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Published: October 2nd 2006
Swimming with elephants
Michael and I had such fun in the river with the elephantsOver the past year I have so enjoyed reading my two sons' travel blogs. Michael is studying in Thailand and has travelled around India, Cambodia and Laos. Joel is studying in Vienna and has just spent the last three months travelling around Europe. They have had some fantastic experiences.
I was challenged to start my own travel blog as I have long service leave next year and am planning to go to Europe. I thought I'd get into the swing of travel writing by writing about a recent trip to Thailand to visit Michael and then a planned trip to Tasmania in the school holidays.
Rangsit
After saying good bye to Colin who wasn't able to join me I arrived in BKK at midnight on the night of the World Cup Final Game! It was so good to see Michael's smiling face in the crowds at the airport and after a taxi ride to drop my pack at his apartment we set off with some of his friends for Future Park. This is a large shopping area where a huge outdoor screen had been set up to watch the World Cup Final. The result wasn't what we had been hoping
World Cup Fever
Michael and some of his uni friends at the World Cup Final 4am! for but we didn't let that dampen our spirits! By the time I got to bed I had been awake for 24 hours! Michael's apartment is about a ten minute's walk from Rangsit University where he is finishing off an Arts Degree in Philosophy, after having completed an Engineering Degree through UWA. I enjoyed meeting his friends, checking out the university and eating out for every meal ( there is no communal kitchen/lounge/dining room in the building so ALL meals are eaten out). When you can buy a delicious plate of fried rice with chicken for about A$1 it makes sense!
Bangkok
We set off with our packs for Khao San Road, a popular destination for backpackers and found a very reasonable guesthouse just off the main road. Thailand really lives up to its description of "The Land of a Thousand Smiles." I found the Thai people to be very friendly and gentle and was amazed at how easy it was to browse in the markets without being hassled by people trying to sell you their wares! I was quite free to 'look" but don't worry I didn't just look. I had fun buying lots of presents!! One day
Setting Off!
Packed and ready to hit Khao San Road! we took a tuk-tuk to the MBK shopping complex. Michael had negotiated a ridiculously cheap price so our 'mad, masked-bandit' tuk tuk driver (he had a black mask on!) got us there in record time weaving dangerously in between buses and trucks. Even Michael agreed that it was a hair-raising ride!! The Siam Paragon and the MBK centre are certainly worth browsing through but we didn't buy much there. We went to see a sub-titled Thai comedy which was quite an experience. Everyone stands at the beginning of the film for the national anthem. I can remember doing that in Australia at one time! The Thai people really revere the King who this year celebrated 60 years on the throne. Many of the people were wearing bright yellow shirts as a sign of their support for him so I bought one too and blended in quite well!!!
We spent a very hot, humid sticky day at the Grand Palace, an amazingly ornate collection of temples and palaces and certainly a photographer's delight. We caught a glimpse of the much revered Emerald Buddha which first appeared on record in the fifteenth century and is housed in the Wat Phra Kaew. It
Grand Palace
Michael with one of the lifesize figurines was fun trying to get photos of some of the monks who frequent this area! We also visited Wat Pho, which houses the famous reclining Buddha. This statue which is modelled out of plaster and finished in gold leaf is 46 meters long and 15 meters high. A short ferry ride across the river took us to Wat Arun which is named after the Indian god of dawn, Aruna. The imposing structure is covered with intricate mosaic tiles. We enjoyed climbing this building and were amused at one of the signs there which forbade people dangling any dolls from the structure. Michael and I were quite disappointed that we hadn't taken a doll with us!
