Asia Adventure: Creatures and Creepy Crawlers

One of my most memorable and greatest moments of my entire trip was getting to bathe the baby elephants in the river, after feeding them and riding the adult elephant.  I spent just a few hours at the National Elephant Conservation Centre but they were some of the fondest hours of my life. In fact, there were many opportunities to touch, get tickled by, be pecked at, and cuddle with various mammals and reptiles.

Here are some of my favourite animals and experiences with them...

Cats & Dogs

 

This gorgeous dog was found wondering the back markets of Beijing.  She was gorgeous, and me, already feeling a little homesick, thought she reminded me of my girl Scarlet.

Cutest Boston bulldog in all of Asia! I loved her, she was super affectionate and sweet.  Her owner ran the Spa beside our hotel in Bangkok.  She was also the only dog I saw ever on a leash, owned by a person who fed her well and gave her lots of love.

It was quite heart-breaking to see so many stray dogs and cats throughout Asia.  Most of them you can't touch because they would run away or could attack. They feared most humans I think and were very weary and skittish.  It was hard to see at times, I wanted to save them all!

 A stunning ginger cat sleeping in Wat Po, Bangkok, Thailand.

I absolutely fell in love with this puppy, her sister and their mother.

We encountered the two pups and their mother on our beach in koh Phangan. I was so close to taking one home, I actually considered just how I might do it.  Until we left the beach anyhow, I played with them every chance I got.

Mike is the cat lover in this family. Every cat he saw, whether they were friendly or not, he was determined to pet ... and he did.

 

This precious little guy must have just been weeks old when I took this picture.  We never got too close or touched him especially because the mother was near by. We found them in a rural village in Indonesia, so we didn't know how people-friendly they would be.  But OMG, look at that face and those little legs! So sweet!

 

Okay, now this kitten I loved.  I even more seriously considered taking her home especially since we were near the end of our trip.  I think I even asked my guide how it would be possible ... but sadly, I had to leave her behind.  This kitten loved me because I always fed her and held her in my lamp dosing her with affection (Indonesia).

Wild but Friendly Creatures 

This baby monkey was possibly the cutest furry animal I ever held.  She was so light, so fuzzy and when I put her in my lap her little hand grabbed my finger while she sucked the thumb of her other hand.  Eek! And my heart just melted again (Thailand).

 Feeding some friendly deer at the Deerland, Pahang, Malaysia.

Holding a stunning baby albino python.  Yep, she's only a baby, just 3 years old and so friendly and curious. Okay, so was as sexy as Selma Hayek in From Dusk 'Til Dawn but it was still really cool (Malaysia).

Elephant riding at the Elephant Centre (Malaysia).

Holding a Fruit Bat,  a.k.a. "Flying Fox," at the Bird Market in Melang, Indonesia.  I was laughing because it felt creepy and he was licking my hand which tickled.

He was adorable and would not stop licking my hand.

Mike made a friend, in East Java, Indonesia.  These monkeys were very accustomed to humans, so we could get close to them and feed them.

We visited a water village in Cianjur, Indonesia.  There we experienced a natural fish massage at the fish farms.

Horseback riding up to Mt. Bromo, Indonesia.

Creepy Crawlers

The coolest, a leaf bug!

 

The creepiest, a millipede ... it really tickled.

 Okay, it was actually kind of cute.

The scariest, a scorpion!

Look, but don't Touch ... Butterflies

There were so many of them at the Butterfly Farm in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.  These are just a few beauties we spotted.

 Either a Blue Morpho or a Karner Blue Butterfly, your guess is as good as mine!

Looks like a Saturn Butterfly.

I wasn't sure if this one was alive, sadly it's wing was broken so I don't think it could fly.

It was an amazing experience to encounter, touch and hold all the wonderful and exotic creatures on our trip ... even if it was just holding Mike's hand.