CHANG MAI
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2008
1
78
319
Trip End
Sep 02, 2009
Chang Mai,
Thailand
Monday, December 15, 2008
Today we are going to visit the Zoo. We were going to see an elephant park, but we have enjoyed all the elephants, unexpectedly, that we seen in Ayutthaya.
There are two pandas on loan from China who have been here since 2003 and will stay until 2012. The park is across the city so we get to tour on the drive.
The Zoo is huge and built on the side of a hill. There are open air busses that we can get on and off as we want. We bought the special passes for the pandas and are headed there first. A bit of mis-communication somewhere and we ride the bus around to the exit where we begin again. He lets us off on a corner and we try to find the entrance to see the pandas, but each place we try to go in and look back at the driver he shakes his head no. We eventually walk up the hill and around the corner and find the entrance. As the bus goes by Len asks why he didn't let us off right at the door?
The enclosure is quite big and there are quiet and no camera flash signs all over. We had to walk on wet mats to clean our shoes and security put a piece of tape over the flash on our camera. Not too many people are here so we have a front row. One panda is sleeping up on some poles and the other one is lazily eating bamboo. There is a three year old male called "Chuang Chuang" and a petite two year old female named "Lin Hui". The Thai names for the pandas are "Tewan" and "Tewee".
It must have been close to feeding time as one would walk to the gate to get in the den and wait, then it came out and climbed around and up and down and around some of the poles. It was quite active and entertaining. Then they were both taken in and a keeper came out with new bamboo branches and wood and cleaned up the pen. The two pandas were then let out and they both made a b-line for the new branches, plopped down on a bench and began munching. That is what they do best.
We read all the English information on the Pandas and of special note about all their poop. Pandas excrete vast amounts of bamboo pulp that they're unable to digest. So the zookeepers have given the poop to the paper making industry in Chang Mai who have converted the poop into paper. They used the very old traditional method used for making paper from mulberry trees.
They knew that any kind of pulp could be used to make paper, so they applied the 2,000-year techniques of making paper from mulberry tree in this rural neighborhood to bamboo pulp from panda dung.
The zoo created souvenirs such as greetings cards, fans and bookmarks, which netted around 300,000 baht ($9,000 US) in sales last year. Creative thinking!
We then walked up to see the Koala Bears, the Mom had a baby Koala that came out of the pouch and climbed onto her back, then some different looking birds, they do have peacocks but none are walking freely as they do at our zoo. Into the penguins, deers, alpachas, black bears, monkeys, ostriches, alligators, turtles, crocodiles, snakes and some weird and unknown creatures in the reptile area, the lions, then the hippos and giraffes. There are lots of gardens among the displays and an area where there were poinsettias. The entrance to the park is all decorated with lights and poinsettias for the Christmas celebration. Another enjoyable day.
Tonight Len is off to watch a Thai Kick Boxing match at the little local arena. He thoroughly enjoyed the evening and ended up right at ringside. The opening fight was 12 year olds from the local gyms, then came the 15 year olds and 16 year olds. Len said the kicks were loud smacks and he was glad he wasn't in the ring with them.
The women's round was cancelled as one was injured. To fill in they put 4 men in the ring and then blindfolded them. Len said it was entertaining watching them trying to find each other and swining at the air or the ref when he got in the way. The main event was a young Canadian Matthew who fought a local Thai fighter. It was excellent entertainment for the evening.
I got to go out and find the night market and stroll along the streets and then into the buildings. They had entertainment in the local food court with Thai dancing so I stopped and watched it for awhile. I tried to bend my hands and fingers back as they were doing, couldn't do it. Their hands are so graceful and flexible.
Tuesday, December 16.
Today is a relax day. We went out for breakfast, to the fancy hotel where they have an incredible buffet. We buy a discounted coupon at our hotel and get a variety of food to try. The chef makes an excellent omlet, we have fresh fruits, the juice is Tang I think, and lots of Thai breakfast foods.
In the afternoon we went to the train station and bought our tickets for tomorrow. Tonight maybe the market stroll after dinner.
Comments
Panda Poop
I don't think I've ever heard of poop being used for much of anything besides fertilizer. Very ingenious!