Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to Wak Po we go - ok dear readers, welcome back after what must seem like a mammoth gap. Blame the high speed internet that exists....not. Anyway Wak Po was HUGE and the bike ride there was great fun, with all of the villagers shouting out 'Hello Felang' or Hello Foreigner. Felang I am assured is a nice friendly expression and as everyone seems to say it, I believe them.
Never found out why this Budha was there, but it was white, carved of stone and some 683 steps up a steep mountainside. My guide decided to stop at the bottom 'to look after the bikes' - right. The view at the top though was stunning and worth the climb.
Back to the resort and that night I went out with the owner, which if you recall he had promised earlier in the week. What a night. First off, we wnt to an open air concert, for a popular band from Bangkok. Now I've dissed Thai music quite a bit, but I have to say this was really very good. Fusion of the manics and the stereophonics, so not bad. Locals love them obviously, singing to every song, but it made for a great atmosphere. Then onto the 'bar' which turned out to be Karoke with a twist, in that the girls 'sang for their supper' if you get my drift. Singing was pretty dire and being propositioned by a decidedly dodgy 'girl' was interesting, but we had a laugh.
Next day, back to Bangkok, to stay at the Ba Pra Nond Inn, which was a former home of the grandfather of the owner, Tasma, who was lovely. The home was quite beautiful, with rooms that would put somewhere like the Malmaison in the shade - it was that good. Very central and off I ventured on my own to take a walk - the ferry up river (13bht around 20p) to the Khao San Rd, another place made famous in the film the Beach, although it's heritage goes back to the late sixties/early seventies. Great vibe, lots of backpackers and hippies - felt quite at home in my flip flops and 7 day old stubble. Hung around here for a few hours, before heading back on the ferry and 'Skytrain' (monorail) to the night market.
Picked up at 9ish and taken to meet up with Dee from Tell Tale Travel, who was the agent who took care of all of this trip and who was in town for a travel convention. Downturn in inbound means there are and will be lots of deals if you want to come to Thailand. Anyway, we met at the Eugenia bar and met her friend Lizzie, who has made a life in Bangkok and developed a publishing company along the way. They were really delightful company and after two bottles of decent Chablis, it was 'home Tommy'
Next day, I was to transfer to my new Homestay, the home of 'Wan' and 'Goi', who were absolutely fantastic and couldn't have done more for me had they tried. I shared their garden accomodation with an American girl called Mollie, who was on an internship with a big Bangkok newspaper and as luck would have it for her, she was there when the whole David Caradine story broke, which looks quite seedy in hindsight, but nonetheless, if you are going to work on your first newspaper story, then the suspicious death of a famous hollywood actor in a Bangkok hotel, ain't a bad place to start.
Wan took me to Chinatown - now I've been to Hong Kong and Chinatown in Soho and Manchester, but nothing prepared me for this attack on the senses. It was amazing. The food; the smells; the trading; the praying;the noise; the hustle; the bustle - it was so intoxicating and how I imagined the old 'Peking' would have felt.
Onto another temple only this one was different in that it was quite contemporary and was to house a 5 1/2 ton solid gold budha recently found encased in concrete. Nobody knows why; nobody is claiming it but it's soon going to be in magnificent surroundings.
Next day, was a visit to an island called Ko Kret, in the middle of the Chao Praya River, notable for the fact there is no traffic and it's the home for an old Burmese civilisation known as 'Mon', who were driven out of their homeland and given safe haven by a previous Thai King. The island is frequented in the main by city people and in fact, the whole time we were there, we never witnessed one other western face.
Slapping on the old suncream as the sun was out in full force, I noticed Goi and Wan cover every last bit of themselves. When I enquired why, she said they like the skin to be as 'white' as possible, as dark skin means you work the land and are a peasant, whilst white skin means you probably work in the city and therefore have status. So all of you out there, some more than others, who tan beautifully, remember you are peasants...white is in; white is cool!
A visit to a particular temple on the island was interesting in that I had a Budhist fortune taken and it was quite revealing. Not for here readers, but happy to share later once I've had a chance to reflect. Surely the fortune was not another coincidence that was just meant to be...?:-)
Throughout this part of the stay, Goi, who spoke incredibly good English, gave me more and more insights into Budhism and I can see it's appeal for many Westerners who come back from the East. I don't know how much I will get into it, but I am intrigued to learn more, mainly because of what I've seen of the wonderful people in this amazing country. Goi and her husband Wan, were so generous up to the last, giving me some very personal keepsakes that I will treasure. They don't even know me for Christ sake, but what can I say, it's a measure of them and others like them that I have met along the way.
Monday, 8 June 2009
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
One of those times when I wish I had some hair
Having dropped Elliot back at the airport and trying (unsuccessfully) to sort my return details out, due to a flight cancellation, it was on to Khao Yai National Park, some 3 hours or so from BKK.
En route we stopped for lunch at.......Tesco's.....or as it's known locally, Tesco Lotus. It was HUGE, full of people either shopping or eating in this vast food hall, served by many small vendors. I am torn between admiring them and their relentless pursuit for growth, but on the other hand, Thailand is a country full of street traders and vendors and I wonder how the little guy will fare in the next few years. Watch this space.
My time at the new resort was to be a mixture of eco/environmental support as we were staying at a lodge that provided direct support to Park Wardens, with whom we would be spending time.
Arrival was quite late and I ventured out on my own to the nearest big town, called Pak Chong and to the night market. Quite an experience as it turned out as NO ONE spoke English, but I did manage to feed myself a 2 course meal from a vendor for a little over a pound!
Throughout my stay, I was watched over by 2 Jack Russell Terriers, called Jack & Daniels(!), who were brothers and were great fun and whenever I looked up, they were there. They even both slept outside my rooom.
The park is really quite beautiful and is now a United Nations Heritage site and one could imagine that this was how Thailand looked. It was like something out of Juraissic Park.It's also big for Horses and cattle and explained the plethora of 'steakhouses' I observed on the way in.
