Last Day

I can't believe three weeks has passed and now it's time to go home. It has been an amazing journey and I am not through with Thailand! I will be back! Our last morning was spent touring some of the the canals of Bangkok on our own rented longtail boat (with a driver!) It was so worthwhile to see another side of this great city. Loved it:

We had drinks just an hour or so ago at a rooftop bar near our hotel with a great view of Wat Arun lit up for the night. An excellent way to end the day...

About halfway through the day, I looked around me at the chaos of Bangkok and started to feel nostalgic, as if I were already looking back on my time here. Everything took on a heightened sense and I was able to really sear sights and smells and sounds into my memory. (And no, I was not smoking anything funny either!) I hope I can carry this memory of Bangkok with me always.... the street stalls, the smiling people, the golden temples, the friendly stray cats, the music, the flowers everywhere.... In my travel journal there is a quote that I will end with: "Free is the deer in the wood, and the fish where the river flows. Free is the bird in the sky, and the gypsy wherever she goes." That's me! I could do this forever!

Back in Bangkok

Well we are back in Bangkok after 6 days in Chang Mai. Unfortunately we were not able to get to an elephant camp as the better ones that do not treat the elephants like circus animals allow only a very limited number of visitors per day. (one per elephant basically) and the camp I wanted to go to has 6 elephants but two just had babies so they are not interacting with visitors at this time. Oh, well, another reason to come back again! I really think it would be cool to spend the day one on one with an elephant, learning to communicate with it and care for it. If anyone is interested in learning more, google Patara Elephant Farm. Sounds like a great place....next time I will book ahead! Anyway Chang Mai has many charms so I was not at a loss for what to do. The hill tribe people from the surrounding countryside sell their wares in many markets around the city and the whole area is kind of art and craft central for Thailand, so you can bet I spent lots of time shopping!! Yesterday Mark and I had a spa day and indulged in very fancy Thai massages at our hotel and mostly just hung out for the day enjoying the ambiance of the place which was nice for a change as we mostly were just running out every morning and not coming back until late at night. I was re-energized for another run at the night market for some serious hill tribe financial transactions. A whole village is probably celebrating today after the cash infusion they got from me! Just kidding... but wow, I love their handicrafts and fabrics! Below is a shot from one of the many Wats (temples) in the area. This one was in a scenic wooded area a bit out of town. Very restful exploring around there.

More Loi Krathong pics

I have been having lots of trouble uploading my pictures so am doing it while eating breakfast here at my hotel in Chang Mai. Things have quieted down now that Loi Krathong is over. Chang Mai is a beautiful city to explore and has over 300 Wats (temples) and every one is different. For the past couple of nights we have had extremely heavy rains but it's mostly overcast and not TOO hot during the day. Good for walking around exploring.

One of the giant lanterns in the procession at Loi Krathong.

Loy Krathong lanterns. They were everywhere!

Male and Female procession participants.

Amazing Loi Krathong!

We finally made it to Chang Mai and just in time for the first day of Loi Krathong. Wow, what an amazing past three days! Loi Krathong in Chang Mai should be on everyone's bucket list. What a spectacle! Pictures will not accurately show the kaleidoscope of colour,sights, sounds and smells of what it was like to be here.... I have some video footage that comes closer, but really, you have to be here! Loi Krathong is a festival held at the time of the full moon in November, for three days: the day before, the day of and the day after the full moon. It's origins possibly date back to the 15th century and people release floats made of banana plant leaves and flowers with incense and a lit candle (usually) into the waterways to bring good luck and give thanks to the water and celebrate the end of the rainy season. In Chang Mai they also release individual hot air balloons into the night and literally thousands of them can be seen rising into the night sky from all over the city, especially the river banks. There are coloured lanterns everywhere and processions through the streets each night as well and much merriment with costumes, music and dancing. Our hotel is right on the river so last night, the night of the full moon, we had a dinner, traditional dancing and music and of course our own floats and hot air balloons to release. It was something else to hang our on the dock at the riverside and watch the hundreds of handmade works of art float by from previous releases up river. I will post a few pictures:

Releasing our hot air balloon.

Release of floats on the river.

Dancers at the riverside.

Making Lemonade in Phuket!

Well, we are still here in Phuket after a screw up by Thai Airways! They moved our flight to Chang Mai ahead by 2 hours and did not notify us! So, here we are at an airport hotel having dinner and some nice wine on Thai Airway's dime.Once we got tickets booked for tomorrow's flight to Chang Mai and were transported to to our "new" hotel compliments of Thai airways,we went to a very touristy beach.(Hat Nai Yang) The hotel has a free shuttle. It was not a bad way to spend the day overall and I got to see a bit more of Phuket. (I would have preferred to stay in Phuket town though... It is very interesting with tons of Portuguese inspired architecture. Many trendy cafes, boutiques and art galleries for me to explore.... oh, well, next time!) So there you have it, Thai Airways has thrown some lemons at us and we are making lemonade! Still happy here in Thailand! (:

View of a typical street in Phuket Town last night.

