Elephants! They are all over Thailand! Wherever you go in this country, you will probably be within range of riding, visiting or working with these magnificent animals. And by taking part in any of the tourist activities surrounding them, you will also become part of the ongoing elephant controversy. There is constant talk of animals being mistreated and exploited for the sake of tourism. On one hand there are the purists who continue to argue that all animals should be left in their natural surroundings and not be subjected to being on display for the rest of us. On the other hand, there are the millions of tourists who enjoy watching and participating in animal shows around the world. I am going to continue to be apolitical and sit on the fence on this one! Read More
Art in Paradise – Chiangmai’s Illusion Art Museum
I have to admit I love this retirement thing! Wake up in the morning, check my email, do a little blogging and think about the day ahead. Here in Chiangmai there are an unlimited number of things to see and do. Slowly, but surely, we are getting around to check out the numerous tourist sites and attractions in the city. One of the most recent additions to the city is the Illusion Art Museum, which opened last year. Read More
A Crazy Day on Koh Lanta
It has been over a week now since our pile of relatives from Canada left and returned to their snow-covered homes. None of them were in a hurry to return after spending a couple of weeks in this warm paradise. Well, maybe not so much of a paradise if you are living in downtown Bangkok these days, but here in Chiangmia, life goes on as usual. While they were here, we headed south to Koh Lanta for a few days.
Koh Lanta is a 25 km-long island off the Andaman coast of Thailand, south of Phuket and Krabi. Renowned for its long beaches, quiet seclusion, and natural beauty both above and below the water, Koh Lanta is a beach lover’s and scuba diver’s paradise. We stayed at the Lanta Resort, which I will write about in a later post. It had its pros and cons but a good time was had by all as we wined, dined and enjoyed the warm water of the sea.
The closest town to the resort is Saladan, a small, quaint village that was about a ten-minute ride away by songtaow. While having lunch at a small oceanside cafe, we struck up a conversation with the owner. We mentioned our interest in kayaking in the area but told him we had only seen all day programs. We really only wanted to spend a morning or afternoon on this type of thing, not the entire day. After chatting with him for a few more minutes, he said he could put something together for us for a few hours for the equivalent of about $25 each. Sounded like a plan and we agreed to meet him at the resort the next morning.
Mr. Pharm showed up at 9:30 sharp the next morning and we all piled into the back of his pickup for the short journey to Saladan. Before we knew it, we were on a longboat headed out to sea. These boats are all over the place in Thailand. They have huge outboard engines with a propeller attached to a very long shaft that is held about 45 degrees to the surface of the water. We had two guides, neither of which spoke a word of English. The only thing we knew is that we were going to see monkeys and we would spend an hour kayaking somewhere! This was not a high-end tour! Read More
