Elephant Nature Park: Thai Culture and Other Tid Bits

May 23-26

Okay. So this week has been a lot of work and a lot of culture and I have been exhausted from the work so I've gotten behind on my blog. Therefore, I am going to split the rest of the week up into a working post and an informational post. This is the informational post.
When we watched one of the documentaries we have seen this week, one of them talked about how Lek really wants to protect the jungle for the elephants. She took a bunch of pieces of orange cloth to be blessed by the monks. She was then going to tie these cloths around the trees so people won't cut them down. If a Buddhist cuts them it is considered bad luck because after the monk blessed them they are considered holy and it is a bond that shouldn't be broken. When the head monk heard what Lek was doing, he wanted to help. All the monks went with Lek to tie the cloths around the trees. Hopefully it will protect the jungle for the elephants to one day be able to live in again. The cloths are still on the trees. We drove past many of them a few different times on our way to various tasks during the week.
One night, Sophie, Debbie, and I were talking to Ken. He is from Thailand and he is a leader of the over night groups at the elephant nature park. We were asking him if rice or corn farming was harder and he said rice farming is more difficult. He told us that there is a "machine" to separate the shell from the grain, but it sounded more like a little contraption made from bamboo. He also told us that he feels bad when people who visit waste rice. He said that if the farmers knew we were wasting even a single grain of rice that it would break their hearts because of all the time they spend harvesting it. That was really sad and I didn't waste any rice the rest of the week.
Ken was also telling us about having an elephant. His family owned 2 elephants. It sounded like they were working elephants but we don't really know what they did. His grandpa ended up donating his elephant to the nature park because she was having a difficult time. This elephant is the elephant with an earring. We asked him why she had an earring and he said that it was for decoration. The way Ken talked about his elephants was really nice. He really loved them and cared about them. They're like pets. It's really strange actually.
He was talking about the elephant and said that he saw her slip on some wet leaves because it had been raining. He was very alarmed and went over to help her up because he was worried she was injured. They didn't want to over work her so I think that is when they donated her to the park. I am not positive that was exactly what happened though. He said it is really nice to be able to see his elephant still everyday. And he knows she is happy and has a good home where she will be cared for. It was really moving to hear all of this. I'm pretty sure Aunt Sharyl would have been in tears haha.
I really hope I'm not getting bronchitis. I have a pretty nasty, phlegmy sounding cough. And I still have to blow my nose constantly. I have gone through a role of toilet paper (normal size) in the past week on blowing my nose alone. And I've only been using 1 or 2 squares per time! (Random... In India the toilet paper didn't have squares).
Between basically 11 and 1:30 we have free time everyday... That includes lunch though. I have written my blog, read, talked, gone out with Jody to see some of the elephants, used wifi. Really whatever. Then we usually have free time again from 4:30 to 6:30 when we have dinner. Sometimes there is a program at 4:30 and 7:30 but other times there is just free time. Most days I have gone to bed pretty early. Like after dinner I shower and get ready and maybe read and write for a bit and then pass out.
Along the side of the road, there are a lot of tiny houses with like water or orange pop on it in little glasses. This is a spirit house. When you live on a property you don't always know who was there last. It's a house to pay respect to the spirits and ask them to live there so they won't disturb you in your home. You offer orange juice, water, and alcohol to them. So the spirits have a choice of what to drink and they can be pleased.
One evening we had a Thai culture class. It wasn't very structured. It was mostly a place for us to ask questions to Apple, Can, and Mix. Apple is 29! I would have never guessed that. Mix is 25 and Can must be in his 30s because he is older than the other 2. The all look so young though. It's incredible haha.
We learned a lot in the culture class. I still have a million questions though. Good thing I am coming back to Thailand haha.
There are 5 ways to "wai". I'm not totally sure exactly what "wai" means but it is when they put their hands together and their elbows out and bow their head to someone. It is a sign of respect. There are 5 levels. At the heart/chest is for someone the same age or younger than you... You're equal. The chin is for an elder. The mouth is for your teacher or someone you consider a teacher because they teach you to speak in a proper way. The nose is for your parents because they give you breath. Between the eyes is for Buddah because it is the center of everything. And the King is over the head because he ultimately has all the power. If he doesn't like you and tells you to die, you have to do so.