The great little restaurant we had dinner at in Phuket Town. The best Thai food so far! Mmmm!!

Hat Nai Yang Beach Area

Back from the Beach

After 6 days of being a beach bum I am back to reality. Well, kind of, anyway! The past 4 days have been spent in places with no roads so it's culture shock being among the cars again! The past 2 days we were living in a bamboo and grass hut on the hillside overlooking the ocean! Heaven! No wifi so no posts. Now we are in Phuket and back to technology, running water, air con, etc. It's great to feel clean and get the salt out of my hair, but I really prefer the roughing it on the beach...I'm just that kinda girl, I guess! Tomorrow we fly north to Chang Mai and the Loy Krathong festival which should be amazing. (more on that later) For now I will just post a few shots from the past couple of days on Ko Phi Phi:

Mark relaxing on the veranda of our hut in Ko Phi Phi.

The view from our hut. Notice how high we are! I am paranoid of tsunamis so requested an upper level one. Didn't know they were going to put us WAY up there, but hey, it was good exercise hiking up there a few times a day! Ko Phi Phi is one of the places most devastated by the Tsunami in 2004. The main town here was just wiped out. It has since been rebuilt and other than a memorial, you would not know they had experienced a devastating tsunami a few years ago.

The beach this morning. The weather has just cleared today and seems more settled now. I have had a few texts from people asking whether we had any effects from the typhoon in the Philippines. I didn't even know it happened until I heard from home about it! Nothing in the headlines of the papers here! (the English ones anyway!)The weather HAS been very unsettled and we have had some very heavy rain and strong winds, and a couple of VERY violent thunder storms.

One last shot of me and my new friend on the beach. He was my companion for much of my stay there. Oddly he has the same markings as Opal, my foster cat at home. I have seen a lot of cats in my day, and I have never seen these unique markings before I fostered Opal. Very odd that I have now encountered another cat with this "white on the underside, black on the outer coat" type fur. Maybe Opal is from Thailand!

Monkeys and Phalli and Karsts, Oh My!

Railay is an amazing place, with scenery right out of a "Yes" album cover. Totally surreal! The karsts and limestone formations are everywhere!

We have been here two days and are leaving for Ko Phi Phi Don tomorrow but I could have easily stayed much longer. Our time has spent been relaxing mostly, punctuated with exploratory hikes and photography. (and wine and excellent Thai food!)

One of the surprises about this place is that there are wild monkeys in the forests. These ones are much better behaved than the pesky monkeys in Bali that i have encountered before. Those things are aggressive and pushy! These guys are content to just hang out and watch the tourists and pose for the occasional picture. Very cool.

Another surprise was the 2 caves full of phallic symbols here! I mean, wow, that's a lot of penises! They are placed there by both the Muslim and Buddhist fishermen of the area in hopes that the spirits will provide plenty of fish. Crazy stuff here in Thailand!

Take Me to My Beach!

So for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, my post title is a line from a song that is going thru my head a lot these days. The song is "Pure Shores" by the All Saints and was featured in the movie "The Beach" which was filmed not far from here in Ko Phi Phi Don. Anyway, I found a great little private beach today tucked in a hidden area under a cliff that just required a little rock scrambling to access. I went swimming in the Andaman Sea for the first time. BEAUTIFUL warm water...heaven!

"Take me somewhere I can breathe, I've got so much to see, This is where I want to be."

Today was mostly a walking on the beach day. I did get some Karst pics, but it was relatively overcast today so not maybe the best light for showing them off. I'm loving the longtail boats and can't seem to stop photographing them!

And this final picture is for all of you who told me to stay off sea walls! Just to show how how I never really do what I'm told! (:

Bangkok to Krabi (and where are the cockroaches?)

