Thailand Travels: Day 7, Wat Phrathat Dot Suthep and Tiger Kingdom

We arrived in Chiang Mai at about 9:30 am and were greeted by our bus driver who took us to our next hotel in Chiang Mai. We'd expected to be able to shower and change after the night on the train, however our rooms were quite ready when we arrived. Instead we had to have a quick freshen up in the toilets before Sek took us to a place called Baan Bakery, just round the corner from the hotel.



Baan was run by a friendly Chinese family and sold very tasty pastries, freshly baked and prepared french bread sandwiches and very strong coffee! It was the best breakfast so far here. To date I've either skipped this meal or only eaten fruit smoothies as the Thai breakfast is far to similar to the Thai lunch and the Thai dinner for my liking!! (Noodles, noodles and more noodles!!)

After we were suitably stuffed our driver took us to visit another temple called Wat Phrathat Dot Suthep. There were over 300 steps up to this temple but once we reached the top it was worth it because this was another stunning golden beauty.

Next up was lunch and Tiger Kingdom. There were 4 options to chose from, all of which included going inside an enclosure and petting the tigers. A really large tiger cost 420 THB, a medium tiger for 420 THB, small tigers for 520 THB and the baby tiger cubs 620 THB.



I was naturally drawn to the baby tiger cubs because they are so cute... and I knew I wasn't interested in being anywhere near the big tigers! Far too dangerous and asking for trouble...

Tiger Kingdom claims not to drug it's tigers, however I wasn't too sure how true this was as the Tigers were very docile when I saw them and it just doesn't seem natural for a predatory mammal to lay there and let you rub it's belly. I felt quiet guilty once I was in the enclosure because I felt uncomfortable about wild animals being caged in that way purely for my entertainment. I'm glad I went though because it made me realise that it's a cruel way for animals to be treated.



As well as tigers there was also a huge Lion in a cage. As I got close to his cage for a photo, he let out an almighty roar and I nearly jumped out of my skin. And I thought to myself... that's probably his entertainment for the day, scaring tourists that are silly enough to put their face up to his cage! Haha!

After my slot with the baby tiger cubs, I went and waited for Kirsty, Emily and Helena to come out of theirs. They'd picked to see the largest tiger of all and it was amusing to see how petrified they all were when they came out. They were all physically shaking and saying how scared they've been, especially when the zookeeper had encouraged the tiger to jump up onto the tiger and do tricks!



Once everyone had seen their Tiger, the group split. A few people went to see the long neck tribes and the orchid butterfly farm and the rest of us took the bus back to the hotel to freshen up and unpack. It gets pretty hot on the buses so I decided to get a bit of fresh air and hang out the back with Sek!!

Kirsty went to see the long neck tribes and by her accounts it did sound very interesting.

Later that evening Sek arranged for the group to go to Thai boxing. The tickets and transport were 600 THB and I wasn't too fussed about this option so I skipped this and chose to take advantage of the massage parlour across the road from our hotel. I paid 200 THB for a full body oil massage and it was money well spent because the aromatherapy oils worked wonders and I was off to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Thailand Travels: Day 6, Boating, Wat Po & the Overnight Sleeper Train

On Sunday morning our group hired a boat and our tour guide Sek took took us along one of Bangkok's famous canals. There were swarms of catfish in the river which we stopped to feed with bread, before we went on to visit two beautiful, but very different temples.






The first was Wat Arun (which means temple of dawn) a temple dedicated to the 2nd reign of Chakkri Dynasty and cost 50 THB to visit. It's a landmark of Thailand located on the West Bank of Chao Phraya River and is made of grey stone engraved with beautiful flowery patterns.



It has very steep, vertigo-inducing steps to climb up which you don't realise are pretty high until you reach the top and start thinking "how the hell do I get down!?



One daring tourist decided to bring a baby up to the top, which was fine until it came to coming down, which was a lot more dangerous. I could barely watch the man and his wife carry the baby over their shoulder as they climbed down the steps gripping the railings!!!



The next place we went to was the temple of Wat Pho, a little more at 100 THB, where the gigantic golden sleeping Buddha resides. Literally as I arrived her the battery in my proper camera ran out which meant my iPhone had to suffice for piccies. Luckily I have the iPhone 5 and it has some great filter options for bringing the best out of your photography. This Buddha is actually amongst my favourites from my travels to date.

