Our Last Day in Paradise

We decided to take it easy on our last day in paradise. We woke up without the alarm, had a wonderful fruit filled breakfast and updated our blog. It was only 9 am but it was already hot as hell so we decided to rent a kayak and head out towards Ao Nang. Usually one has to take a long tail boat to get to that beach so we did not expect to actually make it that far but we hoped to find something interesting along the way and we were not disappointed.
The sea in this area is filled with spectacular rock formations and it was so much fun to paddle around or jump in for a quick dip in the crystal clear water. Before we knew it we found ourselves on a beach. One corner of the beach was especially busy so we went to see what it was all about. Oh my...... the trees around the walkway in the back of the beach were filled with monkeys!!! There were so many of them!!! and we had no food.... luckily there was a nice lady selling bananas. We got a back and went to try our luck. They were so so cute and very polite. They would wait their turn and very nicely take the fruit from your hand.
Of course... it is not smart to mess with them as monkeys are very short tempered. And guess what I did... hmm... for the sake of a picture I teased the monkey by moving the banana just out of its reach, and it got closer and closer.... until it lost it patience and hissed at me & scratched me. Ouch... I will not tease a monkey ever again!!!
We swam for a bit in the crystal clear waters and eventually around 1 pm we found our way back to our beach.
We took a shower, had a cocktail in the cool of our room followed by a wonderful nap. One more thing we thought we shouldn't miss out on - the massage. We found a cute lil massage establishment and had our last $7 Thai massage.... ahhhh.
In the evening we met our Norwegian couple for a wonderful Thai dinner and drinks on the beach. It was wonderful meeting them here and it was a great finish to our vacation.

Day 12 - The Elephant Adventure & Best Food in Thailand

Today we finally got to ride an elephant!!! We wanted to go elephant riding in Cambodia and in Bangkok area but both of those fell through. Today we finally succeeded! We signed up for a tour through our hotel. The tour included an hour of elephant riding, cave sightseeing, swimming in natural pools and Thai lunch.
We got picked up early in the morning by a longtail boat and taken over to the main land where a pickup truck was waiting for us and another nice young couple from Ireland. As soon as we got to our destination the handlers took us to say Hi to the elephants and up on them we went. It was little rocky at first until we got balanced. It was fun, Chris & I both set in the seat on top of the elephant's back and the handler was on its neck.
Few minutes into it the guy asked me if I wanted to sit where he was sitting? I was little hesitant at first but I was not going to pass the opportunity, so I slid down from the seat on its neck.
It was strange, prickly and I had no idea what to do with my feet. I felt bad having it behind the elephant ears as he liked to pull them back so eventually I found a sort of a squat/straddle position on its neck that was agreeable to both of us. It was fantastic - we trekked through the jungle for a bit with frequent stops for palm tree and other snacks for the elephant. I offered for Chris to sit where I was but he said it was safer for all of us if he stays where he was at.
After our wonderful ride was over we bought some bananas and fed them to the elephant. It was fascinating to see them sniff around with the trunk, grab them with it and just throw them in their mouth.
Once our elephant encounter was over the guide took us to explore caves on the property followed by a wonderful swim in cool and shady pools fed by natural springs. It was just what we needed!
The amazing experience was topped of by a surprisingly delicious homemade Thai lunch. We both agreed that it was the best food we have had in Thailand so far!!!

