Quirks I picked up traveling

*Travelling introduces you not only to a new culture but within that culture a new way of doing things... I have a few cultural quirks that have stayed with me despite being home in America.

*I can't remember if it's left right left I look or right left right before crossing the road. So I do both just to be sure.

*Same goes for reading, when people write "backwards" it doesn't seem odd.

*Even less noticeable is how a book opens. 

*Spelling and dates; I get confused between the American version and the world version
ie someone tells me their birthdate is 06/01/2000 is that January 6th or June 1st...

*Sometimes I forget to turn off the car before getting out... It's getting better.. I mean I didn't have to open car doors for 3 months, you just climbed in...

*Layovers don't scare me, nor does flying alone to a new airport

*I mix up simple phrases in various languages. Is "si" Spanish or Italian or both?? 

*Digging through my coins to find US currency is a small task...on the upside I'm set if we have any dramatic changes in the exchange rate

*On another upside my international pronounciation has been better since I can usually identify which language I am pronouncing. 

*I have a bag packed with everything but clothes and shoes... Kind of like having separated parents and you have one set at moms and one set at dad's..

*When I go shopping the first thoughts are 'How well is this going to travel?'

*Speaking of which when people compliment me on something I'm wearing, especially accessories, they know my answer will involve a place I travelled and therefore they probably wont ever get it.

*Upon purchasing anything I have to check myself on bartering...

*I am horribly aware of the lack of cleanliness...  

* I am always prepared with tissue, hand sanitizer, band aids, gum and whatever else I won't find while traveling...

* I get to public places and go to use something only to realize the lack of cleanliness and then I realize I have survived worse. 

 

 

*Sometimes I forget how things really are in America, and I get greater culture shock coming home then I did going foreign. (true story every time)

*And then I remember all the things I took for granted on my vacation. Like the abundance of spices, mango lassi and watermelon shakes for a dollar... and of course a grand adventure.

*This picture isn't the grand adventure.*

Chooti the Lucky Elephant

At last!! the long awaited day for Elephants!! We arranged a hotel pickup, so as we waited we indulged in the traditional breakfast of egg, meat and toast. (I prefer a sweet breakfast but Thailand definitely has me thinking twice about breakfast.)  We were soon picked up and taken out to the mountains surrounding Chiang Mai to the panda tour elephant camp run by Mr. 'Coconut'



 We began with introductions to all the Elephants. (He owns a lot of female elephants, and they have one baby named chooti, (which means lucky))

   

We had a whole bag of bananas to feed the sweet guys, and boy did they love them and weren't afraid to ask for them. An elephant does not know the meaning of a "personal bubble" obviously. 

Thankfully they had given us clothes to change into so we wouldn't get out own dirtied by elephant love.

I love elephants, but learning how to climb on is always a heart racer for me. In India we climbed on by walking up their trunks. In Thailand we climbed on to their foot and then once they raised it high enough we literally jumped onto their back. Sometimes that is a big jump, once on the elephant they surprised me by saying we were now going for a ride and I was driving!!! Ahhh

Our Mahout walked along side so we wouldn't totally get lost or go for a run, or end up wandering around Thailand ( and thus becoming a myth of Thailand). Once on our way our elephant knew pretty well where to go, we walked and walked and finally came back to the river where she proceeded to walk thru and then stop. She was done.

We got her to lie down and proceeded to give her a good scrubbing bath. They gave us coconut husks(? Im not positive on that) but it acts as a loofa and gets 'sudsy' as well, and when we are done the elephants enjoy the treat.  Some of the local kids jumped in and joined us as we were giving her a good washing. In fact they decided I needed a good washing as well and started throwing buckets of water at me and then laughing hysterically. Be warned though, this is elephant territory soooo the water wasn't exactly 'clean'. Somethings float and you just have to watch out for them..



It was such a relaxing moment playing in the river while watching the elephant. It was just us, our elephant, the 2 kids, our Mahout and one other guy to take photos. The river was the perfect temperature and our elephant... well everyone was in a playful happy mood.  We finally climbed out and went to retrieve our clothes to 'shower' and change. Sometimes it is an adventure learning how to work around the 3rd world way of things. Such as the showers, they were in the bathroom stall with just a spicket coming out of the wall up high. But it got the job done, and we were rewarded with some delicious homemade thai food for lunch.

