Back in October at a cooking class in Hanoi we had the good fortune of meeting a young couple from Scotland. They suggested that a bookend to our five month holiday in SE Asia might be a stay at the Samui Reef View Resort in Koh Samui.Beginnings and endings are important and in view of the fact that we had not planned every minute of our trip. We were open to this idea from fellow travelers. We were not disappointed and we had a wonderful time. Our hosts, Angus and Hom, went out of their way to make sure we had a fabulous time. Their resort was the perfect venue perched on the hillside offering lovely vistas of landscape and sea. They even offered free drives to Lamai Beach as well as giving us insiders tips on how to enjoy the Island. Against our better judgement we rented a motorbike and toured the Island and thankfully avoided any accidents. Following our jaunt we were informed later that one person a day is killed on the Island. This is not in the newspapers.
Driving on the wrong side of the road and without caution are two reasons for this statistic. That said we had a successful trip and avoided the usual tourist traps. Our experience in Chiang Maiat the Elephant Nature Park taut us to be sensitive to how animals are being abused in the tourist industry. We did visit Phuket on the way to Koh Samui and we enjoyed it but would not recommend it for a long stay. The highlight of our Koh Samui was a tour ($120 for two)to the Anthong National Parkwhere we hiked, kayaked and swam. These kinds of offerings can round out your experience and take you to places you would not normally see. It has been true wherever we have gone and stayed the icing on the cake has always been the people you meet. Here we met folks from Ireland, Austria, New Bruswick and even one of Doug's running buddies from the Semiahmoo Sunrunners. The eleven days we spent in Koh Samui were memorable and should you come to this part of the world make sure you get in touch with Angus and Hom at Samui Reef View Resort.
Wednesday 22 February 2012
Wednesday 8 February 2012
Financial Summary for 4 months
Accommodation - we have stayed in 33 hotels and guesthouses up to Feb. 6 with 3 more to go. The average per night cost is $ 41.00. Our lowest was $18 a night and our highest was $ 110. The $41 figure may come down slightly by the end of our trip.
Restaurants - most breakfasts were included in the accommodation price. Meals per day for two of us are approximately $30.
We will give a transportation estimate at the end of our trip.
Average cost per day with everything in is $134.40 for four months.
Restaurants - most breakfasts were included in the accommodation price. Meals per day for two of us are approximately $30.
We will give a transportation estimate at the end of our trip.
Average cost per day with everything in is $134.40 for four months.
Chiang Mai - the Star of Northern Thailand
You would be making a big mistake if you were making a trip to Thailand and did not include Chiang Mai. We spent 8 days in this charming city and we used the Chang Thai House as our base for exploring the area and it's surroundings. It makes good sense to have a comfortable hotel when you are staying in a place for a period of time. The time was filled with activity. Here are the things we did: Thai massages, night bazaar, Sunday Market, Walking Street, the Doi Inthanon National Park, Mountain Villages, Doi Sthep Temple and the most exciting of all zip lining through the jungle on the jungle Flight. The morning of our departure we had the good fortune of viewing the Flower Parade opening the Flower Festival. We also enjoyed a dinner cruise on the Ping River and many fine eateries. A week in Chiang Mai is well worth your time.
An Unforgetable Week with the Elephants
Kudos to Michele, Alexis and Mike for recommending this experience!
It has turned out to be one of the most memorable weeks of our journey. We had no idea what was in store for us when we signed up for the program. To briefly summarize we joined 30 other volunteers from 9 to 71 (Doug) and the large group was divided into 4 smaller groups. Each group had a turn at all of the following: cleaning up elephant poo, preparing elephant food, cutting grass and corn with machetes for the elephants,organizing the mud pit, bathing, feeding, working with the Vet Program, collecting wood for fires and generally getting to know the magnificent elephants. Every elephant has been rescued from logging camps, circuses, elephant camps for tourists or begging on the streets of Bangkok. Two of the elephants were blinded by their mahouts. One of the first things you notice at the park is that no one rides on these elephants. The mahouts here use love and caring rather than violent methods to control the elephants. Unfortunately while we were there RC, one of the older elephants died. This gave us the rare opportunity to see an elephant funeral officiated by a Buddhist Monk. It was a solemn occasion and very respectfully done.
Volunteers are vitally important to the success of the Park. It is hard to imagine the park operating without them. We paid $400 each but this provided us with good accommodation and excellent Thai cuisine. You would spend far more and gain much less doing the normal tourist things in Thailand. We could go on and on about this but suffice it to say that we left the Elephant Nature Park with a deepened awareness of the challenges facing the elephants, the important work being done by Lek, Derek and their staff and the real need for dedicated volunteers to support them in their work. The new friendships we made were icing on the cake and we hope to see many of them in Vancouver over the next few years.
It has turned out to be one of the most memorable weeks of our journey. We had no idea what was in store for us when we signed up for the program. To briefly summarize we joined 30 other volunteers from 9 to 71 (Doug) and the large group was divided into 4 smaller groups. Each group had a turn at all of the following: cleaning up elephant poo, preparing elephant food, cutting grass and corn with machetes for the elephants,organizing the mud pit, bathing, feeding, working with the Vet Program, collecting wood for fires and generally getting to know the magnificent elephants. Every elephant has been rescued from logging camps, circuses, elephant camps for tourists or begging on the streets of Bangkok. Two of the elephants were blinded by their mahouts. One of the first things you notice at the park is that no one rides on these elephants. The mahouts here use love and caring rather than violent methods to control the elephants. Unfortunately while we were there RC, one of the older elephants died. This gave us the rare opportunity to see an elephant funeral officiated by a Buddhist Monk. It was a solemn occasion and very respectfully done.
Volunteers are vitally important to the success of the Park. It is hard to imagine the park operating without them. We paid $400 each but this provided us with good accommodation and excellent Thai cuisine. You would spend far more and gain much less doing the normal tourist things in Thailand. We could go on and on about this but suffice it to say that we left the Elephant Nature Park with a deepened awareness of the challenges facing the elephants, the important work being done by Lek, Derek and their staff and the real need for dedicated volunteers to support them in their work. The new friendships we made were icing on the cake and we hope to see many of them in Vancouver over the next few years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)