For the journey back, we took a public boat taxi which was really cheap, (just 15 TBH). Unfortunately, Ashlia a friend from another tour, who had joined our group for the day, didn't exit the boat in time and managed to miss the stop and get stuck sailing to the next stop!! Luckily Sek realised and sent a message to the driver on a wallow talkie to send her back to us on the return boat!

After the boat ride we walked back to the Bangkok Centre Hotel to pack for our next adventure an overnight ride on a sleeper train! On the walk back there were lots of photography opportunities for some street shots so I kept snapping away and holding up the group!





Later that evening we took a sleeper train from Bangkok station to Chiang Mai to make the 13 hour journey to the north. Before we boarded, we discovered that there's normally a disco carriage that sells alcohol and plays music in the evenings. Excited at the prospect, after dinner I went exploring with Kirsty (who I've been sharing a room with up until today - now we shared a sleeper bunk). It was about 8 carriages away from the one we were sleeping in but it wasn't long before we knew we'd found it! Some of the worst 90s cheese was blasting out of the carriage... Think Vegaboys, YMCA and the Macarena...

The disco carriage had tables and chairs where people could sit and eat dinner, however at this point it was about 8pm and most people had moved onto drinking. The drinking options were a bit limited with just beer or Smirnoff ice but we still managed to put away a good number of both.

Once the alcohol set in the music seemed very entertaining and it wasn't long before we had a carriage with about 40 people doing the Macarena... (the shame!) the Thai's found It very entertaining and started filming our antics on their camera phones. There was a security guard on the train behaving very oddly. He kept taking photos of the palest skin members of the groups as he walked past... Very unnerving but apparently it's quite normal as the Thai's love the pale skin and aspire to be the same.

Unfortunately the disco carriage closes at 11pm so the rest of the passengers can get some sleep, so our party was short-lived!



Tomorrow we will arrive in Chiang Mai and venture out to another temple and Tiger Kingdom. Part of the group is also choosing to go to see the long neck tribe after Tiger Kingdom, but I'm going to pass on this as it's an extra 600 TBH to pay.h

Thailand Travels: Day 5, Protests Up Close

I checked out of the Buddy Boutique Inn this morning and made my way across town to the Bangkok Centre Hotel to meet my G Adventures tour companions. Ashlia was already staying at the hotel so we arranged to meet in reception once I'd checked in.

I went up to my room and was pleased to find my room mate Kristy had already arrived. She was using the bathroom when I let myself into the room so I called through the bathroom door to say hello and let her know I'd arrived. It was a funny way to introduce myself but she instantly made me feel comfortable and after a minute we were chatting and laughing away and sharing travelling stories.

After a while we noticed whistling and drumming noises coming from outside; and getting louder and louder! We opened up the window in our room to see what all the racket was about. (Our room is on the eighth floor of the hotel which meant we had great views across this part of the capital.) We spotted that the protests were kicking off right outside our hotel and hords of people were marching through the streets shouting. Tomorrow is Election Day and the protesters are trying to block people from getting to the voting polls so tension is building. There was a bomb and some shooting this evening, but not near our hotel, close to the polls.

Once we were settled in our room and had stopped filming all the action from our window we arranged to meet Ashlia and go out and explore nearby Chinatown. However, as soon as we stepped outside we found we were in the thick of the protests. They were peaceful protests nonetheless and the Thai people were friendly to us and even helped us cross the road. It's funny really because if you only saw the media's report you assume it was dangerous all over Bangkok when in fact it's more areas close to the voting polls where the opposing parties are getting riled up by each other.



We decided to brave it and walk amongst the peaceful protestors to get to the 7-11 to buy water and snacks. All was fine and a couple of protestors even posed for a shot for me with my DSRL.

After that we returned to the safety of the hotel to relax by the pool and chat. Before long it was time to freshen up and go meet our tour guide in the hotel lobby.

Sek introduced himself to us as our CEO (chief experience officer) and it was great to discover he was a native Thai and locally raised. He was really enthusiastic about the tour and the authentic experiences we were going to have and I felt assured we were in good hands.

After our introductory talk he took us to a local restaurant called Larp Park where he recommended I try the Papya salad with BBQ chicken and sticky rice. It wasn't a dish I would have chosen but I've decided that I want to try something new everyday, if possible, so I don't miss out on finding something amazing!

