Finding Beauty in Paradise

Through all of the fun that comes with being an expat, the best moments traveling so far have been in the encounters we’ve made with good people doing good things, even if seemingly impossible.

Our first memorable encounter was in Bali, thanks to a cute little kitty named Mietz. Our new German friends were soon heading back home and had us around to their villa for one last night of cards and drinking. To our surprise, we were greeted by a tiny, precious kitten who was only a few weeks old. The kitten had been found in the villa's electrical box that morning, starved and petrified. Over the last few days at the villa, our friends fed and cared for Mietz (German for kitten) in the hopes that her mother would return. On their final day, it seemed evident that she was abandoned, so we took in Mietz with the intention of finding a good home for her in the days to come.

After hours of research, we discovered that there was only one place on the entire island we could take Mietz. This magical place is called Villa Kitty Foundation. The next day, we set off to the shelter on the scooter, with Mietz wrapped tightly in my arms; a terrifying experience that I wouldn’t recommend! Upon arrival, we were directed into a small room where a friendly Indonesian nurse checked for Mietz’s temperature and skin. This was when the reality came into focus.

The nurse's eyes were smiling, admiring Mietz’s soft meow, but clearly a bit sad and worn. He explained that they would, of course, take in Mietz..how can they turn a stray kitten away? However, he also revealed that they were over capacity.... More than a hundred cats over capacity. He went on to describe the process for Mietz. She would get her vaccination shots and be quarantined for a few weeks. Most of the cats coming in from the streets have a severe virus. Once the vaccination settled, she would be able to run around with the other cats and put up for adoption. We walked into the back to see the quarantined area. There were a couple of people wearing thick gloves, giving the cats some love, which was heartwarming...but what I really observed was an endless amount of cages. After looping back around to the front of the shelter, we were introduced to the lady who started the foundation, Elizabeth Henzell.

A few days later, we properly spent time with Elizabeth, getting to know the history of the foundation and her aspirations. We discovered that the Villa was created only seven years ago. Elizabeth, an Australian woman, went to visit Bali and realized the desperate needs of the Bali cats. That means before her, there was nothing in place for these cats. No wonder I saw so many strays throughout my time in Bali. Elizabeth explained that cats, to the locals, are seen as rats; dirty and diseased. Even in their religious animal sacrifices, the cat is not used because it is deemed that low in their eyes.

My initial shock turned to admiration. To build a shelter for unwanted animals takes patience, hard work and, most importantly, hope. Not only does Elizabeth save and protect the cats, but she is also aiming to change the mentality of the community, which is far more daunting. Elizabeth, being the smarty-pants that she is, is targeting the youth; educating them on the beauty of cats, and paving the way for change through empathy. The intention behind these efforts are noble and will undoubtedly take a long time to see significant progress in the community.

She then escorted us to her “house” which is connected to the shelter. In the living room, we sat, chatting away, while 30 of her own adopted cats roamed around us...yes 30! She is the truest form of a cat lady, but an admirable cat lady at that. Her passion has come with sacrifice, high costs, and knowing that the needs for these cats will be never-ending. But her passion has also come with a positive impact and saved the life of a cute kitten named Mietz.

If you are interested in donating, please check out https://villakitty.com/. And if you ever go to Bali, please visit. It’s an extraordinary place.

Our second encounter occurred in the North of Thailand only a few days ago. My husband and I signed up for a walk with elephants, organized by the Elephant Nature Park. We woke up at 7, hopped on a mini-bus, and made our way about an hour and a half south of the city, towards the elephant project. On our way, we had the pleasure of meeting our local tour guide, Sup Chai, or as he likes to be called, Sunshine.

