Ellie Soccer?

Yesterday as Isaac & I were doing homework on the platform, there was an elephant who found a tire on the ground, and started kicking it around, and then she picked it up with her trunk, threw it in the air, and then went to retrieve it- a kind of elephant soccer, you might say. We ditched the schoolwork for watching what was far more interesting and amusing- she continued for a good few minutes before tossing it out of reach. I keep telling Isaac that we have the best classroom in the world- to which he agrees! 

Our first day of school, with elephants looking on!

Sunlight goodness from our first excursion on the water.

At the end of our work day yesterday, Darrick offerred to drive us to the village with our tubes, so we could go down a longer section of river- so of course, we jumped at the offer, and I went in my dirty clothes (they needed a rinse in the water anyway!). It was SO beautiful- just to float, and look up at the lush mountains, and enjoy the quiet. We did see another elephant park, but I think it's a trekking park- their mahouts were all riding their elephants down to the river, and they were using hooks to urge them on. The bellow that came from the elephant when it was stuck was heartwrenching. 

A rare photo of me working- the first day we used knives to shape the blocks, and square them up. Dusty work!

A tribute...to two extraordinary humans!

I’m in awe of  Lek and Darrick- both of whom are amazingly talented people…they are ‘do-ers’, each with a vision and a way to get things done. Together, that dynamic energy, combined with love for one another and for the natural world, has greatly expanded what they can achieve. I’m blown away when I see what they have accomplished together, and when I hear of their future plans for continued businesses and expansion of current operations. I have no idea how they keep track of all of the details, all of their businesses, nor how they manage to get enough sleep!

This bath time was so special- Lek loves playing around with the elephants.

Lek is quite a remarkable woman- a bit smaller than me (I think?) but large in life, she is an extremely busy woman, between the Elephant Nature Park and its focus on education, owning a vegan restaurant, authoring books, doing countless interviews…and that’s only a quick glimpse into her life. 

Lek seems to be an amazing businesswoman and networker. She is friends with Bob Barker, who has become quite involved with helping to save elephants, and who has donated a truck for transporting elephants to the park, and she has also had tea with Hilary Clinton, and received some grant money. She is compassionate, passionate, and charming…which all together are a killer combo. 

Many people come to the Elephant Nature Park just for the honour of meeting her- she is delightful, intelligent, an awesome story teller, and oh, and did I mention fun? She’s loads of fun!

My first day at the park, I think I saw her sit down to two different interviews, both close to an hour long, collect seeds from some flowers in one of the many gardens (they currently grow approximately 20% of the food for the park and the elephants, with a goal of 100%), give love to the many dogs they have adopted at the park, and I’m sure there were countless other things she did in the half day we were at the park. She is an author, an avid photographer, and runs several other businesses apart from the park. She is constantly on the look-out for more property to purchase either for the park, or to preserve forests in Thailand. She’s able to see the big picture, but also attends to the tiniest of details.

Darrick, Ian’s brother, is no slouch either- prior to him arriving at the park, there weren’t any buildings at all, and now, there are rental cabins, shelters for cooking, storage of food for the elephants, meeting rooms, a shop, pens for the elephants for sleeping at night, a whole village of homes for the mahouts, housing for the cooking staff, and so on and so on. 

How you usually see Darrick- explaining details to his crew, or running around and seeing other details (ie, those tires need fixing, oh, that field needs watering...and then he makes it happen!). 

He is a natural builder, and has used everything from bamboo to locally made sun dried earth bricks, to wood, to split bamboo panels. There are now wonderful raised boardwalks out over a section of the sanctuary, so that you can be really close to the elephants without disturbing them.

Darrick is at home with all of the animals in the park as Lek is. He loves playing with them, even the ones most of us would be hesitant to pat...

 He has staff who are in the process of making new homes right now for the macaque monkey that was rescued from the flood He runs  around the park all day noting maintenance needs, directing staff in building projects, doing some building himself, and planning out new buildings and dog runs. And going through hundreds of other things in his brain.

Darrick, in a rare moment of repose- we hiked to the top of a hill at their property outside of the park, and he did slow down to enjoy this view. Actually, in this shot, he's likely looking at the orange trees that were neglected, and trying to think of another replacement crop...but he's still here, nonetheless.

They have both been extremely busy for the past couple of months, saving animals across the country during the flood- there were lots of stranded dogs, monkeys, cats, etc. who were stuck on rooftops, or on floating bits of debris, and along with volunteers, they set out to save them. That occupied a lot of time, and put them into dangerous situations, but the result was saving many many animals who would have otherwise perished from the flood waters.

They are growing coffee, oranges, tea, lychee fruit, bananas, and other crops on land that Lek inherited from her grandfather, and in addition, they have land in Cambodia for a future sanctuary, and I have already forgotten several of the other really amazing projects that are cooking. I have no idea how they get everything done that they do…I would guess that they operate on very little sleep every day, given that we seem to see them here at the park for a full day, and then they go home and do several hours (I’m surmising!) of work each night to keep caught up with all of their projects and correspondence.

