Responsible Tourism The ethical and humane treatment of animals is a vital part of responsible tourism. There is an increasing awareness of how we interact with animals whilst travelling, and your words here is one part of that awareness. Congratulations for putting such thought and detail into this blog entry on such an important topic.
:) Tara Thank you so much for the compliment! Going out to the southwest was such a great experience, I didn't know how fun it was until I actually did it!
Research and decision making... I totally agree with you that we need to research places that offer 'animal activities'...however it's sometimes hard to know if the info online is accurate and/or e.g the very conflicting reports on the Tiger Temple. I think as you said, ultimately we have to make the call when we are there and can see the animals. Really enjoyed this post :)
Thanks for reading RenAndrew! I love catching up with your travel blogs! Im glad you agree we need to do our research, I think that right now its especially crucial because of the increase in poaching, exotic animals being sold in the black market, and the extinction of animal species around the globe, I wish we could do more which is why this particular blog entry was born. Happy travels!
We are planning to visit Peru and Bolivia in Sep 2014... your blog provides a lot of good advice. We were thinking of booking our entire visit with a local tour agency as I heard that they get better prices for airfare, hotels, etc., they make the visits to all the sights most efficiently, and we don't speak any Spanish. I noted that you booked a tour for Cusco and Machu Picchu...why not the entire time?
Tour guide Vs Self tour Hi Bob! Well we are fluent in Spanish, and we like the flexibility of doing tours on our own. For Peru we used print outs, basic guide books, apps etc for "self touring." There are so many tours to choose from, the tour we booked with Amazonas Explorer/Detour gave us a couple free days to self explore since we were capable. The days on the tour with the guide were helpful since it got us safely on the short Inca trail and to Machu Pichu. Hope that helps!
Thanks for your detailed advice regarding the border crossing... In 2009 I was in Bangkok and thought about flying to Siem Reap. At the time the only flights were with Bangkok Airways...and the price was more than what I would pay to fly twice the distance on Air Asia. I didn't consider the land crossing due to the bad reports. Rather than be ripped off I decided not to go...I had been to Angkor Wat in 1958 when it was still being excavated and certainly not a tourist destination. Anyway, I see that Thai Air Asia is now flying to Siem Reap for $97 one way (1 hr 10 min flight)...compared to Bangkok Airways at $167 and your overland cost of $14.60 per person. Now that most of the hassle in eliminated from the overland trip, I think I would agree with you that this would be the most interesting way to get there. I look forward to reading your future blogs.
Land Crossing Wow those flights are much cheaper than what we had found when we were researching! That's a great option! The cross over land option was very challenging but following the basic steps got us there easy peasy, the hard part was dodging those nasty scams, which luckily we accomplished cause we did so much research on it. We consider ourselves Cambodia border scam experts now lol
Siem Reap and reuniting What a great place to catch up with a friend. Glad you are feeling better and sorry the time with your friend was so short. It is always tough getting sick on the road. Glad you had a nice place to stay.
Mangoes and Sticky Rice... and Kanom Crok are my favorite desserts! for the latter you can find the recipe on line. However, cooking requires a skillet with a bunch of the semi-spheres in which you pour the ingredients. If you pass through Bangkok again, make sure you buy one...although this will add weight to your backpacks! Glad you had a fantastic time in Thailand.
Hope I find the skillet! Hi Bob! Thanks for the suggestion on the kanom crok! I live near an Asian market I will have to look and see if they have anything similar to the skillet you are talking about. Thailand has some of the tastiest treats just remembering the kanom crok makes me hungry!
I just ran across your blog... when I answered a question you posted on the Asia forum about malaria in Cambodia. I travel just like you...shorter trips, but every year. My wife and I were in Australia (along with a few other places) last October, celebrating our 40th anniversary. We agree it is wonderful, and intend to return to see more of the country and the people. I just did the Silk Road (high on my bucket list) and the Baltics and Finland (they were on the way home) with my son. Our next destination is Peru, so your blog was very helpful. We plan to go in August 2014, so hope the weather is good then...you were there in September and mentioned that it was the end of the dry season. Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading your blogs about Southeast Asia...I was born in Thailand and lived in the area for 18 years, so if you have any other questions, ask away.
Awesome! Thanks for offering advice on Thailand travel! I'm trying not to over-research for Asia but I find it so fascinating I cant help it! Im glad my blog on Peru has served its purpose of helping you even if its just a little! Its also our wish to return to Australia someday, its still our favorite place in the world. Peru is probably our second favorite, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Have tons of fun
Hola! My name is Jennifer and my husband/travel-partner-in-crime is Victor. We are young professionals who love traveling on our time off of work and find it to be the most rewarding experience to share together as a couple. Unlike many of the bloggers here that take year long trips, we represent those travelers that work, save, and take 1-3 week long trips around the world. Then work, save and do it all over again!
We just added two little girls to our tribe, and are excited for this new life adventure!... full info
The Travel Camel
Shane Dallas
Responsible Tourism
The ethical and humane treatment of animals is a vital part of responsible tourism. There is an increasing awareness of how we interact with animals whilst travelling, and your words here is one part of that awareness. Congratulations for putting such thought and detail into this blog entry on such an important topic.