Friday, 29 March 2013

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Thailand, "The Land of Smiles"; from the mountains in the north to the southern beaches, here is the place called Chiang Mai. It is Thailand's fifth-largest city. Plenty of things can be done at Chiang Mai. You can easily rent a car or bike around Chiang Mai or join their daily tour. Joining a local daily tour is the easiest, hassle free choice and safe your time too. 


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Chiang Mai  Night Bazaar,  hotels and guest houses and city's night life are located near Loi Khro Rd . Ratchadumnern Rd hosts the main Sunday night walking street market from Tha Phae Gate to the popular Wat Pra Sing. We can easily get a local agent company tour to join their full day and half day tour. Here they can take us to the popular places like Doi Suthep , Meo Hill Tribe Village, Elephant camp, Trekking, bamboo rafting and etc. You’ll also find adventure activities (like white-water rafting tours) and a wide range of spas and massage centres.


 



Look at the effect of those long necks belong to the so-called giraffe children and women after a long term of wearing brass rings. I just don't know what to say. To me, it was such a pathetic act but to them it was a pride! They can just stay in this little hut for life just to have their neck lengthened. Below is a picture I took which compared between a normal person's neck and long neck person.






Wah!!! We spent our time in Chiang Mai visiting historic sites, eating delicious street foods, bathing, feeding elephants and riding on an elephant and ox! It was indeed a wonderful experience to have a chance to ride on an elephant and enjoying an ox cart ride too!. The joy of feeding an elephant and ox is really unbelievable! You can feel the greatest enjoyment after witnessing their hard work and getting the appreciation from you by feeding them bananas and sugar canes. I still have this feeling of feeding these elephants and cows of their favourite food in my next visit. What amazed me is their drawing skill performance. It was really great. So instead of giving them money, I decided to feed them because they cannot eat MONEY but bananas and sugar canes are their favourite foods!




Don't forget the famous making umbrella factory and Thai silk factory. If I didn't travel to so many places this trip, I think I would bring back a huge umbrella so that I could use it at the beach during my vacation. Oh what a relaxing day with your own sun blocker, having picnic and resting at the beach, listening to the rhythm of the waves beating against the shore.... hehehe... Imagining..........


Overall I can say Chiang Mai is a food paradise and it is famous for its kao soi (Burmese style chicken curry with noodles plus fried egg noddle on top for only 25 baht), plenty of delicious fried chicken , BBQ fish, hot pot steamboat and their BBQ steamboat and not to miss their yummy tom yam! 


From Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, you can take a minibus, public bus or green bus for about 150-250 baht. When you reach Chiang Rai, you can join their local tour. It is better if you can rent a bike or car and go to survey the place on your own. More time for us to see things like White Temple. It is so clean and so unique you would be mesmerized by their fine and excellent work. Sparkling like diamonds from outside, a wax monk sculpture is placed inside sitting in front of the Buddha. Such a marvelous job!

Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Phuket, Thailand


The best beaches at Phuket are along the west coast. All beaches in Thailand are public. Patong beach is the most famous beach and the nearest to the Phuket Town. If you like plenty of activities and nightlife, then Patong is the resort for you. Besides Patong, Karon and Kata there lined the entire length of the beach. There are a variety of water sports available. The busy beaches are a hive of activity with banana boats, parasails and jet skis fizzing across the water. A word of caution! Don't go swimming during raining season. When swimming, please be alerted with the RED FLAG on. Don't try to be a hero if the area has red flag because the waves is very strong and the sea is very rough and it will pull you down. Swimming during raining season is not safe in Patong and also other areas.

Bang Tao Beach has more privacy because  many developers bought the land there to built their own golf clubs and resorts. Unfortunately, in some cases, developers do not allow access across their land to the beach - effectively making the beach exclusive to their own hotels. If you want to visit these beaches then you can try entering through the hotels. Often they will not challenge you and the worst that can happen is they refuse you to enter.


I stayed in Laguna  Resort at Bang Tao Beach. It takes around 45 min to Phuket Town and this developer  hold many hotels, resorts and villas. They have their own shuttle bus to take you around all their resorts at their land. This  place is good for golfers. Plenty of good facilities in this hotel and is commendable for its privacy . When I am resting at this Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket I took around  10 min walk at the beach and I noticed there is a family resort; Sun Wing Resort. Sun Wing Resort is really good for family with children at young age. The hotel management  takes good care of all their customers' children.  One such example is  they organize a lot  of activities for kids and adults too.  What a wonderful relaxing place to stay at this private beaches.



    If you wish to go to Phi Phi Island on your own by daily cruise, then you have to depart from Rassada Pier Phuket. There they have daily cruise. To go to James Bond Island, we use Phang Nga Jetty.


At Phi Phi Island, you can put up a night  there as there are plenty of hotels and guesthouses for you to choose. Maybe you can try to check with this guest house which is Phi Phi Island Pirates House, around 1,000 Baht during low season. You can e-mail him at Konals@gmail.com  From Phi Phi Island you can take ferry to Krabi; an amazing beautiful place.