Greedy ellie!
In between visiting the most famous Buddhist Temple in the province of Lampang and eating very fine Northern Thai food, we visited The Elephant Conservation Centre on the outskirts of Chang Mai and Chang Mai zoo where we saw Lin Ping, the baby panda housed in the Zoo’s Snow Dome.
The Asian elephants (different from African elephants in that their ears ae much smaller) were adorable and so friendly. Though I think (as with many Thais) that they were thinking only of their stomachs, as when it came to feeding time my sweetcorn cobs and baby bananas were snatched from my hands, by two very nibbley trunks!! Cleverly, the elephant minders had taught the ellies how to paint and we were wowed by their Picasso like daubs, well, it was more Jackson Pollock…we had a ride on one very obliging Nellie who was so determined to have a cooling bath in the heat of the sun, that he bulldozed straight off the beaten track and ploughed into the water, spraying us with refreshing pond water from his trunk – just what the doctor ordered!
The Asian elephants (different from African elephants in that their ears ae much smaller) were adorable and so friendly. Though I think (as with many Thais) that they were thinking only of their stomachs, as when it came to feeding time my sweetcorn cobs and baby bananas were snatched from my hands, by two very nibbley trunks!! Cleverly, the elephant minders had taught the ellies how to paint and we were wowed by their Picasso like daubs, well, it was more Jackson Pollock…we had a ride on one very obliging Nellie who was so determined to have a cooling bath in the heat of the sun, that he bulldozed straight off the beaten track and ploughed into the water, spraying us with refreshing pond water from his trunk – just what the doctor ordered!
Jackson Pollock
On our return into Chang Mai, we made a detour via the Souvenir market where Atthakorn encouraged me to try some deep-fried insects. I made a tame start with silkworms that had been deep-fried and rolled in seasoning. They were a little better than ok. Then I went a little more off-piste and had a grasshopper. Atthakorn just ploughed straight into eating the whole thing (excluding the head) but I daintly removed the lower legs (that had rather unpleasant barbs on them) and then tucked in. Not great. They were crunchy, and really got stuck in my teeth- I was finding bits in my gums a good half an hour after I had eaten it. Not an experience to be repeated soon methinks.
Finally we went and visited Lin Ping the baby Panda and her parents Chuan Chaun (Dad) and Lin Sui (Mum). They were housed in the snow dome at Chang Mai zoo. It has got to be said Pandas are pretty cute and the Thais are so proud of them, that they have ‘Pandacam’, a whole TV channel on Thai TV that means you can watch them day and night. It’s just like Big Brother but without the weird guy who says, ‘Day 8…’ with the broad northern accent…I have to say, despite how amazing it was to see them so up close and personal, it was a bit sad to see such beautiful creatures in captivity. But as some argue, in the current climate they would be extinct in the wild, so maybe this is the last step at preserving one of Earth’s greatest natural treasures.
Happy Cooking!
HJ
On our return into Chang Mai, we made a detour via the Souvenir market where Atthakorn encouraged me to try some deep-fried insects. I made a tame start with silkworms that had been deep-fried and rolled in seasoning. They were a little better than ok. Then I went a little more off-piste and had a grasshopper. Atthakorn just ploughed straight into eating the whole thing (excluding the head) but I daintly removed the lower legs (that had rather unpleasant barbs on them) and then tucked in. Not great. They were crunchy, and really got stuck in my teeth- I was finding bits in my gums a good half an hour after I had eaten it. Not an experience to be repeated soon methinks.
Finally we went and visited Lin Ping the baby Panda and her parents Chuan Chaun (Dad) and Lin Sui (Mum). They were housed in the snow dome at Chang Mai zoo. It has got to be said Pandas are pretty cute and the Thais are so proud of them, that they have ‘Pandacam’, a whole TV channel on Thai TV that means you can watch them day and night. It’s just like Big Brother but without the weird guy who says, ‘Day 8…’ with the broad northern accent…I have to say, despite how amazing it was to see them so up close and personal, it was a bit sad to see such beautiful creatures in captivity. But as some argue, in the current climate they would be extinct in the wild, so maybe this is the last step at preserving one of Earth’s greatest natural treasures.
Happy Cooking!
HJ
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