Day 11 - 2/1/10 - Island Snorkeling

Today was a day of Island hopping! We signed up for a Phi Phi Islands tour. This tour was going to go to Maya Bay (known from the movie Beach), Hing Klarng open sea snorkeling, Phi Phi Don Island for lunch, Monkey Bay - to see some monkeys, Lohsamah Bay for snorkeling & finally Bamboo Island for a wonderful swim. The tour was a full day event from 9 am until 5 pm.
We got picked by a speed boat at our hotel and after 45 minutes of a bumpy ride of a lifetime (we sat in the front, somewhat more bumpy there), we end up at our first destination - Maya Bay.
Luckily, were one of the first boats to get there but what was at first a serene bay have turned very shortly into a nightmare. Well, actually we decided to view it as very interesting and entertaining instead. It was comical how many boats and how many people could fit on this tiny beach! It was almost like being on a New York sidewalk during busy time of the day. We were little worried as we thought that all of our stops would be like this one, but luckily that was not the case!
Our next destination was Pileh Bay - wonderful secluded lagoon & the Viking Cave - both of these we just looked at from the boat.
The next stop was Monkey Bay to see... you guessed it.. monkeys and then finally - snorkeling. It was open water snorkel near Phi Phi Don island and it was great. Not the best that we have seen but still very beautiful.
We had lunch at Phi Phi Don with some island exploration and after another snorkeling stop we arrived on Bamboo Island. It was so beautiful there and the beach so white and the water azure blue - just like paradise!
Eventually, this wonderful island experience had to end and we found ourselves back in our hotel room with a delicious cocktail in our hand. Ahhhh...
We freshened up and went on to explore the East Railay Beach area by our hotel. We got there during its low tide time and it was something. For whatever reason the tides here are very extreme and the water line moves by about 300 feet. This change makes East Railay into a stinky, muddy mess of mangrove trees. The very busy restaurants on Railay West are replaced here with an empty seats all around and restaurant staff begging for any business at all. After reviewing this area we decided that it may be best if we have our dinner on the West side.
We went to the Sand Sea Resort Restaurant. We knew from before that this restaurant is was Muslim owned so we came armed with shot bottles of vodka in our pockets as they don't serve alcohol. This restaurant is one of the most exciting restaurants we have ever been to. Ordering is the easy part but what comes to you thereafter is always a surprise. Our first round of mocktails never showed up but Chris' meal came instead. So we ordered another round of drinks and half an hour later I got my meal followed finally, by our drinks! Our friends told us that we were actually lucky because one of their meals never showed up. Although we almost got somebody else's order three other times. Oh, did I mention that this restaurant has about 15 tables and about 20 waiters, including couple of ladyboys. It was very entertaining.

Day 10 - 1/31/10 - Kayaking Around

We wanted to get up early so we could avoid the hot part of the day. We succeeded somewhat and end up getting up around 7:30. After a wonderful buffet breakfast we rented a double kayak and around 9 am we headed out on the sea to explore the surrounding beaches and islands.
The islands around Railay are nothing like we have seen anywhere else. They are huge limestone towers that rise high from the azure sea. There is a multitude of caves and stalactite and stalagmites all around these magnificent rocks. We kayaked around many of these islands and snorkeled around some. We also stopped at the PhraNang beach - one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and explored the Princess Cave. Princess cave is a cave filled with phallic symbols where people pray for fertility.
We slowly paddled our way back to our beach and we finally arrived after 1pm when it was starting to get really hot.
After a delicious curry for lunch we retired to our cottage for a well deserved nap.
In the evening we booked our tour for the next day - Snorkeling trip to the Phi Phi islands and finished the wonderful day with dinner and drinks.

Day 9 - 1/30/10 - Arrival in Paradise

In order to catch our early morning flight to Krabi we had to leave our hotel in Bangkok at 5 am. We got to the airport just in time as a huge downpour started right after we arrived. I have never really witnessed a true tropical storm - it was amazing how much water feel in such a short amount of time.
There was no sign of the storm upon our arrival in Krabi. Our hotel's shuttle picked us up and transported us to a local harbor where we boarded a longtail boat - the transportation of choice in this area. We end up sharing the boat with another couple from Norway - Yngve & Anya. They were wonderful and really fun to talk to. We were both secretly hoping that we could stay in touch with them once in the resort but we didn't want to appear like stockers. The boat ride was fantastic, the sea is so blue and the islands all around plentiful. This area was 180 degrees different from Bangkok.
We checked into our spacious, brand new cottage and went on to explore the area a bit. We spent some time on the beach, by the pool and finally taking a nap during the hottest part of the day. While watching the sunset on Railay West we ran into our friends from earlier that day and agreed to meet up for dinner. The dinner by the beach was fantastic and the conversation even better. We were both wishing that they were not from Norway but rather somewhere closer to us as we could truly see being good friends with these two. The conversation was so engaging that we didn't want to end after dinner so we all moved over to the Laughing Tree - a small bar with beach mats and candles right on the beach. We didn't go to bed until 1am. Now we have truly arrived in a paradise.

