Colin's Camera #2 (Post by Colin, Typed by Mom)

Hello, I'm back again with my adventures and my pictures.  For my last one, we were in China.  This one, we are in Thailand.  It's been almost 3 months since my last post.  Here are my new pictures that I hope you will also enjoy.

Sincerely,

Colin

In Yangshuo, China, we went into a lot of caves.  There was this one that only me and my brother, Emmett, could go through, and it was called the "rebirth hole".  It was super small and even we could just barely get out.

We also went bamboo rafting.

Also, in Yangshuo, we went up into a mountain and we saw the whole entire small town.

Hong Kong was a big city and I took this funny picture of my mom.

In Hanoi, Vietnam, there was a Vietnam/American War Museum.  There were lots of guns...

...bombs, knives...

...and airplanes.

We went to a water puppet show, which is puppets that are attached on pieces of wood.  They do the puppet shows in the water.

We went on a cruise in Vietnam.  It was a very nice one.  Unfortunately, Dad got a migraine headache and threw up.  We went kayaking.  It was one of the many things you could do.

In Phong Nha, we went on a bicycle ride to the Pub with Cold Beer.  On the way, we saw two water buffalos.  One was a baby, and the other was a mom.  And we slaughtered our own chicken at the Pub with Cold Beer.

Also, we went into a cave where we first hiked through the jungle.

Next, you had to go bouldering.

Then, we swam into the mouth of the cave.  I am the youngest to go in so far.

Then you took a rapid river to go back and you were only holding on to a rope.

We did another bike ride in Phong Nha and we passed a bunch of what we call "cow-mels".  We call them that because they look like a cow, but they have a hump like a camel.  We passed a herd of them walking down the road with a bunch of small babies.

On the way from Phong Nha to Hué, we stopped in the tunnels where they hid from the Americans.  It was 7 meters underground!  That is 23 feet deep.  And there were a bunch of secret exits where they would cover up with leaves.  They were small so that the Americans couldn't get into them because of all their Army gear.

On the way to Hoi An, we passed an American fort that had clearly been attacked because of all the bullet holes.

In Nha Trang, we stayed in an apartment and we went swimming almost every day, except for the last day which was Mom's birthday and we went to an amusement park.

The amusement park was called Vinpearl Land and we went into the aquarium.  We saw small great white sharks.

There were also different tunnels, the Ben Duoc tunnels, outside of Ho Chi Minh City.  This small hole is what they used to get into the tunnels.

In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, we went to the King's palace.  These were the color suits they would put on for every day of the week.  Red was Monday, yellow was Tuesday, purple was Wednesday, light green(ish) was Thursday, dark green was Friday, blue was Saturday, and maroon was Sunday.

We visited Angkor Wat and we saw a lot of the temples.  This was the first one we visited.

This was the Angkor Wat temple.

If it had multiple stories of steps, it was a king's temple.  If it was flat, it was the king's ancestors' temple.

When we were driving to another temple, we stopped to look at the monkeys when, suddenly, we realized that they were climbing all over the car, like on the roof!

And they were climbing all over the windshield, so we had to stay put a little bit longer.

We were still visiting Angkor Wat for 3 days, and we passed by a nice lake.

And we fed monkeys from a bottle.

This was the temple that we were visiting.

On the way back on the last day, we stopped at a crocodile farm, where they raise and kill crocodiles for the skin.

After Angkor Wat, we went to Battambang and saw a bunch of bats fly out of a cave at once.

In Bangkok, Thailand, we visited the Red Cross, where they take the snake venom and use it to make antivenom and to study the venom.  This is a cobra.

A lot of the snakes had camouflage.  Try to find the snake in this picture!

They used to squeeze the venom out, but that's not good for the snake, so they don't do it that way anymore.  Instead, they make the snake bite on a little plastic cover that goes down into a funnel, and the venom comes out.  The way that the venom comes out is:  when the snake opens its mouth, it's basically like squeezing a water ducky.  Muscles push the venom out of a little hole in their mouth.

My favorite snake kept doing laps around his cage.  He would go around and around this fake piece of stone.

In Chiang Rai, we stayed in bamboo huts in the middle of the jungle.  Electricity went off after breakfast, and it came back on when most guests were getting ready for bed.  Which is dark.  We hiked to a waterfall and swam.

There were a bunch of different kinds of tuk-tuks in Thailand.  Different cities had different kinds of tuk-tuks.

In Chiang Mai, we swam in a canyon, which we thought might have actually been a quarry once where they had mined clay (because there was a bunch of clay).  You could jump off a high point, and Dad did that.  Me and my brother, Emmett, couldn't because you had to be above 18.

We also rode on elephants and went on another bamboo raft.

Afterwards, we washed the elephant.

The elephant that we washed was Dee Dee.

They taught the elephants how to kiss you.  Basically what they did was put their trunk on you and just suck.

