Hey guys.
Sorry for being MIA for the last six weeks, but I’ve been
doing a spot of travelling! I spent all of June walking, busing and flying around
Thailand, which was utterly fantastical – but exhausting! And despite the
military coo – which wasn’t at all as scary as English news made it out to be –
meaning the papers didn’t show you the soldiers taking selfies, or allowing the
tourists to pose for pictures on the army tanks! It was a really great holiday
and I want to share with you all some of the more thrilling moments of this
trip.
Number 1 – Bann Chang Elephant park in Chiangmai, THAILAD
One of my favourite things was coming here and spending two
nights and three days feeding, washing, riding and learning to take care of
elephants.
Unlike most elephant parks, this place will take in all elephants,
both the good and the bad, the young and the old, as well as both the sweet and
ill tempted. They rescue their elephants from all over Thailand, and provide the
care and attention needed to ensure the elephants lead happy and care free
lives.
While the Mahuts (the elephants caretakers) all carried the
required bull hook, they are rarely used and you can see each Mahut has a
special relationship with their own elephants. Not to mention the Mahuts were
all particularly entertaining and enjoyed trying to speak to you with their
broken English.
However while it was
sad seeing elephants that had been previously abused – our guide admitted three
of the elephants had even killed their previous owners due to ill treatment –
It was rewarding to see the good work being done at Bann Chang and should you
go to Thailand, I would recommend this as a number one place to visit.
You can learn a lot about the elephants, the how’s and why’s
in which they came to live in the park, the way in which to look after them,
the right and wrong ways in which they can be ridden. It truly is an overall amazing
experience and I took pleasure in learning each elephant’s personality. Some
grab food politely, others are greedy and snatch. Some just want to play while others
are not quite so friendly and will give you a good wack with their trunks if
you get to close… or squirt you with water.
It really is a must! Please feel free to check out their
website HERE!
Number 2 – The Golden Palace in Bangkok
A beautiful place to walk around – although if you visit in
the height of summer be sure to take a drink! And be warned before you go in,
both legs must be fully covered, a woman must have sleeves of some sort
(apparently a shawl is not enough – or you are considered too sexy!) and definitely show no cleavage. It’s also an advantage
to wear shoes that are easy to slip off as many of the temples require you
remove your footwear!
So while getting through the door is often a challenge for
many, once you are in the sights are well worth the effort. The statues, the
buildings, everything is a mass of colour and history. And being deceptively
large, at a wandering pace it will easily take you at least four hours to walk
through. Sun glasses might also be a good thing to back as the Palace is, suffice
to say, Dazzling!
Number 3 – Chiangmai Town
I adored Chiangmai! There is so much to do both in and
outside the town. I would recommend the bike tours - especially the one to the
waterfall - and the spas! If you want to pamper yourself, go ahead. I spent
four and half hours being pummelled, stretched, rubbed and lathered with goo that
turned my skin baby soft and left my brain like mush! All for £50! It was
fantastic!
However my favourite thing was the Sunday Market. Prices are
cheap, but even so you can haggle – and the markets sell everything! From bags
to electronics, food, leather, silks, you name it, they have it! Be prepared to
buy very much, but spend very little!
So if you plan to spend any time in Chiangmai, please,
please try and be there on a weekend!
Number 4 – Scuba Diving! In Phuket!
So my friend could scuba dive, I could not. Yet finding my
hotel literally around the corner from the local dive shop (Aussie Divers) I
soon found myself getting talked into taking my Open Water Diving Course and
getting my license. Oh boy was it worth it! Not only was my instructor amazing (despite
his jokes and obvious entertainment at our screw ups) but learning with only
one other student, and taking your first dive into clear blue waters were we
saw (A miniscule) mantra ray, a very large turtle, a ship wreck and more fish
than I knew existed… it was truly magical!
So Overall…
(What can I say - I live in China! Pizza is a novelty for me!)
Granted there were many other wonderful things, yet these
were the most phenomenal that I experienced in Thailand. But after 5 weeks, surprisingly
not as much money as you would think, lots of pizza and some amazing sun sets,
I am now back in mainland China. However I just spent three very wonderful days
in Singapore (a post on that adventure will soon be following) and I am ultra
excited to announce, I have just booked a week in Japan! Which, those of you
who know me can attest, it has been my lifelong dream to visit! And there is
only two weeks to go!
In regards to book reviews, be sure I’ve got lots of reading
done these past few weeks! Hopefully now I am home I can catch up on my sleep
and will have some reviews up soon! How’s everyone else’s summer going?
Love and Hugs all
XxX