Day 8 - 1/29/10 - Finally at Peace with Bangkok

This morning I out-smarted the rooster and put tissue paper in my ears (my husband's idea, as he just pointed out) - ha Mr. Rooster, can't get me... but he still did manage to wake me up but it was easier to ignore him and fall back asleep.
We got up around 7 as we had a tour to catch at 9. We signed up for a bike tour through Bangkok with Grasshopper Adventures. It was #1 activity on TripAdvisor, so it must be good right?
We got fitted on our bikes and our tour guide Tammy took all 9 of us to the streets.
I was not really sure how we were going to navigate these crazy streets, but it was amazing. Tammy took us through the big roads, the small ones and the tiniest of them all. We were going along these canals through people's backyards while dodging cars, motorbikes, tuk-tuks, babies, dogs, cats, food stalls vendors, and who knows what else. It was really a great experience. Tammy even took us to a local market where we sampled some cool local foods and great fruit. We end up taking the ferry back over to the other side of the river. We even got bits and pieces of history and cultural references. Oh, did I mention we even saw a dragon? Well actually it was a water monitor, a huge lizard that can be over 9ft long. Our was only about 5 ft long but still very impressive.
We have also met wonderful and interesting people on the tour - a couple from the US living in Manilla working for EU and another family from Whistler who escaped the Olympics and decided to travel Asia for two months instead.
Once we said our good byes we went back to our hotel, took a much needed shower and headed down to a spa for a wonderful 2 hour long Thai massage. It was a very healing and very relaxing experience.
In the evening we took a dinner cruise and finished the day with shopping in the Pad Pong market.
Tomorrow we are flying to Krabi and finally heading to our island destination. Can't wait, but the Internet may be little sketchy there so not sure when will be our next update.
And the title of this post... I actually enjoyed Bangkok... so I am finally at peace with it.

Day 7 - 1/28/10 - First Full Day in Steamy Bangkok

Unfortunately, I started the day little bit sooner than expected at 4:30 am. There is this very loud rooster right outside of our balcony that started to tell us that the new day is coming and he would not shut up until 7 when a parrot took over his lonesome singing. Chris slept through it all!!!
We had a very good buffet breakfast in the riverside restaurant in our hotel and once finished we thought it may be a good idea to go explore the city before it gets too hot. Ha ha... I don't think there is before it gets too hot time in Bangkok. At first we wanted to walk to all the attractions but after five minutes of walking we decided that it may not be such a bad idea to check out how the extensive boat transportation works. Thank God!!! It was so worth it. Our hotel is right by a pier and the boats come by every five minutes or so. It costs 13 baht and it takes you to all the major sightseeing attractions that happen to be conveniently located along the river.
Our first and just about the last destination was the Royal Palace Complex, I say the last because it took us over three hours to explore it all. We were somewhat warmer than necessary as one is required to wear appropriate clothing while on the palace grounds. Appropriate clothing means long pants for men and long skirt/pants (below knees) for women and a shirt that covers the shoulders for both. If one does not come dressed appropriately one can rent clothes or be refused entry.
We got there just in time for a free 10 am English speaking tour so we took advantage of it. We got to know some more about Thai religious symbols and other interesting facts about the surrounding plentiful buildings. The grounds were beautiful and we truly were in awe. We were happy that we found our way here.
Little bit of trivia information - The royal monastery of the emerald Buddha houses a Buddha image carved from jade, which was first discovered in the year 1434. A ceremony officiated by the king is held three times a year to let the emerald Buddha wear different outfits according to the season, summer, rainy season or winter (basically hot, hot and hotter).
After our visit to the palace we were hot and tired and thought about taking the boat back to our hotel, but once we set down in a shade for a drink we felt much better and we took on yet another site, the Wat Pho, also known as The Temple of the Reclining Buddha. The gold plated reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and is designed to illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. The feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decoration. It was very impressive but after walking around the 20 acres worth of grounds we decided to return into our hotel and cool down a bit.
As of right now we are still hiding in our AC bunker and Chris is schemeing about how to kill our resident rooster & the parrot.
If we get brave enough we may even go out for a dinner.