When I was very young my dad took me to Jamaica for 6 weeks. Whilst we were there he tried to get me to try sugar cane almost every day, but I was going through a fussy stage and wouldn't. On the last day somehow he persuaded me to try it and I absolutely loved it! But I was gutted because it was our last day and for the whole holiday I'd missed out on having it fresh from the fields. For years after I'd ask my dad to look out for it in the shops but it never came to our local shops :( So now I've gone 22 years without trying it again!! That's a valuable lesson learnt and I must remember it whilst I am away for this month.

Anyway, when the dish arrived Sek explained that in Bangkok they use cutlery like westerners do because of tourist influence, but in his hometown (Chiang Mai) they use their hands to eat. He then encouraged us to wash our hands and do the same. And I thought why not?! So I did. Sek had his camera out snapping away as I did because he thought it was very funny, and it was. It was SO stupidly messy, especially the combination of sticky rice and sticky BBQ sauce!!! But it was very tasty and surprisingly filling so I was happy with the recommendation.

Tomorrow we're off on a canal tour and to visit more temples and then we set off on a sleeper train overnight to Chiang Mai - it's a 14 hour train journey so I'll be off wifi for a while. They'll be lots of amazing updates after Chiang Mai to be shared as we're visiting Tiger Kingdom, trekking through the hills and taking a cookery class with locals. I really can't wait for this tour to kick off now, feel blessed to be doing so much and with a lovely bunch of people!

Updates to follow in a few days or so... X

Thailand Travels: Day 4, Cocktail O'clock in Bangkok

Ashlia (a fellow solo traveller) flew into Bangkok today, so I had a playmate for the evening! Unfortunately her flight was a bit delayed so I started the night without her. I ate in a restaurant on the Rambuttri Road, called My Darling and I chose to try a Thai red curry with coconut milk and rice, which I've not had before. The red curry was tasty and a little milder than a green curry, but still full of flavour; I'd definely pick it again. Eating on my own was weird at first but it's surprising how quickly you relax and feel comfortable. Plus there's so much to look stand take in from new surroundings.



Ashlia and I arranged to meet at the Greenhouse (a restaurant/hostel). While I was waiting I decided to start as I meant to go on... with a Apple Martini cocktail! I ordered one and then thought it would be nice if Ashlia had one waiting for her after her long (and delayed) flight. Ashlia's first taxi that arrived tried to charge her double the price it should be, (cheeky whatsit!) so she refused (g'wan girl!) and had to wait for another one to turn up, which made her later than planned. I was happy as larry though, as the cocktails were 3 for 2. I started on Ashlia's and ordered another one for her when she arrived.



After a good natter I showed Ashlia down the Rambuttri Road. Weaving through the copious bars, tattoo parlours, food and clothing stalls and pushy tuk tuk drivers we decided that a foot massage was needed! We paid 220THB each for an hour of pampering on side-by-side reclining deckchairs. Lushness!

After that we walked round to the Khaosan road which was like being on another planet! After 12pm the music gets heavier and louder and everyone comes out to party hard. I'd not stayed out this late yet so it was a new experience for me! It was crazy, but a right laugh, lots of drunken travellers chatting away to you and wanting to dance with you in the street!

We both clocked a funky shack with a wicked DJ playing old school R&B and selling cocktails by buckets and decided to check it out. After ordering a sex on the beach cocktail in a bucket to share for 200 THB (total bargain!) some Frenchies in the bar beckoned us over to join them, so we did! They were daring each each other to eat huge bugs from the foodie stalls, so naturally I got my camera out and caught it on film! It was so gross!!

We moved on after this and got costered by a red-haired guy who had a very 'proper' English accent, felt sick and had lost his friends (he made a point of telling us all this). Somehow he got himself involved in a street performance which involved 10 or so people laying down in the road and a little Thai guy doing a run up into a summersault over all of the people. Luckily for him the Thai made it... JUST!



By 2pm we were both flagging, so we left our new friend and went into McDonald's (oh my god the shame!) There I came face to face with my first Lady Boy in Bangkok! S/he loved us and insisted in teaching us how to say (and correctly pronounce) Thai phrases, like 'nice to meet you' and 'hello'. S/he also snapped away at us in McDonald's, badgering us to make peace signs like we were the blooming Spice Girls!! Amusing and a little bizarre! The Facebook addy situation then came up and it was time to leave sharpish.

