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Post by exoticimports on Feb 22, 2016 13:24:07 GMT
And if you add food, then Thailand is a must-go.
And elephants. Who wants to go to visit Grandpa Jones near Disney when you can go visit Grandpa Adam in Thailand where they have elephants!
Still kicking myself for not buying the condo on the water for US$40,000...now selling for $150,000.
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Post by nomad on Feb 22, 2016 16:26:47 GMT
From what I have heard and read, I not sure they treat their large beasts of burden very kindly, well in fact they treat them rather cruelly . If you want to see happy Elephants go to an African Game Park where the locals are not shooting them for their tusks which are destined for Asia.
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Post by Paul K on Feb 22, 2016 16:38:41 GMT
From what I have heard and read, I not sure they treat their large beasts of burden very kindly, well in fact they treat them rather cruelly . If you want to see happy Elephants go to an African Game Park where the locals are not shooting them for their tusks which are destined for Asia. Elephants are protected species in Thailand and I must say that Thai people tread them with more respect then each other. However there are still some "working elephants" mainly as a tourism attraction .
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Post by wollastoni on Feb 22, 2016 16:42:29 GMT
The real issue is that wild populations are diminishing due to deforestation and human population growth. Same in Indochina.
I have seen some footages of the early 20th century of hoards of hundreds of wild elephants in Cambodia and Laos. Very impressive. Unfortunately thing of the past
True that these elephant tours and shows in Chiang Mai are very sad. You see hoards of fat tourists happy to make a 10-minute-trip in the "jungle" on their unchained elephant. Same for these ridiculous "bath with an elephant", "painting with an elephant" ... and so on. Leave them free in the forest and admire them (like in Africa).
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Post by Paul K on Feb 22, 2016 16:50:32 GMT
The real issue is that wild populations are diminishing due to deforestation and human population growth. Same in Indochina. I have seen some footages of the early 20th century of hoards of hundreds of wild elephants in Cambodia and Laos. Very impressive. Unfortunately thing of the past Indeed there are fewer elephants in the wild now and they are very hard to spot. Most common place to encounter an asian elephant is to drive thru Khao Yai National Park just 200 km north of Bangkok. If you lucky...
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Post by wollastoni on Feb 22, 2016 16:52:48 GMT
I would add that the people who treat worst the animals are us : Westeners. Take a visit to our "Auschwitz-like" cow factories, pig factories or chicken factories, results of our industrial vision of agriculture, and you would feel ashamed of our "civilization". People often complain about the fate of poor elephants, whales or bears... but just don't care of the life of the beef or chicken they eat everyday.
I know some peasants who try to work correctly in terms of meat quality and animal respect, but the competition of those industrial farms is a nightmare for them.
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Post by Paul K on Feb 22, 2016 17:03:48 GMT
I would add that the people who treat worst the animals are us : Westeners. Take a visit to our "Auschwitz-like" cow factories, pig factories or chicken factories, results of our industrial vision of agriculture, and you would feel ashamed of our "civilization". People often complain about the fate of poor elephants, whales or bears... but just don't care of the life of the beef or chicken they eat everyday. I know some peasants who try to work correctly in terms of meat quality and animal respect, but the competition of those industrial farms is a nightmare for them. Well...too many mouths to feed. "We are the plague of the Earth" as Sir David Attenborough said.
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Post by nomad on Feb 22, 2016 18:31:40 GMT
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Post by nomad on Feb 22, 2016 18:46:53 GMT
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Post by Paul K on Feb 23, 2016 3:06:01 GMT
Wow! ;( thanks for sharing Peter . Most people don't know the process. Very sad...
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Post by Adam Cotton on Feb 23, 2016 15:01:30 GMT
Another spot where it is relatively easy to see wild elephants is on the road to Pa La-U waterfall at Kaeng Krajan NP just west of Hua Hin. I drove down the road a couple of years ago, and on the way noticed a lot of signs warning about wild elephants and what to do or not to do if you encounter one. On the way back this came running down the road in the opposite direction to me: Rather frightening, actually, as they often attack cars and sometimes kill people. Adam.
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Post by jshuey on Mar 10, 2016 19:03:41 GMT
I'm old enough that my wife and I have pondered this question. Assuming that the world economy doesn't completely collapse, we should have the resources needed to do what ever makes us happy.
We love Central America and have discussed living in Belize, Guatemala or Mexico. But as you get to know the countries and cultures, you realize how corruption and injustice pervades everything - even in a country like Costa Rica, craziness is never far out of sight. So, I think we are at the point that we would never permanently move to Latin America. You have to be able to have a safe haven, and as screwed up as the US is (and may be in the near future), it is still basically a sane and safe country.
Plus, I still want to maintain an insect collection. I can't see doing that if you lived full time in Latin America. Even if you could defend it against mold and pests, what happens when you are dead?
I think the alternative model we are looking at is one of extended sojourns to exotic localities. The winter in the Andes. and summer in the cool mountains of Guatemala. Four to six months every year spent on 2-3 slow-motion vacations mostly renting cottages and soaking in new cultures. Then head back home, where I see the rest of the year spent dealing with real life and, of course, spreading leps. A short trip to Paris or Rome every now and then as a traditional vacation.
We used to talk a lot about owning our own cottage in Belize or Chiapas - and I think that would be a total blast. But then you are pretty much locked into that place for the rest of your life - and it's a big world out there.
John
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foxxdoc
New Aurelian
foxxdoc is male
Posts: 16
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Post by foxxdoc on Mar 23, 2016 15:44:03 GMT
over the years I always thought Ecuador was the place for my retirement. stunning flora and fauna. every 1,000 m new plants and animals. with the mountains you can go from hot to cold in 1 days travel. cost of living cheap. friendly people; no political issues.
but; roads are poor and private ownership of airplanes is limited and location to location travel has to be pre approved. rural medical care is very poor ; no helicopter ambulance. so no retirement to Ecuador.
I live north of tampa florida. mainly a middle class retirement area; many Europeans are here seasonally. no permanent status. cost of food and housing is low. 1 dollar beer . on the gulf of mexico. exceptional medical care. but: no flora and fauna like the tropics.
we should retire when we are young and healthy !
tom
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