I realise that this entry is a long one, but I needed to express how inspiring, how motivating it is to be in the midst of two such passionate go-getters. They rock this world, and you should really come spend a week or more at the park and see for yourself! If even a little of their motivation is passed on to the thousands of visitors each year, why, our world can only get better. I know that I'm inspired by my stay here- by seeing how much can be achieved when you put two motivated people together. Do come to the park, though- it's an incredibly beautiful corner of the world!

Elephants taking a bath.

 Ian has a camera that does video- the quality is pretty decent as long as you stay relatively still when taking footage. Here's just a small taste of the elephants bathi

Rock Stars

We have really received royal treatment here at the Park- we (including myself) because I'm tagging along as part of the extended family. Yesterday Lek had the cleaning folks come out & change our sheets & clean the rooms- which was a treat in itself, but she also sent a large fruit basket, a cooler with ice & lots of juices & soft drinks. Ian said he felt like a rock star!

It's quiet here at the park tonight, which feels kind of nice. This week will be really really busy, we're told, so I'll enjoy the peace while I can. While we were building at the jobsite today, there was quite a ruckus down at the waterfront- three elephants were in the water bathing, and the trumpeting and grunting noises that came from them attracted a crowd! Pretty sweet to have elephants in the backdrop of the jobsite- when we tire of building, we can glance down at the waterfront, and lo & behold, there will often be an elephant to see...or dogs that come and hang out with us at the site. There are dog prints in the slab, and some in the earth blocks as well.

Darrick returned today, and he said we're doing a fine job with the earth blocks, so we'll carry on as though we knew what we were doing!

This is long pieces of bamboo that were being towed behind this motorcycle...hope it's just going straight ahead- turning a corner would be wicked!

The new monkey home- there is still another section being added to it- a far cry better than its current cage! 

Bob Barker (yes, that's right- Come on Down, The Price is Right- same Bob) has been a supporter of the  Elephant Nature Park. He donated this truck, which is large enough to transport an elephant when it is necessary (going by foot is always preferable when possible).

Fun in the mud!

I woke up at 5:30 this morning, and have enjoyed this quiet time on my own. I like being up before the gang of folks arise. This week's group of participants are leaving today, so tonight is a nice, quiet night at the park. Apparently next week there is a group of something like 120 participants, so there is a rush to get accommodations ready (yet another new building). It will sure be a lot of work for the kitchen staff- I'm sure they're accustomed to large groups of people. As Ian said yesterday, this is a really good sign for the park, in that tourism is down in Thailand due to the flooding. I think this park has an awesome reputation (and so it should!) for its care of animals, treatment of participants, and did I mention the food?

Traditionally, they serve the last meal of the week to participants upstairs on low tables, and you sit on a cushion on the floor, so that's what we did last night.
It was quite lovely to sit there and have our food already in front of us, instead of the usual buffet line. Dinner was served with a basket of sticky rice, and you use the rice to scoop up your food. Mmmm, but the food is delicious here. I'm trying to think of how much of this I'll be able to recreate at home- I know Ian is counting on Ainslie to do so. They teach thai cooking classes at Lek's restaurant in town, so I think we'll sign ourselves up to take a class.

In the meantime, our brick building moves forward.
I spend the mornings (mostly) with Isaac, doing a more structured home-school dealie, and then go join Ian & Ains. Ian is finding it frustrating (in the same way it was in Haiti) trying to find tools, and communicate with people what we need. There's lots of creative use of materials when you can't find the material or tool you need- gotta be resourceful!
We are slowly making progress- I sure wish I could communicate with the Thai guys, though, because each time one of them approaches the site, you can see it in their eyes (I don't think I'm imagining it!) that they are sort of shaking their heads at us. If there are shortcuts, or different ways (better ways!) to do it, I'd love to know. Ah, if only I had more words than 'hello', 'thank you', 'my name is'...

The buiding at the end of the day

Everyone loves a good mud bath, and Isaac & his friend Rocky are no exception. They had a blast stomping in our mud pit- and yes, a bit of mud was thrown around, but heck, have you ever seen a better mud puddle to play in?
Lucky boys! Ainslie took them down to the river afterwards to rinse of the first layers of mud, and then a shower was needed for Isaac afterwards.


So, more building today- we may go for the elephant bath again, with a small group of other volunteers who are staying here (actually, friends of Ian's brother, Scott, who happened to be in Thailand- and they've come here at Scott's suggestion). They have 3 young lads with them who are keen to get dirty in the mud, so we may have extra hands next week.

Breakfast awaits, as do lessons & mud.

Elephant baths and brick laying

I was awakened early this morning to the chorus of a pack of dogs howling- the dogs who hang around our cabins. Much easier to wake to that than to roosters screaming outside your tent, as was the case in Haiti. Here, you do hear roosters, but far off in the hills, so that sound isn't overly abrasive. 