I sat on the elephant's neck and there was a command that was "bon" and the elephant would lift up its trunk so you could throw sugar cane in its mouth.  But it could also be used for other things.

Those are some of the recent adventures that I've had!  --Colin

Where Are We? Day 150

Every 30 days, we mark where we are with a picture and a look back at what we've done.  We spent Day 120 in Vietnam (Can Tho), Day 90 in Vietnam (Hanoi), Day 60 in China, Day 30 in Russia, and Day 1 in Belgium.  Here's our Day 150 review!

Picture Taken:  In Koh Lanta, Thailand.  Koh Lanta is an island in the Andaman Sea, off the southwest coast of mainland Thailand.

What is one of your favorite things we did in the past 30 days?

Bob:  Getting close to the elephants and getting to see firsthand how gentle and beautiful they are.  After three days, we got more relaxed in approaching and interacting with them, and it almost seemed that they began to recognize and became relaxed with us.
Meghan:  Visiting the temples of Angkor Wat.  This site has been on my bucket list for a long time, and the architecture and artistic detail of the temples were so impressive.
Emmett:  The elephants because I got to play with DeeDee and the baby.
Colin:  The Bamboo Train because it was fast!

What is something you haven't liked?

Bob:  Spending Thanksgiving so far away from family and friends.
Meghan:  The exhaust fumes that are a part of tuk-tuk rides.  Love the tuk-tuks, hate the fumes.
Emmett:  The Cambodia - Thai border crossing--stupidest line ever!
Colin:  The border crossing because it was way too long, there were no fans, and everybody was trying to cut the line.

What is something you've learned?

Bob:  I have learned how much admiration and respect the people of Thailand had for King Bhumibol Adulyadej and how much impact his death has had on this country.
Meghan:  I have learned so much about the Khmer Rouge and the horrific events in Cambodia in the 1970s.  I will never forget seeing human teeth in the ground at the Killing Fields.
Emmett:  That you can make paper out of elephant poo!
Colin:  That the Cambodian government killed people because they were well educated and not farmers.  However, ironically, he (Pol Pot) was well educated.

What is something you are looking forward to in the next 30 days?

Bob:  Going to Sri Lanka!  As much as I have enjoyed exploring southeast Asia, I am looking forward to exploring someplace completely new and different.
Meghan:  A HUGE surprise in store for the boys and a special gift coming for us all. :)
Emmett:  Christmas--getting and giving gifts!
Colin:  Christmas--getting gifts!

Having a Dung Good Time with Elephants in Chiang Mai

Emmett's words from Chiang Rai ("we just hold on and hope we don't die") were also applicable on the bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai.  Inter-city Thai busses are notorious for fast and reckless drivers.  As we sped down twisty mountain roads, swerving into the opposing lane to pass other cars on curves, Bob and I tried not to think of the bus accident that we'd seen on the news during breakfast that very morning.  The 3 hour ride to Chiang Mai felt pretty long and we all felt a bit queasy by the time we arrived (fortunately, safely).

The next day we headed into the city of Chiang Mai.  Since any exploration of SE Asian cities includes a temple stop, we headed to Wat Chedi Luang in the middle of the old city.

I love seeing monks walking around in their saffron colored robes.  This monk even had a coordinating umbrella.

This is the second temple in which we've seen remarkably lifelike wax/resin models of monks.  The first time the monk was "sitting" on the floor a a temple, in the open air.  From 10 meters away we were convinced he was a living person.  It was only when we got about 2 meters away and scrutinized his chest (for signs of breathing) that we realized he was not real.  This wax monk was enclosed in glass so it was more obvious.  The detail in these wax/resin figures is unbelievable.

After the temple, Bob and Emmett got haircuts while Colin and I hung out in a coffee shop and waited for them.  Since it was Thanksgiving Day in America, I tried to find a place to eat a proper turkey dinner.  Unfortunately, the restaurant serving Thanksgiving dinner was already fully booked so, instead, we had big American burgers with macaroni & cheese and root beer.  It might not have been turkey, but it was a classic American meal for our Thanksgiving in Thailand.

After lunch we explored the Elephant PooPooPaper Park, where we had LOADS of fun (warning:  lots of poo puns ahead).

The PooPooPaper park is "number one at number two".  Here, the POOSibilty of recycling elephant poo into odorless paper is cheerfully demonstrated.  While poo from different animals can be turned into paper, elephant poo is particularly well suited for the process because of the undigested fibers it contains.

After the poo is collected and dried, the next step is to boil it (to remove any bacteria) and rinse it twice.  This is where they take the "eww" out of the poo so it no longer stinks.

The boys had a dung good time stirring pots of boiling elephant poo.

The next step is to strengthen the poo fiber by mixing the new material with (re)recycled poo paper.