In Thailand there are only kings. If you are married to the king you will always be a princess. Never a queen.
There are 5 main rules of Buddhism. You don't have to follow them strictly but they are the way to a healthy, good life. They are do not kill animals, do not steal, do not lie, no polygamy, and do not drink alcohol.
We learned the elephant song which is a nursery rhyme type song that all children know. It's about an elephant and how it has small eyes, big ears, a long trunk and a tail. There are hand motions and everything. It's really cute. Elephant in Thai is "Chang".
I asked if they had a cast system and they didn't know what cast meant. So I don't think they do but I am not sure. He said they don't have arranged marriages anymore.
We talked about traditional Thai toilets being the squat toilet. Chrissy had a picture from her hotel in Chiang Mai of a man squatting on a toilet seat with an "X" over it. Can said that some people don't know how to use a western toilet still so they try to squat on it because that is the only way they know. Their right hand traditionally was for eating and their left hand was for the toilet. He said they usually use toilet paper now but if the water stops working then they still use the bucket to wash their bum and their hand to clean. Elderly and some of the hill tribes will still use the traditional way. Same with the shower. They usually use the shower head but they still use bucket showers if the water stops working. There were very large buckets in the bathrooms that were full of water. Like industrial size compared to the pail sized buckets in India and Nepal. The showers were all cold as well at the nature center. It would have been nice if I had chosen to shower in the middle of the day after working when I was hot and sweaty. But, I like knowing I'm clean at night I guess after all the poop and hay and everything else so I showered in the evening. Which meant I was still sweaty but not as hot and the cold shower took a few seconds to adjust to every time. No matter how prepared I was.
They usually eat rice for or with every meal. For breakfast they usually have a full meal as well so they have enough energy to work all day.
We talked about how the western style of dress is rather sexy compared to their style. They said they cover up as a respect thing to their elders. Normally the shoulders and knees are covered. We weren't allowed to wear bikinis or bathing suits in the river. Just shorts and a tshirt. Respecting their elders is a really big deal and very important to their culture.
Can said that about 95% of the country is Buddhist but there are Christians and other religions. I think he said a lot of the hilly tribes will choose to practice Christianity. I'm not sure why though or if that is even correct.
There are 4 different languages in Thailand. The northern language, southern language, central language, and eastern language. There is no western language. He said that everyone learns Thai as well. But the central language is understood by everyone. If northerners and southerners tried to speak they would not understand each other at all.
They also told us that all Thai men become a monk for a little bit. Usually 2 or 3 months. They do this because it is supposed to prepare you for life. A lot of people will do it right before they get married. I think Mix had just done it. His eyebrows and head was shaved and Can said that was why. At first when Can told us we didn't believe him and thought e was pulling our leg but then they told us this little tid bit about the culture.
I am so infatuated with Buddhism. It is such a beautiful religion. Just the outlook they have on life is so amazing. I think Hinduism is way too strict. Too many rules and women do not have any value other than looking after the house and raising the children.
On Thursday, after our morning jobs of ele poo or ele food, we went to the local village school to visit the children. We drove over in vans. It was probably a 10 minute drive from the camp. There are a few kids who live at the elephant nature park. Jody has an 8 year old who speaks Thai and English. Jody is married to a mahout. I'm not sure if he still works as a mahout or not and if he was from the nature park or they met somewhere else. The head cook also has a little boy who goes to the school as well.
The school isn't a normal school building like we would have in the states. There was a gate and then a big dirt courtyard. There was a building surrounding the courtyard. And the classrooms were in that. The classrooms are just cement walls but there are normal things inside the classroom. A teacher desk, a chalk board, each student has a desk, the kindergarten room had a toy corner. There was even a child walking around with a toy gun! That would absolutely never be okay in the states. He was pretend shooting everyone and making noises.
