the elephant count

i am keeping a log of my elephant sightings. it's too much fun.

number 1: in sri lanka, outside of colombo, by the airport. in the back of a truck. yes, a truck drove down the street (a really big truck, you see) with an elephant standing in the back, and a lot of palm fronds.

number 2: at the southern-most tip of india, in kanyakumari. there was a trainer with the elephant, and the elephant was painted, standing by one of the temples. people could get pictures with him. everytime we say him he was surrounded by a crowd of black-clad pilgrims or foreign tourists.

number 3: on the bus ride to kovallam from kanyakumari, which takes a little over 3 hours. the bus careened down narrow streets, horn blaring, dust flying, passing other busses, cars, motorcycles, and... an elephant that was being led down the road. he was a big guy. our bus was fully into the lane of oncoming traffic to pass the elephant. the bus was in the lane of oncoming traffic a lot. still, though, not as scary as driving in china can be sometimes.

number 4: on the bus ride from kanyakumari to kovallam. most of the area we travelled through was continuous village. right when we left kanayakumai we travlled through some rice paddys, and palm and banana groves, with views of the mountains of the western ghats. mostly, though, the road was lined with shops and homes. and people. we passed through a little forested area, and in the trees, there was a baby elephant, with his trunk wrapped around some plants. maybe he was eating, we were going far too fast for me to see.

we have seen a lot of animals here. dogs, cats, pigs, cows, birds, goats, a snake, fish.... the goats were guarding the bus station, and the pigs and cows are just hanging around. for the most part, all the animals look healthy. it is fun to have so much life surrounding us. it is time for me to go read on the beach. we just had a wonderful breakfast at a german bakery. great fruit and yogurt.