Along the way we stopped and catalogued different wildlife, primarily birds and the main part of the day was to come, namely a visit to watch a particular phenomina at sunset.
Next stop was a cave, we had to descend down some 200 vertical steps and at the bottom, it was very dry; the cave floor soft due to .....bats....and their droppings! Around 30k bats lived down here and as we ventured deeper into the cave, they flew all around us. I think I was hit about 4 times, but it was literally like being hit by a feather. To keep them company, a a monastary on the surface, regularly had monks descend to meditate, often for 8 hours, as well as people licensed to collect the bat droppings. They had no smell but are a central component for fertiliser and gunpowder...hence the licence.
Moving onto the last cave, which was only marginally visible from the ground, as it was up the hillside, the phenomina that unfolded was the daily ritual of 2 million bats going out for their evening feed on insects. It took fully 40 minutes for us to observe before light gave way and they were still leaving, only returning when they were no longer hungry. An average bat will consume an average 10grams of insects per night x 2 million bats = a lot of insects and a lot of droppings. The people licensed to clean the cave floor here were clearing GBP2k per month. When you consider what I paid for a meal the previous night, that's a pretty good living.
Next day was a full day in the park, trekking through the forest meeting many species of birds (sparrowhawks) wildlife (gibbons) and insects (huge scorpions - wait for the picture of one on me). We were also provided with 'leech' socks in essence, put over your feet and covering your legs to your knee. They were everywhere - think of that old toy of a spring rolling down the stairs - that's how they moved. They were easy to remove as well, taking them in your fingers and rolling them like a 'bogey (c'mon admit it - you've all done a bogey). However, unbeknown to me at first, one had landed on my head (hence the hair headline) and 5 had creeped inside my waistband onto my stomach and my back and one down my trousers. I was very bloody when they were spotted by the others and I am now the proud owner of a number of puncture marks - and I didn't feel a thing, but I must have tasted good from all of the Singha beer the night before.
Through the day, we attempted to track elephants (unsuccessfully) as the rains came down later. On the way back, we also visited another falls, made famous in the film 'The Beach' with Leonardo De Caprio. We had a nice swim there.
Totally knackered, bloodied, cold and wet when we got back but guess what, it was very enjoyable and once again the trip is helping finance something positive and funds being directly put back into the local community. Getting involved in the work they do as well has been very fulfilling.
Tomorrow, Wak Po and the biggest most humongous stone budha I have seen yet.
En route we stopped for lunch at.......Tesco's.....or as it's known locally, Tesco Lotus. It was HUGE, full of people either shopping or eating in this vast food hall, served by many small vendors. I am torn between admiring them and their relentless pursuit for growth, but on the other hand, Thailand is a country full of street traders and vendors and I wonder how the little guy will fare in the next few years. Watch this space.
My time at the new resort was to be a mixture of eco/environmental support as we were staying at a lodge that provided direct support to Park Wardens, with whom we would be spending time.
Arrival was quite late and I ventured out on my own to the nearest big town, called Pak Chong and to the night market. Quite an experience as it turned out as NO ONE spoke English, but I did manage to feed myself a 2 course meal from a vendor for a little over a pound!
Throughout my stay, I was watched over by 2 Jack Russell Terriers, called Jack & Daniels(!), who were brothers and were great fun and whenever I looked up, they were there. They even both slept outside my rooom.
The park is really quite beautiful and is now a United Nations Heritage site and one could imagine that this was how Thailand looked. It was like something out of Juraissic Park.It's also big for Horses and cattle and explained the plethora of 'steakhouses' I observed on the way in.
Along the way we stopped and catalogued different wildlife, primarily birds and the main part of the day was to come, namely a visit to watch a particular phenomina at sunset.
Next stop was a cave, we had to descend down some 200 vertical steps and at the bottom, it was very dry; the cave floor soft due to .....bats....and their droppings! Around 30k bats lived down here and as we ventured deeper into the cave, they flew all around us. I think I was hit about 4 times, but it was literally like being hit by a feather. To keep them company, a a monastary on the surface, regularly had monks descend to meditate, often for 8 hours, as well as people licensed to collect the bat droppings. They had no smell but are a central component for fertiliser and gunpowder...hence the licence.
Moving onto the last cave, which was only marginally visible from the ground, as it was up the hillside, the phenomina that unfolded was the daily ritual of 2 million bats going out for their evening feed on insects. It took fully 40 minutes for us to observe before light gave way and they were still leaving, only returning when they were no longer hungry. An average bat will consume an average 10grams of insects per night x 2 million bats = a lot of insects and a lot of droppings. The people licensed to clean the cave floor here were clearing GBP2k per month. When you consider what I paid for a meal the previous night, that's a pretty good living.
Next day was a full day in the park, trekking through the forest meeting many species of birds (sparrowhawks) wildlife (gibbons) and insects (huge scorpions - wait for the picture of one on me). We were also provided with 'leech' socks in essence, put over your feet and covering your legs to your knee. They were everywhere - think of that old toy of a spring rolling down the stairs - that's how they moved. They were easy to remove as well, taking them in your fingers and rolling them like a 'bogey (c'mon admit it - you've all done a bogey). However, unbeknown to me at first, one had landed on my head (hence the hair headline) and 5 had creeped inside my waistband onto my stomach and my back and one down my trousers. I was very bloody when they were spotted by the others and I am now the proud owner of a number of puncture marks - and I didn't feel a thing, but I must have tasted good from all of the Singha beer the night before.
Through the day, we attempted to track elephants (unsuccessfully) as the rains came down later. On the way back, we also visited another falls, made famous in the film 'The Beach' with Leonardo De Caprio. We had a nice swim there.
