Sanctuary in Pattaya

Stray and I have just returned from Pattaya where we celebrated an old mate’s birthday, quite successfully I might add. So, for a fewui days we hung around catching up and enjoying the big event...and before anyone gets their knickers in a knot, I DO know that there is more to Pattaya than what first meets stabs you in the eye. However, apart from my own grey hair and big belly, one can’t ignore their overwhelming presence bobbing up and down in a sea of bars and massage parlours, outfitted with lovely ladies who seriously need to stop using the hot cycle on their ‘hand wash only’ clothes.

And it was Simply Delicious!

Doi Tung and surrounds

It's been a few days since I returned from San Phor Loi, which isn't far from Doi Tung (Doi = Mountain and Tung = Ceremonial or holy banner, in Lanna). Home to great Thai Coffee, Mae Fah Luang Gardens and the late Princess Mother's Royal Villa.

Ms P couldn't let me leave without a quick visit and decided it was best if we took a songthaew up the mountain. For obvious reasons, I stayed in the pickup while (she dropped a name) and negotiated a good price for the short return trip. The gardens are just beautiful!!! and I half expected a fairy or two to flutter by during our visit.

Khan Toke Dinner

This a Khan Toke (ขันโตก), a small raised table,  indigenous to areas in Northern Thailand and Laos, where sticky rice is mostly consumed. The name is derived from kan, or bowl, and toke, a low table made of woven bamboo (or sometimes from wood, coconut shell or rattan). I think they're customarily painted red.

Even though there are a few dishes traditionally served on a khan toke, any type is acceptable. However, it should always include sticky rice in a woven basket...this was ours. The rice is just out of frame. More than enough food for two, although, the staff are more than happy to refill the bowls throughout the evening.

Maesa Elephants

When CJ was just a tot, the elephant was one of the first animals she learnt to mimick, thanks to her Pop. Six years ago when she was 21, she announced "I want to go to Chiang Mai and ride an elephant". Stray and I looked at each other and decided to tag along. For the three of us it was our first time out of Australia. A whirl wind trip to Singapore, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hanoi and Ha Long Bay and back.

So now, as friends visit us in Chiang Mai, either Stray or I find ourselves again at the elephant camps just outside of Chiang Mai. This is part of the day I spent with JJ, at Maesa Elephant Camp, just the other week.

On arriving we posed with some of the mammoth mammals. Cute, rubbery and in need of a shave...the elephant didn't feel that cuddly either.

Videos - Sarawak and Sabah, Malaysia, Brunei 2008

...more videos and a few photos.

Apart from the pea soup atmosphere (humidity) in Borneo, I loved the Malaysian part of the country. OK...I liked all of the areas of Borneo we visited.

Looking left out of the hotel window to the resort area of KK.

Video and Photos - Floating Markets and Giant Dragon Temple, Thailand 2009

One of the things I wanted to do in Thailand last year was to visit the floating market. I had no idea that there was more than one (stupid me) and hence, went to not quite MY intended location. We went by taxi from BKK and arrived at a VERY expensive boat ride through the markets. We're not quite sure which markets we went to, perhaps Don Wai, either way it was ridiculously priced at around 1000 Baht each! This was probably inclusive of our taxi driver's kick back.

Videos - Vietnam 2008 and 2010

Everyone who's visited Vietnam has their own 'crossing the road' story, photos or videos...we're no different. This one is called NOT crossing the road in Saigon. We're trying to reach our pink hotel on the other side, but stopped to take a video of what we were up against.

Videos - The Sounds and Rum O'clock, New Zealand 2009

....still uploading videos.

Early last year Stray and I took a cruise from Sydney to New Zealand and back. Personally and unlike Stray who is quite the social butterfly, I'm not one for cruises. However, if the price is right, I'll go. Why I'm not keen on them - I eat way too much, over priced drinks, I tire of nodding and saying hello every minute or so, to passing fellow passengers, I'm not into bath towel origami lessons and you usually only get one day in port to race around like a headless chook, seeing the sights.

Pros- I eat way too much, the places I visit in one day, I only have to unpack once, hmmmm that's about it.

