Vengeful Pachederms

by Erik Olsen on

Here’s a short, true story.

Years
ago when I was traveling in the middle part of Thailand, near a town called Kanchanaburi. I made a visit to a National Park there famous for its wild
elephants. I went out in a Jeep late one night with a small group of folks and a big spotlight, and we came upon a herd
of wild elephants hanging out at a watering hole…or maybe it was a salt lick. I forget. No matter. The point is that
this was an intensely thrilling moment. There we were in great unfenced place watching wild elephants cavorting and
hanging out.

And when one of the elephants took offense to having the light shone directly into its big
yellow eyes, it charged us. Even though he was a good 30 yards away, when the driver put the Jeep in reverse and the
pissed-off pachyderm got closer and closer, why, my heart pounded in my chest like a percussion grenade. One of the
other travelers in the Jeep, a Brit if I recall correctly, even wet himself. (He denied this, but the evidence was
plain for all to see). Elephants, despite their appearance as big. laid back mammals, can actually be very mean, very
dangerous. They will stomp you into pulp if you are not careful.

In fact, soon after having this perilous
experience, I read an article in the Bangkok Post about a photographer who went to with a Buddhist who was known for
taming elephants. He’d approach them and put his hand on their massive foreheads, perhaps uttering a soothing
"oooohhhm" as he did so. Well, the article described how the crushed remains of both Buddhist and
photographer were fond in the grass of this very same park, and right beside them was found a camera. The last photo on
the roll was a picture of the Buddhist reaching out with his open palm, placing it on the elephant’s forehead. The
flash had just gone off and the look of angry shock in the animal’s eyes was very much like that of the animal that
charged us that night. Apparently he didn’t like having his photo taken.

All of this leads me to the new
research revealed
in this article, which suggests that elephants can not only kill, but they can do so with a degree of vengeful
intent. Yes, elephants seek revenge. I provide the link so that if you should find yourself out in a national park
where wild elephants roam, make sure that they can’t recognize you. Wear a mask, or at least make sure the Brit
in the Jeep with you is holding the light.

Babes in New Zealand

by Erik Olsen on

Slate’s travel pieces are too
few and few between. They only seem to pop up every few weeks or so, and yet, when they do, I always enjoy the stories.
What I like the most is that Slate let’s the writers breathe a bit. The dispatches usually take place over the course
of a week, and during that time the writers get to explore many aspects of a place, they meet different people and you
get to watch the transformation of the writer’s perspective from day to day. Compare that to a standard travel piece
which usually doesn’t have the kind of room to move.

Well, I just took a
read of the new series of dispatches out on by Elisabeth
Eaves, and it is one of the better pieces I have read in a long while on the Kiwi nation. Eaves heads to NZ with an
adventuresome friend Kristin who, Eaves writes, "has never met an outdoor solo sport she doesn’t like". Eaves
is no outdoorsy slouch, but she’s obviously got to push herself a bit given the fact she has chosen to land herself in
the outdoors capitol of the world. So the pair embark on a trip that includes hiking, sea-kayaking, on- and off-road cycling, windsurfing, and rock climbing. And then of course there’s the whole bungee
jumping thing.

The stories that unfold here are filled with humor and pain…like real
physical pain, and each one delivers a dose of insight into what New Zealand is all about: the gorgeous vistas, the
gaping space, the often kooky people. And of course, in the end, it also helps that both Eaves and her friend are,
well, rather good looking. Give it a read. 

Africa Travel: Mali

by Adrienne Wilson on

Being a big fan of cliff dwellings, caves, and houses made from the Earth’s finer materials like clay and mud I decided to highlight Mali’s Dogon country. It was long ago when I first read about the people and their pink sandstone villages nestled high above the lands in beautiful complex architecture. The Cliffs of Bandiagara made UNESCO’s World Heritage list back in 1989 for being one of West Africa’s most impressive sites mixed with cultural finds from the people who inhabit the land and the area’s natural beauty. Safari’s are most certainly not the reason one travels to this particular African country, but for first-hand experiences with the Dogon Mali should rank very high on your list.

Greek Hiker Discovers Ancient Pendant

by Adrienne Wilson on

So
you’re out on this hike through some fields in the northern part of Greece taking in the fresh air, running your
fingers across whatever plant life tickles your fancy and being nature’s number one fan when you stumble across
something odd in the fields. Something that just doesn’t belong and feels way before your time, but you are a little
unsure. Chances are you blink twice at the object and look towards the sky for aliens who may have mistakenly left it
there on one of their nightly visits. Nothing in sight. Instead of passing the object by and continuing with your hike
you decide to pocket the gold pendant and take it to your local authorities. After close observation the authorities
reveal that the object you’ve just retrieved is not only older than your great, great, grandmother, it’s older than
Greece itself.

Even if thing didn’t actually occur that way for the Greek hiker that discovered the 6,500
year-old gold pendant, finding something so old would really awesome. Imagine. What would you do? The hiker found the
pendant dating back to the Neolithic period near the town of Ptolemaida, about 90 miles southwest of the northern city
of Thessaloniki. The hiker wishes to remain anonymous and didn’t want to be rewarded. Finding a piece of ancient
history is rewarding enough. Check out ABC News
for the full scoop.

Africa Travel: Lesotho

by Adrienne Wilson on

If you happen to make it to the tiny enclave inside of South Africa that is the country of Lesotho you must visit the Malealea village. Malealea is where you will get the entire Lesotho experience in a nutshell, so it is said. The landscape in the area is stunning to say the very least and for several reasons. Brightly colored plant-life rests on rolling green hills and flat lands while rivers trickle through the country’s orange colored canyons. To avoid my imagination running wild and writing what I dream the area to smell and look like during dusk and dawn I suppose it’s best to refer you to this Malealea photo gallery. Should you be taken by the photos continue further to see what the Malealea Lodge has to offer in terms of their accommodation and pony trek tours. Apparently the ponies are the best way to explore the country.