Hmmmm.... so that's how they do it on Discovery Channel
It's all happening again, the elephant camp bills are spiraling through the roof, Lynchee's demanding hair, make-up and pedicure (she's discovered some of Lawan's old scarlet nail polish) professionals, purified Evian is being flown in by the tanker load for Boon Rod (Yui two'ey has changed her name to mean 'lucky' since her rescue), Boon Na, being the oldest is out with her tape measure to make sure she's getting the longest sugarcane.
It can only mean one thing, yes, there's been a film crew in camp - ever since Lawan's dramatic attempt to spray a Sky TV camera all those years ago, or fighting her way into the spotlight against Ginny Buckley for the BBC there's been an unwritten code of subsonic rumbles - don't let them treat the humans as stars and forget the eles, we're the stars and we need the pampering.
Lawan is no-doubt hamming it up for the TECC and turning out for all the film crews who travel through there but we have no shortage of divas in the new camp - and now some young mahouts who are eager to make a name for themselves. So when the best selling international author, TV presenter and traveller-with-children Sarah Tucker called and offered to show exactly how they do do it on Discovery Channel we jumped at the chance - with all our natural pampering the collective ele ego couldn't get any bigger, right?
The show is part of a series in which Sarah's son Tom travels in the world in search of holidays which include learning experiences.
In a true rags to riches story, Boon Rod got to be the main star, two weeks from gutter sleeping street walker to starring role in her own show (...and how often has that happened in Hollywood? Well, only the insiders know!) with K. Sompong's chiseled good looks and floppy hair playing the supporting role...
We taught Tom how to drive and care for her, one evening we went up to the Anantara sunset sala for dinner with the elephants, overlooking the sunset, Doi Tung mountains and the valley floor below - even Takhilek sparkled attractively in the distance as the band played on and the mahouts got shy and refused to sing.
Lynchee got a chance to show off as Lung Lord did a demonstration of his training by tickling and singing (and of course Lynchee did exactly the opposite of that which was expected of her), Amp got voice over and translating credits as well as contributing an interview, Lord starred once again by making a cup out of bamboo - I even got on an elephant, the rarest sight, to prove that bathing in the deep pond was fun.
I rambled incoherently to camera a few times so they'll probably cut my verbosity but I don't really have the star quality seen elsewhere in camp nowadays and Tom passed his test - so after a busy week of worrying about the sun, the lighting angles, not appearing to change my clothes for continuity reasons and having to stay out of shot, waving down the noisy motorcycles as they come into camp and saying things like "...and that's a wrap" we're back to normal, except the eles are wondering when the royalties start piling in!
It can only mean one thing, yes, there's been a film crew in camp - ever since Lawan's dramatic attempt to spray a Sky TV camera all those years ago, or fighting her way into the spotlight against Ginny Buckley for the BBC there's been an unwritten code of subsonic rumbles - don't let them treat the humans as stars and forget the eles, we're the stars and we need the pampering.
Lawan is no-doubt hamming it up for the TECC and turning out for all the film crews who travel through there but we have no shortage of divas in the new camp - and now some young mahouts who are eager to make a name for themselves. So when the best selling international author, TV presenter and traveller-with-children Sarah Tucker called and offered to show exactly how they do do it on Discovery Channel we jumped at the chance - with all our natural pampering the collective ele ego couldn't get any bigger, right?
The show is part of a series in which Sarah's son Tom travels in the world in search of holidays which include learning experiences.
In a true rags to riches story, Boon Rod got to be the main star, two weeks from gutter sleeping street walker to starring role in her own show (...and how often has that happened in Hollywood? Well, only the insiders know!) with K. Sompong's chiseled good looks and floppy hair playing the supporting role...
We taught Tom how to drive and care for her, one evening we went up to the Anantara sunset sala for dinner with the elephants, overlooking the sunset, Doi Tung mountains and the valley floor below - even Takhilek sparkled attractively in the distance as the band played on and the mahouts got shy and refused to sing.
Lynchee got a chance to show off as Lung Lord did a demonstration of his training by tickling and singing (and of course Lynchee did exactly the opposite of that which was expected of her), Amp got voice over and translating credits as well as contributing an interview, Lord starred once again by making a cup out of bamboo - I even got on an elephant, the rarest sight, to prove that bathing in the deep pond was fun.
I rambled incoherently to camera a few times so they'll probably cut my verbosity but I don't really have the star quality seen elsewhere in camp nowadays and Tom passed his test - so after a busy week of worrying about the sun, the lighting angles, not appearing to change my clothes for continuity reasons and having to stay out of shot, waving down the noisy motorcycles as they come into camp and saying things like "...and that's a wrap" we're back to normal, except the eles are wondering when the royalties start piling in!
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