Ko Chang
Heading south it took us a whole day by coach to reach Ko Chang, the second largest island in Thailand. With 70%!o(MISSING)f the island undisturbed rainforest it is the best preserved island in Thailand and perhaps in all Southeast Asia. It has steep hills and cliffs reaching as high as 744m. After being on the road for 11 hours we gratefully booked into the Apple Bunga Lows on White Sands Beach! We decided to book a visit to an elephant
Tigers at the Temple
You don't realise how big tigers are until you are 'up close and personal'. camp for the next morning. What an experience we were in for! We were driven out to the camp along very steep, hairpin bend roads. On arrival our group of 11 followed the elephants on foot down to the river to watch them being washed by the mahouts. It looked like a lot of fun and when they asked if anyone wanted to join the elephants in the river Michael went in. Not wanting to miss out I took my trousers off and swam across to the elephants. I had to hoist myself up onto its back. It was an amazing experience; I couldn't believe that none of the other adults wanted to join us!! We had a fantastic time sitting on the elephants and scrubbing them down. The mahout then instructed the elephants to come to the edge of the river and much to our surprise we were sprayed with a few trunkfuls of water!! We rode the elephants back to the camp and the mahout left us to our own devices with an occasional shout to the elephant who dawdled on the way back trying to find some juicy new shoots to eat!. Michael and I felt that
Photo Time
The head monk at the temple with his charges we had had our money's worth before the 'real' ride even began!! This experience was definitely one of the main highlights of my trip! We then enjoyed a ride through the jungle and feeding the elephants bananas at the end of the ride was a lot of fun. Just as we got into the truck to come back the heavens opened and it rained for most of the rest of the time on the island! We didn't get to laze on the beaches but we didn't mind. Who gets the opportunity to swim with elephants?
Kanchanaburi
Our next trip was a day's trip to see the Bridge on the River Kwai. It is estimated that 16,000 POWs died while building the Death Railway to Myanmar (Burma). Another 90,000 to 100,000 coolies also died during construction. The Bridge was in use for twenty months before the Allies bombed it in 1945. We visited the cemetery where it was very sobering to see so many Australian graves. We also wandered around the WW11 Museum complete with very graphic models and captions. One read, 'the bridge got broken into pieces in a twinkle of the eye...' Another noted, ' the bodies of
Backpacker Barbara
Back from our trip to Ko Chang and ready for the next adventure prisoners of war lay higgledy-piggledy beneath the bridge.' We walked across the Bridge amidst the hordes of Thais dressed in their ubiquitous yellow shirts! We nearly missed the bus to the next stop, a railway station where we climbed aboard a carriage and rode on the Death Railway for about an hour through dense jungle towards Myanmar. We were met by our van driver and taken to a local stop for lunch before heading off for a waterfall, where Michael had a quick swim (I hadn't learnt and still didn't have my bathers with me!!!). Our next stop was to see the famous Temple Tigers at Wat Pa Luangta Forest Monastery. Most of these tigers have been hand-reared by the monks and in the afternoon visitors to the centre can go and pat the tigers and have their photos taken with them. There were lots of tigers and it was quite an experience being so close up to them. They really are huge and their paws are massive!! You could have a photo taken with a tiger's head in your lap for an extra cost but Michael and I thought that was very tacky and demeaning for such majestic animals
Final fitting for my tailored dress
I'm sure you agree that this is a great birthday present from the boys! so we declined! We just had our photos taken next to the tigers! We also saw a Moon Bear cub that had been rescued by Thai soldiers near the Thailand/Myanmar border. Its mother had been killed by poachers. It seemed very happy lapping up a bowl of icecubes drizzled with honey! There were other animals there and I enjoyed seeing some water buffalo almost completely submerged in a dam.
Last couple of days
As I had a birthday coming up in September Michael and Joel paid for me to have a dress tailor-made so it was a lot of fun choosing material and a style and having about three fittings. I'm sure you'll agree that the finished article is very flattering. Thank you so much Michael and Joel!
There was just time for some last-minute shopping and a couple of nights back in Rangsit with Michael's friends and then it was time to say Good Bye. I was so relaxed after my holiday that I almost missed the plane! I was still sitting drinking coffee with Michael when I realised what the time was and had to run a long way to make it in time! They were calling
Riding back to camp.
Such majestic, gentle giants. for the last passengers and I think I was the second last to board! Not recommended!
I am so grateful for the wonderful holiday and the opportunity to visit Michael and experience a little of Thailand. Thank you Michael for looking after me so well and being such a good sport and a lot of fun. Joel, I look forward to seeing you in Vienna for Christmas!
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Heazle
non-member comment
Jealous of you
Hi Barb It was so good to see you with the elephants and tripping around Thailand. I was somewhat jealous and wished I could have gone with you. You don't look like you have changed in the slightest and it has been so long since I have seen you. Michael looks like he is having a great time in Thailand. I opened the blog at Ole and Vicki's and Jade and I were saying what a handsome young man he is. What a great idea the blog is. Write again soon.