Thailand and Beyond

Today is our last day in Thailand tomorrow we are off to Malaysia. So we got back today from the Safari trek and we decided to just Run wild in Phucket. Kari spent her day at the markets and exploring the city, Margaret decided to hit the beach again and I decided to rent an ATV and drive around the beaches, It seems my idea caught on because next thing i know here come Keri and Margaret on ATV's. We were sand surfing as the locals call it. It was the perfect way to end our stay in Phucket. Tomorrow we continue out Asia trip and we are on to a new country! Stay tuned for more blogs commin at you from Malaysia.

We are leaving on our overnight JUNGLE SAFARI today, we are going to be camping in the jungle. I know that the other girls get a little squeamish when it comes to bug so I hope they can handle that huge spiders. This is so exciting I feel like Steve Irwin.

Our tour is going to take us from Phuket up to the mainland, through Phang Nga Province then back to Khao National Park. We will be riding elephants and sailing down the Sok River and then trek through the jungle. How Exotic!

Today we arrive in the BEAUTIFUL beach town of phuket. We are spending three days here on the beach relaxing and enjoying the paradise that is this city. Where else can you see more then 10 beaches in the same area! There is over 540 square feet of beach here! Its incredible. The warm weather is all year round with a rainy season for half the year, I cant imagine this place ever not looking less then perfection.

We found out that the movie “The Beach” was filmed in Thailand on the paradise beach, I mean we will literally be standing in the same spot Leonardo Dicaprio did. I mean it was like 10 years ago but its still pretty cool to think about.

So today we are keeping it low key and only hitting one beach. Keri went to the local food market and got to talking with a local thai man who told her that Chalong bay beach is the best beach in Phuket to go to, there are not to many people there and the beach is beautiful so after some dinner that Keri picked up at the market (Thai noodles with curry and river fish, a staple for the locals) we are packin our beach bags and heading for the surf!

Today we visited the Hill Tribe[u] group. These groups of about twenty different ethnic groups together number approximately 550,000.
Most of these people migrated from Tibet, China, or Laos. They came with their own practices and customs but the government has opposed most of them.

The Hill Tribe people make most of their living from the tourism industry. Their living rooms have been transformed into showrooms selling handicrafts. They also host trekkers. They wear colorful cloths and quite a bit of jewelry.

We had a great time spending time with them – they were very friendly and the kids loved getting their pictures taken.

Journey Tours picked us up from our hotel and drove us (along with 7 others) to the beautiful Mae Sa Valley, which is just north of Chiang Mai. It was about an hour drive down the valley – the scenery was absolutely breathtaking.
First, we visited a elephant training camp and watched them perform for us!

Then came the BEST PART! - We each got to take a elephant ride. The ride took about an hour and was SOO COOL!!

At the end of the show you can feed the elephants with some stuff you can buy there.

Margaret fell off her elephant a couple of times so that was hilarious!
Here are some photos of our experience!

We Made It! It was a short flight to Chiang Mai. What a beautiful part of the world!! We spend most of our day today at Elephant Nature Park. The 1-hour trek to this park was breathtaking - set in a natural valley, surrounded by river and mountains(1).
The park has been in existence for 18 years. It is a sanctuary and rescue centre for roughly 35 elephants from all over Thailand.

The park acquires its elephants mostly from private owners. Most of these elephants have outlived their usefulness to loggers or become useless to trekking camp owners(2).

Below is a link to Elephant Nature Park website if you would like more information on this wonderful organization.
http://www.thaifocus.com/elephant/

The elephant seemed very comfortable with the many tourists. We were able to scrub them while there were in the river as well as feed them.

Here is a video of Pupia the baby elephant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdE_D-fPAyI

Sawat Dee (Hello) from Bangkok, well this is our last night here in Bangkok before we move on to Chiang Mai. Yesterday we took in the greenery at the Lumphini Park. It is like the Central Park of Thailand. There are so many different activities that go on at the park like outdoor concerts, aerobics classes, tai chi, and jogging. We had a very nice and peaceful picnic for our last day in Bangkok.

