Our week at the beach.

Sarah had a hankering to experience one of the world famous Thai island beach resorts so we booked a 4 night stay at a beach town named Aonang in the south of Thailand. The most famous of the Thai islands is Phuket but we deliberately avoided it for the very reason of its immense popularity. We took a road slightly less travelled.

We were fortunate enough to have a direct flight of less than two hours from Chiang Mai to Krabi, a town 30 minutes from Aonang. As we were getting off the plane we noticed a bus waiting to take us to the terminal even though it was only a short distance away. I assumed that there must be further terminal to which we would be transported but no; three buses were standing by to drive the passengers 40 yards to the terminal. The bus drove for about 15 seconds and stopped to let us out. I thought it was hilarious.

We found a significant temperature change between Chiang Mai and Aonang. CM had already cooled down quite a bit but while we were away the temperature there plunged to a frigid 12 degrees at night. (stop laughing Canadians). In Aonang the temperatures were in the 30s most of the time and really didn’t become much cooler at night.

Even though the beach at Aonang is not as spectacular as some of the others, it is considered one of the great areas to stay because of the incredible surroundings of spectacular scenery. The mountainous terrain along with the colours of the water confirmed what we had read about the region’s beauty. As well, the beach faced the west so we witnessed a beautiful sunset at 6:10 every night, with cocktail in hand.

One of the highlights of Aonang Beach was the presence of a large group of monkeys at one end. They interacted easily with the humans, feeling comfortable enough to jump on your shoulders if they thought food was available. They frolicked in nearby trees and jumped and swam in a small pool of water. Amazing little creatures. My favourite was the one who, after being handed a piece of watermelon by a beachwalker, went to the stream to wash it off before eating.

Along with the beach area, our resort (Krabi Resort) had a beautiful pool which we also used on several occasions but an unfortunate incident detracted from our enjoyment. A young, willowy, attractive blonde woman (European, no doubt) decided to flaunt custom by sunbathing topless not far from where we were sitting. After asking Sarah to take a picture (for evidence), I complained vociferously to the manager and when nothing was done, I left the pool area in a huff. (there were no other vehicles available) I did return later but only to keep abreast of the poolside activities.

On our third day at Aonang we went on a group tour of several islands and beaches in the area. Approximately 50 of us crowded onto a speedboat and set sail (on a power boat?) for the neighbouring islands. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I won’t bother to describe them but will let Sarah’s photos speak for themselves. One of the smaller beaches is Maya Beach on the island of Koh Phi Phi (pronounced “pee pee”, insert your own joke here) where Leonardo Dicaprio’s movie The Beach was filmed. It certainly was an amazing area but packed full of boats and people. Sarah and I did our first ever snorkelling on this tour and got to see some beautiful coral and species of fish.

During the week we met people from Holland, Sweden, Russia, India, South Korea, Malaysia, and Brunei. All of them spoke very good English which certainly reinforces the fact that English is the closest thing we have to an international language. I feel a little embarrassed that I can only offer a few memorized phrases in a couple of other languages but I guess that’s what happens when you spend most of your life in southern Ontario. The gentleman from Brunei was extremely outgoing and very funny, advising the young newlyweds from India how to make their marriage succeed. He himself complained that he hadn’t realized his marriage certificate came without an expiry date and he’d been attached for 36 years. He was the life of the party and I dubbed hi m the Sultan of Brunei which seemed to delight him. He gave us his business card and, to no one’s surprise, he is employed in sales.

All in all, we had a great trip and would highly recommend it to anyone. The Thai islands certainly lived up to their reputation.

And now for some links. Click here to see more photos.
This is a video of the monkey on Mike's shoulder. 
This is a video of the monkeys playing. One little guy washes his watermelon before eating it.

Until next time……….. 

Skating in Chiang Mai

Even though ice hockey is played year round in parts of Canada, skating in 28 degree weather still seems abnormal to me. However, when our friend Shelley arranged a skating date at the Central Festival Mall which just opened three weeks ago here in Chiang Mai, we dutifully signed up. So six of us headed off to the Mall for our experience.

Naturally we had not brought skates with us to Thailand but we were able to rent them at the facility. They really weren’t bad either. The same can’t be said of the ice. The surface had many cracks and even though it had just been flooded, there was not a hint of smooth ice. That, as it turns out, was only a minor hazard to our health. The major danger came from the many first-time skaters, mainly, but not exclusively, Thais, whose enthusiasm outweighed their common sense. Balancing oneself on two narrow blades is not as easy as Canadians make it appear. People were dropping all over the ice surface and, had they done it gracefully, they might have been forgiven. However, such was not the case. In falling, the arms and the legs flew through the air, endangering all who happened to be in the vicinity. At first my instinct was to reach out and try to prevent the fall but I quickly realized the foolhardiness of those actions. So I let them fall. Discretion is the better part of valour.