Totally knackered, bloodied, cold and wet when we got back but guess what, it was very enjoyable and once again the trip is helping finance something positive and funds being directly put back into the local community. Getting involved in the work they do as well has been very fulfilling.
Tomorrow, Wak Po and the biggest most humongous stone budha I have seen yet.
Sunday, 31 May 2009
An interesting stop at the market for Mother
So dear readers, 2 blogs in 2 days ain't bad and hopefully this latest one will bring you almost up to date. After the sanctuary, I guess anything is going to be an anti-climax, however it has been anything but, just different.
Usual breakfast at the Old Clay House before an exchange of presents with Charlio, the 'Mae' of the house(I'd bought some Harrod's jams at the airport), followed by a photo shoot. One strange phenomina in Thailand has been that you see almost every girl do the V Victory sign in photo's. Transpires this means 'Power' and for the Japenese it represents 'Fight' or something after some cult moview. Point being that Charlio in her pictures does the V - quite funny.
Journey north to Chiang Rai was going to be about 3-4 hours and en route we stopped at a quite stunning temple. As Elliot is not here I cannot check the name but locally it was known as the Wat Temple - it was different to everything else in that it was sheer brilliant white and in place of multi coloured reflective glass on every other temple, the glass on here was silver. Imagine this temple in bright sunlight - stunning.
We arived at our new homestay 'The Lazy Moon', so called because the C moon as we see in the northern hemisphere is always on it's back in Thailand. Our hosts were Laetitia and Yui, who it turns out are both travel guides, Yui specialising in trekking and with whom we would trek the next day. They also had a dog called 'dog' (brilliant), cats, 3 ducks (I love ducks) an injured baby falcon, a chicken with 8 chicks and......fighting cocks! More of that in a moment.
We were given the proverbial tour of the viallage and along the way I was introduced to 60' Rice Whysky and after four shots, I was shot. I was strong enough to decline some of the other delicacies and it was funny to see Elliot have a try, after all he has been accepted into the club (previous blog!). We also saw how they grow just about everything from Mango's to Lemongrass to Bergamot and all local fruits in between.
The next day, Yui took us for our Jungle Forest trek, up a mother of a mountain and boy, was it hot and sticky. Along the way, he showed us many different things that were just naked to the eye or unknown. It was like being in Kew gardens.
Lunch was served at the top with a fire we built; chopsticks made from bamboo; mushrooms collected along the way. You get the drift.
After getting home they took us to a local prawn farm for a fantastic feast in the company of ......Karaoke parties. They love it.
Next day, was a bit of a wash out as the weather closed in. We were due to go to Fu Chi Fa, which is their Stonehenge/Solstice as 50k people descend there on New Years Eve to watch the sunrise. The climb was huge so I bet the effect would have been brilliant - had we been able to see through the clouds.
Along the way we visited the Hill Tribes who make their living from growing cabbages and lychees. Cabbages at the equivalent of 16p a kilo and lychees for 22p. You ain't gonna get rich up here. Some of the people were in traditional dress which was nice and they still worked the fields in the rain. (Another phenomina we have seen is the millions of scooters and people riding them four abreast, including babies and children and, one of the riders, normally the driver holding an umbrella whilst steering , to keep them all dry. Could you imagine that in the UK?
Back down via some waterfalls, heated through thermal rocks. Elliot and Yui went for a swim in the middle of an almighty thunderstorm, which didn't seem to matter but was quite hilarious to the locals.
After lunch and a good soaking, we called in past this market - well this was real 'upcountry' fare with all sorts on show - snakes, frogs - alive and dead - all manner of fish and crabs and meat but the piece de resistance was....Ants. Huge ants that were like a small dog, ok not that big, but not quite the type you clear with stupid ant powder. Anyway, Yui buys a kilo for his Mum who fancied roasting them that night. Seen it all now.
Back at the Homestay we asked to see Yui's fighting cocks, quite beautiful creatures as it turns out. They are bred for Sunday fighting but not as a bloodsport like I was led to believe. There is no sharp spurs etc. and the fights are until one cock decides he has had enough. Huge sums of money are bet on these fights and the Thai's in fact bet on everything. Even the kids are at it with Ants.
If there is one thing I am learning it is that this culture is diverse and strange and beautiful and it hasn't disappointed. You have just got to take it in as one big experience. Tomorrow back to Bangkok to check Elliot in for his flight home. Gonna miss him.....
Usual breakfast at the Old Clay House before an exchange of presents with Charlio, the 'Mae' of the house(I'd bought some Harrod's jams at the airport), followed by a photo shoot. One strange phenomina in Thailand has been that you see almost every girl do the V Victory sign in photo's. Transpires this means 'Power' and for the Japenese it represents 'Fight' or something after some cult moview. Point being that Charlio in her pictures does the V - quite funny.
Journey north to Chiang Rai was going to be about 3-4 hours and en route we stopped at a quite stunning temple. As Elliot is not here I cannot check the name but locally it was known as the Wat Temple - it was different to everything else in that it was sheer brilliant white and in place of multi coloured reflective glass on every other temple, the glass on here was silver. Imagine this temple in bright sunlight - stunning.
We arived at our new homestay 'The Lazy Moon', so called because the C moon as we see in the northern hemisphere is always on it's back in Thailand. Our hosts were Laetitia and Yui, who it turns out are both travel guides, Yui specialising in trekking and with whom we would trek the next day. They also had a dog called 'dog' (brilliant), cats, 3 ducks (I love ducks) an injured baby falcon, a chicken with 8 chicks and......fighting cocks! More of that in a moment.
We were given the proverbial tour of the viallage and along the way I was introduced to 60' Rice Whysky and after four shots, I was shot. I was strong enough to decline some of the other delicacies and it was funny to see Elliot have a try, after all he has been accepted into the club (previous blog!). We also saw how they grow just about everything from Mango's to Lemongrass to Bergamot and all local fruits in between.
