Chiang Mai - The land of elephants. Monday, May 19, 2014 |Comment(s)
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| Fredfredtan says... It's been a while since I last blog. No, I don't have plans to abandon this platform. It's just been really hard trying to squeeze time to write a blog post. And now, I am actually recuperating from my Wisdom Tooth extractions. I did 2 surgeries and 2 extractions. It was a horrifying and traumatic experience. :( That aside. I actually took some time off work in March to have a short getaway with B. Chiang Mai - The land of elephants! We took Jetstar to Bangkok before transferring to Bangkok Airways. I really love the service on Bangkok Airways. We paid budget prices, but it was like a full carrier service, with snacks and pillows. We even went to the lounge to chill and snack before our flight back to Bangkok. And so, upon arrival, we had a driver waiting for us. We took the cheaper airport transfer, which was a red truck.  
And upon arrival, we ran to the elephants! This is the Baby Ta Mo. :)
 We were staying at the Chai Lai Orchid. It was an awesome stay and we will recommend any one heading to Chiang Mai to stay there. It was situated just beside the Phutawan elephant camp, and so every morning, we woke up to elephants outside our window. The only downside is that it is situated really far from the city area, about an hour plus ride in. 
The Chai Lai Orchid
http://chailaiorchid.com/
202 Moo 9 T.Mae Win,
Mae Wang Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai 50360
We were staying in one of the nature bungalows with no A/C.When night falls, it gets really chilly, so it was actually really comfortable. :)
We were given complimentary coconuts as a welcome gift, which we gave the elephants after.
Visitors bathing the elephants in the morning!
 Before the trip, we did some research and found out that our eco resort offers a slew of activities to do. And we signed up for the following!
Amazing Mountain Adventure Itinerary
We woke up too late for the early bath time as there were Chinese tour groups coming in to see the elephants so we forego the first part and went straight for our trekking session first. We went to the White Karen tribe first. 
All the handmade lovely scarves. We bought a few to support. Loving my scarf! So colourful an warm!
 
And our treks continue. :) Loving the closeness to nature.
In the midst of a corn field. Dare not venture further as the guide said there were snakes and mice! :(
And after a long long hike, we made it to the waterfall!
 
Our hospitable guide offered us some mangoes with chili before our swim in the waterfall.
And he helped us to snap these shots. Haha. All the shots are made by my trusty Red Canon EOS 1100D.
   
And after the leisure swim, we continued to hike to the Long Neck Karen tribe.
 
They were selling their handmade items. And this lady even produced her own music CDs!
And B gotten me a handmade bracelet made by the tribe ladies.
  While visiting the Karen tribe, our guide went to get some lunch for us. He bought Phad Thai and a Bamboo Sticky rice for us. And even some watermelon too! There were 2 other guys who had a stopover at the tribe too. They only had a packet of rice each from their guide. So we offered some of our Sticky rice with them.
And we went for the bamboo rafting down the Mae Wang river. We had lots of fun, taking turns to stir the raft. There were many others - locals and tourists alike, on board similar rafts. And everyone was just splashing water at each other.
And we ended off the day's adventure with the elephant ride! We were ecstatic because the Mahout (elephant trainers) trusted us to ride the elephant bareback!
 
And a bathing session for the elephants! :D We had 2 really mischievous elephants that kept sinking us into the water. But we had as much fun as them, while scrubbing their backs.
And a handsome shot of B. A promising Mahout? Tehehe
With my 30 year old Lady elephant. :D Love her. Rewarded her with lots of bamboo after the walk.
Baby Ta Mo. :D
And after the tiring day, we could just chill outside our eco bungalows in hammocks!
And the next day, we had nothing planned out. We just wanted to chill by the river in one of the bamboo huts like the locals.
  
And the amazing omelet rice that we had such a hard time conveying. But it was worth every effort. And was superb cheap. About 20baht?!
 
We ended the last night in another Hostel in the city because we wanted to check out the Art night market in Chiang Mai that would be held every Sunday night only.
3 Sis Bed and Breakfast
http://www.3sisbedandbreakfast.com/
A really comfortable stay and the night market was just right smack in the middle of the night market!
 
Such cute keys!
There was no pictures at the night market as most stall owners do not allow picture. :( A pity though because the items sold there were really lovely, and we bought cute owls as souvenirs.
And on our last day, we decided to venture along the street to see the temples.
        
