Wild Things

One of the things I really enjoy and at times also fear is all of the interesting and new creatures we are seeing. We are starting to collect quite a few photos, so I thought it would be fun to show you some of them.

This first picture is just a cool shot of an intricate web Pun found at his parents ranch. He said he had never seen one like it before. I think it is interesting because it is so perfect and symetrical and then all of the sudden chaotic, sort of like the spider got tired or two different personalities worked on it!








Ok, this next little guy, I actually picked up! Really, he's rather large, though this is a normal size for the elephant beetle. Helen and Daniel were fascinated by him. They got down on the floor and watched him for quite awhile. If you look at the second picture you will see the beetle on Daniel's left shoulder. No fear!!












Elephants, elephants, elephants...I have seen more elephants in the last 6 months than in my whole life! But they are still fun to watch. Here they are all dressed up for the tourists. Pretty fancy.





We passed by this baby elephant walking down the side of the road as we drove by.















Then, just a few hours later, we stopped for a lunch by the sea and up came another elephant with its trainer. For half a dollar we fed him sugar cane!


The ranch is quite an experience for me. I never know what will happen when we visit. It seems like everytime we visit, I learn or see something new. On this particular visit, we were sitting outside after dark visiting with Pun's parents when we spotted a pretty moth. After watching it for awhile it flew down and landed on Pun's face!! We all sat there laughing and admiring for a little while, wondering when it would choose to leave. A few minutes later, I finally went to get the camera and took several candid and posed pictures. I don't think I could have let it set on my face for as long as Pun did! But we really got a giggle out of it.





I know chickens are not exotic or all that interesting especially, but Helen has enjoyed holding a few at the ranch.





We went down south right before Pun started work. In a little fishing village there was a lady holding a gibbon. She let us have a turn. Now Helen wants a gibbon.... and chicken... and a pig ... and a rabbit... you get the idea.
And for the finale...I have met my first snake. In our yard. By myself. With no English speaking person available to tell me if this was a poisonous one or not. Had my mom not called, I never would have been downstairs looking out the front door and seen it! With all the Thai I know (after I ran upstairs to get the camera and snap several pictures--what was I thinking?) I ran next door and called out to Pun's grandma (because I can't say grandpa!) and kept telling her to come. Finally she did and saw for herself. Grandpa came, too, and motioned for Helen and me to go inside. He got a big bamboo stick and tried to knock him down; the snake was on the awning. It didn't work, though, because he crawled up into a hole on the side of the house. My thought was, Oh boy, he will be in our room next ( the awning is right below our bedroom.)
The rest of the day, I was on snake duty. I kept a close watch for him and whenever he came out, I sent the maid out to get him. Somehow he always escaped though. Helen had lots to tell daddy when he came home from his first day at work. Pun was sorry he missed all the action. By the way, he wasn't poisonous! And we are hoping he is long gone now...






P.S. Word is getting out, so I thought I would make announcement. I am pregnant and due in November!! If you have read this far in such a long post, thanks for caring. :)