For today, I would like to introduce you to the biggest, leathery-est, gentlest giant friend I have in the world.  The market elephant.  That phrase alone just makes me grin ear to ear.  I’ll say it again.  Market elephants.  :)  Here, take a look at one.

In our city, these guys walk freely down the road, at any given time of the day, usually with one or two caretakers in tow.  There are a few different pachyderms in our community, I believe – two large ones and two baby ones that I’ve seen.  The one in the picture above is the only one I’ve seen a carriage on, though.  Mostly, they just walk about, poking around with their trunks, being curious, and waiting for someone to buy a bag of veggies or fruits to feed them.

Quite often in Thailand, when a person decides that they would like to become a “mahoot,” or an elephant caretaker, it’s a job that they sign onto for life.  Mahoots may then travel around with their giant leathery friend, preparing and selling small bags of fruits or veggies to the people they meet along the road.  These bags of cucumbers, bananas, or sometimes sugar cane can be bought for a low price, then fed to the elephant.  The money made from selling the bags can be used to feed the mahoot, care for himself, and care for the elephant.

Now, what the customer actually gets out of the transaction is viewed in different ways by different people.  Some say that by sacrificing money to buy food for the elephant, as well as the act of actually feeding the creature, one can make merit to pay for past sins in life.  Others simply view it as a fun activity for either their children or  themselves.  I mean, really, who wouldn’t want to feed an elephant?  They’re so cool.  Here, check out a baby elephant at dinner a few weeks ago.

Perhaps one of my favorite parts of going for supper in the night market (other than being able to eat outside, and get a great meal for super cheap), is waiting for the elephants to come by.  They’re so quiet, so gentle, so intriguing to me.  Their eyes are so big and beautiful.  Their skin is such a strange texture.  They are just incredible creatures.  (And, their magnificence is part of the reason why it really irks me when, sometimes, the mahoot pinches the elephant’s ear in order to make him squeak for attention.)

Every time I see or hear one of these guys coming, I get giddy like a little kid.  Just the other night, we saw a small one staring down a car that had obviously chosen the wrong side of the road.  They stood nose to trunk for about a minute before the elephant decided to go around the vehicle.  The same elephant also wanted to taste my strawberry smoothie.  I, however, did not allow him to do so.  As a result of my moving the drink from his reach, the playful pachyderm proceeded to poke around my stomach and right hand with the tip of his trunk.  How fun!

Elephants don’t roam freely in all places, though they are quite common throughout the country.  So, if you really like elephants, Thailand is the place for you!

Monkey see, Then takes two, Monkey always wins, not you!

Monkeys here in Lopburi are unlike any other primates you’ve met, I guarantee it.  They have a certain sense of entitlement, this way of life which requires the humans in their city to serve them and provide their every need.  They reside primarily in “Old Town” – the ancient sector of the city which houses numerous ruins of temples, royal residences, and even a former palace – where they run free and frolick among the buildings and powerlines at will.

Let’s say you are a merchant in the fresh fruit market in Old Town.  You are on your way to your evening post with a truck full of tomatoes and limes.  You are stopped at a traffic light for nearly 15 seconds when the critters spy you on their road.  They proceed to swarm your truck, eating whatever and however much they want, as well as throwing some of your produce at passers-by and other vehicles just for the fun of it.  They just might even rip off a piece of trim from your passenger door, too, and carry it away like a sword.  What do you do?  You get out and yell at them while waving your arms to scare them away.  Bad move!  You must do nothing.  The monkeys are considered sacred, and therefore protected and free to do as they please.  You are allowed to do only… nothing.

You are walking back from the market after buying your meal for the night.  Your plan is to take this food back to your home and feed both yourself and your family with it.  Oh, and of course your food is carried in a plastic bag, as that is the most convenient way, right?  Bad move!  If there are any monkeys nearby, they will hear or see your plastic bag, and automatically assume there is food inside (even if there’s not!).  And, what do monkeys do when they know food is around?  They take it.
You are now a tourist walking about the ancient ruins looking not only at the history surrounding you, but also the monkeys running about.  You are so excited about it, and think they are just so cute that you begin talking to one while bearing a wide-toothed grin.  Bad move!  Most monkeys will see teeth as a sign of aggression, so they just might retalliate against your kind words with some rather unkind actions.

Now, why do I tell you these things?  Well, because we would love for many of you to come visit us here in Thailand someday, and who knows, we just may take you to visit this city of monkeys on your trek through the country.

So, let’s review…

1.    Let the monkeys do whatever they want.  You are not allowed to punish them.
2.    Do not carry anything you actually want to keep in any sort of plastic bag, whether it’s food or not.
3.    Do not smile at the monkeys.  They are not cute.

Anybody ready for a visit?

So… every time you see a post titled “Fun Fact,” be ready for a short glimpse into something that makes life in Thailand entirely different, entirely interesting, and entirely new! Without further adieu, I present you with your first Fun Fact in History… well, kind of.

Brook and I were recently at the OMF Home in Bangkok, where we were staying in a room a few floors up. This meant many stairs for us to climb each time we needed to retrieve something from our room. There turned out to be one certain place that Brook would always catch his toe as we went up, and upon closer inspection, we discovered that the first step after the landing was half a tile higher than all the other stairs. Upon mentioning this as a joke to a staff member in the OMF offices, we were surprised to find out that this was, in fact, not a mistake, rather it was quite intentional.

You see, in Thailand, everything is done for a reason. There is a saying “to be Thai is to be Buddhist,” so many everyday practices have some sort of mystical or superstitious background in them. The building of this particular staircase is one such practice. There is much belief in the existence and activity of spirits in Thailand, as well as their ability to dwell among buildings and residences. These stairs were built slightly “off” as means of deterring bad spirits from successfully entering the upper part of the building, a means of throwing them off or confusing them. At the same time, it was not so obvious that a spirit (or the people travelling them each day) would notice it straight away. The same is intended by landings and turning staircases, as anything other than straight could also help deter any unwanted presences in a building. Now, for those of you who may be wondering, our organization did not particularly do this when setting up their offices in this building, rather, it is just simply the way things are built, just the way things are done.

So, if you ever visit Thailand, take note of the stairs upon which you walk. Is there a landing halfway to your destination? Are all of the stairs the exact same height? Could there be one or two tiles that seem out of place in a mosaic pattern? Who knows what wonders you will find when you observe even the smallest of details!