I believe we were there around 1pm-ish. Perhaps I'll try going again.. preparing to wait a while afternoon for another opportunity.




Sunday:
I thought that was it for elephant experiences. I was stunned, and pleasantly surprised, to see an elephant crossing Sukhumvit when I got of the Skytrain to go home, walking on the skywalk. Clumsy me, I couldn't dig out my camera until she has crossed the road already. I was amused that she had crosswalk privileges instead of having to use a traffic lane like a vehicle. I wonder how she manages the rather unstable, rocky, and sometimes narrow sidewalks.

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