Tuesday -- Open Zoo

Second attempt to photograph the Keow Kheow Open Zoo: Epic Fail.

My apologies.

Although I did actually remember to bring my camera and snap a couple here and there of the animals, I managed to completely miss the point. We were the only tourists there. Seriously. The only ones. Can you imagine being all alone in an open zoo? I mean, at least in the jungle the animals are trying to hide and stay clear. Here they are out in the open. The OPEN. It was creepy, to say the least. Still, they looked happy and healthy, so that was nice, but, at some points, we were sort of terrified.

I didn't photograph any of the quiet or nothingness, but it was so so strange. All of the food stands were shut down, the trolleys weren't running. No one was in the park until we were at the end, and then just a few people who live there. Yes, some people live in the zoo. It's HUGE!

In one section there is a sign beside a cattle guard warning you to stay in your vehicle. Last time we didn't take the motorbike through and bummed a ride with a Thai family, only to realize it is absolutely the only way out. You must go through this area if you want to see the rest of the zoo. It's pretty tricky to do on a motorbike, obviously. This time we decided to rough it. Bridget was on the back of the bike with her camera ready and didn't get a single shot, because we were both paralyzed with fear for that 100 yards. Putting along, quietly breathing and thinking oh my god oh my god oh my god go go go. I was afraid to drive too fast and scare the animals, but absolutely didn't want to stop. By the way, it was mainly monkeys and wild hogs (which we could handle). We could not, however, handle the massive stags that were following us with their piercing eyes throughout the whole thing. Man was I happy when we crossed over the second guard back into relative safety.

Next we came upon the cat complex, which is their big to do. All of the cats we saw (jaguars mostly) were behind glass, but there were a couple we only heard. Think about that for a second, quite a reason to be scared out of our wits. We kept it together though. I just sat there thinking no way could this be possible. Then after a second it registered where I was. Oh wait, idiot. Crap; I'm in an open zoo in the jungle in Thailand. My feet were telling me to get out! We were walking across the lake to look at the cheetas (keep in mind we haven't seen another living soul in quite some time) and we hear this massive roar coming from out of the mountains. EEEKKKKKKK! We decided to head back to the bike at that point and stumbled upon a baby lion cub that appeared to be sleeping (completely without a cage) by the lake. Jesus, Thailand, you're killing me here. We were freaked. 

Turns out it was a stuffed animal. Pretty mean trick if you ask me; I was totally believing it. Funny how something like that in the states would likely never get to me, but here I just never know what they think is okay. They might allow the young cubs to run free after hours, who knows. Luckily, they didn't (at least not in our path).

Aside from all the crazy creepiness of the day, the best part of the whole thing is the drive to and from the zoo. It's absolutely breathtaking, and one of the most beautiful places I've seen in all of Thailand. I plan to make another trip after school this week to capture some of the scenery. Hopefully, third time will be the charm when it comes to zoo pics.

Below are some I managed to get throughout the afternoon.

Tired Babies...

After all the weeks' activities, we were beat.

Sunset

Real perty.

Really Shot Myself In the Foot Today

They are paying for our farang faces, and they want us to show them. 

We were originally told since we have a week of testing coming up (of which we are not involved) we could show up, sign in, and be on our way. Our director caught wind of this today and now we have to stick around all week and make lesson plans for other teachers, simply so we will be present. Hmm...

To be fair, we were greedy and asked for the week off, which is how she discovered this. Shame on me.

Student Work

I am constantly blown away by their artistic skills and attention to detail. Just wanted to share a bit of what they are doing. My older students had to make brochures before, and they were unbelievable, but I didn't think to photograph them. Silly me.

Pattaya Orphanage

Today I spent my first of many at the Pattaya Orphanage.  If you'd like more info about it, click here. It was my first experience as a volunteer, and I very much enjoyed it. One of my fellow teachers, Lia, was a Korean orphan adopted by an American family, so she had done some research and been wanting to go. It was her second time, and she was happy to have me along. I was really excited to go, and to go with someone who was familiar with volunteering. I was very glad to have her, as we were pretty much on our own. I definitely wouldn't have known what to do.

