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I'm quite pleased with this picture!
Lowtong says top of the morning to yer So another week at the camp and I'm pretty much into a routine now. I usually start the day reading and replying to emails, then when we get to camp I walk around with one of the volunteers whilst they ride the elephant, and I take pictures. I usually spend a little part of each day in the office at camp (it's not such a novelty for them now, they're used to me although they do still come and look occasionally) and at the beginning of the week I finished the newsletter and got it sent out to all the previous volunteers. We went to the Chinese temple again but Lek, Jhor and I sat outside eating ice lollies while the volunteers looked around as this would have been our 4th visit. There's only so much culture you can take! Long is back at the camp, which is really good news. We haven't really spoken, other than to ask each other how we are. I still keep looking after Chang-Dee, cleaning out her area (she's still in her spot under the tree) and giving her the odd pineapple or bunch of bananas. Next week I think she will have a
new volunteer so she'll have someone to look after her full time. We stayed at the camp again on Wednesday night and I now actually prefer to stay there. What a turnaround?! I would quite happily stay there every night. I'm even used to the "shower" facilities of throwing buckets of water over yourself whilst partially hidden from view of the whole camp. Not sure if I'd be quite so "at one" with the camp if there wasn't a western toilet though!
Talking of toilets I made a rather embarassing discovery this week. During one of Gof and my drin....I mean debating sessions we got to talking about the difficulties of the language differences. Our conversations are always punctuated by much leafing through of dictionaries. Anyway I've never been sure how to ask where the toilet is as whenever I try to ask I'm always met with strange looks. And now I know why!!!!!!! I'd been told (seemingly by a very cheeky "fun loving" mahout, I can't remember who) that to ask for the toilet I should say "Honkie." I now know that "honkie" is apparently the way that, colloquially, you say that you want a shit. So for about
2 months in Thailand the last time, and a month this time, in various locations including very nice restaurants and hotels, I have been going up to people and telling them that I need a shit! Hilarious eh?
As Gof has gone back home to Bangkok we had food prepared by the nmahouts and families, which as always was delicious. As is the Thai custom they let us eat our fill first, we always feel really guilty that we're eating befoire them, but it is the way they like to do it, with hospitality and politeness. Wednesday night staying at camp meant the ubiquitous thai dancing lesson from pi-jon, I'm starting to get the slightly off beat rhythm now! On Thursday it was a 5am start (although you're so sick of the cockerels by then you're happy to get up) as we were collecting the elephants from the forest.
Gof came back on Thursday night with a new haircut.
On Friday the different activity was Link, Wassanas mahout, teaching everyone to make grasshoppers out of dried pineapple leaves. I cheated as he gave me the one he'd made as a demo.
On Saturday we had a closing Pa-Kam ceremony for
Being a tourist
Anne, a volunteer who arrived at the weekend was alittle nervous about riding round on an elephant so, being the professional mahout that I am I rode along with her as support. Actually it's the BEST place to get a suntan! Joanna & Emily who left on Saturday, and then went out for a meal at the excellent Mr Dog on the beachfront as a kind of leaving party for them and birthday party for another volunteer, Anne, whose birthday it is today. I've been to Mr Dog before and the food is amazing and, as it's quite a way along the beach it's a nicer, mainly Thai, clientele. Then of course it was the traditional birthday celebration at the Thai karaoke bar where we belted out the usual role of songs. Zombie is now our official anthem!
Today has been a really nice relaxing but busy day. We were all up early to wave Joanne & Emily off, fully intending to go back to bed, but ending up staying up. As it's a special birthday for Anne we wanted to mark the occasion so when we went to Tesco I had the task of printing a photo of LowTong, the elephant she's been working with for Gof to sketch. I was desperately trying to get the assistant to understand that I didn't want her to see the photo but she pulled it right up on screen in front of Anne!
"our" cocktail bar
This was actually last week, with Aline & Gof. We were deliberately not posing as Aline was hamming it up enough for all of us! I think she had a good day. We took her for lunch at "our" cocktail bar and gave her a few little presents and cards and bought a selection of cakes as a "birthday cake" with candles. Anne is going to the Dusky Langur Project near Hua Hin with Arnon tomorrow as we have some volunteers arriving there, so next week it's me and Gof in charge. It will either go brilliantly or I'll be on the next plane home!
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Heather
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I miss the elephants
Hey Sam - loving your blogs but makes me miss the ellies! How are Bua and Rungreung? Did you get the package I sent and the letter I sent you? Keep having fun and singing Thai songs!! heheh! xx