Last days on tour
This Friday Sri Nuan and Silver Flower will be going to school for the last time. The school next to the temple Ba Na is called likewise and has 315 pupils. Apart from nursery school all children are present. What’s new is that most children have brought something with them to feed the elephants. Lot’s of little bags with fruits and vegetables are going up into the air when we ask them if they want to show us what they have brought. Bananas, melons, cucumbers, sugarcane and even pieces of bananatrees, a true buffet for these two lucky elephants. 
Earlier today we have already given some drawing utentils and paper, and invited the kids to make as good an elephantdrawing as they can. We promise the next day we will give away prices for the best drawings, so the children can see the elephants once again, and the camerateam which has arrived will be able to film it. On Saturday we have our last Jumbo Express. Dr. Nit and her assistants treat more then a hundred animals, mainly dogs and cats, a record high on our last Jumbo Express day.
After lunch we hang up all elephantdrawings from Ayutthaya, Lopburi and Sukhothai, it looks like a real Bring the Elephant HOME exposition. Fortunately lot’s of children show up on their free Saturday to see if they have won a price and to take a look at the elephantdrawing exposition. It looks so good that we ask Lee to call the local media. Within 15 minutes a cameraman of Sukhothai News joins us. An interview with Antoinette and the give away of prices next to the elephants are filmed. We are so happy to see this many children have showed up, that we decide to give away a little price to everyone. A nice end to the elephantdrawing competition like this in the open field, with a hundred children and the elephants gathered. Ok, let’s do the Chang song for one more time, and the dutch elephantsong not to forget.
Then it’s time to thank the monks for their hospitality. The temple leader is a real animal lover, and has a number of dogs around him. In a ceremony, Antoinette lays down three envelopes in front of him, with money for scholarships. The last time we will give away these scholarships.
Tomorrow we have to rise real early, because we want to arrive n Chiang Mai before dark. During evening dinner when everyone is gathered, we have a little present for everyone to say thank you. After that it’s time to pack our bags again.
