Hello Navaan and nanny!

Mae Bua Loi and Mae Bua Kham wear their blankets to stay warm on these chilly mornings.

Addition to Cat Kingdom is well under way…

Picked up elephant poop this morning. Sabine is sick with a head cold so she skipped morning chore. 🙂

After poop clean up (around 10 a.m.) we went to the hill tribe school which is where some of the ENP mahouts’ children go. I learned from the coordinator of the school that there are three groupings for children: 1) kindergarten. 2) grades 1-6 and 3) grades 7-9. If the kids want to do the last 3 years of school (10-12) they must leave this school and go to the one in the city. I had a pretty bracelet made with the help of a student.

I also bought an iced coffee and a bag of fresh made cookies that the older kids prepare. Very yummy! And look at the neat handwriting of one of the students.

By noon we had returned back to the park for lunch. After lunch we went on the elephant walk with a Volunteer Coordinator (VC), Prom. Quick note, it was sad to see that Prom was often inattentive and on his phone. Also our group was large which was kind of disheartening because it seems like this is overwhelming to the elephants.

We first met Mae Jan Pang. Everyday, her mahout places a fresh flower in her ear. She is 65 years old and very patient. I decide not to get my picture taken with her since I have already in the past… and I am realizing that maybe the elephants just may not be interested in the touching and whatnot from all the visitors… I just don’t know.

Next we see Mae Perm who has made herself a beautiful hat.  she came charging at us in a friendly way, she loves to greet people.  I love looking at elephants’ eyes and their eyelashes.

A quick sighting of Faa Mai and Dok Mai.  Faa Mai is nanny to Dok Mai:

Mae Perm walks back to her best friend (and one of my favorite eles) sweet, chubby and blind Jokia.  You can see the cloudiness in her blind eyes.  Both eyes were blinded at different times by her mahout.  Horrible.

Next we walk to the family group.  We see Dok Mai (2 years, female) and Yindee (1 1/2 years, male) being very playful.  Faa Mai does a great job being a nanny and you can tell that she enjoys it.  I LOVE Faa Mai’s chubby cheeks!

Dok Mai plays with a soccer ball for a little before she ends up popping it.  She scares herself and ends up running back to her hard for comfort.  They surround her make sure she feels safe.

Dok Mai is inside this cluster seeking comfort after popping her soccer ball!

This dog is digging a hole to China:

Then Faa Mai takes Dok Mai and Yindee to see this hole and they play with it too.

Dok Mai and Yindee play together frequently.  Yindee is like that little pesky brother, but they still seem to really enjoy each other’s company.

Day 3 of a nice cold shower. 🙂