4 month anniversary...miss us yet?

Good day and Happy Anniversary

We have been gone 4 months!  Time flies.
I have been blessed with some amazing opportunities while here (A JOB, a promotion and travel), however, thoughts are now beginning to turn from the present towards the future and what will happen once this year is finished as the year may have two possible ends.  Either the school year (May 31st) or the contract (August 9th).  Do I continue here?  Go home? Go elsewhere? 
What are my considerations? Family? Career? Retirement? Friends? Romance?

When do I begin job hunting? Now? March? May? Aaaaahhhhhhhhh!

Except for the job, the reality of being here does not quite match the expectation which will make returning in January a little difficult.

Enough philosophy! It's time to celebrate another weekend getaway.  Pattaya is just southeast of Bangkok and is a mecca for tourists, backpackers, 'cottagers' and weirdos!  We stayed in Jomtien Beach and from what I could see, it is the tame area. 

We took the bus from Bangkok; a two hour ride that cost only 124 Baht each (approx. 3.50).  A motorcycle taxi took us from North Pattaya to our hotel for 200 Baht. hmmmm seems a little like a rip-off but we concluded public transportation is always cheaper.  Now. To explain the motorcycle ride; motorcycle taxis are quite popular here so that is not unusual.  This is the unusual part. Picture a scooter, 3 people, 2 backpacks and 1 duffle bag. No helmets.  Driving on the road BETWEEN the cars, passing cars by swerving into oncoming traffic! We arrived safely and can cross the experience off the bucket list (thank God I don't have to do that again).

The Rabbit Resort is beautiful.  Quiet and right on the beach.  We spent 6 hours lounging and reading by the pool on Saturday, then went for a long walk along the beach towards the night market where we bought dinner from the vendors.  Then went Christmas shopping in the market.  A long walk back along the boardwalk, a late night cup of tea and bed.  We awoke early Sunday morning, spent 5 hours reading on the beach catching some more rays.  Then lunch, a taxi to the bus depot, and home in time to finish homework, bed at a decent hour and up for work at 5:30am Monday.

Today is Thursday 5 December; Father's Day in Thailand.  Father's Day because it is the King's birthday so we have a day off.  Then Tuesday is Constitution Day.  So a couple of weird weeks of work, holiday, work.  Then Christmas break.  So see you soon!

Garden Path to our room...upstairs on the left.One of the Pools

                              What is inside this armoire?                                       Dishes!  Of course.

 

 Our Beach

 So nice

Chiang Mai - Day 2 - Tiger Kingdom

As you may already know, Emily is a fan of cats.  Small cats, large cats, wild cats...she loves 'em all.
There is a place in Chiang Mai called Tiger Kingdom where for a fee you can get up close and personal with Big, Small and Smallest Cats...So we did!

In the smallest enclosure, we tried to get close to some 3-4 month olds, but they really wanted to play and wrestle with each other.  We crawled under a table to commune with a little guy and while I was flat out on my belly, the two who were playing started playing with my feet! 










They have tigers from newborn to approximately 3 years old at this place.  Once the tigers turn 3, they are much too big and possibly aggressive to be in cages with people, so they are sent to the zoos to be cared for.  The tigers are well-nourished and obviously loved by the staff who also have great respect for their personalities and their wildness. 

Oh yes, these are not tamed animals, nor are they drugged.  They are wild tigers who are accustomed to people, but given all the right circumstances, these beasts are more than capable of attacking.

 
 
 
 
 
 


Having said that, they were so cute!  They did not smell.  They were very solid and the big ones were very big.  We got to watch as one lovely lady played with her favourite log and another girl got playful with a cat toy. 

Emily was in heaven.  It was a lovely visit.

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We would highly recommend a visit here.

Chiang Mai - Flight of the Gibbons

Emily and I decided to go to Chiang Mai for the weekend.  It is 700km or 1hour flight north from Bangkok.  We searched the web for cool things to do and reasonably priced places to stay.  We found the Rainforest Boutique Hotel:

Very pretty.  Very popular. Very good food at the Restaurant and excellent breakfast buffet (included in price). Nice amenities and close to the old city.  Beds were not much better than blanket-covered-planks and I really hurt my leg getting in to the pool because the pool steps were so incredibly high (or low depending which way you are standing).  I would give it a 3/5.  Probably wouldn't go again but would recommend it to budget minded travellers who like a firm mattress.

Saturday we joined the 'Flight of the Gibbon' tour group and flew through the trees.  Zip-line baby, that's what I'm talking about.  With a couple of abseils thrown in!

First zip was 300m...really cool.  Longest zip was 800m...that's almost a Kilometer people!  That was amazing and so fast. 

There were a few 'honeymoon' zips where you got to go with your partner (each person on their own line) and a few zips where Emily had to double up with another teenager because they are both so slight;  they would have gotten stuck in the middle of the line if they had gone solo! 