Sunshine gave us the rundown of the Asian Elephant’s history, which was far more tragic than I expected. For a very long time, elephants have been owned property in South East Asia, for transport, labor, and entertainment. Like America, many of the elephants are forced into the circus or other tourist attractions, causing strain to the body, and blindness from the stage lights. Another sad, abusive use is that of baby elephants. Many poor beggars will pull around baby elephants in the busy streets of Thailand and use them to ask tourists for money. The videos we watched were devastating; the babies trembling in fear, their eyes desperate. Elephants are also used for logging, where they hull heavy loads for miles, causing all sorts of stress and pain. We were told a story of a particular elephant who was with child and she lost her baby after lugging tons of weight up a mountain. Afterward, she became violent and depressed, and in the eyes of the owner, useless. My heart wept not for an elephant, but a hurting mother who had lost her child.

The most common use for elephants, however, is to attract tourists. For a long time, private owners opened fake sanctuaries that allowed people to see elephants in their "natural habitat", but more importantly, ride the elephants. Again, the act of riding creates the image of elephants as property, not wild animals, and exceptionally intelligent, sensitive ones at that. Although there is a movement not to abuse the elephants, Thailand has not implemented any laws to technically prevent people from doing so.

That is where the Elephant Nature Park comes in. The park is a true sanctuary for abused elephants in captivity. Those who work at the park save elephants when they can, and rehabilitate them. Elephants, however, take a LOT of work to maintain a healthy, happy lifestyle. The nature park survives off its volunteers and is now exploring a new approach through their “Saddle Off” program.

The “Saddle Off” program aims to help and teach private owners of elephants how to care for them properly. Instead of taking the elephants away and adding to the capacity of the nature park, the program fosters love and care for the elephants and makes it possible for the owners to still maintain an income. How do they do this? Through tourism done right. Tourists, like Tristan and I, pay to visit and volunteer to help these elephants, not ride them. The money funds food supply, medicine, and many other needs. The goals of this program look at the big picture...changing the ways of those who are doing wrong and slowly ending these harmful practices. Just like Villa Kitty, these people want to help improve the mentality of the community by giving them new alternatives to their livelihoods and not shaming for what has already been done.

So what exactly did we get to do? Our day started off with meal prep; chopping up sugar cane and peeling a lot of bananas. Turns out, elephants eat about 200-500 pounds of food a day! Then the fun part, we fed them. In total there were six elephants: one grandma, two mamas, one teenager, and two babies. The elders chomped away, creating their own piles of food, while the babies, just like human babies, kept dropping everything, bananas slipping out of their soft trunk grip. After breakfast, we went for a walk. Sunshine explained that this was a good practice for the elephants to roam and feed on their own, just like the wild. We watched as the adults slowly picked away some grass, while the babies ran around and played. One of the babies, Bang Bang, was especially naughty, and therefore, terribly cute. He would pick up random sticks and throw them or ram his little head against a tree. The only elephant to stay back and not follow was the adolescent, who apparently needed some time on his own. Elephant teen angst...sound familiar? :).

The best part was our adventure down to the river. The walk was so serene. The mountains on the horizon, my bare feet cool in the rippling water, and in front of me, five beautiful elephants ambling their way down the stream. Once in the deeper bit, we were given buckets, and it officially became bath time. I felt pure joy splashing around with the elephants, spilling water onto their hot backs, while the babies doused themselves in the mud. The experience felt magical. Wearing drenched clothes and wide smiles, we said our goodbyes to these stunning creatures. As I softly rubbed the elephant between her eyes, I looked at her, she looked back at me, and my heart was full.

Here is the link to the Elephant Nature Park. https://www.elephantnaturepark.org/

If you visit Thailand, be sure to do your research and pick a program that really protects the elephants, not one that rides them. :)

Coming home from both of those trips reminded me of how wonderful it feels to immerse oneself in the goodness of people. On this trip, I will eventually forget where I ate that delicious bowl of Pad Thai or the name of that awesome band we saw last week. What I won’t forget is this feeling of gratitude I have for those who are giving their time in this world to do good, even if only one small step at a time.

#travel #Bali #Thailand #beauty #change