In truth, it was a lot of fun and the ice surface was actually better than the last one I skated on, the Rideau Canal about four years ago. I loved watching the faces of the Thais who fearlessly attempted to skate and after every spill got up and tried again. If I had fallen just once I’d probably have been taking a trip to the nearest hospital. Ah, the glory of youth. But once again it struck me that the strict safety rules that we take for granted in North America are pretty much ignored in other parts of the world. There were far too many people on the ice for its size, and we only saw one person wearing a protective helmet.

The best line came from one of our friends from Egypt who commented on Facebook: “You Canadians. Finding ice wherever you go in the world.”

Until next time …..

Loy Krathong / Yee Peng Lantern Festival

Here is a link to see all the photos taken this weekend: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201035818280932.1073741841.1331881912&type=1&l=95f6b0b504

Here is a link to see a video of the dancing animal from the parade - the video was taken in Pai:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_jZasA9Otc&feature=em-upload_owner#action=share

Here is a link to see the video of the "war zone" sounds from the river Krathong launch:  http://youtu.be/TbfopInpKK4

This is a link to a video from someone who went to the massive lantern launch in Mae Jo - I did not take it, but it's pretty cool. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weA6qiotpWs

Until next time ....  

Happy Birthday To Me!

On November 14th, I turned 39. I started my day bright and early for a jog around the moat. I have to go early because it's just too hot later in the morning and the traffic is a little better then too. I talked to Brianna when I got home for a bit. She taught me how to take a screen shot on my phone! At 10:00 we went to do some volunteer work at the school (Chiang Mai International School). Mike and I each have a little one to help out with in Grade 1 for a class and then after Mike goes to grade 4 and I go to grade 5 for one class. After lunch we went to Starbucks for coffee. They have their Christmas decorations out already and I love the Christmas music. 
Mike organized a little birthday dinner for me at The Riverside restaurant with some friends. I had a blast! The best bartender in Chiang Mai (according to his co-worker) made us a pitcher of margaritas that were delicious. The food was great too. Because the Loy Krathong, Yee Peng Festival was only 2 days away there were people out and about along the river setting of fireworks and sending lanterns into the air. There was a real excitement in the atmosphere. 
Our friend Karen has a part in the movie that they are filming in Chiang Mai called The Coup. It stars Owen Wilson. AND Owen Wilson came into the restaurant while we were there! But I didn't see him. (Angela and I looked on all 3 floors.) Apparently it was too crowded and he ended up at the restaurant next door instead. Karen later went and saw him. How cool is that?! 
Our good friend Shelley brought me a lantern! After dinner, we found a clearing and set off our first lantern with Shelley's good instructions. (I was a little nervous - if it doesn't go up or gets caught in a tree, it's bad luck for LIFE - I didn't want anything bad to happen on my birthday of all days.) Shelley recorded a video for us and I have attached a one minute portion link below for you to see. After the lantern we went to a few bars and dance places and had lots of fun. It was a really good birthday. The first time I've been out until 3AM in a really long time.  

http://youtu.be/zw6DVjAIAG4  - This is the youtube link for our lantern release.

Coming up next some photos from the Lantern Festival ...

A Slice of Pai (Nov 9-11)

Our latest trip was to a small town approximately 80 km (50 miles for those of you born before 1970) north of Chiang Mai called Pai. Although most people just pronounce it as “pie”, the Thai sound for P is really closer to B, according to Tick, our language teacher. Anyway, it’s a town of about 2000 people which has become an immensely popular tourist stop, particularly amongst the backpacker set. It’s easily walkable and the streets are filled with locals selling their wares.  As well, numerous bars and restaurants, along with cheap guesthouses, are everywhere which makes it extra attractive for the young travellers. There is a relaxed but energetic (is it possible for those two words to go together?) feel to this beautiful town located on the Pai River.