At 3pm Ashlia caught a cab back to her hotel and I skipped off into mine to write up this blog. I'm excited for tomorrow now when we will go explore the floating markets! But now Cocktail O'clock is Snooze O'clock! Nighttttttt x

Thailand Travels: Day 3, Street Dinner

I'm just back from foraging the local food stalls for my dinner and I'm so stuffed I can't moved! Tonight I tried my first Pad Thai from a food seller on the Khaosan road. For 50 THB, (less than £1) you get a huge portion of Eggy noodles with veg and shrimp, plus a selection of sweet or hot sauces to add to it.



Some people say to avoid the food stalls in Thailand, for fear of food poisoning, but in my experience local street food is always the best and if it's good enough for the locals... then it's good enough for me. Plus it's heaps cheaper than anywhere else!

The other good thing about street stalls is it's a good way to chat to and meet other travellers. When I sat down to eat my Patthai I struck up a chat with 2 Latinos from California and LA who were travelling all over Asia. After we'd finished eating they invited me to join them wandering the streets and chilling out at bars. I was keen and took them up as I had started to get lonesome on my own in the evenings.





We wandered down the Khaosan road and came across some interesting food stalls selling 'edible' bugs! Christina and Willie (my Latino friends) had filmed themselves eating these a few days ago and the footage was hilarious, but also very off putting... So, needless to say I didn't take up their challenge to try one!





We then stopped at a juice bar to pick up our dessert, a delicious freshly-made smoothie. For one type of fruit you pay 30 THB and for a mixed smoothie you pay 40 THB. It was really tasty and lovely and cooling in the humid evening.



Christina and Willie took me a couple of streets away from the Khaosan Road, to Rambuttri Road. It was so much nicer in this spot. The area had a more chilled out vibe and there were lots of beautiful coloured lanterns and fairy lights hanging from all the trees and bars. They were staying at a place called the Greenhouse so we went and sat in its bar, finished our smoothies and exchanged facebook details.

It was a lovely relaxing evening until Willie and I spotted a HUGE rat run across the floor in the bar, not once but twice! We both pulled our feet up to our knees and squealed! Once everyone else in the bar worked out why we'd squealed, panic ensued in the bar and women everywhere begun to leave or clutch at their boyfriends! That was when we I decided it was time to leave too!

Another great evening and another new area in Bangkok ventured into :)

Thailand Travels: Day 3, In Search of the Emerald Buddha

After surviving an evening on the Khaosan Road independently, I felt ready to tackle exploring further afield. My friend had recommended I visit the Emerald Buddah in the morning before the heat of the day. When I'd checked out its position on Google maps it looked like it was just 14 minutes walk from my hotel. Excellent, I don't need one of those cheeky taxi drivers to take me off route!

Before I left the hotel I read up on the dress code in my Lonely Planet guidebook. It said, shoulders and knees should not be shown in the temple and proper closed toe shoes were preferable. So, despite it being about 30 degrees outside I donned my closed toed Toms, lightweight trousers and pashmina to cover my shoulders. And just to be on the safe side I packed a long sleeved top. With my attire sorted, Google maps and guide book in hand, I set out in search for the Emerald Buddha.

As soon as I stepped out the door of course I had 10+ tuk tuk drivers asking me: "Where you go? Temple?". "How do they know..." I wondered. Then I thought, "Clothing, map, camera and the direction I was walking.... Obvs!"

The navigating was going well until a Thai sitting by a group of Tuk Tuks stopped me and said: "Hey misses, where you go? Temple?" whilst pointing in the opposite direction I thought I should be going!

"Hmmm" doubt then entered my mind. "Am I going the wrong way, google maps might have got it wrong".

I ignored the Thai and walked purposely across the road, but then deciding to walk a little way in the direction he was pointing, just to see if that was right way. 15 minutes later I can see I've been duped! Ahhh man and it's SO hot in all this clothing!!! So then I have a 15 minute walk back to where I was. I stay on route after that and after 10 minutes I spot the ornate spires of The Grand Palace (Wat Phra Kaew) and I know I've made it! Lesson of the day: Always trust your instincts!