The next day, Yui took us for our Jungle Forest trek, up a mother of a mountain and boy, was it hot and sticky. Along the way, he showed us many different things that were just naked to the eye or unknown. It was like being in Kew gardens.
Lunch was served at the top with a fire we built; chopsticks made from bamboo; mushrooms collected along the way. You get the drift.
After getting home they took us to a local prawn farm for a fantastic feast in the company of ......Karaoke parties. They love it.
Next day, was a bit of a wash out as the weather closed in. We were due to go to Fu Chi Fa, which is their Stonehenge/Solstice as 50k people descend there on New Years Eve to watch the sunrise. The climb was huge so I bet the effect would have been brilliant - had we been able to see through the clouds.
Along the way we visited the Hill Tribes who make their living from growing cabbages and lychees. Cabbages at the equivalent of 16p a kilo and lychees for 22p. You ain't gonna get rich up here. Some of the people were in traditional dress which was nice and they still worked the fields in the rain. (Another phenomina we have seen is the millions of scooters and people riding them four abreast, including babies and children and, one of the riders, normally the driver holding an umbrella whilst steering , to keep them all dry. Could you imagine that in the UK?
Back down via some waterfalls, heated through thermal rocks. Elliot and Yui went for a swim in the middle of an almighty thunderstorm, which didn't seem to matter but was quite hilarious to the locals.
After lunch and a good soaking, we called in past this market - well this was real 'upcountry' fare with all sorts on show - snakes, frogs - alive and dead - all manner of fish and crabs and meat but the piece de resistance was....Ants. Huge ants that were like a small dog, ok not that big, but not quite the type you clear with stupid ant powder. Anyway, Yui buys a kilo for his Mum who fancied roasting them that night. Seen it all now.
Back at the Homestay we asked to see Yui's fighting cocks, quite beautiful creatures as it turns out. They are bred for Sunday fighting but not as a bloodsport like I was led to believe. There is no sharp spurs etc. and the fights are until one cock decides he has had enough. Huge sums of money are bet on these fights and the Thai's in fact bet on everything. Even the kids are at it with Ants.
If there is one thing I am learning it is that this culture is diverse and strange and beautiful and it hasn't disappointed. You have just got to take it in as one big experience. Tomorrow back to Bangkok to check Elliot in for his flight home. Gonna miss him.....
Saturday, 30 May 2009
The bar for best kisser is raised once you have been kissed my Mamie
OMG - OMG - OMG....where do I start. What an amaaaazzzzing experience the elephant sanctuary has turned out to be and I don't know if I will do it justice here.
Some facts first - 95% of the forest in Thailand has been destroyed until 1989 when the government ceased all logging permits. This meant that a large number of elephants that worked in the industry were in effect unemployed and of course a lot of the natural habitat was destroyed. As a consequence only 1500 elephants have survived out of a population of 50,000.
The sanctuary was started in 1995 with only 4 elephants and another strong woman was the creator (what is it with you women:-)). Here name is Lek Chailert. The sanctuary she has built with volunteers along the way is a haven for elephants who have suffered terrible injuries and/or abuse and ignorance through their working lives.
Almost immediately upon arriving, Elliot was taken aside by our guide and taken to see a 1 month old baby, called Fah Mai (born unto this world) and before we knew anything he was sat with Lek (although we didn't know it was her until later) and was playing with this 1 month old, 130kg baby. It was one of the most moving things I have seen and I've captured it on video for Elliot to post later.
The rest of our day involved feeding them and watching a video about the work of the sanctuary. Part of the video showed the horrific suffering elephants still go through today to be broken and in essence obey and rely on their owner. I don't want to describe it on here but if you should ever see an elephant in a street market in BKK, then please rest assured it's journey there, will not have been a nice one.
At the end of the day, we were introduced to some of the 'Mahouts' who provide 24x7 love and friendship to the elephants and in essence become their surrogate (Lex will spend at least 3 months every day with the calf, it's mother and a Mahout - the fact they were there is why Elliot was 'trusted' by the Mother to enter the enclosure).
We then proceeded to the river and spent over an hour bathing and scrubbing them, . Avoiding the poo was a challenge, but hey it was only 'fibre'. Reflecting on the first day it was clear what a wonderful place it was and how the inspiration of one women had created somewhere unique and special.
Dinner that night with the volunteers who were there for longer was good fun and we had a Thai lesson, details on the next days tasks and the proverbial massage. Get this - a deep tissue oil massage for Elliot and I(total 2ish hours) was equivalent of GBP6 and I pay circa GBP60 for an hour in the UK. Good thing is the camp bring in the local villagers to do this, so aiding the local economy again.
Breakfast at 7.00 - clear out the poo - prepare the food (an elphant will consume 300-500ibs of food over an 18 hr day) etc. a normal day but all this before 1000!
We then went on a walk with a small, talkative, tattooed American lady called Georgie who walked us around the forest enclosure introducing us to each elephant and given us a story about each and every one. Very funny and informative.
Something special then happened - Elliot and I were quietly summoned by Lek and this time we both went into the baby enclosure and then we spent over 2 hours with him and his Mother. This thing climbed all over me and it was unbelievable and just an honour to be in the presence of these great animals.
Feeding time again and this time one elephant, Mamie had to 'kiss' Elliot and I for some extra treats. Very funny and Ladies, the bar has been raised, this was a serious kiss.....
For the rest of the afternoon, whilst Elliot hung out with his new best friend 'Lex' I spent the time at the river watching and interacting with the elephants before we both enjoyed our last bath time. What a laugh. What an honour. What a privilage - a great memory for Elliot and I to have forever and should you ever visit Thailand, I urge you to push the boat out and visit this wonderful place. The website is http://www.elephantnaturefoundation.org/
We went back to our Clay House homestay and had a nice meal with the whole family and the next day we departed for the next stage of this journey, to Chiang Rai, which is real country and I've some stories to tell. I'll update the blog with the last 2 days in the North shortly.