Pai itself is nestled at the foot of the mountains and the surrounding countryside is stunningly beautiful. There are hot springs, waterfalls, and hiking areas. We rented a small motorbike for the day at a cost of 140 baht (under $5) and explored several areas. One place that we wanted to see was the bridge on the river Pai (see blog from Oct. 27, One Night In Bangkok). Although this one was not the subject of a movie, it had many similarities to the one over the Kwai. According to locals and most tourist information sites, it was built by Japanese soldiers during World War Two in order to transport goods and troops across the river. However, there is strong evidence which suggests that the bridge was built much later by the Thai government and the historical connection invented, presumably to attract tourists.

I mentioned earlier that the distance to Pai is only 80 kilometers so it should only take an hour to drive there right? Well it doesn’t quite work that way. The route from CM to Pai has 762 curves (apparently someone had the time to count) which is boasted about on t-shirts and other paraphernalia. We were warned that at least one person always gets car sick on the trip to or from Pai and it was very nearly us. Sitting in the back of the mini-van was a gut-wrenching experience which will not be repeated. Next time it will be the 25 minute plane ride in a 12-seater Cessna instead of the three hour rollercoaster in the van.

Until next time ………

BUA TONG WATERFALL

The Bua Tong Waterfall (also referred to as the Sticky Waterfall) is located approximately 45 kilometers north of Chiang Mai. With our fellow thespians Angela, E.J, Shelley, Karen, Ian and Charlotte, we spent a fantastic Sunday at this relatively secluded area. For some reason it seems to have stayed off the tourist map, leaving us ample room to play.

At the top of the falls is an area like a small park where people set up little spots to eat, drink and socialize. There is no cost to get in and they even sell food and drink there. We were able to buy beer and Sangsom (Thai rum) which was fortunate because it was election day in Chiang Mai and the sale of alcohol was banned for a 30 hour period. Yes, people were able to sit in a public area drinking alcohol and no one was injured, maimed, scarred or killed. Take that, Ribfest at Zwick’s Island! (Canada is without doubt one of the greatest countries in the world but the liquor laws are archaic and absurd.)

But enough pontificating. Back to the waterfall. There are four levels to the waterfall and it is possible to actually walk down through the flowing water even though it is quite steep in parts. The limestone rocks have been perfectly smoothed over by the running water and have a “sticky” feeling, making the footing secure. From the top area there is a drop of approximately 50 feet to an area of flat rocks and that pattern continues for two more levels. You can stand at the bottom of a rock and have the water cascade over top of you, a sort of Sticky Falls shower. An amazing feeling.

Every once in a while you have one of those days where there is a feeling of complete joy and freedom, untouched by the multitude of troubles in our world. A short break from reality in a sense. Sunday at Bua Tong was just such a day.

Until next time ………….

Here's the link for more waterfall photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200838034696466&type=1&l=2ff8ec5d54

Visa run to Laos

After our failure to secure a visa in both Chiang Mai and Bangkok, Plan C involved a trip to Laos, Thailand’s neighbour to the east. The capital city is Vientiane and a trip to the Thai consulate there was necessary for us to extend our visa for another 90 days. They make sure you stay at least one night by having you apply for your visa one day and receiving your answer the following day.

Vientiane is a city of approximately 800,000 people and it seemed to us that their national pastime was “napping”. Actually, the Lao people could not have treated us any better than they did, going out of their way time and again to assist us. Unfortunately, the city itself did not leave a wonderful impression. There was a great deal of garbage in the streets (reminding us of Cairo last year) which apparently is somewhat new to this city. Vientiane hosted the Asian Games a few years ago and at that point the city was spotless.  Afterward, it seems, the money for cleaning projects dried up. The Mekong River runs through Vientiane and where one might expect a number of beautiful riverside buildings, restaurants etc., none existed. At least we didn’t see any.

Luang Prabang, a Unesco World Heritage site, is a small city north of Vientiane and that was our next stop. A beautiful and charming little city, LP is also on the Mekong River but in contrast to the capital it uses its natural beauty very effectively. There are numerous guest houses along the river but no high-rises or modern hotels to be seen. It is a town that is easily walkable or rideable and fortunately our guest house provided free bicycles (as well as a free pickup from the airport). We decided a river cruise on the Mekong at sunset would be a perfect end to the day and start to the evening (the sun sets about 5:45) so for 100,000 we got an hour on the water.

Ah yes, the prices. One U.S. dollar is approximately 7500 Laotian kip, so the majority of our time was spent trying to make sense of the money. We actually withdrew 2,000,000 (that’s right, million) kip at one point just to have a cup of coffee and a muffin. If you dropped a 500 kip bill in the street you really had to consider whether it was worth your while to bend over and pick it up.

