Thailand: Koh Chang

After ruffing it in the jungle, we headed down to Koh Chang an island off of east coast of Thailand. It was much bigger and full of more tourist (mostly Russians for some reason, weird huh?) then we had expected. We stayed at a place called cliff cottage which was peaceful as it was far away from all the night life. The crooked little cottages were like the huts we stayed in before our hiking trip, but with a mattress. We had cold showers, so to say the least it was not our favorite place we stayed. But they had hammocks hanging all over the common area which made it comfortable, and we enjoyed exploring the tide pools at night. We were only there for two nights, and one full day, so we made the most of it by renting a scooter for $6 to take us everywhere we wanted to go. And like many places here in South Eat Asia, riding a scooter around is no walk in the park. I thought Koh Chang had it bad with it's windy roads and sharp corners, but at least most people obey the rules, except the few that forget to drive on the left side (us).... we got better by the end. 

We spent our time on the beach, hiking to a water fall, eating, and riding elephants. Riding the elephants was an internal debate for both me and Blake. We wondered if it would feel cruel, subjecting an intelligent animal to drive you around... or if it would be like riding a horse. So we did our research and tried to find a place that let the elephants roam instead, without prodding them into submission. I forgot the name of the company we went with, but it seemed nice, the elephants were not chained, and as we road on his back the elephant got to stop and eat freely. We road up into the jungle a little, through make-shift paths made by daily tours. It was an interesting ride, they are so tall it felt a little wobbly as we marched along, one giant step at a time. I have gained a lot of respect for elephants after our trip to Thailand, they are so powerful yet gentle at the same time. 

Eating in Thailand was different for us, because we spent a lot of time traveling around the country we did not have much time to sit down and order many meals. So we ate on the go, picking up random things at bus stops like fresh fruit, breads, plantain chips, juices, and anything that looked good. On Koh Chang we had more of a change to take time and eat. Being on an island we took advantage of fresh fish and local dishes. Ending each meal with yummy desserts, like pancakes (not the same kind we make in the U.S.) and mango sticky rice, which we love so much we ordered it three times in one day. 

Thailand: Khao Yai National Park

Can you see the white Gibbon?

Gibbon in the air

We kept our eyes open to see a bear, as you can see they like to climb the trees.

You can't see them, but there are Elephants right through all this brush.

Elephant tracks

While planning our trip to Thailand there were many places we wanted to see. One of which was the Khao Yai National Park. We wanted to hike trails and see some native animals to this region of the world. Yet, did not know if it would be worth the 2+ hour bus ride north of Bangkok. But when Blake found a tour guide that would take us into the jungle off the beaten path for two days while spending the night in hammocks we knew it would be worth our time.

Deaw, our tour guide, was one of a kind, he picked us up at the bus stop in his old (super old) range rover. Then took us to his property where we stayed in a little hut. The hut was cute and had everything we needed. After a hot day in Bangkok we were worried about it staying too hot during the night, but man did it get amazingly cold up in the mountains.

The drive into the park the next morning was gorgeous. We followed the winding roads further and further into the mountains, there were wonderful look outs, families of monkeys camped alongside the roads, and beautiful birds flying overhead. After putting on our leech socks we began our first day of hiking. We met up with some forest rangers, these rangers would be accompanying us throughout our journey for protection and navigation. It was serious hiking too, if we were on a trail it was the trails made by elephants or other animals alike, other than that we made our own path... not as easy as it sounds. The rangers spoke very little English, but were able to quote American movies all day long if needed. By the end we became good friends. 

