Our plans changed once we learned that the train was full, but it was while deciding what to do that a lady approached us and offered all sorts of trips within the country (here’s a Chiang Mai itinerary you may like) . Realizing that she could be helpful we followed her to a nearby travel agency where many other backpackers were arranging their travels and after an hour of thinking and bargaining we found ourselves with a pretty good deal: for less than 100 USD/person we had arranged an overnight bus trip to Chiang Mai, 2 hotel nights with breakfast included, a trip to visit the Padaung ladies and transportation to the Golden Triangle and Chiang Rai.

Sweet deal don’t you think?

We saw an elephant in a backstreet of Bangkok, and hoped the elephants in Chiang Mai we would be seeing were nothing like this one: the poor animal was completely out of place. We sat back, I pulled out my book and let time go by. The overnight trip in the sleeping bus was not too uncomfortable, but nevertheless we were deadbeat once we arrived Chiang Mai at about 8am, and were dropped at the hotel where we went straight to bed for a quick nap.

The hotel staff was very welcoming as is that of almost every hotel in Thailand, and eventhough we woke up at around 11 am they were still happy to offer us breakfast, which we gladly accepted. We spent the rest of the day wandering around the city, walked to Wat Suan Dok hoping to take a picture of this great temple during sunset (it was unfortunately too cloudy),visiting the night bazaar once it was dark and tasting exquisite food in what I consider one of the gastronomical epicentres of the world.

Exhiliarating as the previous day had been we were up early the following morning ready to leave the hotel as we would be riding elephants in Chiang Mai, an event we had been looking forward to for many weeks and an experience we were eager to enjoy. We hopped on a van at the hotel, and after picking up other travelers we were taken to the elephant camp, barely 34 minutes out of the city.

The camp itself was rather simple, and after crossing a rope bridge over a river we were soon standing on a platform where the elephants would walk up to and we were on our way through the jungle shortly after.

The first few minutes are perhaps the most uncomfortable of all, but once you get used to the the animal’s rythim it is farely easy to relax and enjoy the ride. Sure, you musn’t forget that you’re in the jungle and there are branches sticking out to you at all times, but there is time to pull out the camera and take pictures or shoot video for as long as you want.

About 15 minutes after leaving, one of the mahout (elephant “drivers”) asked me if I wanted to sit on my elephant’s head and atempt to guide it through the jungle. Sure, why not, it can’t be that hard can it? Besides, it will simply follow the elephant in front and that’s it. Without a second thought I got off my seat and crouched to the animal’s head, and immediately regretted my decision.

Why? You cannot imagine how tough elephant hair is! It felt as if dozens of razor sharp wires were sticking through my pants and right into my a”@##!! I of course felt like swearing and making my way back to the seat, but with all the mahouts and travelers looking at me and taking pictures all I could do was smile helplessly and pretend I was the happiest man in the world.

I got used to it shortly after, and had heaps of fun along the way although eventually I did move back to my seat. We crossed a river, made our way through what seemed impossible slopes, and fed the elephants dozens of bananas that were given to us at the end of the jungle trek.

Elephant riding tours in Chiang Mai cost about 450 Baht and last about 1-1.5 hours. You don’t really need them to be any longer as the ride is slightly uncomfortable and the animals will get stressed anyhow. Don’t be surprised if an elephant soaks you wet when crossing a river while the mahouts laugh, and you’ll be asked for tips at the end of the trip- remember you don’t have to give them anything if you don’t want to.

In my opinion the treks are very interesting, and although many voices seem to disagree with the practice because of the stress and treatment the animals endure these tours still exist today. It is important that you research the company you are going to work with,  hopefully one in which the elephants in are free to walk around, all are well fed and receive medical attention when needed.

The post Riding Elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand appeared first on MaiTravelSite.

A trip to Phuket (Thailand) had always been on my travelling list but this faraway place (thirteen hours to be precise), had always seemed just a little out of my clutches, not to mention my budget. The little knowledge that I had gleamed of Southeast Asia had come from the rather dubious source of The Beach, that infamous film that gripped the nation with its gritty drama (and of course the rather divine, Leonardo Dicaprio). Portraying a remote island of paradisiacal beaches where unwashed 20-somethings could ‘live off the land’ and backpack beyond their wildest dreams, most of my views of Thailand hinged upon this film. Tragic I know, but having never had the luxury to pack up my life into a pint-sized bag to embark on a soul-searching trail, I had no choice but to believe this portrayal.

Following years of scraping the pennies together and denying my true nomadic nature, I decided to take the plunge and book a trip to Phuket (Thailand) to be more specific. After looking for adventure travel tips on sites like MyPhuketInfo.com, I thought Thailand’s largest island situated on the southern Thai coastline would be the perfect place to unfurl whether this remote tropical paradise really did exist.