One of the highlights of our trip to LP was being part of tak bat, the daily procession of monks along the main street at 5:30 a.m. Hundreds of locals and tourists line the street with alms (offerings of food, mainly sticky rice) every morning to give to the monks for their daily sustenance. There are well over a hundred monks walking in single file as well as in complete silence. There is also almost total silence among the almsgivers which makes for an eerie but awe-inspiring ritual. The people give the food in order to “make merit” or receive spiritual redemption. As is often the case though, the spirituality is somewhat lost when you see such things as monks having to sidestep cameras on tripods in order to accept the alms. Subtlety and discretion are seldom evident in tourists. However, a return to Luang Prabang is certainly in our plans.

Until next time…………

Here's the link to see some more photos including more details from the rice paddies :
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200840581560136.1073741837.1331881912&type=1&l=7e29b8cfdd

One night in Bangkok ...

Actually it was three nights but that’s not how the song goes. Anyway, we were told by Chiang Mai immigration that they could complete my visa right there but Sarah would have to go to Bangkok for hers. It turns out that such information was false but that’s another story. We had already decided to take a long weekend to the place that Travel & Leisure magazine has named the world’s best city, four years in a row.

The choice of hotels in Bangkok is vast and many decent ones are less than $40 per night. These are the type that might be $70 - $80 in Canada and most include breakfast in the cost. We knew we were in a high class affair when we read the sign in the stairwell that warned us it was illegal to bring prostitutes to our room. Sarah was disappointed but we agreed to stay anyway.

Not long after our arrival we took a long-tail boat through the Chao Phraya River and its various channels. Bangkok transports thousands of its citizens per day using water taxis and the hundreds of canals give it the title Venice of the East. (It should be noted that several other cities in various countries also lay claim to that title) We even saw crocodiles during our 1 hour trip, along with hundreds of houses built just above the level of the water. Most of these places were quite rundown and definitely not the sorts of mansions we often see along the water in North America. Near the end of the boat trip, an elderly woman rowed a boat toward us wearing a big smile and we thought how nice it was she was coming to greet us. To our surprise (and pleasure) she was selling beer right out of her boat. Naturally we accepted and she even talked us into buying the boat’s pilot a beer as well.

Have you ever heard of Jim Thompson? We certainly hadn’t but he was an American who revitalized the silk industry in Thailand during the 1950s and 1960s. He was probably the most famous American in Asia during that time but in 1967 he mysteriously disappeared in the jungle of Malaysia and no trace of him has ever been found. He designed and built his own house in Bangkok using traditional Thai styles as well as pieces from six different dwellings. We visited this magnificent home which is now a museum.

Put up your hand if you’ve seen the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai (Sorry, an old teacher habit). It’s a mainly fictional story about a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Burma (now called Myanmar) during World War Two. The Japanese forced the prisoners to build a bridge over the river in order to transport supplies between Burma and Siam (now called Thailand). The bridge was used for two years before being blown up by the Allies. However, it was re-constructed in the 1960s and is still in use today. We visited the area and took the train over the bridge. By the way, the movie won 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture.

A visit to see The Golden Buddha was another of our Bangkok trips. This statue is 10 feet tall and weighs approximately 5 tonnes. IT IS MADE OF SOLID GOLD! Using today’s gold prices, the statue is worth 250 million dollars. It is believed that at one time the Buddha was coated in stucco and painted to disguise its true value. Later, when Thais were moving the Buddha, the statue fell and pieces of the stucco broke off, revealing the golden interior. (Once I found $20 in a pair of shorts I hadn’t worn for a year, so I know how the Thais must have felt)

Khao San Road is one of the more famous areas of Bangkok. It is a street filled with bars, restaurants, live music, sellers, buyers, food, drink and more. It is, depending on your taste, either an assault on or a heavenly experience for your senses. This road was quite close to our hotel so we visited there a couple of times to sample its nightlife. Even though it was hot and humid, as well as being the low season, the street was packed with revellers, mainly tourists like ourselves. An amazing, if somewhat overwhelming, experience.

Until next time ……

Elephant Nature Park

For more pictures, click here!

Adapting To Our New City

New Apartment & Wat Tour

For more photos of our Wat Tour

For more photos of our Apartment Building

The video of our 1st serenade in Thailand

The Airport Greenery

I'm starting a collection of food photos but there isn't enough yet ... I'll post that album soon.

We've arrived in Chiang Mai

 

Click here to see more photos of the Lantern Festival 

Click here to see more photos of Stephen's house