This results in very colorful balls of poo fiber.  Because, you know...brown is the new green!

Then each ball is put in a screened tray in water so it can be spread thin and evenly.  At this stage there's even the POOSibility to combine poo balls to make multi-colored sheets.

The screen trays are then lifted out of the water and set to dry.  The paper can be used as is or put through a press to make paper that is more suitable for writing.

We all gave the Elephant PooPooPaper Park "two bums up"!!!  (OK, poo puns are over.)

On the way back to the city, Colin rode up front with the tuk-tuk driver as we sped along on everything from small roads to part of a highway.  Probably one of the most exciting (for him, anyways) and dangerous rides so far, but he loved it.

The next day we headed to the "Grand Canyon" of Thailand, which is an old quarry outside Chiang Mai that has filled with rainwater and been turned into a swimming site.

Most people come to the Grand Canyon to jump/dive off a ledge about 30 meters (98 feet) above the water.

The boys were excited to watch Bob jump!  (Pardon the shaky videography, I was filming while bobbing in the water.)

Emmett was really upset that you had to be 18+ to jump, but we found a shorter height from which both boys did their own cliff jumping.

Other than the cliff jumping, we enjoyed floating and swimming in the water, which is about 40 meters (131 feet) deep.

After a few days closer to Chiang Mai, we moved a bit further out to Chai Lai Orchid for some up close time with elephants!

First, a bit about Chai Lai Orchid.  The property was opened as a refuge for ethnic Karen (ka-REN) women as a place where they can be safe while learning English and valuable skills.  The situation of the Karen people is quite complicated, but the basics are that many Karen have fled violence in Burma and are refugees in Thailand.  However, Thailand does not recognize them as refugees and considers them to be illegal immigrants, so their legal protections and opportunities are extremely limited.  Because of this, many Karen women fall victim to human trafficking, including sex trafficking.  The beautiful, serene setting of Chai Lai Orchid is a stark contrast to the ugly realities that many Karen women are subject to.

Chai Lai Orchid is near an elephant tourism site where elephants are used (unfortunately) for chair rides.  Elephants have been ridden in this part of the world for hundreds of years, but mahouts (elephant handlers) traditionally ride bareback on the elephants' necks.  The chair used in elephant rides is quite heavy, and that plus people is too much for an elephant to carry.  About a year ago, Chai Lai Orchid began offering ethical elephant encounters with the goal of replacing the chair-riding income so that the elephants would have easier, happier days.  At this point Chai Lai Orchid is able to do this for half the day.  Their goal is to raise enough money to rent the elephants for the entire day (which would mean no more chair rides for them at all).

Elephant tourism in Thailand is hugely popular, and elephant encounters range from places with utterly horrifying conditions to incredible "luxury elephant retirement parks".  Bob, in particular, spent a lot of time searching for a place where we could interact with elephants while feeling good about the way the animals are treated.  It's not a perfect situation for these elephants right now, but at Chai Lai Orchid we enjoyed being up close with the elephants while we (hopefully) contributed to a better overall future for these gentle giants.

On the day we arrived at Chai Lai Orchid, we were able to feed the elephants a special treat.  They eat bamboo most of the day but particularly love sugar cane.  Our second day, when we did our entire "elephant encounter", we started off by feeding them this same treat.

Then we rode the elephants in pairs (one parent, one child), completely bareback!

Riding the elephants was both thrilling and a bit scary.  For one, I've never ridden anything bareback, especially not with a child clinging to my back.  Second, the entire ride took a lot of arm strength (particularly when we went downhill) in order to hold myself and Emmett upright.  By the end, my arms were shaking from a long time in a modified pushup position.  Third, I was well aware that if one of us fell off, the other was likely going to follow and the neck of an elephant is high off the (very hard and rocky) ground.

Nonetheless, the opportunity to ride an elephant bareback was extremely cool!

After walking through the jungle, we crossed the river one more time.

When we got back to the elephants' feeding area, we thanked both "our" elephants and all the others by giving them bamboo to eat before eating our own lunch (not bamboo).

After lunch, we went on a bamboo raft ride that was quite different from our one in Yangshou, China.  Instead of sitting in chairs, this time we were pretty much sitting in the water!  Not surprisingly, the ride turned into a water fight with beautiful scenery along the way.

When we got back to Chai Lai Orchid, we had a chance to give one of the elephants, DeeDee, a bit of a bath.

We even got some elephant kisses (mine came earlier in the day, and the look on my face is pretty funny).

With our official elephant activities over, we spent the rest of our time at Chai Lai Orchid relaxing and enjoying watching the elephants.  The two baby elephants were some of our favorites.  One was 2 years old and the other was 11 months old.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with the elephants, and we left Chai Lai Orchid and Chiang Mai with fantastic, POOsitive (ha, one more pun!) memories and great respect for these strong, gentle animals.