19 November 2006

Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm

Visiting the Crocodile Farm was INCREDIBLE! Jeff and I kept looking at each other and saying "this is awesome". I won't give all the details, in hopes that you will just think "we just have to go visit and see it for ourselves", because that is completely true! But, if you have questions about anything that I tell you about, please ask. I could go on for hours about everything we saw! As you are looking at the pictures, see if you can notice how HOT we were! We were sweating before we even got into the park! It was by far the hottest day we have experienced! I'm pretty sure I will shave Jack's head in hopes to keep him a little cooler.


We saw the elephant show almost very first. The elephants were very well trained and looked really happy. Maybe that's just how elephants look? We started loving elephants immediately after we moved here, but after seeing this, we are now their biggest fans! This elephant actually ate the crackers right out of Jane and Jack's hands! They were so gentle and graceful. Just a beautiful animal! They let people walk under the elephants after the show was over, and we got our picture taken with this one.
Then, we walked over and found that we could RIDE a elephant for just 50 Baht (just over $1) a piece for Jeff and I. We were in heaven! Here's Jeff feeding duck to the crocodiles. There were so many, and it was awesome to watch how they can/can't maneuver their mouths to get the food.

This place erased anything Jack learned from Curious George about "don't feed the animals", we fed everything! For about 10 baht (25 cents), we could buy food to feed the turtles, crocodiles, goats, elephants, and the hungry, hungry hippos. We loved the hippos.
The crocodile show was really something else. These two guys just kept pulling the crocodiles up by their tails onto the "stage" and you could hear the crocodile's jaws snap shut. It was pretty cool, but I think animal rights activists would go crazy. But, these guys put on a good show, and people were just throwing money at them throughout. Jack got pretty tense when they were sticking their hands and faces in their jaws, so we left a little early.

On our way out, we stopped at this monkey that was just swinging on a wire tied between some trees. If you don't know, Jeff is a BIG fan of monkeys. I think this is hilarious.
We thought this sign was pretty funny. It was my fault that we didn't get a very good shot of Jeff "looking for his glasses". What a nut. This monkey particularly liked Jeff's crackers. He was very friendly, a little too friendly for Jack.

All in all, it was an amazing day! We saw so many new things, which I always love. This place isn't the newest, cleanest, or best smelling place, but it certainly made for an adventurous day! Come and visit, and we will take you for your first elephant ride!

2 comments:

Lee said...

MAN! I am so going to the crocodile farm! That is my kind of place. Thanks for the great pictures and descriptions!

Heidi Hillman said...

Ellie LOVED these pictures. She's always so excited to see Jack and Jane on the computer; but she's been asking repeatedly to see the elephants and monkeys and the "funny Jeff picture" today. We love hearing all about your adventures!