So much to say...

So I've been back from my Thailand trip for a couple of weeks now but still can't seem to get my head together to know what to write about.

So here is a rundown of all the topics I want to cover and if you click on them you will be linked to a post about them, if I haven't written it yet I promise I will get to it soon.

• Art in Bangkok and Thailand

• Chiang Mai and the Elephant Park

• Sketches

• Stories and what I learned about elephants

Bangkok...

So, well... yes.

Bangkok and I will meet again, after about twelve years apart. Last time I was a teenager, well cushioned from the city by the large group I traveled with. The accommodation, the transport, the activities were all planned by someone else. All I had to do was follow the crowd. It was a wonderful trip actually, I went with a group of WWII veterans, many of whom had been prisoners of war under the Japanese. We visited Hellfire Pass, wandered massive cemeteries of white military crosses, heard first hand stories from the men who had walked there in utterly different circumstances fifty years before. I was quite a random addition to the group. I didn't know anyone else on the trip and at the time I didn't know of any relatives of mine who had been a POW or even fought in the Asian Pacific campaigns. Later I realised I actually had several relatives who had fought there - not the least of which was my grandfather! When I got home my grandmother told me stories I had never heard before about men I had barely heard of, but who were her brothers, cousins, friends. Husband. I guess she had never before thought I'd be interested.

So anyway, Bangkok and I will meet again in exactly one week. This time I am on my own. I am glad to be going back as an adult, where I can choose to stay in less western hotels, eat less western food, and travel in less controlled (and possibly less comfortable) modes of transport.

I am planning to spent two weeks working with the elephants, and the rest of the time will be researching residencies, art universities, galleries, other elephant refuges... and hopefully a little time for a beach or two, a market or two and some mountainous vistas. I may not have access to the internet while with the elephants, but will try and keep the blog updated as much as possible.

wish me luck!

Elephant Nature Foundation

Click on this link to see a video by National Geographic about the elephants in Thailand and the elephant park I am going to go to...

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0510/feature5/video.html

The park was established by an amazing Thai woman, Sangduen "Lek" Chailert. Here is her story as taken from their website:

Sangduen "Lek" Chailert was born in 1962 in the small hill tribe village of Baan Lao, two hours north of Chiang Mai. Her love for elephants began when her grandfather, a traditional healer, received a baby elephant as payment for saving a man's life. Lek would spend many hours with her family's new friend, named Tongkum or Golden One, which would result in a passion that would shape the rest of her life.

Lek received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Chiang Mai University, and from there moved into working in the elephant tourist industry. While helping owners of trekking companies locate unemployed elephants, Lek quickly learned about the abuse and neglect that domestic Asian elephants experience.

With a love and respect for her country's national symbol and the knowledge that they were becoming endangered, Lek began advocating for the rights and welfare of Asian elephants in Thailand. In an industry that is steeped in its traditions, advocating for a change to the way domestic and wild Asian elephants are treated has not been an easy battle. But through hard work and determination her voice is beginning to be heard.

In addition to several documentaries about her work by National Geographic, Discovery, Animal Planet, and the BBC, Lek has also been honored to receive many awards. In 2005, Time Magazine named her a Hero of Asia for her work in conservation. The Ford Foundation in association with National Geographic named Lek a Hero of the Planet in 2001. Additionally, she has received two honorary degrees from Rajabaht Chiang Mai University; a PhD in Sustainability and Conservation in 2002, and a PhD in Veterinary Science in 2006. Finally, the National Geographic documentary Vanishing Giants, highlighting Lek's work with the Asian elephant, was recognized by the Humane Society of the United States with the Genesis Award in 2003.

In the coming years Lek hopes to bring her message about conservation and the humane treatment of Asian elephants to more people in and outside of Thailand. She will also continue to improve the lives of the rescued elephants living at Elephant Nature Park and provide emergency healthcare to elephants in remote villages throughout Thailand.