Before you're allowed into the complex the security checkout your clothing and approve or disapprove. I thought I was sorted but apparently my pashmina wasn't enough (despite the lonely planet guide advising this), luckily I had my other top, but a warning to anyone else planning a visit, the pashmina won't get you in!

Entrance to the Wat Phra Kaew (temple complex) was £500 THB (about £9) and boy was it worth it. I hadn't really looked at any pictures of the site before decided to go, so when I arrived I was blown-away with how spectacular it was! I've never seen so many ornate and opulate temples. Every inch of every building is decorated in gold leaf and gems, it puts even Versailles to shame!

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a fan of OTT bling, so this place was right up my street! I took some amazing photographs on my DSLR which I can't wait to print and look at up-close. For now though you can get a pretty good look at the place from these snaps from my iPhone.

Unfortunately the temple with the Emerald Buddah was closed for renovation, so after all that, I didn't get to see it! However I went into all the other temples, including the Phra Siratana Chedi which is the most beautiful of all. It's very sacred so you're not allowed to wear shoes or take photographs when you're inside, (so you'll just have to take my word for how stunning it is). Inside there's a huge golden glittering alter with a golden Buddah which you must not point your feet at. The floors, walls and ceiling are also adorned with hand-painted art. It's a very quiet and calming space and I enjoyed taking a little time there to meditate and be greatful for all I have.

The one thing that was a shame was there was no one to take pictures of me at the temples so I had to do the unthinkable to snap a selfie in the temple.... just to prove I actually got here! ;-) I did manage a couple of timed shots with my gorilla tripod and DSLR, but I think I may come back again with my group tour to get some more photos with me in them!

Today was fantastic! I'm really glad I went exploring and even getting lost was good because I found a pretty spot on a river bridge to stop and photographs on. I'm now pretty exhausted from all the walking and the heat today, so I think it's time for another massage!

Life's hard here... :-)

Thailand Travels: Day 2, Bangkok Nightlife

There's only so much poolside lounging you can do before you begin to get itchy feet, so this evening I decided it was time to go explore Bangkok by night.

If I'm honest, initially the thought of the Khaosan Road on my own at night was a bit intimadating! However, after getting it over and done with, I realised it wasn't such a big deal. In fact I relished in making all the decisions of where to go and when to turn back, without compromising for someone else.

I'm staying just on the corner of the Khaosan Road which is perfect because it's quiet enough to get to sleep at night, but I'm still just a few steps away from the excitement.

My first task was to find food. I hadn't bothered to eat any lunch by the pool and I'd slept through breakfast so I was more than ready to devour a Thai foodie feast!

As soon as I stepped out of the door I knew dinner was going to be a difficult decision to make. Do I go for the authentic street stalls, or find a busy Thai restaurant where the locals are eating?

As I'm travelling on my own I decided that sitting in a busy restaurant was a more favourable option for my first night. I spotted a colourful place banging out sexy reggae choones and thought: "Yep that looks like my kind of joint."

I went to sit down on my own and after a moment a a group of Thai's were beckoning me to come over and sit with them. There were two other Europeans sitting with them so I decided this would be more appealing than dining solo.



My new Thai friends were fascinated with my hair and did not believe I was from England, well until I explained my background was Jamaican. They loved that and started singing "no woman no cry" at the tops of their voices. I had to giggle. The Thai's ran a stall next door to the restaurant so they were actually 'working' whilst drinking in the bar/restaurant (nice work-life balance!)

I ordered a chicken and veg Thai green curry, but it was so good and I was so hungry that I wolfed it down before I thought about taking a photo for this post. It was blow-your-head-off spicy, but fresh and full of lots of flavour.

After my curry and a chat with my new companions (2 Frenchies and 4 Thai's) I decided to move on.



Ever since I got here I've been checking out the massages stalls and yearning for one, so tonight I decided it was time to try one out. For as little at 120 TBH (approx. £2.20) you can indulge in a half an hour foot massage. A Thai masseuse sits you down on very comfy deck chairs, washes your weary feet clean and then rub aromatic oils all over your legs and feet, it's pure heaven!

Before starting the massage the masseur says a brief prayer, which I think makes all the difference, as I've never had such a relaxing foot massage, especially considering the chaotic surroundings!!



Tomorrow I'm planning to go find the a Emerald Buddha, I think it's a little walk away, so I imagine I'll need to rejuvenate my tired feet again... Next time for a full hour though! :)