Videos - Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei 2008

While in Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei, Borneo) we hired Tommy and his boat to take us down Sungai Brunei to see the proboscis monkeys. He also so showed us around Kampong Ayer, the water village...a MUST SEE. Again, sorry about the sound. It was quite windy... I swear my eye lashes were stuck to my skin in an open position.

Videos - Northern Thailand 2009

We've had small videos stashed away and have never done anything with them. So (to take my mind of everything) I'll be uploading them according to their location, to our blog. Some are incredibly short and have a strange metallic sound?

Intersection outside of the Parasol Inn (centre of Chiang Mai) where the Sunday night walking market takes place, along with cake in child proof packaging.

Dalat digs

A couple of weeks ago Retire 2 Thailand was calling for alternative retirement locations and fond memories of Da Lat, Vietnam came to mind. Then more recently American Vietnamese was blogging about university student housing in HCMC (Saigon) and of course I had to add my two bobs worth about our experience with the same, but in Da Lat

Earlier this year we caught up with an old, young friend, Dung, in the picturesque mountain city of Da Lat (a MUST SEE).

To train or not to train? Part III

To train or not to train? Part I

To train or not to train? Part II

Hanoi 2010. We’ve caught up with old friends and made new ones. Now it's time to make our way to Hue. Adopting the ‘winging it’ method of travelling more and more in recent trips, we had not booked any flight. The price, by Vietnamese prices, was expensive and there weren’t any departing soon enough for our pencilled in itinerary. I had read about Livitrans before arriving and opted to give it a go. The VIP cabins, for two, were only available on runs to Sapa, so it was Tourist Class for us.

One of the hotel staff accompanied us to the station where we entered (a controlled and sanitised room) and waited in a separate area to the local travellers. We boarded. Our roomies were a couple from Holland. Pleasant and friendly. Our cabins were similarly pleasant and friendly, with complimentary water, snack and tooth brushes. Not a bad trip and would probably do it again, although next time, perhaps medicated.

It’s just that lack of sleep thing that gets me every time and the train driver had a habit of slamming on the breaks every hour or so. Arrive Hue.

A couple of days later we biked it from Hue to Hoi An, which is not far from Danang (about 6 hours with scenic stops) and is the end of the line for the Livitran service. Not sure if it’s a north/south remnant left over from the war. From Danang we were headed for Nha Trang, but the trains weren’t overnighters.

I spoke to the girls at the Mango Split cafe (photo) in Hoi An, who suggested stopping in one of two towns to break up the trip. Quy Nhon (will be going there again) here we come!

*Word of advice – check out the price directly from/at the train station, before buying your ticket. Ripped off severely by VN standards....

Looking forward to Vietnam

We are looking forward to going back to Vietnam to explore the coast line. Sure, the cities of Hanoi and Saigon are something to experience, but there is more to the country than swarming scooters by the million.

Our plan is to start in the north - Hanoi and venture south along the coast, finishing in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City).

We have already been to a few places, including the big cities and Halong Bay, which is spectacular and a MUST SEE!........ Who would have thought a Vietnamese phrase book could be so interesting?

...and Hoi An, where we befriended the lovley Miss Dung (pronounced Yoong), the hotel reservation officer. Stray and I rode bicycles 16 km (and caught the local barge) to her parent's house to have lunch. We enjoyed marinated, fried 'little birds', salad and a couple of beers.

Mot, hai, ba, zo! Cheers! Me, Dung, her Mum, Uncle and Dad.

In Hanoi we met with some uni students who showed us some interesting meals and loved to practice their English. Anh, Stray, Me, Daisy and Phuong. I remember Phuong, cheekily trying to look at the bill at the end of the night, which only came to about AU$37 for the six of us to eat heaps and have a couple of drinks.

And in Vung Tau, an hour away from Saigon by hydrofoil, we caught up with Hai and his family, Mrs Hai (just a coincidence they have the same first name), Quang and Van. Mr Tam and his wife on the right.

We look forward to surprising Hai on this visit...he does not know we are coming. Too many memories and photos to share here, but I have uploaded all of our travel pics to here at Skydrive Live.