Laters dudes
Some facts first - 95% of the forest in Thailand has been destroyed until 1989 when the government ceased all logging permits. This meant that a large number of elephants that worked in the industry were in effect unemployed and of course a lot of the natural habitat was destroyed. As a consequence only 1500 elephants have survived out of a population of 50,000.
The sanctuary was started in 1995 with only 4 elephants and another strong woman was the creator (what is it with you women:-)). Here name is Lek Chailert. The sanctuary she has built with volunteers along the way is a haven for elephants who have suffered terrible injuries and/or abuse and ignorance through their working lives.
Almost immediately upon arriving, Elliot was taken aside by our guide and taken to see a 1 month old baby, called Fah Mai (born unto this world) and before we knew anything he was sat with Lek (although we didn't know it was her until later) and was playing with this 1 month old, 130kg baby. It was one of the most moving things I have seen and I've captured it on video for Elliot to post later.
The rest of our day involved feeding them and watching a video about the work of the sanctuary. Part of the video showed the horrific suffering elephants still go through today to be broken and in essence obey and rely on their owner. I don't want to describe it on here but if you should ever see an elephant in a street market in BKK, then please rest assured it's journey there, will not have been a nice one.
At the end of the day, we were introduced to some of the 'Mahouts' who provide 24x7 love and friendship to the elephants and in essence become their surrogate (Lex will spend at least 3 months every day with the calf, it's mother and a Mahout - the fact they were there is why Elliot was 'trusted' by the Mother to enter the enclosure).
We then proceeded to the river and spent over an hour bathing and scrubbing them, . Avoiding the poo was a challenge, but hey it was only 'fibre'. Reflecting on the first day it was clear what a wonderful place it was and how the inspiration of one women had created somewhere unique and special.
Dinner that night with the volunteers who were there for longer was good fun and we had a Thai lesson, details on the next days tasks and the proverbial massage. Get this - a deep tissue oil massage for Elliot and I(total 2ish hours) was equivalent of GBP6 and I pay circa GBP60 for an hour in the UK. Good thing is the camp bring in the local villagers to do this, so aiding the local economy again.
Breakfast at 7.00 - clear out the poo - prepare the food (an elphant will consume 300-500ibs of food over an 18 hr day) etc. a normal day but all this before 1000!
We then went on a walk with a small, talkative, tattooed American lady called Georgie who walked us around the forest enclosure introducing us to each elephant and given us a story about each and every one. Very funny and informative.
Something special then happened - Elliot and I were quietly summoned by Lek and this time we both went into the baby enclosure and then we spent over 2 hours with him and his Mother. This thing climbed all over me and it was unbelievable and just an honour to be in the presence of these great animals.
Feeding time again and this time one elephant, Mamie had to 'kiss' Elliot and I for some extra treats. Very funny and Ladies, the bar has been raised, this was a serious kiss.....
For the rest of the afternoon, whilst Elliot hung out with his new best friend 'Lex' I spent the time at the river watching and interacting with the elephants before we both enjoyed our last bath time. What a laugh. What an honour. What a privilage - a great memory for Elliot and I to have forever and should you ever visit Thailand, I urge you to push the boat out and visit this wonderful place. The website is http://www.elephantnaturefoundation.org/
We went back to our Clay House homestay and had a nice meal with the whole family and the next day we departed for the next stage of this journey, to Chiang Rai, which is real country and I've some stories to tell. I'll update the blog with the last 2 days in the North shortly.
Laters dudes
Monday, 25 May 2009
Do I have to take off my underwear as well Dad?
It's been a few days since I've written - sorry about that but as expected, internet connections have been few and far between so you're in for a treat (maybe) as I bring you all dear readers up to date with what's new.
We did Bangkok in a day with our illustrious guide 'Tong' visiting The Grand Palace, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Pho and Wat Arun. Tong was an interesting and enthusiastic guide, who did the tour guide thing on his day off from working at the Old Bangkok Inn. His eyes were very strange, they were brown and snake like - turns out the latest in contact lens fashion amongst the smart and elite in Bangkok.
As you might expect, the temples were amazing, particularly the Royal Palace, where you learnt that the King is most revered and is the most important person in Thailand and is seen to be a reincarnation of Rama - half man/half bird. Clever guy and if you ever tried to enter into any debate about the King or the Royal Family, there is no comment as they just don't want to disrespect him or them.
That afternoon, I took Elliot for his first massage, which he was quite up for and I duly entered the parlour to be greeted by a bevvy of ladies. We were taken upstairs having chosen what 'style' we would like and escorted into two curtained off areas...and told to strip and given what was a facecloth - hardly a towel and within 2 minutes, a call came out from Elliot "do I have to take off my underwear as well dad?" It's at this juncture dear readers that I am afraid to say I cannot say what followed. What goes on on tour, stays on tour etc. but suffice to say Elliot has become a fully fledged, paid up member of the 'Manhood'....his Grandmother need not worry though ;-)
Next day was a travelling day as we ventured north to Chiang Mai. Met our driver whose name is 'Boy' and it sounds very colonnial every time I have to call his name.
Everything went smoothly and we eventually arrived at our 'Homestay' accomodation called The House of Clay. Driving into the premises and climbing up onto the first floor (exclusively ours) was like entering something between The Rainforest Cafe and the Tiki House in Disney. A magnificent teak building, big spaces and fans everywhere. No aircon here.
We were met by Art, a highly articulate person whose English is as good as anyone we have met so far. Having settled in he took us around his village and of course we were an attraction; this boy with unbelievable thick long hair and his dad with none at all. We walked through this market which was very quaint until much later when we were served a 2hr+ rendition of a local fable.........thank god for the best travel tip mentioned in previous despatches, earplugs. It's at this point I have to admit the second best travel tip, is one I did not follow but it is......a sink plug that you take with you. I've yet to find a sink that had one. Humbled.