When I got up (soon afterward), there was the elephant trumpeting to join the symphony. I guess I'm naive, or something, but I wasn't really expecting to hear that full on elephant blast that I grew up on in cartoons, but indeed, that is one of the many sounds the elephants make. They do some low pitched sort of murmuring as well, and have all kinds of other vocal noises, but Ian said that a great percentage of their communication is inaudible to the human ear- which I find very cool as well. 

Um, I couldn't resist...caught this guy in action, going from both ports!

They are incredibly beautiful to watch, and more complex than you might imagine from first glance, each with its own personality and quirks. Lek invited us to join her and a small group to go down to the water when the elephants were going in for their daily bath- that was priceless. 

So amazing to watch- funny to see them rolling around playing, looking so happy. Lek loves her animals, and you can see the joy she has on her face, sharing this love with a new group of people. She is truly connected to them, and can get really close to them. 

Lek, giving kisses?

Lek & Isaac, enjoying a moment by the elephant

Beautiful Lek!

As when you give a dog a bath, these elephants couldn't wait to get up to the sand pits and throw sand up onto their baths. The sand actually protects their skin from the sun & from insect bites. It was amazing to see them get a trunk full of sand and throw it expertly up onto their back...a few of them lay right down in the sand and rolled around. 

Dirt bath!

The dogs, watching the elephants go back to the feeding platform

When we were returning to the platform, there was a commotion with a pack of dogs on the elephant field, and one of the elephants, who is blind, was disturbed, and she started running- and hit her trunk (or maybe her head) quite hard on a tree. Lek said that happens regularly- the mahouts can't prevent every hit like that. Poor thing. 

So, that was the highlight of the day, but of course, we did other things too. We spent a good part of the morning stomping in the pile of clay to soften it up- we had two young Thai boys helping us, and with my phrase book, and lots of gestures, I managed to learn a couple of words, and they were interested in repeating some English back to me, so that was fun. They occasionally added more water to the pile, and we used our heels to break down any lumps we found.

We started laying bricks- the Thai boys flew the coop to go work on something else, so essentially, we have to make the rest of this up. 

It's not that complicated- it's laying brick, but I would have like to see how they would tackle it, in case we're missing something obvious, or not so obvious. For instance, at the end of the day yesterday, there was a group of Thai men at our building site, and they were shaking their heads a bit, so in my non-existant thai (except I know how to say, "Is this not good?"), I understood that they want us to put rebar in every so many courses (which we were going to do, but we're waiting on the materials- since I couldn't tell them any of that, I just nodded). 

I really don't like not being able to communicate. At least in Haiti, I could sort of get by with French and a bit of creole, but thai isn't a language to pick up overnight. My goal is to add a word or two each day, and I think I'll have to start bringing a notebook along with me, so I can write phonetic pronunciations of words I learn.

Today we went to visit the local school.
Isaac's new friend, Rocky, who is as cute as a button, goes to that school. They had set up various activities for the visitors to do, such as making bracelets, getting a foot massage from students (they offer massage as a class for students- to assist those who may be looking for career options in later life), the music class was playing really cool music, and there were treats and drinks for sale.

Universal dinosaur fights!

The school seems to be well off- at least, in comparison to any schools I saw in Haiti.

It's a dog's life- this dog, who we call Scruffy, always sleeps on this bench under the newspapers. 

One pack of dogs, being fed home-made food. 

 I haven't talked much about the animals here, but they are fascinating to watch, as you can imagine.
The macaque monkey was rescued during the flood- apparently, Darrick found him in his cage on a bridge- he would have drowned had they not picked him up. Unfortunately, this monkey has been in that cage for at least two years. Luckily for the park, there is an anthropologist here whose specialty is with maqaques- so she has figured out why the maqaque has been displaying some aggressive behaviour- it was due to how people were approaching the cage, and the monkey interpreted it as aggression.

They're in the process of building a two storey enclosure for this poor creature- hopefully he'll be happier in a larger dwelling, since he won't have any companions in the near future (monkey companions, that is!).

There are scratching posts set around the park for elephants...and other animals, as they need them.


Feeding the elephants is a favourite park activity, and like I said before, they sure do eat a lot! They are majestic, magical, wonderful creatures that lumber along, some with limps, some with sore hips, but each with its own personality.

Ainslie, delighted to feed this elephant. 

We should be ready to start our building project tomorrow, so I look forward to stacking earthblocks. They have welded up the steel frame, and brought up the clay to soak overnight for the 'slurry' of mortar to bind the blocks together.

Unfortunately, Darrick had to unexpectedly leave last night, as there are some animals from the flood in Bangkok that need rescuing, and he also has to go to Cambodia briefly, so we'll be without the man with the vision until next week- maybe after we've finished the project. We briefly asked some quick questions yesterday before he flew off, and we have a sketch on an envelope of where window & doors are to go, etc. I guess we'll just make it up as we go, using our combined good building sense, and hopefully will be able to have one or two of his workers alongside us to show us how they would do it. Sign language can go a long way when you need to rely on it!

Lots of time for naps here!