It was nice to get away from the loud bustling city and just sit back and relax, watching the culture around us. We got through the first leg of our trip just fine and thanks to some much needed Thai phrases that got us through some good bargaining. Here are just a few words and phrases that we learned to use well…

Yes = Chái
No = Mâi chái
Thank you = Khàp khun
No, thank you = Mâi ao khàp khun
Hello = Sawàt dee
How are you? = Sabai dee rue?
I'm fine = Sabàay dii
Excuse me = Khãw thôht
Please = Karuna
I do not understand = Mâi Khâo jai
I cannot speak Thai = Poot passat Thai mai dai
Can speak a little Thai = Poot passat Thai nit noy
How much? = Thâo rai or Kee Baht?
I don't have much money = Mee nguen mai maak
Can you discount a little = Lot rakka dai mai
Too expensive = Paeng Pai.
You must be joking = Poot len naw
I want it cheaper = ow thuuk
1 = Neung
2 = Song
3 = Saam
4 = See
5 = Ha
6 = Hok
7 = Jet
8 = Paet
9 = Gow
10 = Sip

Well it’s off to Chiang Mai in the morning. We will be updating everyone on our voyage through Chiang Mai soon, goodnight from all of us.

**A map of where the Grand Palace and Wat Pho are located in Bangkok

We saw many different statues of mythical creatures such as a half man half bird called Kinnorn.

Wat Phra Kaew is considered the most sacred temple in all of Thailand and is located on the grounds of the Grand Palace. The main attraction is the Emerald Buddha located in the ubosoth building and is said to have originated from India.

The Grand Palace is open from 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM and costs 250 Baht per person (around $8.00 CAD).

Next we headed down to Wat Pho also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. As Keri, Bev and I looked at this sight we just could not believe how HUGE this Buddha was. I mean it was MASSIVE, like nothing I have ever seen before in my life.

Wat Pho not only holds the largest Buddha but holds more than 1,000 Buddha images in total. Here at Wat Pho they not only offer beautiful sites but also relaxation, offering messages. Of course we could not give up an opportunity like that so we each got our one hour massage for 250 Baht each. Let us just say this is not the gentlest massage I have ever had but it sure did feel good after it was done. Wat Pho is open from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM and has an entry fee of 20 Baht (around $0.65 CAD) per person. This was definitely a most fascinating experience and one we will never forget. Goodbye for now, Bev, Keri and Margaret.

Hey to all our family and friends reading, its Margaret here. We have just spent our first 5 days in Bangkok the capital city of Thailand. What can I say about Bangkok, it is hot, loud, and the pollution is out of this world. Our first weekend here we decided to check out the Chatuchak weekend market. It was remarkable to walk around and see the different items people were selling such as puppies, birds, fish, jewelry, antiques, rice, curries, noodles, insects (no we did not eat any, gross!) and the list goes on.

There are 9,000 different stations to choose from, which is crazy, it is impossible to see it all in one day so we did spend Saturday and Sunday walking around, still not getting to see all it has to offer. Keri got a little nervous with all the shouting and weird noises the sales people were making, to try and get our attention. It was very neat to see and I suggest if you are ever in Bangkok to come and set your eyes on it.

We are staying at a wonderful hotel, the Baiyoke Tower II, it is totally cool. It is the largest tower in Thailand and the view from the top is so incredible. It is about $50.00 CAD per night so not that expensive. Well we are off on our next adventure here in Bangkok and Bev is kicking me off the computer…so goodbye for now.

Only 5 days till we (Bev, Margaret, & Keri) leave for our 21 day trip to Southeast Asia where we will be visiting the country of Thailand!!!!
Bev just got her passport in the mail today. Her old one would have expired in 4 months so she was encouraged to obtain a new one as per Thailand regulations. Because we will only be there for 21 days, we did not have to get a traveler visa – SWEET!

While researching our adventurer, we thought we would introduce you to this amazing country by sharing some facts with you:

Capital City
Bangkok

Official Language
Thai

Currency
Baht (Code BHT)

Types of Rulers
King (Rama IX) &
Prime Minister (Samak Sundaravej)

Population
62,828,706

Calling Code
+66

Expected Climate
tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon

Natural Resources
Tin
Rubber
Natural Gas
Tungsten
Tantalum
Timber
Lead
Fish

Ethnic Groups
Thai 75%
Chinese 14%
Other 11%

Religion
Buddhist 94.6%
Muslim 4.6%
Christian 0.7%
Other 0.1% (2000 census)

Languages
Thai
English (secondary language of the elite)
Ethnic and regional dialects

Time Zone
Time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Visa Exemption
Not required (for stays of up to 30 days)
Tourist Visa: Required
Business Visa: Required
Student Visa: Required[list]
Working Visa: Required

STAY TUNED FOR POSTS ONCE WE ARRIVE IN ASIA!