Another World

I had lunch today with a friend who grew up in India¹. She went back to visit her parents this summer, then spent some time with her inlaws. Her niece, who was visiting from England, was invited over to the next-door neighbours', to see the new pet they had bought for their grandchildren.

A baby elephant.

Leaving aside the whole issue of who cleans up after the elephant in your backyard², how cool is that?

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1. I must confess that I've always been fascinated by ancient cultures, particularly those in hot countries. I'd love to visit Egypt (the Valley of the Kings in particular), Turkey (the Hagia Sophia and the library at Ephesus), Greece ... and India. I know it's not the land of the Raj anymore, but it's such an amazingly varied land. My friend grew up in Kerala (the setting for Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things) and I'd love to go there.

2. I realize there are ethical and moral issues here, but it's not like we don't have our own animal problems here in America del norte.