Animals strike curious poses...

Okay a blatant Prince rip, but hey... I was strapped for time.

Got some pics up at an MSN site from a few trips around the kingdom
here...
I remembered because last night, Halloween night, I decided to venture
to the infamous Khao Sarn Rd. here in BKK to see what they had going,
and I was glad I did.  There were probably about 12,000 people all of
a mixed bag from farangs like me to English guys and New Zealanders. 
Guys and girls who saw "The Beach" one too many times and decided to
adopt the bohemian lifestyle of the typical Thai backpacker.  Complete
with tiedye clothes, hemp garb, real *and* fake dreadlocks, braids
etc.  Thai kids in their skinny black jeans and slogan t shirts which
half of them don't understand.  They buy them for the cheap cost of
the shirt, they could give a shit what white man logo is on it, they
all look cool. Thailand, at least Bangkok and Pattaya... are like
culture sponge centers. They get so much tourism here that it's a
remarkable blend and the base unit of people... the Thais
themselves... are so gentle and happy as a rule that it sets the tone
for everyone else.

What's this got to do with animals? 

Well through the street throng I pressed and lo and behold, a basket
with two of the most adorable chow puppies I've ever seen. They looked
like the color of Siamese cats, these two pups. Sandy tan coats big
and freshly washed (they smelled like oranges and berries) and dark
muzzles on both of them. I had to hug and give back quick or I
would've been spending the next 6 weeks filling out paperwork and
buying an airline crate.

Today... back on Khao Sarn to do some Christmas list browsing while
the daytime shops are open.  This time I get to see two *lemurs*.  No
shit.  Type of thing I've only seen at the zoo or in National
Geographic before now. The local guys that had these in a carry sack
(that looked quite cozy and the lemurs seemed to love) said they got
them at one of the markets outside of town to the NE. Hmmm... now I'm
mulling over how tough woukd it be to get a permit to take home a pair
of lemurs.  They were 1800 baht each the guys said... which is right
around $45 US.

The big round eyes that see in the dark.  The grasping hands and feet.
 It climbed on me like an exercize tree and was very gentle.  Very
tame for the kids I'm thinking... Grrrrrrrr.  Anyway, some French guy
named Charles took a digital pic of me holding one of them and when he
emails it to me I'll post it.

For now, check out the elephants ("chang") and the tiger and the
assorted apes.

http://groups.msn.com/lordsnowthailand/shoebox.msnw

That's a place called Nong Nooch outside of Pattaya about 15 kilos.
You can haul ass on the bikes here, there are virtually no speed laws.
 Motorcycles don't have any type of lane or directional
restrictions... they weave traffic with surgical precision. (I think I
posted some Bike To Work pics there as well.) Nong Nooch is a garden
of sculpted topiary trees and hedges and plants and is amazing to see.
They have an elephant show where the big beasts play soccer, step over
visitors for good luck, give massages... a really fun show. And I was
very happy to see... because the elephant is so revered in Thai
Buddhist culture, they take better care of these magnificent creatures
than some people. All day long they get the hose treatment in a shaded
paddock with good drainage. If you've got an elephant in Thailand you
have an income.  Mahouts will walk their elepahnts along the
streets... even the busy shopping streets, and ask 20 baht for a small
bag of cucumbers or sugarcane to feed chang. (pronounced 'chong') The
show at Nong Nooch tells the story of Thai battles in the ancient past
where the generals and spearmen and swordsmen all rode the huge battle
bulls.  They sword fight and storm a medieval Thai fortress.

People have asked me about the tiger.... you could tell you were in
the presence of a mighty animal, but this thing had to have been
raised by hand from birth because it was so docile.  Either that or it
was tranq'd to the gills.... but I doubt it.  It was too lucid for
that in my opinion.  Look at the eyes... he's awake Jack.

Anyway....  that's all I had. Bye for now.

Dana