This orphanage was very different than my general idea of an orphanage. A lot of the children are sponsored and go to private schools, many here in Si Racha. A lot of them are able to go on to college, and none are forced to leave until they have jobs. That was something I had not really considered, but it was nice to see that they knew they had a place until they were capable of having a life of their own. As a result, the children there ranged in age from newborn to mid 20s even. 

It was very, very clean. The children for the most part seemed happy, and they were well fed. Of course, it's still an orphanage, so in no way was it an ideal way of life, but I was impressed with what they are trying to achieve and how they are constantly making progress. 

On the grounds there is also a school for the deaf. In Thailand, and possibly many other Asian countries, children with disabilities are incredibly disadvantaged and outcast. It's quite terrible. The woman who was telling us about it said that their intake was declining, but in many ways that was a good thing because it meant these children were able to have their needs met where they live. Either way, some very good things are happening here. 

We spent a lot of time with the babies and some time in the afternoon with a group of girls around 10 years old. They warmed up to us pretty quickly, and I am so glad I'm in a position to continue visiting and maintain those relationships.

A lot of money for the orphanage comes from sponsors and donations, and we saw many people coming in today in bigger groups to look around and take a few photos then be on their way. It was really strange to see, but ultimately, these little visits help the children to get money. They need money. It was nice that they treated us differently, though. We were able to stay outside of regular visiting hours and were pretty much free to do as we wanted. Lia had mentioned before that she didn't bring her camera out the first day, because she wanted them to know that's not why she was there. I thought that was an excellent idea, and therefore had no intention of taking pictures. However, when we were outside playing with the older girls, they dug through my purse and were very excited to take lots of photos and play with my phone. So, I have several that they took. Here are a few.

Me and my new friend, Mok. She took to me more quickly than the others. She was a cutie.

They definitely knew what to do when a willing volunteer came around. "Swing me! Push me! Carry me!" We certainly got our workout with them, but it was tons of fun.

They were really into the cameras. There was A LOT of this.

Mok had stolen my cell phone, managed to send a text and make a phone call before I realized how capable she was. Phone privileges over..

Trying to swing them on this thing was no easy task, but they were determined I could do it. Building up my arm strength in unexpected ways here.

Some of the kiddos watching TV in a performance room. Everywhere it was so sooo clean.

You Do Have to Be Careful..

This should be down with the other Koh Chang posts, but I cannot figure out how to manipulate the blog so it's not in chronological order. If you know how to do this, tell me tell me! 

One night on the island, a friend that had been traveling with us had a run-in with some Thais. He was alone, so I do not know the entire story, but from what I gather, there was a misunderstanding that ended up costing him 5000 baht and a beating. In Thailand, many bars (especially in very touristy areas) have women working there that men can purchase for the night. Agree with it or not, it is simply part of the culture. It's here. 

For some reason, one of the women thought he was going to take her home, which was not his intention. She followed him out of the bar, and when he refused, she turned violent. This is the part of the story that is a bit fuzzy to me, as it seems quite odd she would become so angry. Either way, she did. Spitting on him, kicking him, scratching him. She brought some of her male Thai friends over and they completely wrecked his motorbike and he was able to get away on foot. The police came later and picked up the bike, so he had to retrieve it the next morning. 

When he arrived at the police station, he was given two options. To either pay 5000 baht, or go to jail,  because the woman was threatening to press charges. For what, right? According to her, he hit her first and that is why she attacked him and they totaled the motorbike. I don't know exactly what happened, but I am positive he did not hit her. If something like this happens though, you will never win the battle with Thai police if you are fighting against locals. Going to jail in Thailand is simply no option. It would have cost him incredible amounts of money, and he most definitely would have lost his job. Luckily, he was able to pay and walked away relatively unscathed. He was very, very lucky.

I've heard other similar stories of farang trying to defend themselves, or accidentally finding themselves in a situation without fully realizing the potential consequences and ending up in jail for things they did not do. Moreso than not, it is farang men, not women, who have this problem, but it still happens.

Although I feel very safe, I am always extremely careful about where I am and what could possibly happen. I never ever want to upset a Thai to the point where they might become violent, as it will never work out for me in the end. 

If you are traveling here, enjoy it as it is absolutely amazing. But, keep in mind these things do happen. You must always be careful and be aware.