Already feeling like the Farang (westerner) that I was, arriving in Phuket with expectations of a remote and secluded island left me feeling even more embarrassed by my obvious naivety. An island connected to the mainland by three main bridges, Phuket is far from secluded. Instead I was greeted with a vibrant hub of activity as locals and expats went about their daily duties. Market stalls, street vendors and hawker stalls lined the roads and the odd person carrying an overflowing rattan basket of Thai food meandered between the tuk-tuk’s rushing by. Not what I was expecting but needless to say I delved in head-first to fully exploit the bounty before me. Just a few highlights include the straight-from-the-wok noodles in Phuket Town, the vegetarian buffet on Bangkok road and the fruit market on Ranong Road, (yes, I do like my food!)

Knowing that guesthouses were among the cheapest places to stay in a trip to Phuket (thanks to oh mighty google), I had booked to stay at Shanti Lodge, a small guesthouse run by a friendly African/Australian family, nestled between Phuket city and Chalong bay (costing me 750 baht a night). Pleased for a little shade from Phuket’s hot and humid weather, I jumped on a local beach bus known as a Songthaew (the cheapest way to travel around Thailand) to reach my lodgings. Mentally preparing myself for a modest stay of the thatched-roof variety, I was surprised to find a lovely double room with a shared bathroom, (once again The Beach had led me astray).

To find out once and for all I joined an organised boat tour to Koh Phi Phi Leh, the uninhabited island on the southernmost tip of Phi Phi Don and the glorious backdrop to the main culprit of my views-The Beach. Did I find glorious remoteness? Well, yes and no. Remoteness, no; ferries and long-tails carried eager snorkelers and scuba divers by the boat-load to the various beaches of the bay. Gloriousness, yes; the view of verdant vertical cliffs enclosing a tropical reef, resplendent with white sandy beaches was truly spectacular.

Opening my eyes to the real heart and soul of Thailand, my trip to Phuket was a journey of discovery, just not the one I was expecting. Rather than finding remote seclusion, I experienced a vibrant hub of thriving culture amongst stunning tropical scenery. While nowhere near The Beach’s portrayal (and even without the gorgeous Leo in sight), Phuket offered a taste of modern paradise that would come highly recommended by me.

If you’ve been to Thailand you’ve probably been to Phuket too. How did you feel when you arrived? Would you recommend Phuket or would you rather suggest readers go elsewhere? Where to?

Author Bio: Isabella Rose is an enthusiastic traveler with a love of adventure. Having studied History of Art and Italian at university, it has been her lifelong dream to move to Italy to revel in the art, culture and of course the gelato! You can follow her through Twitter at @IzzaRoseB

[Some of the links might be making us some money, but we would not include them if we didn’t think they could be useful to travelers]

The post Proven Wrong: First Trip to Phuket appeared first on MaiTravelSite.

One of the most important attractions in northern Thailand, the long neck women (also known as Pa Dong women or Padaung in Burma) in Mae Hong Son have become a tourist attraction that brings hundreds of visitors every day. North Thailand trips that include a stop here can be booked in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and even all the way from Bangkok (it’s not a day trip from Bangkok though), which is more than an overnight bus ride away, yet these women see very little money of all that is generated in their name.

Why am I bringing this out? One day I got the following email from a reader:

Hi Frederico
I’m sorry to bring this up, but it is a HUGE issue and I wouldn’t feel right without
at least making an effort. Feel free to ignore this message if you wish.

It is about your picture :
https://www.maitravelsite.com/Blog_Travelogue/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/maitravelsite-in-thailand2.jpg

The padaung “long neck” women are exploited all over Thailand and Myanmar for
tourists who like to pose and take pictures with them. I’m not judging your own
preferences but posting such pictures will only encourage other tourists to do the
same and will lead to continued and increased exploitation of these women.

Would you please consider taking the picture off your site?

Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you do think about what I said.

If you would like to know more about this issue you can read the articles below:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082101701.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7215182.stm

Regards,
Animesh

and it brought back memories of what I had seen when there. I have to admit that upon reaching the Padaung village after walking 5 minutes uphill from the parking lot my enthusiasm was violently slapped out of me, my heart sank, and I was instead dismayed at what I was seeing.

The village in Mae Hong Son can only be described as a human zoo, where the long neck women spend a better part of their day sitting in flimsy wood huts waiting for tourists to come and take pictures with/of them.

Maybe, if they’re lucky, somebody will give them a little bit of money in appreciation.

Maybe, if they’re lucky, somebody will buy a souvenir from them.