Till our next adventure.!
Labels: 3sis Bed & Breakfast, Bamboo rafting, Bangkok Airways, Chai Lai, Chiang Mai, Couple, Elephant, Elephant Camp, Karen Tribe, Mae Wang, Temples, Thailand, Trekking REMINISCING KOREA - A JOURNEY MADE A YEAR AGO PART 5Saturday, November 2, 2013 |Comment(s) Fredfredtan says... So, I've been missing for close to a month! I apologize for the lack of updates, I have been really busy with work and my other commitments. However, the long weekends are finally here! So here I am continuing with my post. Just before I start, just a little update of what I have been doing. I went on a business trip to Bangkok! Woohoo. And this time round, I stayed at Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit. I ventured out to eat as well such as SomTum and had fabulous mango sticky rice at Mango Tango. They are both found at Soi 5 of Siam Square. I think it is SO WORTH IT! I went for SHE Concert and had such a good time! They are all so cute (Ella has and always will be my fave! HEHE) Okay, without future a-do, I shall continue on my Korea post! Actually, the real reason I've been procrastinating is because I really miss Korea and looking at those pictures and writing this post just bring back all those wonderful memories. I really hope I was back there. BUT, I'm sure I will see Korea again in 2014. Wait for me. :D July 10,2012 Korea-Seoul Namiseom Island Namiseom Island, is an island that is close to Seoul. It is the filming location for many Korean dramas. It is made famous by the drama Winter Sonata. The leads - Bae Yong-Joon and Choi Ji-Woo filmed their romantic rendezvous at this island. As such, this island is known to be a romantic location for couples to take photoshoot as well. Getting there is pretty easy. You can take a shuttle bus to the ferry terminal. There are actually 2 shuttle bus services available, so you can choose which is more convenient for you! Please remember to call to book your seats. Shuttle Bus (From Seoul to Namiseom Island) * Bus Stop 1) Insa-dong (Jonggak Station, Subway Line 1, Exit 3): Next to Tapgol Park 2) Jamsil Station (Subway Line 2, Exit 4): In front of Lotte Mart * Shuttle Bus Schedule: Insa-dong, Jamsil Station → Namiseom Island: 09:30 Namiseom Island Namiseom Island → Insa-dong, Jamsil Station: 16:00 ※ Advanced reservation required. (Inquiries +82-2-753-1247)  
On board the ferry to Nami! It was an air-conditioned ferry! So a really comfortable ride to the island.
With my B <3
The Snowmen couple greeting us at the entrance to the lovely island.
   
The Famous Forest Trail!
     
The food street!
     We weren't in that pose actually, we were just seated and smiling, waiting excitedly for our drawing. :D (We actually observe all the artists drawing style and chose the one we liked the best! I think everyone was just going with the flow, that who ever is free. Hahhaha!) The picture is with B now!   And we met this group of really cute youngsters who were going round taking pictures with everyone for LG's latest campaign!  And we ended the night with a show from NANTA! We were deciding between JUMP! or NANTA, but NANTA won because of it's location and content. :D It was a really good show!
The Myeong Dong NANTA Theatre
Unesco Building 3F, 50-14, Myeong Dong 2 Ga, Jung Gu, Seoul
July 11,2012 Korea-Seoul DMZ
How could a trip to Seoul be complete without a trip to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)? It is at the 32 parallel divide between the South and North Korea. And the main reason we are there is to have a glimpse of the North Korea's capital Pyong Yang.
The Freedom Bridge
It was a rainy day which I think is so befitting the occasion. I was quite overwhelmed with emotions that day.
The way which bears the wishes of the South Koreans for a unification of Korea. Many of them still have family members in the North and they wish that they could see them again. :,( Imagine being separated from your love ones because of the border.
 
The train that used to run between the two Koreas.
All the necessary barb wires to prevent infiltration of spies from the North.
A better look of the train.
More Ribbons.
The only train service which is under the military watch that runs to PyongYang.
 
Look at how ridiculous I look beside the solder! And we had to dress up for the visit. No shorts, no short skirts, no slippers, no singlet. Basically, dress respectful.
 
And a glimpse of Pyongyang! There is a farm area at the demilitarized zone called the Freedom Village which are people from South Korea.
 And we went to walk one of the tunnels that the North dug towards the South to attack them, but was discovered before any harm could be done. No photos there for security purposes. BUT IT WAS SO CLAUSTROPHOBIC!      Our tour dropped us at some random part of Seoul after. We have no idea where we were, so we just walked around, searching for food, ginseng chicken, in particular! Hahah.  
And we went back to Hotel to concuss as we were so tired from the whole DMZ tour. We actually woke up really early for the tour! We set of at night to Dongdaemun! Some Bonchon fried chicken with Hite Beer for dinner!
  The next post shall be my last post on Korea. I will be blogging about Changdeokgung Palace, Insadong Ssamziegil, Coffee Prince Cafe & N Seoul Tower. Stay Tuned! :D Labels: Bonchon Chicken, Couple, DMZ, Dongdaemun, Ginseng Chicken, Hite Beer, Korea, Namiseom Island, NANTA, Pyongyang, Seoul |