Chang Yai

The sheer novelty may have worn off, but seeing elephants wandering around the city still amazes me. I'll be crossing the street and there's an elephant - RIGHT THERE. Or I'm whipping around on the back of a motorbike taxi and we have to swerve to go around an elephant (with a flashing red light tied to it's tail mind you). Seeing an animal larger than a minivan walk up to me while I'm eating dinner is just not normal.

It's sad... but it is what it is. And it's weird because these begging elephants aren't for the benefit of tourists... it's just a thing that happens here. I still don't totally understand if it's people who are using the elephants to beg, or if it's some attempt at helping formerly working elephants survive in a new urban environment. So I'm not sure if by buying the sugar cane to feed it I'd be helping or hurting the situation. Thus far I've avoided participating.

My elephant related vocabulary is improving though. I point out any elephants I see on the road to my driver - flipping through my phrase book for appropriate adjectives.

I can now say:

Chang yai - Elephant big

Chang lek - Elephant small

Chang song tooah - Elephant, two animals

and

Chang mee quam sow, chang yak bai bah. - Elephant sad, elephant want to go forest.

TAG: Code Watermelon