by Loti | Feb 13, 2013 | Animals, Thailand
My elephant, Bounma, responded to my simple commands. The 2 most important being Pai, go forward, and the very most important (at least to me) How, meaning stop. The card around my neck has all the basic commands which I referred to often on our 2 hour jungle trek. But Bounma didn’t talk back. Other than to snort, trumpet and generally make elephant noises. Which made me even more nervous than I already was sitting on this huge, although, gentle animal. But Koshik, a 22 year old Asian elephant, has stunned researchers by imitating human words. And in Korean, no less, which is considered one of the hardest languages in the world to master. He can say hello, sit down, no, lie down and good. I wonder if he knows stop? He places his trunk in his mouth to make the words which has never been seen before as a method of vocal production by elephants or any other species. I am continually stunned by what I learn about these amazing creatures. Falling in love all over...
by Loti | Feb 12, 2013 | Food, Thailand
Bangkok. A fruit described as having a rich custard flavor with a hint of almonds. Sounds delicious yet the durian is banned from most hotels and all public transportation in Singapore including subways and airports. It is illegal to eat in public places in Malaysia. And if the fruit falls on you, it can kill you. Meet the world’s smelliest fruit. Descriptions range from raw sewage to smelly socks to rotten onions. No wonder it is banned from so many public places. But my beloved elephants love it and can smell it from a half mile away. So there must be something to it. Many in Southeast Asia regard the durian, which grows to be 2-7 pounds with sticky thorns all over it, to be the King of fruits. It is native to Malaysia and Indonesia and has quite a cult following. You either love it or hate it. Sadly we did not get (or take) an opportunity to taste or smell it. Used often in desserts, it was featured recently on one of my favorite TV shows, Chopped. Four chefs are given four ingredients from which to make a dish. The worst dish gets the chef eliminated (chopped). For dessert the chefs had durian, won ton wrappers, peanut brittle and Marsala wine. Wish I could have tasted that one!...
by Loti | Feb 11, 2013 | Malaysia, World heritage Sites
Malaysia. A World Heritage site. What exactly is one? We saw several Heritage plaques in our travels thru Malaysia and Thailand, but I wasn’t sure what they meant or signified. Well, I have learned there are 962 sites throughout the world in 157 countries, each designated by UNESCO (United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization). They represent properties having outstanding universal value to humanity. A pretty tall order in my book. This is one of 3 sites in Malaysia, Khoo Kongsi, a Chinese clan house built in 1906 which is located in the heart of the oldest section of George Town, Malaysia. The entire town is designated a World Heritage site as a result of its unique multicultural heritage and architecture not found anywhere else in East or Southeast Asia (or at least that’s what the Internet says). What are some other sites? The Grand Canyon and Statue of Liberty in the U.S., the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Stonehenge in England, the Taj Mahal in India and 5 sites in Thailand. Even Laos has 2. Oddly, Singapore has none. Now I just have to figure out how many I have visited....
by Loti | Feb 10, 2013 | Laos
Looking out from my balcony at the Four Seasons Elephant Camp in Northern Thailand (this also happens to be the view from my outdoor shower which was by far the best part of the tent), you can see the mountains of Laos. The only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, it is also one of only 5 Communist countries remaining in the world with single party rule. Rice dominates the agricultural industry with 80% of the arable land used for rice production. Almost 70% of the population are Buddhist and while much of the country lacks adequate infrastructure, tourism is the fastest growing industry. The pace is said to be laid back and relaxed (as much as it can be in a Communist society with no freedom of speech). So I was horrified to learn Laos holds the title of the single most bombed country per capita in global history. Laos was dragged into the Vietnam war by their neighbor North Vietnam. During the war, the US and our allies undertook a massive arial bombing, dropping on average one B 52 bomb load every 8 minutes, 24 hours a day for 9 years on Laos. There are only 6.5 million people (smaller than the city of Bangkok) in the entire country and yet we dropped over 250 million bombs over 9 years. And the US State Department estimates there are 80 million unexploded bombs left today in Laos still posing a deadly problem for most of the rural countryside. Wow, you just can’t make this stuff up. ...
by Loti | Feb 9, 2013 | Food, Thailand
Also called the tree of life, the coconut, can be classified as a nut, a fruit and a seed. Here you see coconuts harvested by student monkeys enrolled in the First Monkey School in Surat Thani, Thailand. The tops were hacked off and then offered to us with a straw to sip the coconut water from within (I think the taste must be acquired as it was just weird). Every part of the coconut tree is used so there is no waste, hence the name tree of life. Over one third of the world’s population rely on coconuts for food, shelter, oil, palm sugar, and amazing health benefits (more on these in a later post). A coconut was even integral in the much told rescue of PT 109. In 1943, John F. Kennedy, a Navy Lieutenant, sent a message on a coconut shell to his base. 11 of his men were alive on a deserted island after being sunk by the Japanese. They were rescued the next day and the shell was used by JFK as a paperweight while he was in The Oval Office. Pretty cool. And in World War II and Vietnam, coconut water was used as a substitute for blood plasma and IV fluids on the battlefield. I always thought coconut products were bad for you. Turns out they are almost magical in their healing properties so I am going to have to figure out how to use the pound of coconut oil (in solid form) I bought this morning. Always a new adventure. ...
