Feb 15, 2013
Bangkok. Next to the Grand Palace, where the murder of the king took place, is Wat Po, a Buddhist temple which is home to the reclining Buddha. In addition to the 160 foot long reclining Buddha, the outer cloister of the temple houses over 400 sitting Buddha’s. What is fascinating to me, each Buddha is slightly different. Notice the placement of the hands and the width of the heads. Different. Each posture has a particular significance in the life of Buddha, many of which resemble yoga poses. Coincidence? And in Thailand, there is a unique pose for each day of the week. Some Buddha poses are standing, some sitting and even one is reclining. And Wednesday has 2, one before noon and one after noon. With only 3 seasons and yet 8 poses for a week, it seems Thailand beats to a completely different time clock. So, depending on the day of the week you were born, you have your own pose. Mine (I was born on a Friday) is a standing Buddha with arms crossed in contemplation. Hmmm. Not sure what that says about me. What is yours? ... read more
Feb 14, 2013
A typical fruit plate at The Four Seasons Elephant Camp in Thailand has papaya, watermelon, pineapple, grapefruit, rose apple and dragon fruit (the one with the black specs). Wait rose apple and dragon fruit? Am I on a different planet? Rather unassuming in taste (meaning it had very little in my opinion), the dragon fruit is beautiful to look at with a bright red skin and white flesh with black seeds. And unlike the durian fruit it has no smell. So why don’t we have them in the US? In an interesting twist of nature, the large flowers of the plant, which resemble a vine like cactus, only bloom at night during a full moon. In their native habitat, bats and moths pollinate the flowers. The US apparently doesn’t have the right species of bats and moths needed. So farmers in Southern CA trying to grow them have to pollinate by hand under the full moon (which is expensive and can be dangerous since we all know werewolves hang around during full moons). But, while you are out pollinating, maybe you can quench your thirst with some of the new products being flavored with dragon fruit. Skyy has a vodka, Celestial Seasonings has a green tea and there is a cream liqueur called Dragon Kiss available. So here’s to dragon fruit.... read more
Feb 13, 2013
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... read more
Feb 12, 2013
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!... read more
Feb 11, 2013
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.... read more
Feb 10, 2013
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. ... read more
Feb 9, 2013
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. ... read more
Feb 8, 2013
Three seasons? Not Four? Thailand is unique with only 3 seasons, Summer, Rainy and Winter. The rainy season, when we hear about monsoons, runs from June until Nov, winter runs Nov until Feb and summer is from March thru May. But even the Winter is hot, with a record low recorded in 1951 of only 50 degrees in Bangkok. We were there in Jan and it was 80. The Emerald Buddha shown in the photo resides at The Grand Palace in Bangkok, where the murder of the King occurred back in the 40’s. The Buddha has 3 different outfits which are changed according to the season. Kind of sounds like playing with dolls, although the Emerald Buddha is one of the most revered Buddha’s in Thailand and the world. A ceremony is held each season where only the King of Thailand changes the costume or if the King is not available, his liaison. Note the 3 entirely different seasonal ensembles. All are made of gold as only befitting a Buddha in the royal palace. A very strange custom,... read more
Feb 7, 2013
Half fish and half lion, a merlion. (That is a new one for me). This mythical creature was created by the Singapore Tourism Board in 1964. It represents a fish/mermaid to symbolize Singapore’s maritime industry and a lion which was spotted by a prince back in 11 AD as he stepped onto Singapore’s shores. The Merlion is 28 feet high, weighs 63 tons and is made of cement, with little red teacups for its eyes (not sure what that is all about) and porcelain plates for its scales. One of the most photographed statues in Singapore and probably the world, it is magnificent to behold as water cascades from his mouth into the bay. And for one month in 2011 it was made into a single room 5 star hotel. Temporary walls were erected around the statue, a bathroom was installed, and a butler assigned. Part of an art exhibit, this is one of the most creative marketing tools I have ever seen. The hotel sold out in hours and was publicized throughout the world. Quite a bargain for $125 US a night! So China has their dragon as a national symbol, Scotland has the unicorn and Singapore has its Merlion. I wonder what other mythical creatures... read more
Feb 5, 2013
This is one of the students, a pig tailed macaque, at The Monkey Training College in Southern Thailand. He is learning to pick ripe coconuts from 30 feet off the ground (not sure why there are so many height things in Thailand–elephants, suspension bridges …). The school was started in the 1950’s by a Thai who wanted to use his peaceful Buddhism philosophy to teach monkeys without using violent force which was then an accepted way to treat the animals. Teaching monkeys to harvest was not a new concept as there is evidence of monkeys being used to gather fruit as far back as 2500 BC depicted in Egyptian stone carvings. For 6,000 baht ($200 US dollars), you can send your monkey to a 3-6 month boarding school. There they learn to spin coconuts free of their stem, untangle themselves from a harness around their waist if they get entangled, only pick ripe ones and throw them down from the tree. This is considered elementary school. For an additional tuition, they can go to secondary school and learn to put the coconuts in a bag and on a truck. Compared to a fit person who can pick about 100 ripe coconuts a day (you have to climb the tree each time), a male monkey can pick between 1,000 to 1,500 coconuts. Quite the labor force. Another very interesting profession although bird nest gathering still remains one of my top... read more
Jan 31, 2013
Thailand. We are on a long boat in the Golden Triangle which is an area where the Mekong and Ruak rivers cross. From the middle of the river you can see Laos to the east in the background mountains, Myanmar(Burma) to the north and Thailand to the west. You can also see this very big Buddha which was sadly built as a tourist attraction in 2006. We passed on the tour of the Buddha. What is remarkable about this area, is the amount of opium production. Most of the heroin in the world was produced here until recently when Afganistan took over as the leading heroin producer. Burma is still the second largest producer of opium today. We went through numerous police checkpoints on the roads in Thailand where the police are looking for drugs. The day we flew out, we read about 4 Burma drug smugglers being killed by Thai police trying to cross the border. It was then Mom remembered she heard gun shots the night before. No wonder the security was so high at the resort! Lions and tigers and bears, oh... read more
Jan 27, 2013
I am feeling really cocky about an hour into our elephant ride until the elephant grabbed a big branch and brought it down crashing toward me. An average elephant eats 600 pounds of food a day so they are constantly reaching out for leaves, branches, and grasses since they are vegetarian. The elephant I am riding, Bounma, was originally used in the logging industry to transport teak. Logging was banned in Thailand in 1989 because of the deforestation occurring through out the country. She was savagely beaten and still has scars on her head and ears (her ear was actually broken). When the timber ban went into effect all the elephants lost their jobs. Many of the owners resorted to taking them to big cities like Bangkok where they would perform for food. And as we already know, they eat a lot of food a day so this was not a good situation for anyone. Bounma was rescued along with her mahout, her trainer, and lives at The Four Seasons elephant camp today where she gets lots of love and treats including cucumbers, bananas and sugar cane. I am so privileged to have ridden this beautiful animal. She helped me fall in love, with... read more
