One of the many small horses I would meet/greet around the temples. They are used primarily to pull carts. Most were stallions and not very friendly. The one in this pic was also a stallion but I was able to befriend him and others with a soft voice and scratching in the right places. Note small temples in background.
A few of the Rhesus Macaque monkeys (fairly large monkeys) that I fed banana's to most mornings. We became pretty close and well known to one another.
this is the alpha male of the macaque troop. Very nice fellow and calm in my presence - he didn't snatch and run - but like most of them gentlly broke off pieces of banana and consumed them while calmy sitting beside me. Sitting on the ground at their level helps belay their fears.
this is a mother and youngster. I believe the mother was the alpha male's favorite bc he always allowed her to eat after he was full. That's pretty thick jungle in background.
mom and baby chilling with me.
this is another mum with a really young baby. She was kinda skiddish about approaching me - probably bc the baby was so young. But with a soft coaxing voice at her eye level she eventually came around.
my absolute favorite creature in the world - the Asian elephant - and this is my best bub Thom (remember "large" as in Angkor Tom). I met her on my first day out to the temples. They have about a dozen or so elephants that carry tourists from parking areas to the temple entrances. I brought Thom pineapples (4-8/day) at least once a day for 4 days. The mahuts appreciate you feeding their elephants and, as long as your doing so, will allow you to "pet them and take pics. Note the black skin color which is common to Indochinese asian elephants.
Thom loved to have the area around her left eye massaged - and I obliged as long as she wanted me to do so. I truely believe that she eventually began to recognize me and appeared to cheer up when I appeared! Btw - that's a pineapple that I gave her that she's grasping in her trunk.
Thom grabbing a pineapple from me - which she always did from behind with her trunk kinda hanging over my shoulder.
she also liked to have the foremost upper portion of her mouth scratched. I had reservations about doing this when the mahut told me to try it but, in the end both Thom and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
when I scratched a certain spot behind her ear or another spot under her chin - she would vigorously flap her ear ...
Fanning and caressing my head with her ear - not only cooling me but keeping the flys away too. A very nice symbiotic relationship - that I could do for hours.
the pineapples always assured my bond with Thom!Thom liked getting almost eyeball to eyeball with me - literally only a few inches separating us. I can't remember if elephants are near- or far-sighted, but for some reason she was eager for and made every attempt to gain that physically close eye contact. Her eyes appeared to be remarkably small for her body mass(iveness)! Her eyes were beautiful and, when eyeball-to-eyeball with her, I sensed that we were seeing into one another's soul. Thankfully, her soul was telling me that she was happy - especially for the pineapples I brought to her daily. A really moving experience.
again - the symbiotic ear flapping and chin scratching. A truely wonderful coexistence - at least for me anyway. I will miss her.
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