Reason #15 we should go to Thailand: We love animals

As you may have noted from an earlier post, Theo and I go to extreme measures for animals. And we're not just talking about the common cat or dog here. The other members of our households are a little, um, different. I currently have an iguana named Caliban, and Theo has another iguana, Dorian, a bearded dragon named Ulysses, and an Asian water monitor named Gobo. They're all pretty spoiled lizards; we love telling stories about them to our friends and family, and we often teach our friends something about them in the process.

But we're interested in more than the animals that lounge on our couches all day. We also love to see animals in their natural habitats. The first time I saw an iguana, I was in Costa Rica; we stopped along the side of the road to admire the 10 iguanas lounging in a tree. They were huge and amazing creatures, and I was immediately mesmerized. One of the best things about that trip to Costa Rica was the opportunity to see so much wildlife. Our tour guide, Jorge, was a college student majoring in wildlife biology, and he led us on hikes through the rainforest, identifying the various creatures we saw there. He identified all the bird calls for us, and we saw toucans, various kinds of monkeys, lots of iguanas, butterflies, and even a three-toed sloth. I couldn't get enough of the rainforest, especially the cloud forest in Monteverde, and I found myself on all of the optional nature walks scheduled early in the morning. It must have been amazing for a teenager to willingly wake up before 5AM, right?

I can't wait to have similar experiences in Chiang Mai, and Theo and I are excited to explore the wildlife in the surrounding area. We're generally fascinated with all kinds of animals, their habitats and their behaviors, and we can't wait to see them in their natural surroundings. We're also excited to visit the Elephant Nature Park. We love the philosophy behind the park in creating a sanctuary for elephants, and we want to see these amazing and majestic creatures up close. If we go to Chiang Mai, you can expect an attention not just to the people and the culture, but to the animals as well. We'll shoot some great pictures and share the things we learned about them to readers all over the world. We can hear the elephants already.