We traversed through the jungle on plank bridges high up in the trees. 

The first abseil was 15m down and the second was 45m down the trunk of an old Banyan tree. 
















Absolutely marvellous!  I rented a GOPro digital camera and have really fantastic HD videos of our zips.

Observations

As a good friend of mine once said, "Let me have 2 minutes of your life"...
Time for some observations:

Thai people eat with a fork and a spoon...ALWAYS.  They think I'm weird for only using a fork.
There is no road rage at all despite all the 'cutting off' that goes on.
Driving is more of a fluid dance on the road.
Motorcycles use the space between cars to travel.  They do not stay in a lane...EVER.  Motorcyclists are always the first to roar away when the light turns green.  It sounds like a pack of Hells Angles riding through the intersection.
'Girly-boys' are everywhere.  They get their estrogen from eating a specific kind of banana.
Toilet paper is only used to dry off the neither regions after using a hose (looks like a vegetable sprayer with a long hose) to wash the aforementioned area.
Chain of respect: The King, Monks, TEACHERS. 
People are really friendly. 
They don't believe us when we say we are from Bangkok.  Would you??
Young people are very immature and dependent upon their families far longer than Western 'young'uns'.  I think this is a disservice.
Anywhere you go, taxis will quote "400 baht."  If you know better, you can negotiate a more reasonable rate.

If it's October, it must be Bali

It is so difficult to reconcile dates with seasons here.  I can't believe it is late October already because it is the same weather day in and day out (very hot, overcast and rainy).  I see the forecast for Pickering everyday and it was 4 degrees the other evening...24 here though.  Anyway, early October marked exams and the end of first Quarter.  The school closed for a few days so Emily and I planned and went to Bali for 5 days.

Bali has always been on my bucket list ever since I left Australia and I am so happy we went.  Prior to leaving, we decided we wanted to 'do stuff' instead of sit around on the beach everyday.  So, we found http://www.baliecocycling.com and signed up for their Eco-educational Cycling Tour and Mt. Batur sunrise Trek.  TOTALLY worth the money and effort. 

Roasting Robusta Beans

The selection of teas and coffees we tried

Pineapple growing! 

 Very old Banyan Tree

Our cycling trip was extremely educational - we learned a lot about traditional Bali; their customs, way of life and celebrations.  We also visited rice fields, a coffee plantation where we saw and tasted Koi (Coffee) Luwak!  We also tasted a variety of coffees and teas as well as some indigenous fruits including 'snake fruit' whose outer rind looks like snake skin.  When you peel it, it is in 3 sections and looks like rather large garlic cloves.  Tastes like a cross between guava and lychee.  Then there is the tomato fruit which looks like a tomato but grows on a tree and tastes like a cross between an apple and pineapple (I disagree, I didn't like the taste one bit).

Have you ever met someone while on holiday who says "Oh, you're from Canada!  Do you speak French?  (whereupon you reply yes and they say "Bonjour")?"  It's really cute that they want to show off their knowledge of another language.  Well, that happened to us in the souvenir shop at the coffee plantation.  Except when we told her we were Canadian but lived in Thailand, she said "KapKhun Ka" (thank you) then proceeded to tell us "That's all the Thai I know."  I thought that was amazing because she assumed we are fluent!

Mt. Batur was so COOL!  It is considered an active volcano (last eruption in the 1970's) and is surrounded by volcanic rock that the Balinese use in building construction.  In order to witness the majesty of sunrise from the top, we began our climb at 2:00am in the DARK with nothing to illuminate the way save for handheld flashlights (one per couple).  The way up was extremely rocky and steep.  No handholds.  And only two guides, so if you were in the middle of the group (we were), you were pretty much on your own following flashes of light up a mountainside.  I was the oldest person in our group.  Although I had to stop a few times to catch my breath, I was not the last one up and when I told our guide how old I am, he told me his mom is ten years younger and she couldn't do the climb!  Right on. 

 

The view was magnificent.  The clouds were drifting across the mountain and we were actually above them and could see the other mountain (volcano) in the distance with the clouds bisecting it.  Amazing effect.  At one point, I captured the rising sun!

 

Can you see the black lava 'flow' top right?

 

I did worry about the climb down jarring my back, however we took a much easier route down and everything was ok.  Considering we had gone on a 9 hour bike ride up hills the day before, I am quite proud of my old self.  hehe 

 

 The last two days of our trip were spent between the pool and Sanur beach.  The pool was a beautiful, quiet environment although a little bit boring. 

 

But the beach is full of locals asking "plait your hair? want a massage? water sports?" Every time you get off the beach chair, there they are!  When you go to the toilet, you are accompanied by these people encouraging you to visit their shop.  I mean really!  If I want to shop, I don't go to the beach.  We did get a massage though.  Very nice. 

Tsunami warning route

 Our next break is Christmas.  We plan to spend it 'up country' and 'in the south' with MY BOYS!