Tokyo Blond Is Not Porn

Tokyo Blond is not a porn blog, about hair or even, as one pithy friend remarked, a micro beer or late 1980s glam metal band ("Dude, I just saw Skid Row and Tokyo Blond opened and played a killer set").


The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my experiences in Tokyo - poignantly, visually, irreverently - for fun.


Anybody can tag along...that is if I like you. This blog will endeavor to be entertaining and honest and frequent enough to keep those following interested including me.


Sunday, August 21, 2011

Can I Take My Elephant Home?

I can now proudly say I have ridden an elephant and not just in an elephant chair.  I actually rode on her head with my legs dangling behind her spotted ears.  I was close enough to whisper encouragement into them and feel the wiry hairs on her forehead.

Her name was Emma and she was just a couple of years younger than me at 43.

Elephant trekking is cool!

The tour was arranged by the concierge at our hotel.  They picked us up in an open air pick-up truck and we bounced our way through the busiest part of Koh Samui, past market after market and stray dogs to our destination.  There was a monkey waiting for us and several other tourists.

The property looked like Fantasy Island but without Tattoo, or has been actors.  It seemed kind of disorganized.  There were a lot of people just hanging around, locals and tourists alike.  No one seemed to know whose turn was next.  We entertained ourselves with lizards and flowers until we were finally summoned.  There was a bar but they only served hotdogs and sodas - missed opportunity there.

The touring company offered several options.  They had a full day tour option which included a 15 minute elephant ride, waterfall hike and Thai cooking session.  No thank you.  I'll just take the elephant.  We decided upon the hour elephant trek.

Finally our turn came.  They introduced us to Emma and her handler, or was it really our handler, whose name I cannot pronounce.  He wasn't very friendly until after the hour ride when we tipped him. Then he was suddenly all smiles and even got Emma to pose with us.  Note to self, always tip the elephant handler before the ride.  I'll have to remember this for next time.

I'm here till Thursday, try the bananas.
And no, I don't do any tricks.

Pretty flowers and they smell nice too.

Russell in the waiting area.

A local.

The trek-a-sphere
It really IS a jungle out there.

Emma the elephant.

I get to be on top!

I'm the queen of the world!!

Russell feeding Emma a well deserved treat.
No you can't have a banana - they're for the elephants.

If she could talk, what would she say?
Get off?

Can I take her home? Can I?

On the way back to the hotel, the driver took us by one of the premiere sightseeing locations on the island, Namuang Waterfall.  But I like to call it simply, "Tourist Trap."  Sure there's a waterfall and it would be delightful if the path to it wasn't littered with lean-to after lean-to hawking goods and mystery meat on a stick.  When I think of waterfall I think of naturally occurring phenomenon in the wilderness.  Not naturally occurring shopping bazaar accentuated by waterfall.  

Yet another stray cat.
Apparently they follow the tourists.

Famous waterfall.

Famous waterfall with tourists.




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