Yesterday was our last day in Bangkok so we decided to explore the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew . It was just as amazing the second time. As lonely planet describes it: A dazzling spectacle of mosiac tiled facades, gilded spires and ornate murals. It's always very crowded and with the heat it's a bit of a challenge to really take your time and absorb it all, but we spent several hours there giving the camera a work out. no picture can really do it justice but I will post a few shots:

Some of you have heard me lamenting the fact I did not try the ever popular and tasty cockroaches last time I visited Thailand and promising to post pics of me eating them this time...well where are these delectable cockroaches? I haven't seen any this time! Is there a season for cockroaches? Is there a shortage in Bangkok? It's a mystery! Anyway, I will keep searching for them..... Today we flew to Krabi in the southern part of Thailand on the Andaman Sea. The area is mostly known for it's karst formations made of limestone that rise from the sea to impossible seeming heights. I just love bizarre landscapes like this. I haven't photographed them yet, but I'm sure some pics will follow soon. Today we enjoyed just relaxing at our resort, the Somkiet Buri Resort and Spa in Ao Nang, and took in sunset on the beach. Very beautiful place:

Me by the pool with our "hut" in the background.

Mark on our veranda after a swim.

Longtail boat at sunset this evening. That's all folks! I'll keep searching for those cockroaches and try to get some good pics of the karsts tomorrow!

how many cat shirts can one acquire?

Okay so many of you know about my fetish for cat t shirts and other various cat related items. I especially like to collect such things when travelling. Well, here in Bangkok, there is no way I can even begin to collect all of the cool cat crazy stuff I am encountering! (I have limited myself to 2 shirts so far!)

Here I am with one of them.... So, I am an early riser here in Thailand as a result of the 12 hour time difference. Probably about the worst time difference for jet lag, as we are working on the exact opposite schedule of our home waking and sleeping times. here, I am, up at 5am working on my blog! It's hard to believe that tomorrow we leave Bangkok for Krabi in the south. I could easily spend much more time here. Mark is better thanks to some magic pills purchased from a lady at the traditional Thai herbal medicine market near our hotel:

And I am feeling great after a Thai massage at Wat Pho, the traditional Thai massage school across the road from our hotel. Amazing Thai massage for about $16 for an hour! Mark was a bit apprehensive prior to partaking, but is now saying we should make sure we do this every day! It's amazing the pretzel shapes they can make your body into and how GOOD it feels after...even if it hurts a little at the time! (:

This is part of the complex of Wat Pho....beautiful, peaceful place in the middle of chaotic Bangkok. So it's almost time for the sun rise and to greet the day with a coffee on my balcony overlooking the river. I will just share one more pic... a favourite of mine!

These guys were at Wat Pho. There are quite a few stray cats but it's not the worst place for them as the Thai people, being predominantly Buddhist here, are kind to animals and everywhere you go, there are plates of food laid out for them.

One Night in Bangkok!

Well we have arrived safely after a little glitch with the BRAKES on the aircraft that took us from Toronto to Hong Kong! We were loaded on the plane and ready to leave when the captain made an announcement there was an issue with the air brakes and this needed to be resolved before we left the ground! (ya, good idea...) He made announcements every 15 minutes letting us know they were still working on the problem for an hour and a half, then we just taxied to the runway and left! He never did explain what the issue was! lol. Anyway as we descended into Hong Kong 15 hours later, we were hoping the brakes were going to work! And Cathay Pacific came thru and we did not shoot off the other end of the runway there and plunge into the water! So, I have to say... OMG I was born for this! I can't say how much I just love waking up in a foreign city with the day ahead of me and nothing to do but explore!! The Hotel Aurum is as wonderful as I remember it and our room is beautiful with a king size bed and 2 balconies and a window overlooking the river. The river traffic is intense this morning with commuter boats, barges and various other watercraft plying the water. Very cool. I'm letting Mark sleep a bit more as he was coughing much of the night. He has managed to contract my evil illness from last week and is currently not a happy camper. Gotta drag him down the street to one of the traditional Thai medicine shops that abound in this area for a cure! Okay, it's off to breakfast (looking forward to an amazing "Thai breakfast" here consisting of fruit, juice, coffee, soup, and a plate of rice and vegetarian delectables....I remember it from last time) The time zone here is exactly 12 hours ahead of Toronto time, so that should be easy to remember. I'll post a pic of the view from our room, last night and this morning:

Almost ready!

Hey there! Well it's down to the last minute stuff now. last week I decided to look at a lens for my camera and ended up buying a whole new camera (and lens!) I'm realizing that this is the first NEW SLR I have actually purchased. After havng a photography business for the past 20 (can't believe that!) years guess it's about time! I have always bought used or scabbed off Mark's cameras in the past. So hope to be shooting lots of great pics with this new stuff!

Thailand is looming on the horizon!

It's not long now til we leave! Seems like still so much to do even though I have been good this time and booked the trip well in advance. I'm just doing a post to make sure everything works! Can't wait to get back to Thailand and finish my trip that was cut short in 2012 after injuring my leg. Stay tuned for posts as the adventure begins later next week!

Hope to lots of these guys when in Chang Mai!