After lunch we were waiting for the truck to come pick us up to take us over to river rafting. Mr. Coconut brought over the extra bananas and we went over to baby Chooti and his mom, and passed time feeding the two gentle giants.  We even got surprise elephant kisses courtesy of Chooti, sounds sweet, and it is, but it is also wet and dirty. I wish we had those pictures but just as we were enjoying the moment the truck pulled up to take us river rafting on a bamboo raft.

We blew kisses to Chotti and climbed aboard the Rafting Express. shortly later we stopped along the road and climbed down to the bamboo rafts and took a leisurely ride down the river, past many elephants. (Is that not the life??)

Once we were back at home, we were once again ready for food, so we started wandering the street, but nothing was standing out, so we turned and walked down the street and picked up our first ever Roti.  Roti is like a fried stuffed crepe filled with whatever deliciousness your heart desires, (unless its out of season, like strawberries) We found a delicious thai restaurant to complete our meal at... so much food! After we kept walking and stumbled upon the Sunday Market. Surprisingly the market was much bigger then it appeared and full of treasures. The perfect way to end the day! 

PS This is how you get off an elephant…. Slide down the trunk.  Nothing like a little adventure to start of the morning.

Meeting the Tigers of Chaing Mai

K So I have realized this trip really is about plans B,C,& D.

Once we got into Chiang Mai we decided we were much to tired to figure out very many plans. We booked the Zip Line adventure for Monday and headed out to an adventure. But soon realized a lot of things (AKA Elephants & Tiger Kingdom) were closed. Luckily we checked with the front desk, who informed us that Tiger Kingdom was open despite what the website says. We went with a very pleasant driver out to Tiger Kingdom, he told us a bit about the area of Chiang Mai. He joked about being scared of the tigers. (I mean who wouldn't looking at that back paw..)


There are several different packages you can purchase for visiting the Tigers.  Jamie and I did the Smallest (around 3 months old) the Small (I think still under a year but bigger) and the Large cats.  We also decided it was worth it to pay for the photographer, since we split the cost for one photographer and that way we didn't have to worry about taking pictures.



We started out with the smallest, they require you to wash your hands and put on a special set of slippers before going in to see the babies.  It was very nice that we had the tigers to ourselves, granted it was the off season, but there was no crowding. The babies were adorable, so sleepy. One was feeling a little playful to the annoyance of the others.

 The staff was so great to work with, and I know there are lots of rumors about drugging the tigers, but these guys did not look, nor act drugged. All their lazing about is what they do, they are Cats after all...














We went in to play with the small tigers next, and with each enclosure you have a tiger keeper/trainer who accompanies you in for safety. These guys were great and perfectly playful, and co-operative.















Then on to the large cats... They crack me up, these cats are so used to people they have adopted an attitude of "do what you want, and if you really need me to wake up, I will".

Later as we sat in the cafe eating lunch, we watched one of the trainers have a one on one interaction with his large tiger.There was much respect there.

From there we headed back to Chiang Mai.  We stopped off at a jewelry store, many drivers have deals with the jewelers, if the drivers bring their customers by, then the jewelers give the drivers a gas card, even if you don't buy anything. So we just went along, and found some really great, but expensive jewelry... Some day.


We found a great place for food on the river bank, perfect romantic setting if you ever, (ahem MATT) need a great place for a certain questions ; ) We went with our classic pizza Margherita but so many of the dishes sounded absolutely delicious. I definitely would recommend eating or staying at the Sala Lanna.
We ended our day at the night market. I loved this place, it looks small but it keeps spreading out thru alley ways. Tons of good, handcrafted stuff. I got a great skirt, Jamie bought a darling carryon bag.
Once thru we thought we could walk back, but we were so turned around, we asked one of the stall owners and she got her friend, a driver, to come tell us how to get back... in the end he gave us a good price and drove us home since it was a bit farther then we wanted to walk at night.

* All my picture skills apparently got used up for the day with the tigers, oops.... Enjoy!

A day in transition-Cambodia to Chiang Mai

Whew, I am back! Sometimes colds can really knock you out. But.. Leaving Siem Reap and go!!