Yesterday was spent in around Chiang Mai, the old capital of the province Lan Na and we visited amongst other sights, the Underground Empire of Wang Kum Kiam, only discovered in the late 8 or so years. Very impressive.
Last night we had a traditional Thai cooking lesson from the Mother of the house and it was spot on if I say so myself. Didn't realise vegetarian food could be so interesting. In fact we have done very well on the food front, only going off piste once to have Japanese (in Bangkok), which was fab as it's one of my favourite foods, but outside was an interesting array of women touting their wares to anyone that was interested. The fact I had Elliot with me probably saved me, but watching them tout and shout themselves wasn't pleasant to watch.
Today we've been to a rather large '10 step' waterfall and followed it by doing a White Water raft this afternoon. Both good fun and now we're sat in downtown Chiang Mai ready to eat and it's off to the Elephant Sanctuary tomorrow.
So on that note, I'll love you and leave you - next blog will hopefully give the low down on an amazing experience in the sanctuary but it's all been good so far. Laters dudes
We did Bangkok in a day with our illustrious guide 'Tong' visiting The Grand Palace, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Pho and Wat Arun. Tong was an interesting and enthusiastic guide, who did the tour guide thing on his day off from working at the Old Bangkok Inn. His eyes were very strange, they were brown and snake like - turns out the latest in contact lens fashion amongst the smart and elite in Bangkok.
As you might expect, the temples were amazing, particularly the Royal Palace, where you learnt that the King is most revered and is the most important person in Thailand and is seen to be a reincarnation of Rama - half man/half bird. Clever guy and if you ever tried to enter into any debate about the King or the Royal Family, there is no comment as they just don't want to disrespect him or them.
That afternoon, I took Elliot for his first massage, which he was quite up for and I duly entered the parlour to be greeted by a bevvy of ladies. We were taken upstairs having chosen what 'style' we would like and escorted into two curtained off areas...and told to strip and given what was a facecloth - hardly a towel and within 2 minutes, a call came out from Elliot "do I have to take off my underwear as well dad?" It's at this juncture dear readers that I am afraid to say I cannot say what followed. What goes on on tour, stays on tour etc. but suffice to say Elliot has become a fully fledged, paid up member of the 'Manhood'....his Grandmother need not worry though ;-)
Next day was a travelling day as we ventured north to Chiang Mai. Met our driver whose name is 'Boy' and it sounds very colonnial every time I have to call his name.
Everything went smoothly and we eventually arrived at our 'Homestay' accomodation called The House of Clay. Driving into the premises and climbing up onto the first floor (exclusively ours) was like entering something between The Rainforest Cafe and the Tiki House in Disney. A magnificent teak building, big spaces and fans everywhere. No aircon here.
We were met by Art, a highly articulate person whose English is as good as anyone we have met so far. Having settled in he took us around his village and of course we were an attraction; this boy with unbelievable thick long hair and his dad with none at all. We walked through this market which was very quaint until much later when we were served a 2hr+ rendition of a local fable.........thank god for the best travel tip mentioned in previous despatches, earplugs. It's at this point I have to admit the second best travel tip, is one I did not follow but it is......a sink plug that you take with you. I've yet to find a sink that had one. Humbled.
Yesterday was spent in around Chiang Mai, the old capital of the province Lan Na and we visited amongst other sights, the Underground Empire of Wang Kum Kiam, only discovered in the late 8 or so years. Very impressive.
Last night we had a traditional Thai cooking lesson from the Mother of the house and it was spot on if I say so myself. Didn't realise vegetarian food could be so interesting. In fact we have done very well on the food front, only going off piste once to have Japanese (in Bangkok), which was fab as it's one of my favourite foods, but outside was an interesting array of women touting their wares to anyone that was interested. The fact I had Elliot with me probably saved me, but watching them tout and shout themselves wasn't pleasant to watch.
Today we've been to a rather large '10 step' waterfall and followed it by doing a White Water raft this afternoon. Both good fun and now we're sat in downtown Chiang Mai ready to eat and it's off to the Elephant Sanctuary tomorrow.
So on that note, I'll love you and leave you - next blog will hopefully give the low down on an amazing experience in the sanctuary but it's all been good so far. Laters dudes
Thursday, 21 May 2009
Lobbie Lilliams is alive and well on an island off the coast of Thailand
It's about on Friday21st and I'm sat in a fantastic olde world Bangkok - I'm sure Fu Manchu is going to walk in the door any moment (ok I know he's Chinese but you get my drift). Got here after collecting my son Elliot, who flew here unaccompanied overnight and everything has run smoothly so far, although when I called Tommy (my driver) who was late this morning, and who was due to meet me at Nuan Thip pier on the mainland, he was asleep in the service station. Thailand time...
There is quite a lot to share in this post, not all of it about the location as I want to tell you also about two remarkable women I met two days ago. It's also worth noting that at the time I had just finished reading the Celestine Prophecy, which is quite a famous book, but if you've not read it, it is a story involving as it's central theme that concidences just don't happen - they happen for a reason.
I met a lady called Jane who worked at the hotel. Jane is the name given to her by the hotel owners along with all of the other staff. I first met her when she was part of the group of hotel staff who tried to get me to go out one night, which I declined at the time. Anyway, I was cleaning up on the beach and happened to be at the end where there is a shrine and I saw a lady praying and as she came out, I saw it was Jane. In the next hour or so I discovered that she had been offered up by her Mother to wed a man three times her age. She had her first child at 14 and three in total by the time she was 19. She upped and left with the children at 22 and headed for Bangkok, before eventually ending up at this hotel. She is now 38, self-taught in English and heads up the housekeeping, gardening and spa staff. Her purpose in life is to work to fund the children through University such that they won't have the life she has. A remarkable person.
