Some men you just can't reach (our first full reversal)

By John Roberts 9 March 2008 13:41:00

Life and circumstance have pulled me away from my missive writing table for too long, two weeks gallivanting, an awards ceremony (we won - by the way) and then back to the grindstone, sparks flying.

    So, how to catch up with those of you who follow this?  Well, honestly and with the bad news first I think, during my absence we had our first reversal and a definitive end to a story that started so well but, if I look back, had been living in optimism for a few months.

    Ko Barn left us, and he's part of the story, but I'm not too worried about him as he's a long time movie star and some rich producer bought him out of his contract, provided an ele limo and, having expended, will pamper - it is the story of the hitch-hiker in that limo that I am worried about.

    In the same truck Boon Lot also went.  Boon Lot, you'll remember, was the elephant we found under Rama IX last September, too tired to be woken by the scream of traffic and the approach of strangers, she's a family elephant and is deeply entwined in the various families we have living with us - owned by Lung Sao, K. Sompong's father and Nong Pleum (human)'s other Grandfather.

    The fly in the ointment was K. Sompong's younger brother who was on the streets with a younger elephant at the time we bought Boon Lot up but refused to come himself; since Lot has been living the good life up here he's been barely surviving on the streets of small provincial towns and, since December (when he turned down another offer to come up - despite having been beered and banana'ed (bananas for his ele) for a night in Bangkok by Anantara - we bought her a night in a small forest nearby) he had been calling his father weekly and asking who was the favourite son?  How could a loving father live the good life in the Golden Triangle with one son and leave his youngest to suffer on the streets?

    Well, I know what my Dad would have said, I probably wouldn't be able to type it in a family blog like this, but it would go along the lines of "Foolish boy, get up here and take advantage of the kind offer, look after your wife and raise your child."

    Perhaps that is how Lung Sao did start out but by the last week in February, my second day in Istanbul, the younger son had persuaded the Dad to make a break to support his illegal endeavours - Seang had a day off; I was in awe of the Hagia Sofia and stuffed on olives, cheese and kebabs; Amp was desk ridden and basically hors de combat after her appendectomy - the two old men, with Ko Barn's buy out cash in their pocket, decided to breach their contracts, get drunk and cause a fight, first amongst themselves and then with the other mahouts.

    When my phone rang it was on a stormy Bosphorus, riding a boat with snow on the decks, facing Europe and with my back to Asia for the first time in five years - the irony was not lost.

    The stupid thing is that we are not a prison, had they worked out their contract (or even spoken with me three days before I left when an empty truck went back to Surin having bought our latest rescues - more later or see here or here for instant gratification) with our grace and friendship - we do recognise there are some men you just can't reach - albeit with our disapproval, and a cheque for a contract completed.

    Now, unfortunately for Boon Lot, they've burned their bridges - we know their priorities lie with a ne'er-do-well son and that they are prepared to breach contracts as cowards rather than request as Gentlemen - besides I'm not sure either Lord or Sompong would have them back in camp.

    We always said, from the beginning of the Rescue Rental (and this was an Anantara Rental - the hotel covered her costs and she helped the hotel's mahout training activities - rather than a Foundation Rescue), that the downside was they could always leave, the upside being that by helping one elephant we also helped mahouts and family and hadn't put another elephant in danger of being split early - or, it seems, taken from the wild in Burma and smuggled across - and taken onto the streets.

    So, so long Boon Lot, hope we can meet again, hope you enjoyed six months of good food and easy life, hope those six months have made you stronger, healthier and better prepared to face the hardships of life - we know blood is thicker than water and some blood is thicker than others.

    Easily written, sentences like that, not so easily believed; but in this affair nett good has been done, no other ele has been put in danger and a young ele has had something of a teen-hood and is better prepared to face the world - something that would not have happened had we not been here.


    

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