We hiked about 12 kilometers the first day, through all kinds of terrain, thick forest, grassland, and jungle river basins. We saw Wild Boar, Gibbons, Deer, Monkeys, and Great Horn Bill. As we hiked there seemed to be evidence of elephants everywhere, from their tracks, dung, and the bulldozing effect they cause through the jungle. At one point we came across fresh tracks and dong with a clear view of which way the elephants had just gone. Being as it is too dangerous to follow a herd of elephants we looked for high ground. As we climbed higher and higher, we made it to a place where we could look out, as we stood there we could hear their bodies making their way through trees and into water. Soon our ears were filled with the trumpet noise only an elephant can make. I could not hold back my excitement. It was exhilarating, they were so close, we saw the trees part ways as the herd pushed through making a path in the middle of the thick jungle floor only 30 yards from where we stood. The rangers in the lead waved us over as he had just gotten a glimpse of a few as they disappeared into the jungle. I was able to catch a few feet stomping along the ground, but then they were off. Even if we did not get a good look at the herd, it was cool to feel them so close.

By this time, we were close to where we would spend the night. Our campsite was along the river we had been following most the day, there we washed our faces and freshened up for dinner. We set up our hammock and began to cook our rice. We had rice and curry (different types of curry but none of which I would be able to find in my mom’s kitchen) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that day, some of which made our mouths and lips go numb. But even for Blake and me not being big on eating spicy food, it was not all that bad. As we sat and cooked over the fire we again could hear elephants in the distance washing off in the water. After seeing what they do to create the paths we followed I did not want them stomping through our campsite (I mean could you imagine sleeping in a hammock between two trees and elephants barging their way though, NOT FUNNY). For this reason, the rangers said we must keep the fires burning throughout the night in order to deter them. Sometimes throughout the trip, with three Thai men dressed in full cameo, it felt/looked like we had been kidnapped and taken into the jungle. We had a good time getting to know each other. As night fell, Blake and the rangers went out to catch frogs for a midnight snack. I was far to tired to join, but as they made their way down the river I could hear the two men laughing. They were pretty impressed with Blake's frog catching skills. 

We woke up the next morning to the dew dripping on our faces. It was a beautiful, cold, crisp morning. That day we hiked uphill, and I mean up. We were trying to make our way back to the more touristy part of the National Park in order to find our way back to the range rover. The scenery was much different, not as many vines and elephant tracks, but tall trees and much more forest like, than jungle. Once we were back on the designated marked trails we were so glad we chose to hike off the beaten path, for these trails were packed full of visitors scaring off any and all wildlife. 

Thailand: Bangkok

Grand Palace Bangkok

Bangkok river boats

Wat Arun

Bus tickets to Koh Chang

Grand Palace Bangkok

Tuk Tuk Bangkok

Grand Palace

Fish Pedicure Thailand

Fish Pedicure

We flew from China to Thailand on New Years Eve, spending the first moments of 2014 in the sky. As much as we would have loved to ring in the New Year at the city center of either Beijing or Bangkok we could not pass up the cheap ticket.

So we spent the morning of Jan. 1st running around Bangkok. We only had half a day to tour the place before we were to catch a bus to Khao Yai National Park. We tried to make the most of it and started our day by taking a river boat to the grand palace. The architecture was so different from what we saw in China, I was amazed at all the texture, color, paintings, and statues used around the palace. It was like walking into an art project, every inch adorned with color. 

After getting back from the Khao Yai National Park, we were able to spend the night wandering around a night market. We took the river boat again, this time at night, to get to Asiatique night market. There we window shopped and got fish pedicures. 

Lets talk about the fish pedicures a little. Put it this way, I've never seen Blake squarm, but the first minute of it he was in a panic. Although, when he finish, he then wanted to do his entire body with a fish cleansing. When you first put your feet in the tank, it's like a bombardment of fish covering every inch of skin under the water (or maybe that was just us because we just got back from camping in the jungle). It took all the energy I had to keep my feet in the water because it tickled, oh so bad! But our feet came out feeling soft and clean. 

Thailand is known for many things but my favorite thing about visiting was the wonderful people. Everyone was so nice and willing to help. Taxi drivers would go out of their way to make sure we knew where to go, shopkeepers did not try to rip us off with outrageous prices, no one was pushy or in a hurry and everyone was ready to meet us with a smile. We had a wonderful experience. We even ran into a government protest.... yet we had no idea we were in the middle of one. We thought we were just walking through makeshift shops of food vendors the just so happened to be blocking the street. Again everyone was lovely and happy.