The next person is a young women called Morgan. I'd noticed her around the previous day or so and she had that aloof air in a Germanic / East European sense (we've spoke about this and she thought I was one of 'those' western men described later). Strange that as I later learnt that her Mother was German and Father Czech! Anyway, I was wondering what a good looking, blonde single women was doing their on her own, so I decided to strike up a conversation (no seedy thoughts please dear readers). Turns out that she did some of her Healthcare degree in Bangkok and whilst travelling came across female Burmese refugees in the North. For whatever reason, they cross the border, in doing so they are in effect persona non gratis and end up in prostitution or some other profession. So Morgan set about an organisation designed to help these women. She has raised money, built a school and is now succussefully helping through education, many of these girls. She even gives them all a mobile phone and speaks to them all individually. She spends about 3 months of the year over here and the rest, fundraising in Washington DC where she now resides. All this and she is only 26....! FYI the web address is www.refugeeducation.com so if you want to send any spare change, I know Morgan would only too gratefully receive it. Another remarkable person.
Both of these experiences have reminded me how in fact almost all of my female friends, many on FB on no doubt reading this, are all strong people who have had a positive effect in one way or another in my life. I thank and salute you all.
I think also about the coincidence and something I've recently begun to think a lot about, is what more I can do to 'give back'. Jane and Morgan particularly, have got me even more determined to do something. Quite what it is yet I don't know, although there is something on the near horizon which I'll share another time.
It's a bit interesting (changing the subject) to see so many western men with Thai women. It's seen in some Thai quarters as a sign of status - surely exploitation of the worst kind though. I personally found it difficult to see, especially when you observe them running to the guys with an ashtray or feeding them at a table. Ditto Men with 'attractive' Thai boys - " we are an open society" was how a local described it to me when I asked how he felt. Make your own minds up.
On a lighter note as my stay at the hotel neared the end, I relented at went to the 'Kalaoke' and sang so many songs I can't tell you. But I clearly made an impression as I had to sing 'Lobbie Lilliams' and Angels on at least 3 occassions and was given copious amounts of Singha beer for the privilage. I was magnificent in my Liam Galagher stance (there were two mic's all adding to the rock god atmosphere) BUT when I did Uptown Girl by Billie Joel only to see all the lyrics had been 'politically corrected', it totally threw me.
One of the staff who was with us was called Sally and had taken a shine to me and was a really sweet girl. Turns out Sally was not what I thought and was in fact my first encounter with a Lady Boy. Her face, voice and mannerisms - well all is not what it seems in Thailand. I'm sure Elliot is going to have quite an interesting couple of days!
So I'm going to leave you dear readers as the rain 'pours' down outside our hotel and we're due to go out to the night market for dinner. Umbrellas won't save us. I'll write again soon ;-)
There is quite a lot to share in this post, not all of it about the location as I want to tell you also about two remarkable women I met two days ago. It's also worth noting that at the time I had just finished reading the Celestine Prophecy, which is quite a famous book, but if you've not read it, it is a story involving as it's central theme that concidences just don't happen - they happen for a reason.
I met a lady called Jane who worked at the hotel. Jane is the name given to her by the hotel owners along with all of the other staff. I first met her when she was part of the group of hotel staff who tried to get me to go out one night, which I declined at the time. Anyway, I was cleaning up on the beach and happened to be at the end where there is a shrine and I saw a lady praying and as she came out, I saw it was Jane. In the next hour or so I discovered that she had been offered up by her Mother to wed a man three times her age. She had her first child at 14 and three in total by the time she was 19. She upped and left with the children at 22 and headed for Bangkok, before eventually ending up at this hotel. She is now 38, self-taught in English and heads up the housekeeping, gardening and spa staff. Her purpose in life is to work to fund the children through University such that they won't have the life she has. A remarkable person.
The next person is a young women called Morgan. I'd noticed her around the previous day or so and she had that aloof air in a Germanic / East European sense (we've spoke about this and she thought I was one of 'those' western men described later). Strange that as I later learnt that her Mother was German and Father Czech! Anyway, I was wondering what a good looking, blonde single women was doing their on her own, so I decided to strike up a conversation (no seedy thoughts please dear readers). Turns out that she did some of her Healthcare degree in Bangkok and whilst travelling came across female Burmese refugees in the North. For whatever reason, they cross the border, in doing so they are in effect persona non gratis and end up in prostitution or some other profession. So Morgan set about an organisation designed to help these women. She has raised money, built a school and is now succussefully helping through education, many of these girls. She even gives them all a mobile phone and speaks to them all individually. She spends about 3 months of the year over here and the rest, fundraising in Washington DC where she now resides. All this and she is only 26....! FYI the web address is www.refugeeducation.com so if you want to send any spare change, I know Morgan would only too gratefully receive it. Another remarkable person.
Both of these experiences have reminded me how in fact almost all of my female friends, many on FB on no doubt reading this, are all strong people who have had a positive effect in one way or another in my life. I thank and salute you all.
I think also about the coincidence and something I've recently begun to think a lot about, is what more I can do to 'give back'. Jane and Morgan particularly, have got me even more determined to do something. Quite what it is yet I don't know, although there is something on the near horizon which I'll share another time.
It's a bit interesting (changing the subject) to see so many western men with Thai women. It's seen in some Thai quarters as a sign of status - surely exploitation of the worst kind though. I personally found it difficult to see, especially when you observe them running to the guys with an ashtray or feeding them at a table. Ditto Men with 'attractive' Thai boys - " we are an open society" was how a local described it to me when I asked how he felt. Make your own minds up.
On a lighter note as my stay at the hotel neared the end, I relented at went to the 'Kalaoke' and sang so many songs I can't tell you. But I clearly made an impression as I had to sing 'Lobbie Lilliams' and Angels on at least 3 occassions and was given copious amounts of Singha beer for the privilage. I was magnificent in my Liam Galagher stance (there were two mic's all adding to the rock god atmosphere) BUT when I did Uptown Girl by Billie Joel only to see all the lyrics had been 'politically corrected', it totally threw me.