What a great day to travel! During the night it poured rain complete with lightning and thunder. So when our bus came to pick us up it was perfect, despite the literal downpour.
We made a few more rounds and then all packed onto a bigger bus for the ride to the border. Our total travel time was to be 6 hours to Bangkok... Those 6 hours turned into 12.

We drove to the border, and then all had to cross the border on foot, getting out of Campodia was easy, getting into Thailand was a bit trickier with a very long, long line. But once thru we broke into smaller groups and rode in vans to Bangkok.

I had scheduled our flight at  21.00 to give us plenty of time, turns out that time vanished with the rain and we barely made it to the ticket counter on time.  We did get to ride the airport link which was super fancy, and convenient. Unless you have large bags...

Oh tidbit Seven-Eleven is everywhere over there, and are happy to break large bills that the ATM spits out. We boarded our flight where off to Chiang Mai. I love landing at night in a new city. It's like a surprise waiting to happen. You take roads and end up at your hotel, with no idea of your surroundings, but then in the morning you wake up and take a look outside and SURPRISE there is a beautiful, or not so beautiful in some cases, view out your window.

Other plans we had for Cambodia and are worth checkin out
Volunteer at an Orphanage
Yoga-Plethora of studios
Artisan Classes http://www.backstreetacademy.com/#!siem-reap/cmh3

This place has local artisans that will teach you their trade, and with how inexpensive it is, it is definitely worth a look

 List of more activities for Siem Reap

http://www.travelfish.org/sights/cambodia/western_cambodia/siem_reap/siem_reap

Making it count: our last day in Phuket

Day 3

We awoke to a lovely morning, which of course meant it was time for the beach!!!

Thailand is known for their gorgeous beaches. Phuket is the most well known spot out of all Thailand. But 1st we were going Zorbing.

 We grabbed a tuk tuk and gave him the address (let it be known, they may say they know the address... not always true, so plan extra time and be ready for an adventure.) 

Our driver got us to Patong beach, and informed us it was just up "this" drive...(he pointed his finger at our next right, where some hotels were at) So we naively believed him, you would think we would be smarter, but the sun was shining and we were on a happiness high from all the beauty around us. 

We walked over to "that" drive.. nothing. We asked the people around... they knew nothing about it either. 

On their website, for Rollerball,  it says they are 2 minutes from Patong beach, just after the Sunset Resort. Since we are girls, we stopped and asked for some directions, and while the guy didn't know about the Zorbing, he did recognize the hotel. ** In the defense of Rollerball, they offer a free pickup from your Patong beach hotel, or if you want to pay a little extra they will pick you up at your hotel outside of Patong. You should probably take them up on that offer** After stopping to take some photos and meeting a friendly German couple, who kindly offered to take our picture followed by a group of guys from Australia asking us to take pictures for them, we were once again back on our way. 

We finally made it to the resort and found a sign pointing us in the right direction, right up a steep hill. Needless to say, we got a great workout and enjoyed the water event even more. 

The staff was super helpful and nice. Jamie and I decided to share a ball (the more the merrier) and chose the "jagged" course.

What an adventure, they have about 40 litres of water in the ball to keep it slick, so you don't start sticking to the sides. To get in, you dive thru the opening into the water, and then they seal off the opening and off you go down the course. The first time is exhilarating as you figure out what is happening, as your are being bounced around. You finally end with a "whomp". You hop out and onto their truck, loaded with the ball and speedily head up to the top for another go. This was a blast, if you don't believe me check out these reviews.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297930-d2520135-Reviews-Rollerball_Zorbing_Phuket-Patong_Kathu_Phuket.html 

The staff took us back down to Patong beach where we did, maybe a little to much, shopping.  I can't help it. I am a sucker for bargaining and unique/culture things, especially clothes and jewelry. But it is all part of the experience, and you can find everything down there. Need a new purse, there are plenty "name brand" purses to choose from. Need some perfume, no problemo. Makeup,? on every street they are selling MAC. Airlines lost your luggage? get a complete outfit just walking down one street. I'm sure there were guy things as well.. I just paid a little less attention to them.

They also have killer crepe carts along the road, so naturally I devoured a mango crepe and it was heavenly! 