And if everything else fails, somebody will hopefully buy something from the handcraft stall at the end of the walk around the village, and together with that made by their husbands who are working in the fields they will make a living for themselves and their children.

The origin of why these women are here is well documented. In 1980 a group of about 100 Karen people fled across the mountains from Burma to Thailand when civil war between Karenni separatists and the Burmese army became too intense. Since then the group has grown to about 520 people, and despite their current status the Thai government doesn’t consider them refugees and thus neglects certain rights that the UN Commission states should be granted. They also make very little money: women who wear the rings are paid 1500 Baht (49 USD) a month to run souvenir stalls and men receive a rice allowance of 260 Baht (8.5 USD) a month.

When there I had two choices: get upset and simply walk around saddened about a shattered dream I had had since my childhood, or make the best of what there is and try to have a good time. I obviously went with option number two, although I couldn’t avoid having mixed feelings about the experience. I bought a souvenir to make me feel better and hopefully them too- a picture of themselves laughing without the brass collars ( by the way, in case you’re wondering, those brass collars do not make their necks longer- they are actually pushing the clavicles down, resulting in the long-neck appearance) I cannot share with you because I don’t have it with me and took several pictures along the way, deciding to use one of them as my profile photo because it blatantly shouts ” I am a traveler”.

However the email sent by Animesh  brought back those memories, and I brought it down despite the meaning it has for me: eventually finding the long neck women I had wanted to see ever since I was a kid. 

Do you think I should bring the photo down? What were your feelings when you were there, and if you haven’t, will you go? Please share your thoughts below, and this article too if you liked it!

The post Meeting a Real Padaung Giraffe Woman of North Thailand appeared first on MaiTravelSite.

I’m not quite sure about when I first wanted to visit East Asia but I do know it was a long time ago, probably inspired by great movies like The Empire of the Rising Sun or spectacular photographs I used to stare at in National Geographic magazines when I was about 10 years old, give or take a few. The people and cultures that I saw appeared to be so different yet so unique and mysterious that I had to find out how special East Asia really is, and immerse myself into civilizations that pray to Buddha in the mornings and eats scorpions and other insects in the afternoon. It was weird- too weird, but it was fantastic.

About a decade later I had my first opportunity to travel to East Asia, the stop being Bangkok in Thailand after a spending week in Cairo and on my way to Australia. I didn’t have much time (just a couple of days or three) but it was a dream that was becomming true. I still remember there was a storm near the airport, with lightning visible in the distance when looking out the starboard windows of my Thai Airways flight. However the flight was pretty smooth all the way to the end and we landed on time, at around midnight or 1 am. I remember thinking that the airport was huge and empty, and I was among the first passengers to get through the health screening area (the SARS virus was big news at the time). I got my Eagle Creek backpack and the rest of my belongings, bargained for a cab ( I saved 500 Baht) and was taken to the hotel I had booked online somewhere in Sukhumvit, a 4 star (or was it 3?) deal at 25 USD. I remembered my first surprise was learning that in Thailand you drive on the left side, like in the UK. For some reason I had never expected that.

The phone rang at 4:30 am (family making sure all was ok) and after a few more hours of sleep I woke up early and headed to the restaurant for my buffet breakfast. Sure, it was a buffet, but not international. Breakfast included all sorts of veggies, soups, rice, salads, beans and everything but milk, cereal, bread, croissants…none of the things I was used to. But I wasn’t upset, quite the contrary, I was excited about beginning to experience life as it was (is) in this part of the world. I helped myself with some rice, eggs and juice and made it out the front door, straight to the tourist booth I had seen the night before. I was given a map, indicated where the Royal Palace is as well as some other tourist hot-spots. I had been told not to use public buses because they are quite confusing and use the sky train instead because “it’s much easier and quicker”. I had the time, and I was in Bangkok. Why would I go for the easy stuff? I made my way to the bus stop and hopped on the one that that would take me where I wanted to go.

Less than 2 minutes later an old lady was mumbling something in my ear and staring at me with questioning eyes. I had no idea about what she was saying until I spoted an artistically decorated metal cylinder she was carrying with some colored papers. She was probably asking where I was going and would charge accordingly, but there was no way we could communicate, despite we each understood what was going on. However yet another lady popped her head and asked in perfect English where I was going and things went smooth from there. I payed, we all smiled, and to each his own.

As soon as I got off the bus I spotted a group of tuk-tuk drivers and surely made my way to them. This had to be the ultimate Bangkok experince I thought, and after negotiating we agreed he would take me to all the tourist places I wanted and more he knew if we stopped in two taylors and carpet sellers along the way and pretend I would buy something. The tour was awesome. I couldn’t feel any better than what I did, and the tuk-tuk driver knew enough English to explain things. I was given cold Coca Cola at the taylors’ and eventually did buy a taylor made suit for a ridiculous price.