One of the staff who was with us was called Sally and had taken a shine to me and was a really sweet girl. Turns out Sally was not what I thought and was in fact my first encounter with a Lady Boy. Her face, voice and mannerisms - well all is not what it seems in Thailand. I'm sure Elliot is going to have quite an interesting couple of days!
So I'm going to leave you dear readers as the rain 'pours' down outside our hotel and we're due to go out to the night market for dinner. Umbrellas won't save us. I'll write again soon ;-)
Monday, 18 May 2009
I think I heard cows in the jungle
So my friends back home, I have finally mastered the Thai keyboard and I'm able to give you my second posting.
The flight was easy and quite empty and I caught 2 good films en route, namely The Reader (quite sad and poignant) with Kate Winslett and Ralph Fiennes and Last Chance Harvey with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson (very nice in a Notting Hill way). Flight arived early and my driver, Tommy, was there to greet me and by the time I had got to the car, I knew where he came from, where he lived, what his son was called/how old he was/ what he was going to do etc. This is typical of what I have found already and that is the Thai's are incredibly friendly. I was greeted at the resort by the Manager and a pretty girl serving a gorgeous cocktail and cold towels. Sheer bliss. Dinner that night was 3 beers; Steamed Mussels and a Stir Fried Noodle with Seafood dish - cost $4. You won't get rich here but if you have no money, you can certainly live very well.
It's now day three and I'm staying in a resort called Moo Ban Talay on an island called Ko Samed. The island is about a 3 hour drive south east followed by a 30 minute boat ride.In the time I have been here I have explored a little to a resort called Had Sai Kaeo (which stands for White Sand Beach) and I think it's the Islands version of Ibiza. A lot of young from Bangkok descend there at the weekend and I happened to be there that evening when there was a Fire Show. It was very entertaining made all the more enjoyable because the beach was transformed in the evening and all the bars laid out mats and sofas you lay down on. It was wonderful.
As the night wore on I received a regular stream of texts advising me of what was happening with the football and suffice to say the Mighty Reds have won the title but it was strange to be celebrating in a bar full of Thai's with Arsenal and Liverpool shirts on. I was in my element and to their credit, I did not have to buy too many drinks. I don't think that would have happened in the UK at all. Bring on Barcelona - I have my shirt at the ready!
I took the walk home; got lost; found the road but then got snarled at on more than one occasion by big dogs. Anyone who knows me knows how scared of dogs I am so I was just glad to get back alive. Man this place has a lot of dogs!
That night I swore I heard cows in the forest, which backs onto the resort. God it was loud and I will upload the recording another time but it turns out it was.......frogs. Big buggers I bet.
Last two days have helped out around the place cleaning the beach etc. but I've also taken the time to take it all in. There are no TV's, radios etc. More staff than guests at this time of year as we approach the rainy season and the rain has poured on occasion, but the sun has shone as well. The hotel doesn't fly anything in (apart from guests of course); the shower is outside and uses the rainwater and I feel I am doing my bit whilst here
I have a couple more days here before I transfer to Bangkok, where Elliot my son will be joining me before we head north to Chiang Mai and the Elephant sanctuary. I will probably post an update in Bankok and keep watching out for the one liners on Facebook
The flight was easy and quite empty and I caught 2 good films en route, namely The Reader (quite sad and poignant) with Kate Winslett and Ralph Fiennes and Last Chance Harvey with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson (very nice in a Notting Hill way). Flight arived early and my driver, Tommy, was there to greet me and by the time I had got to the car, I knew where he came from, where he lived, what his son was called/how old he was/ what he was going to do etc. This is typical of what I have found already and that is the Thai's are incredibly friendly. I was greeted at the resort by the Manager and a pretty girl serving a gorgeous cocktail and cold towels. Sheer bliss. Dinner that night was 3 beers; Steamed Mussels and a Stir Fried Noodle with Seafood dish - cost $4. You won't get rich here but if you have no money, you can certainly live very well.
It's now day three and I'm staying in a resort called Moo Ban Talay on an island called Ko Samed. The island is about a 3 hour drive south east followed by a 30 minute boat ride.In the time I have been here I have explored a little to a resort called Had Sai Kaeo (which stands for White Sand Beach) and I think it's the Islands version of Ibiza. A lot of young from Bangkok descend there at the weekend and I happened to be there that evening when there was a Fire Show. It was very entertaining made all the more enjoyable because the beach was transformed in the evening and all the bars laid out mats and sofas you lay down on. It was wonderful.
As the night wore on I received a regular stream of texts advising me of what was happening with the football and suffice to say the Mighty Reds have won the title but it was strange to be celebrating in a bar full of Thai's with Arsenal and Liverpool shirts on. I was in my element and to their credit, I did not have to buy too many drinks. I don't think that would have happened in the UK at all. Bring on Barcelona - I have my shirt at the ready!
I took the walk home; got lost; found the road but then got snarled at on more than one occasion by big dogs. Anyone who knows me knows how scared of dogs I am so I was just glad to get back alive. Man this place has a lot of dogs!
That night I swore I heard cows in the forest, which backs onto the resort. God it was loud and I will upload the recording another time but it turns out it was.......frogs. Big buggers I bet.
Last two days have helped out around the place cleaning the beach etc. but I've also taken the time to take it all in. There are no TV's, radios etc. More staff than guests at this time of year as we approach the rainy season and the rain has poured on occasion, but the sun has shone as well. The hotel doesn't fly anything in (apart from guests of course); the shower is outside and uses the rainwater and I feel I am doing my bit whilst here
I have a couple more days here before I transfer to Bangkok, where Elliot my son will be joining me before we head north to Chiang Mai and the Elephant sanctuary. I will probably post an update in Bankok and keep watching out for the one liners on Facebook
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