We ended our day playing in the waves, and drying in the sun before we headed home for dinner at Eleven & Co. except, SURPRISE!!! all of walking street was closed!!! SoWon Chons it was for our good bye meal of delectable Pad Thai & Mango Crepe.  

All in all I loved Phuket, if you are looking for a Hawaii with a cultural spin on it, Phuket is the place. Massages on the beach for $10-$15, jet boat rentals (also cheap), parasailing, snorkeling, restaurants overlooking the beach. With it being low-season we had plenty of opportunities and lots of space.  

Day2 in Phuket Paradise

I love lazy mornings, Jamie... not so much. She did pass the time by playing Bejeweled and letting me sleep, since jet lag finally caught up to me. So Sunday morning, after sleeping in, we headed over to the weekend market, just down the street from where we were staying. However, turned out that is was a night market, so we jumped on the back of a motorcycle taxi and headed to Wat Chalang. 

Wat Chalang is a Buddhist temple, and it is amazing. There is a mixture of tourists, drivers, worshipers, and even a wedding couple. The bride is beautiful in her traditional wedding wear, and the groom looks like Prince Charming. As we enter the temple, after removing our shoes, we are stunned by the beauty of the murals and the many statues of Buddha.

 

My Favorite part are all the elephants!

As we continue on we are assaulted by the sound of loud popping, like gun shots. Our eyes quickly scanned the courtyard, via the window, searching for some chaos, but everyone was calm as day (never got that expression.. maybe days were calmer back in the day??) So we attributed it to a one time occurrence someone light the firecrackers in celebration of the Bride and Groom who looked like they were straight out of a fairy tale, the classics, you know? Like Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty.
Anywho, I've gone off topic, back to Firecrackers. The rest of our time spent there we heard Firecrackers probably 7 times!

**come to find out, according to Phuket.com, & Justluxe.com  the act of Lighting Firecrackers is to show gratitude for an answered prayer and thus celebrating their good fortune**

 

The Lovely Gardens

All in all I loved the simple elegance of this Buddhist temple, complete with all the minor details. If you are traveling thru Phuket I would definitely recommend stopping by Wat Chalang, if for nothing more then a good healthy heart pounding start to your day, when you find yourself a little to close to the oven meant for Firecrackers.

 

From Wat Chalang we hailed a motorcylce taxi and headed up to Big Buddha, which completely lives up to its name. It was quite the hill for our motorcycle to climb with 3 people, but once at the top the view was gorgeous, and the was monks reading scripture over the speakers completed the scene.

 

Heading back home, proved to be quite the feat. Our driver got lost several times, despite his original reassurance that he knew the street we lived on, in "old" downtown Phuket.
We eventually made it after help from some very helpful ladies at one of the resorts, and another kind soul at the market near our place where we were eventually dropped off. 
Times like this I realize how much we are at the mercy of others, and rather then being upset, it is better to roll with the punches and realize we will eventually make it, but at the moment we are having an adventure, and there is nothing I can do, so enjoy. 
I LOVED traveling by motorcycle and would encourage anyone else who is brave enough to trust a complete stranger with their lives, to travel this way as well. 

The Sunday Market was a blast, located on Walking Street, along Thalong Road, the street is closed for the day while everyone sets up for the evening. It was so fun just to wander around and experience the carnival like atmosphere with the food, the dancers and the vendors. (we found more 'handmade' unique things here, then any other shopping in Thailand) The Market doesn't open till 4pm so the vendors all bring lights and make it a night market. The street also has a network of colored changing lights.

 

Such Cute Performers!

Another place I suggest, that we didn't go is The Point by Patong beach, it is the last place the sun sets, and has some gorgeous views. 

We also researched Memorials from the December 26, 2004 earthquake and resulting Tsunami. One that seemed more prominent is an underwater plaque near Tonsai Bay/Krabi. Do your research on this one. It has some cool significance. 

Khao Lak/Phi Phi Island Police boat- another notable memorial is the Police boat that was washed a shore, at the time it was on duty for the Royal family. It was never moved and has since been set up as a memorial.

Buddhism Weekly Holy days are based off the Lunar Cycle, Full Moon, New Moon, and the 2 half moons. Important to know, since many shops, and restaurants are closed on those days... (Info found on http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/147862-what-is-buddhist-holy-day-of-the-week/)