A lot of the girls have short hair as well. Like bobbs. Can said they cut their hair usually by a certain age because then they can pay attention in school better.
We were at the school for a little under an hour. I went to the craft corner to make bracelets with some of the girls. It was basically braiding and adding beads every little bit. Some people got to go play duck duck goose with the kids or get foot massages by kids who were learning the techniques. While we were around there weren't really any teachers to be found anywhere. It was a little strange. Even Apple was like whattt where are the teachers?!

The last evening we were there we had a chance to listen to Lek speak. She was supposed to speak earlier in the week but she was very ill. I definitely cannot do this woman any justice by just telling you about her. We were shown documentaries in between her talking to us as well.
Her story is amazing and she is a beautiful person with so much passion for animals. She also is very passionate about helping women find a voice and become more powerful in their communities and villages.
In 2011 there was a huge flood in Bangkok. The city was pretty much under water. Lek took volunteers from the camp to Bangkok, as well as her staff, and they helped rescue dogs. The dogs had Ben abandoned by their owners but not because they wanted to leave their dogs behind. The government would not allow them to being their pets on the rescue boats because there was not enough room. Millions of dogs were left starving and alone. Many died. Others were not able to be rescued because when they tried to save them they started fighting and biting the person. In that case they just left the dogs with food.
Lek tried to rent as many boats as she could but most people would not rent her boats for animal rescue. She also tried to buy rice for the dogs and the woman she was buying from got very angry and told her "rice is for people. Not for animal."
The volunteers helped dig graves and bury the dead dogs. They also helped drag dead human bodies out of the mess. This is the main reason why there are so many dogs at the shelter. It is very sad because a lot of them will never be adopted. They have a really great home at the park though and they seem very happy. Since there are 450 of them territory is hard to come by and that leads to a lot of those fights. We watched a documentary from the floods in Bangkok and what Lek and her volunteers were doing. It was really sad. (There were also 200 monkeys trapped at a temple that they brought food to).
After this documentary Lek spoke for a minute and then we saw a documentary about the elephants. This showed a lot more violent footage of the ways they train the young elephants. It was really difficult to watch. They even made the elephants pick up the sticks with the pointy part on the end with their trunks and hand it to the owner who was sitting on their back.
Unfortunately, I waited too long to write about this and I don't remember all the details. Lek grew up in a village where elephants were used but it sounds like her father, a shaman, taught her everything she knows about medicine and healing the elephants, dogs, and cats. Lek has so much passion for these animals.
She met resistance at every step of her process and she still puts up with resistance everyday. When Lek bought the land at the elephant nature park (through help from donations because she comes from a poor family), the villagers were protesting outside the camp because they did not want her there. She spoke with them and wanted to know what she could do to make it better, to fix anything that she was doing wrong. They told her they just didn't want her there. She said there were 3 reasons even though they didn't give her reasons. First, they were doing illegal logging and the logs were buried on the land. Second, she was a woman who was leading something and they didn't like that. I can't remember what the third one was. Sorry. The second one may have actually been split into 2 different reasons.
Her family disowned her on public television because of what she is doing. I can't even imagine having that happen. She said that her friends want to talk to her and be her friend when there is good press but not when there is bad press. Then they tell her they are not her friend.
The government has told her no a million times. The villagers have told her no. Her family has told her no. She even has trouble still with the mahouts in the park. Lek doesn't want there to be any hooks or sticks and the mahouts feel they need them to be in control of the elephants. She does not want these in the park because all of the elephants have already experienced so much trauma and abuse that she doesn't want them to have to go through this again. She wants to build an environment where the elephants feel comfortable and have trust in her. You can see this with the way she trained Hope.
The documentary we saw the first day talked about this. Hope is the elephant she rescued from the village and then bought. She focuses on positive reinforcement methods instead of using hooks to hurt the elephants. With Hope, she raised him from being a baby. She fed him from bottles and kept him alive. She was up all day and all night taking care of him. She ended up breaking 3 ribs and maybe an arm (I know the ribs for sure). They really wanted to prove with Hope that the hooks don't need to be used to train an elephant and technically Lek did prove that. However, the community doesn't accept that really because Lek didn't train Hope to be a working elephant, so it isn't the same thing even though she did train him to be more civil.