Day 6 - 1/27/10 - Our Arrival in Bangkok

Prior to our departure we at last got some of our questions answered by our wonderful cab driver in Siem Reap:
1) Who owns all the Lexus in Phnom Phen? Not even in Marin have seen as many lexus as we have here -> the govermant officials (hmmm makes you wonder how uncorruptable they may be)
2) What is the average (good) salary in Siem Reap -> about $100/month
Just for piont of reference - cost of tuk tuk - $2000 - resulting tuk tuk salary - $200/month
Bike for a kid so it doesn't have to walk 5km to school - $30
3) Why was there a mile long line in front of the Childern's hospital -> each family in need gets a number assign to them and when their turn comes - they come to Phnom Phen or Siem Reap to get care for their sick child in this privately run free hospital. Since then I have read much more about this program and it is amazing what Kantha Bopha & Dr. Beat Richner do for these children. If you want to know more check the link out.

We were sad to leave this wonderful country but we were excited to see what Thailand had in store for us. I have to admit that I was rather overwhelmed by Bangkok - as Chris put it is a high energy smelly chaos. After an hour long cab ride from the airport we checked into our wonderful hotel - Navalai River Resort (again an osais in the middle of this crazy place).
After we settled in we went out to explore around the hotel on foot. We were warned by other travellers about scams that are plentiful in Bangkok and guess what... two minutes into our walk we almost fell for one ourselves. Thank God we are smart :). We explored around 'The Backpackers' Mecca' - Khao San Road and finished the evening with a nice 'stomach safe' dinner. Oh, did I mention how freaking hot it is here?!

Day 5 - Wonderful Last Day in Siem Reap

This day started really early, we were both awake before 6 am. I guess we were rested enough from our sick time the previous day. We didn't even eat breakfast, because we didn't want to take the chance that it could spoil the rest of our day. We hired a tuk tuk just outside the hotel and headed for the farther parts of Angkor Park. There was hardly anybody out there, well at least at first. We visited couple of small temples followed by Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm is the temple seen in The Tomb Raider movie. This temple complex is only partially cleared of jungle overgrowth in order to present some 'tree-in-temple' photo opportunities. It was pretty cool, but unfortunately there were many tourists at this point.
From there we visited Banteay Kdei and Sras Srang, which were nice but nothing exceptional. The farthest part of our visit was Neak Pean and Preah Khan and they were definitely worth the visit. One was a group of pools with a sort of a fountain in the middle that were believed to have healing powers and the other was a very serene complex, without any tourists and it still had many 'tree-in-temples' left, which were great to see.
At this point it was nearing one pm and we were both 'templed' out so we headed back to town. We found a nice bakery and filled up on bread as that was one safe thing we thought we could eat.
Once again we found ourselves spending the afternoon by the pool before heading to the town for dinner and some shopping. We thought it would be waste not to have Khmer food on our last day in Cambodia so we tossed the dice and ate a real meal and it was worth it! Now we just have to figure out how to make it at home.

Day 4 - 1/25/10 - Cambodian Detox Treatment

The plan for today was to sleep in and take a cooking class in one of the local restaurants to learn how to make some of these wonderful Khmer dishes, followed by relaxation, shopping and perhaps even some massage. But instead we checked into a Cambodian Detox Spas. I was the first one to partake, starting the night before and Chris followed my lead the following morning. The enrollment was not voluntary but it sure did detox us thoroughly and did wonders for my waistline.
As you may have already guessed we got sick. At least this time we were able to pin point the source. It was our lunch the previous day in one of the restaurants in Angkor Wat area. Looking back... probably not the best choice. Needless to say we didn't take the cooking class but instead we spent the day in the bed and in the other area nearby. Fourteen hours and two cyproflaxins (stomach antibiotic) later I felt slightly better, at least as long as I didn't drink nor eat anything, so I went to read by the pool and left Chris in the room to sleep it off. I think I am out of the woods but he is still fighting it... hopefully tomorrow we will be both better and will get to go explore the rest of the temples. Luckily, today was not supposed the be an action packed nor travelling day, so really it was the best day to get sick. The way I see it, one has to get one of these stomach bugs on each continent one visits. Hopefully, this will have Asia covered.