SamC - Sam Clarke

After years of dreaming about it, and months of talking about it, I finally made the decision to travel. In 2006 I gave up my job and set off on an adventure to South East Asia.........and I'm still here! Last year I traveled to Sri Lanka, India and Thailand and had an amazing time, completely falling in love with the places, the people and the lifestyle - not to mention the weather. This year I returned intending to get a job, probably teaching in Bangkok I thought. When I returned I decided to revisit friends that I had made at my last port of call in 2006 where I had volunteered at an elephant project, spending an amazing month riding an elephant, learning how to care for and command it and learning about and becoming a part of the mahout (elephant trainer) community. I've ended up staying here! I now help out with the elephant project and love my new, completely different lifestyle.

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Joined on: November 15th 2006
Last Login: September 23rd 2009

Blog Entries: 142
Photos: 1206

TB Code: [blogger=26559]
Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by SamC, order by Date newest first.

By SamC
November 20th 2008

The Elephant Mahout Project Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Pattaya

wassana shower

I've not been updating my blog as I'm currently back in England due to personal reasons - and my life here is far too boring to write about. The project is continuing with help from Thai friends and I'm helping out 'virtually' so I thought I would put some of my favourite pictures from the project instead of a blog! More can be found at www.theelephantmahoutproject.com [View Full Entry]

By SamC
September 19th 2008

Life at The Elephant Mahout Project Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Pattaya

pepsi the pup

with no elephant stories!!! We don't have any volunteers at the moment (some are arriving on the 26th) so I haven't been going to the camp and have been busy with moving. September is the month with the highest rainfall here so I think that puts people off coming, and I don't think the recent political problems have helped although it hasn't affected us in any way, except for everywhere being quieter because tourists aren't travelling. Being a biy quieter though has given me time to get settled into my new house, but I am now starting to go a bit [View Full Entry]

By SamC
September 11th 2008

The Elephant Mahout Project: Away from Elephants...for a while Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Sattahip

New House

I moved house on Tuesday, to the one that's on Mr Boonserms land. I think basically he has this house that's empty and so was happy to have someone living in it, and for us that's very good news! Have a look at the 'before' pictures! I went to Mrs. Noi's on Tuesday morning and was tapping away on the computer, but she kept coming up to me and saying "you need to go or you won't be ready when the truck comes," so I went and packed my things - my Thai worldly goods - and I was ready by [View Full Entry]

By SamC
September 8th 2008

The Elephant Mahout Project Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Sattahip

Hello nellie!

I forgot to put a few pictures on, actually I 'lost' them on the desktop. I swear they were hiding! I might as well give a quick update.... Yesterday Tia & me were at Mrs Noi's as he's helping her to do her garden. His task is to cut the whole lawn...with a pair of shears! I whiled away the time on the computer, mainly playing on-line scrabble with Louise, trying to redeem my absolute thrashing from the previous game. Once the gardening was finished for the day we went to see the house on Mr Boonserms land that we might [View Full Entry]

By SamC
September 7th 2008

The Elephant Mahout Project...it's almost live news! Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Sattahip

Elephants at Tai Tai Elephant Garden

I'm almost caught up! Now all I have to do is try and get back into the habit of keeping up! Whilst I've been catching up with writing my blog I've been reading back things that I'd jotted down in my notebook. It's interesting to read back my feelings from when I first moved to the camp. On one day I'd just written a highlighted note 'lunch - bugs!' I'm pretty sure that I won't have indulged... I'd also written about making a cup of tea by and having to boil the water for it in a wok. I can't believe [View Full Entry]

Tring to get Em into the back of a truck

By SamC
September 3rd 2008

The Final Overdue Update: Elephants, Pigs, BKK and Scrabble Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Sattahip

A lotus flower at The Grand Palace, Bangkok
I've taken enough pictures at the Grand Palace so this time I thought I'd be 'arty'

More animal updates..... Mrs Noi has kittens. One of her 2 cats has just had 3 kittens which are loved by everyone. We were a bit worried about one of them at the beginning as it wasn't feeding so we had to give it milk formula via a syringe. She's doing ok now though,a nd apparently it isn't just me that's 'animal gender confused,' I recently corrected Mrs Noi on her assertion that all 3 kittens were girls when one of them got its 'lipstick' out. Luckily he's called Silver so it's not too girly a name! The other 2 are [View Full Entry]

By SamC
August 23rd 2008

Installment 2 of The Elephant Mahout Project Update Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Sattahip

Bobbi

The last update came up to around March time when I had moved from Tia’s family’s house into my own ‘shack’ so I was feeling more settled. To prove this settled-ness….I got a puppy! How could I say no when someone brought a ball of fluff to me and said it needed a home? Bobbi So now I have Bobbi. When I was asked what I wanted to call ‘it’ I said the first thing that came into my head, and that was a name that I thought would be easy for them to say…but I didn’t think they’d let me/take [View Full Entry]

By SamC
August 16th 2008

Life With the Elephants. A long overdue update - Installment 1! Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Sattahip

Baby elephant Em trying to get into the elephant bath

I knew that I should start writing my blog again as I watched a 14 year old Thai lady-boy (suspected) swinging in the hammock outside my house singing along to a CD. The house was swinging, although that was more to do with his bulk rather than his singing abilities! There have been quite a few changes….. I now live at the elephant camp, in a house made from eucalyptus, bamboo and pineapple leaves. House may be stretching it a little I suppose, possibly it’s more of a shack! I’ve actually recently moved house and was in a smaller one before, [View Full Entry]

Early morning walk back from the forest with Tia & Su Da

The gardens opposite the camp at Khao Chee Chan

By SamC
February 6th 2008

The Elephant Mahout Project: Fact: Mahouts love Brie… Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Pattaya

Heading back to the camp from the forest at sunrise...with Tia doing a pretty good genie impression

I've had a few tellings off recently for not keeping up to my blog....... so in anticipation of an update I might as well publish this one that I had apparently saved and forgotton about - I've had a lot going on!! - from February! Yep, the last time I wrote was in February! I'd finished off the last one with the line "is it officially lying to say that you're full just to avoid eating flattened frog?" I really hope it isn’t…because when I was invited for breakfast at Tia’s house the next morning…the frogs were back! That’s one of [View Full Entry]

A volunteer heading out to the forest in the evening

By SamC
February 5th 2008

The Elephant Mahout Project - Is it ‘officially’ lying to say that your'e full just to avoid eating flattened frog??? Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Pattaya

Heading back to the camp

Update from the Elephant Mahout Project: 28th January -3rd February On arrival at the elephant camp this morning, I was quietly sat contemplating the volunteer garden (and its failures) when I was called over by a mahout, Tia, with a tortoise in his hand and told to follow him and another mahout, Mr. Choi. I did. We walked through the camp, across the road, through the gardens in front of the Buddha Mountain, climbed over the fence (I think that might be illegal) and put the tortoise in the pond at the foot of the mountain. I have no idea where [View Full Entry]

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