Things got a little bit more complicated after that because I had to decide if I wanted a Thai massage or a body massage.

“It will be dropped in your hotel tomorrow morning” I was told. Perfect! One less thing to worry about, and a story I knew my mom would never believe ( I’m the kind of guy who hates wearing suits, ties…or leather shoes!).

The day was perfect; the sun was shining brightly and everybody seemed to be in a happy mood. The lying Buddha was grandiose and the Royal Palace portrayed everything I had imagined (minus the crowds), and I had a blast visiting it on my own. A group of travelers from Burma took a picture with me, but that was all I spoke during my 3 hour visit. Still, I was stoked.

My tuk-tuk driver was waiting for me at the door, and when I was about to pay the ridiculously small fee we had agreed he enquired if I wanted a massage. It sounded like a great idea so I said “Sure”- as long as it was cheap. Things got a little bit more complicated after that, because I had to decide if I wanted a Thai massage or a body massage. ???

“What’s the difference?” I asked? Things were explained graphically when he pulled out the business cards of the places he wanted to take me to. I wanted a Thai massage, but wanted to visit one of those “body massage” parlours anyhow. And so I did, stopping at two and wondering why all those gorgeous girls would be willing to engage themselves with the fat sweaty guy at the corner.

The tuk-tuk driver told me that I could get my Thai massage on the second floor of this parlour, and I did. It wasn’t as posh as the lower level where all the cute girls were but it was enough. I got my massage for 4USD (I gave the old lady an extra 4) and said bye-bye to the 4 year old girl who had been playing with my toes for the last 15 minutes- she was the masseur’s daughter.

It was around 9:30 pm as I was walking out the front door and asked the Tuk-Tuk driver to take me to a place where I could have a great Thai dinner-anywhere he wanted. And he did. I enjoyed a magnificent 3 course meal with shrimp, exotic rices, splendid pad-thai and I don’t remember what else. I was alone, as I had been all day, and felt tired but pleased with what I had just done. I was not new to traveling (had visited around 40 countries already) but I had just spent my first day in East Asia and enjoyed every little bit of it. It was raining, pooring in fact, but that couldn’t erase my smile either. After so many years my dream of visiting East Asia had become true and although I was no longer the 10 year old boy who read National Geographic magazines for fun I felt like him from head to toes. I had experienced different foods, different people, had witnessed tolerance as I hadn’t elsewhere (ladyboys are just as normal as you and me in thailand), had observed oriental behaviours, had ridden a tuk-tuk and had admired ancient Asian architechture in a single day. My first day in East Asia. It simply couldn’t have been any better, and that’s probably why I remember it so well.

Since then I have been 3 more times in Bangkok and travelled extensively in this part of the world, but there is more to come. And the best part of it is that I enjoy every single minute like I did then.



What are your travel dreams? Is there any place you fantasyze about visiting? Have you already visited that place you dreamed about visiting when you were a kid? How did you feel? Please share this post if you liked it!

The post Travel Dreams of a Ten Year Old Boy appeared first on MaiTravelSite.

Four things had to be taken care of during our brief stay, all of which were accomplished successfully: first, we neede to install MS Office because the trial version given was going to expire in a few days, plus I wanted to install Adobe photoshop and Dreamweaver. One hour and 6€ later it had been taken care of at the IT Mall in Petchburi Road. During that hour I bought a tripod that would substitute the one I had- it was too small for my DSLR camera and…it broke. We did some necessary simple shpping at the MBK Mall (not the best but you get great prices for even better knock-offs). And finally, the highlight of the stay and one you should not miss if you visit Bangkok: the buffet restaurants at the Baiyoke Tower Hotel in Sukhumvit area (see insert).

The three days were gone much faster than we hoped, but were happy because we had accomplished our shopping purposes, I had eaten delicious Pad Thai at a street stand near our hotel, and the hotel was an excellent bargain once more: brand new and at 800 Baht/night it was spotless, had wi-fi, cable TV and a fridge, plus it was very well located in Sukhumvit, around Petchburi Soi 15 if you want to check it out.

Once more Bangkok delivered all we had expected, making us crave for more. It’s not usually ranked as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but we it’s one we really enjoy visiting. But on september 14th we had our flight to Bali, the well known gem of Indonesia that I had visited a few years before for a month and knew that its people, culture, surf and excellent value for money (Bali is a bargain, really) would be something Liza (and I) would enjoy.

The post Visiting Bangkok in One Day appeared first on MaiTravelSite.