With the building of Lek's elephant sanctuary, she also brought many jobs to the villagers. The men are employed as mahouts or working in the fields and the women can then work in the kitchen or as maids. This gives the women a way to be empowered because they don't make any money without a job. Lek said one woman she knew who she gave a job to had asked her husband for a pot because it was broken and non useable and he told her no because there wasn't enough money and proceeded to go out and buy himself a bottle of whiskey. The women are so thankful to be able to make their own money. Lek also sends the parks' employees children to school. The people working there make a lot of money and have a lot of extra things taken care of for them compared to a lot of other Thai people in the villages. She even gives them a place to live.
When her mahouts try to say they will quit unless they can use hooks or if Lek finds them going against rules, she is happy to tell them to leave. No one wants to though because of the nice conditions.
When Lek was gone in Bangkok for those 16 weeks helping after the flood, she came back to finding out that the men in the village had been arrested. She hoped she wasn't going to get blamed. When she entered the kitchen she asked them who had been arrested and the women all responded saying men in their families, brothers, husbands, uncles, had been arrested. When she asked why she found out the women had called the police on them because they felt they were too strict and controlling. This made Lek sad but also very happy to know the women were beginning to have a voice.
The volunteer program started in 2004 because a western woman (I think a volunteer or a vet I can't remember) suggested Lek start the program. Lek didn't have enough money to pay her workers so they walked out on her. She thought she was going to have to shut the park down but they started the volunteer program instead. Lek said she thought it was crazy because she didn't think anyone would pay her to come work for her on their holiday. Obviously, she was very wrong.
Lek's dream is to be able to have more land she can put the elephants on so they can be wild and then allow the humans to view them from the skywalk. Jungle Boy is still on the chain (for the safety of the other elephants and the people in the park) but she would love to have enough land to put fences around large areas so the elephants can roam free. She saves up money all the time so that when land becomes available she can buy it. She just purchases another 14 acres of land last month.
The last thing Lek talked to us about was being an advocate for her and the elephants. She said that if we can change the face of tourism that then the elephants will have a better chance to survive and become wild again. She encouraged us to spread knowledge about the way domesticated elephants are trained and treated. Most westerners come to Asia and just know they want to ride on an elephant but none of the bad things are talked about. Lek said that if we go home and write to our guide books or go to travel agencies and try to encourage them to not sell the types of trips or tours that exploit elephants that we can help make the shift. Since riding elephants is what westerners want, Thai people will capitalize on this as long as they want it. If people start to do less of these types of tours and more things similar to what Lek does, the elephants have a fighting chance.
Honestly, Lek is so inspirational. I was tearing up. Her story is also incredible and she has overcome so much. Listening to her made me really want to write the tour books and go advocate for the elephants. I hope that when I get home I still have enough passion to do this.
I feel like awareness goes a long way. Although, I (and many other people on my tour) was stunned when Debbie said she had booked an elephant trek before she came for her and her family and wasn't going to cancel it. I just can't imagine how you could go do that after being at the camp and hearing Lek's story and seeing how elephants for those types of things are being treated.

The last evening we were there, Saturday night, we had a special dinner on the second floor of the mess hall area. We had a traditional northern Thai meal. There was traditional dancing by some of the children as well for entertainment. There was a mushroom soup, a jack fruit salad (this was really spicy), a pumpkin curry I think, fake chicken curry, carrot and celery sticks with a really hot salsa, a fried mango maybe, a crunchy long thing, sticky rice, and a few other things that I don't remember. The thing that I thought was maybe fried mango was AMAZING tasting! Everything was very good. A few things were too spicy for me though :)

P.S. I don't know if I mentioned this but when you have a Buddhist monk tie a bracelet around your wrist and bless you, you have to keep it on for a minimum of 3 days for good luck. You are supposed to leave it on until it falls off though.