Wednesday, April 15, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
11
Commentary...
Visiting Thailand before pandemic
By Craig F. Eisenbeis
Columnist
Many readers expressed
interest in my previous arti-
cles about our Southeast
Asia <Ghost Ship= cruise
to nowhere. Many, though,
asked what the cruise was
like before the stop in Hong
Kong made people aboard
our ship into international
pariahs. It was wonderful!
We saw, learned, and
experienced things that can
never be understood without
the first-hand observation of
international travel 4 travel
that has since come to a
worldwide standstill due to
the COVID-19 pandemic.
My wife, Kathi, and I
departed Sisters in a dark,
January snowstorm. It was
a relief to arrive in Singa-
pore on time after more than
20 hours in the air. We flew
into the wealthy city-state
just after midnight, and my
principal impression was of
the vast infrastructure sup-
porting the massive metro-
politan complex stretched
out beneath us. My second
impression was of the hun-
dreds, probably thousands, of
ships anchored and moored
in the harbor. I worked with
ships and ports my entire
Coast Guard career, and I
never saw so many ships in
one place.
Singapore is a place that
is both familiar and unfamil-
iar. With an internationally
acclaimed airport that looks
like a sci-fi movie set, all
road signs, and most com-
mercial ones, are in English.
Also of note, your visa is
prominently marked in red
letters <WARNING: DEATH
FOR DRUG TRAFFICK-
ERS.= There are also stiff
penalties for things like spit-
ting, feeding pigeons, and
failure to flush the toilet.
Public displays of affection
are always frowned upon but,
if same-sex, are punishable
by stiff fines and jail time.
We saw impressive archi-
tectural triumphs and, in the
few areas not covered by con-
crete and steel, dense jungle-
like vegetation 4 Singapore
is, after all, little more than
a degree above the equator.
Our stay there was brief; and,
not long after being trans-
ported to Holland America9s
Westerdam, we were sailing
off into the Gulf of Thailand.
Cruise ships such as these
are like floating cities, with
eating, shopping, recreation,
and entertainment venues
scattered throughout. West-
erdam is a smaller, mid-size
ship carrying fewer than
2,000 passengers. Still, first-
rate shows are conducted in
the huge theater with illusion-
ists, comics, musicians, and
4 most notably 4 elaborate
Broadway-style live produc-
tions with singers and danc-
ers. Additionally, nightclub-
like venues abound, with live
shows ranging from classical,
to blues, to rock.
The most obvious advan-
tage to cruising is that you
take your hotel with you;
there is no packing and
unpacking. So, after two
nights and a relaxing first full
day at sea 4 during which
we found a nice couple from
Illinois to play bridge with
4 our <hotel= had moved to
Koh Samui, Thailand.
The highlight of Koh
Samui was unquestionably
riding an elephant on a trail
through an eco-safari park. I
can9t say that elephant riding
is exactly the most comfort-
able mode of travel we9ve
ever used, but it9s certainly
the most unusual. Our ele-
phant <operator= (mahout)
has had his job for 7 years,
and he works with only one
elephant. He lives in a nearby
home, which he pointed out
to us; and he takes the ele-
phant home and lives with it
and cares for it. <Lily= is 25
years old and one of 25 ele-
phants in this park.
Before the 30-minute ride,
we were treated to a <baby=
elephant show. These 2-3
year old <babies= are quite
huge and very friendly; they
seem to genuinely enjoy what
they do and did various tricks
and dances. They come right
up to you in the hopes of get-
ting treats, such as a bunch
of bananas, which they wolf
down, peels and all. Ele-
phants consume 250 pounds
or more of food and 50 gal-
lons of water every day.
While there have not yet
been any reports of COVID-
infected elephants, we have
since learned that the pan-
demic is taking a serious
toll on Thailand9s captive
elephants. According to a
BBC report, thousands of
captive elephants are in dan-
ger of starving because Thai-
land has closed its borders to
tourists due to the pandemic.
Sadly, that closure has dried
up the income flow neces-
sary to support these inter-
esting, and enormous, ani-
mals. In most areas, there is
not enough forest left to turn
them loose and let them for-
age. As a result, the elephant
keepers are struggling to help
their animals survive.
The elephants we saw
seemed happy and well-cared
for. Just as we had no idea
how the coronavirus would
affect our lives, we do not
know what fates might be in
store for the elephants.
The next day, we awoke
to find ourselves in Laem
Chabang, gateway to Bang-
kok, where we would spend
the next two days. Although
we saw a few stereotypical
Thai water buffalos on the
trip, Bangkok is a modern
city of 10 million and hardly
rural. In the morning, we
had an expansive boat tour
of Bangkok9s waterways,
principally the Chao Phraya
River, which provided an
ideal avenue from which
to view this exotic city and
its unusual architecture. An
unexpected sight, however,
were the six-foot long water
monitor lizards!
We were served an excel-
lent lunch at the downtown
Ramada Inn, where we began
what would become a daily
litany of superb Asian lager
beers. Pre-pandemic traf-
fic in Bangkok was terrible;
and, at one point, we took 45
minutes to travel just three
downtown blocks, forcing
us to miss a drive-through of
Bangkok9s Chinatown. We
learned that 95 percent of
PHOTO PROVIDED
Craig and Kathi Eisenbeis ride an elephant in Thailand shortly before the
pandemic crisis. The animals are now threatened with starvation due to
the interruption of the tourist industry caused by the pandemic.
the very friendly and courte-
ous population is Buddhist.
Homes and businesses have
little shrines outside that look
like tiny temples on pedes-
tals; they are referred to as
<spirit houses= and are main-
tained to provide a revered,
nearby residence for departed
loved ones, as well as spirits
that lived at the site before.
Our second day in the area
centered around the town of
Pattaya and the Wat Ben-
chamabophit, or the Marble
Temple, and its elaborate
thousand-acre monastic
grounds. This is one of the
most visited sites in Thailand.
Later, we visited Sala Viharn-
sien Pavilion, which houses
a spectacular collection of
ancient Chinese art, princi-
pally statuary. The exhibits
include the only permanent
display of Chinese terra cotta
warriors outside of China.
I9ve seen many museums all
over the world and am not
easily impressed; I was very
impressed. The final high-
light of the day was a visit to
a 390-foot image of Buddha
etched onto a mountainside.
Finally, we returned to the
ship for an excellent steak
dinner and an evening pro-
duction show in the theater.
Our agents are ready to meet
your insurance needs
As life changes, so should your policy
Call or come in today for a
free Farmers Friendly Review
541-588-6245 • 257 S. Pine St., #101
www.farmersagent.com/jrybka
AUTO • HOME • LIFE • BUSINESS
Formerly
F
Form
o erly
er rly Big
B
Bigfoot
ig
gfo
f
foot
Wellness
Well lne
Wel
lnes s
Yes, We Are Open…
Chiropractic is
considered essential!
We are treating low-risk
patients suff ering acute
pain and taking all
precautions to make
care safe. To schedule an
appointment, visit
our website:
www.blackbutte
chiropractic.com
541-389-9183
392 E. Main Ave., Sisters
Boone Dog Pizza is Open!
PIZZA/BREAD ORDERS FOR PICK-UP
BEGIN APRIL 17... ONLINE MENU/
ORDERING AT BOONEDOGPIZZA.COM
Eurosports Food Cart Garden
Open Friday/Saturday/Sunday, noon-6 p.m.
Corner of Hood & Fir
Wishing health and well-being to all!
“Sisters Businesses are Here to Serve” page to find curbside pick up, delivery, and more.