PUT ME IN THE ZOO

As a family, we've been to a lot of zoos over the years. When it comes down to it, they are all basically the same, but the kids like to go and never resist when we suggest another zoo excursion.

The Dusit Zoo in Bangkok has a lot of the same animals that you can see in pretty much every other major zoo on the planet, so I am not going to waste space here with pictures of elephants, lions, giraffes and monkeys.

This is the first time (at least that I can recall) that I have seen a hyena in person, so that fact alone made the trip worthwhile for me.

These really are disgusting, hideous creatures (check out that drool). The head on this one was bigger than mine and the huge teeth made it downright ferocious-looking.

The zoo was a bit run down and several of the exhibits had trash in them from careless visitors. It's really kind of sad to see a majestic creature like this orangutan with a piece of plastic hanging out of its mouth.

It was another hot, humid day in Bangkok on the day we were at the Dusit Zoo, so many of the animals there seemed totally wiped out and were just listless or asleep.

It should be noted that this lack of activity wasn't confined to animal exhibits.

One interesting phenomenon in Thailand for a white family is the fascination that Thai people have with our kids. Everywhere we go - to the mall, grocery story, restaurants, Dream World and the zoo - people are always looking at our kids and trying to take their picture.

You would think that with things lemurs and langurs around, they would have better subjects for their photo albums, but this doesn't seem to be the case. I guess the citizens of Thailand just like collecting images of kids with fair skin and fair hair. Here's a picture of a lady taking a picture of my son with her cell phone:


You can't really tell, but the lady in the striped shirt is videotaping my daughter Julia looking at a crocodile (not the crocodile itself). I'm sure that will make for some fascinating viewing back home.

My kids all react to this differently to this situation. Max (age 8) doesn't really care to be made a spectacle of and usually does his best to make sure the photo he is appearing in doesn't turn out. Julia (age 5) will feign indifference whenever someone tries to snap her picture, as if the whole act is beneath her. Olivia (age 2) loves the extra attention and is never shy about posing for strangers.


As a parent, I have mixed feelings about this custom. I think it's kind of strange. Based on the extra attention we receive, it's almost like hanging out with a bunch of celebrities. As long as people are polite about it (some even have the decency to ask for permission before snapping a photo), I guess I don't really mind, but when they start touching my kids it does kind of bug me. I think the next time I see some stranger pinching one of my children on the cheek or on the arm, I might be tempted to pinch them right back.