There is a lot of misconception floating around about orchids. Maybe it is all my misconception but it seems to also afflict some people who run Starbuck’s in Singapore. First, many people don’t know the orchid is the official flower of Singapore. Furthermore, Singapore has a great botanical garden where you can see lots of orchids (for a small fee) and even go running (for free). It’s located right by my friend Jae’s house so I did both while we were staying with her. By the way, she is a great hostess and we had an excellent time!! Anyway, Starbucks is featuring banana drinks as their drink of the month for May, and they had some trivia on their chalkboard stating that orchids and bananas are from the same family. If that’s true, I can’t scare up any information on it. I did learn that the banana is related to the bird of paradise, the city flower of Los Angeles, CA - so maybe someone just got confused (http://www.huntington.org/BotanicalDiv/Posters/Civilization.htm). Perhaps one of you blog enthusiasts with some time on your hands can clear the matter up. 
I always thought the orchid was the national flower of Thailand, because like everywhere you go here they give you orchids, and there are a gazillion orchid farms. In fact, the national flower is the ratchaphruek, a yellow cluster-shaped flower which grows by the side of the road. According to the ASEAN organization on National Flowers (http://www.aseansec.org/18203.htm#Thailand), the Thai people regard its yellow hue as the color of Buddhism and the color of glory. We have not seen any because the ratchaphruek is at the tail end of the season, which starts in February. But we will keep looking. We visited an orchid farm in Chiang Mai and saw these amazing orchids pictured here. 
Regarding elephants, they are also found here in Chiang Mai as well as a number of other places. This was my second visit to the Chiang Dao Elephant Camp, and I was dismayed to learn that the elephant population here is not doing so well. Most Thai elephants are in captivity and their population has declined to one quarter of its former size in the last 11 years. In 2007 there is a quite a baby boom going on, 
which bodes well. We met a 13 month old elephant named Sticky Rice at Chiang Dao, so this must be true. Most babies are at the Royal Elephant Center in Ayutthaya and Lampang's Thai Elephant Conservation Centre. Lampang was the birthplace of the first test tube elephant on March 7. 2007!!
which bodes well. We met a 13 month old elephant named Sticky Rice at Chiang Dao, so this must be true. Most babies are at the Royal Elephant Center in Ayutthaya and Lampang's Thai Elephant Conservation Centre. Lampang was the birthplace of the first test tube elephant on March 7. 2007!!Wikipedia has a lot to say about elephants. Of course they are mammals, and they are the largest land animals alive today. The elephant's gestation period is 22 months, the longest of any land animal. At birth it is common for an elephant calf to weigh 265 lbs! An elephant may live as long as 70 years, sometimes longer. Elephants are symbols of wisdom in Asian cultures, and are famed for their exceptional memory and high intelligence. We agreed, after seeing the elephant show, where the elephants even paint a picture! We also got to ride up and down a big hill on one, which Mom says was not very comfortable. But she did enjoy feeding her elephant a banana.
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