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Map Asia 2011
  • Kristofor Mallegrom

Map Asia 2011

Uma 23aventura de um dia na Kristofor Leia mais
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  • Inicio da viagem
    19 de julho de 2011
    Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Viajante

    Start of Asia 2011 Trip (with Natalie)

    19 de julho de 2011, Austrália ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Viajante

    Hong Kong

    20 de julho de 2011, Hong Kong ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    We made it! QF029 eventually touched down at Hong Kong International airport around 5.50am local time. The pre-booked emergency exit seats were well worthwhile, making it a most comfortable (and roomy) flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne. I was initially terrified at spotting a mother with a young baby sitting accross from me, but to my relief, that was one well behaved and quiet baby! The flight ran relatively smoothly, with the exception of a lightning bolt striking right next to the wing, terrifying Natalie and the nearby air hostess!
    We managed a couple hours of half sleep/ rest on the flight. Upon arrival, we purchased a 3 day HK Rail Pass, and jumped on the MTR to Kowloon station. Now I know you're all well familiar with my sincere love of Metro Trains.

    The very fact that the Hong Kong MTR Rail is run by the same company as Metro Trains is utterly baffling. The rail network here is FANTASTIC! Trains run every 5-8 minutes, the network grid is clear and gets you wherever you need to be quickly.
    We arrived at Kowloon station, and ambled onto a random shuttle bus under vague guidance... it sorta bundled us, free of charge to apparently within walking distance of our hotel, and before we knew it, we were there.
    Arrival @ Hotel Panorama by Rhombus. We were greeted, dropped our bags off and ventured off to Lantau Island for the day by MTR.
    What a great first day Natalie and I had. We jumped on a cable car, that took about 20-25 minutes, and climbed high over the rocky mountains of the Island, towards Ngong Ping. Here we signed up for a tour. This included first, a trip to Tai O Fishing village by bus. This village was a great first taste of alternate culture for Natalie. Houses on the water on stilts, temples, and just about everything you can imagine that lives under the sea, ready for immediate consumption for half a dollar .. sea cucumbers, starfish, even sting ray. It was there!

    Next stop was the Po Lin Monastery. This was a giant buddhist temple on the mountain top. Very impressive. We stopped here for lunch, and some authentic chinese cuisine. We tried it, but we didnt really love it. The final stop on the island was the giant Tian Tan Buddha! This is the worlds largest bronze buddha statue. It was impressive, well that is, what we could see of it. By this time, a mist had descended upon the mountain top. We took what pictures we could and ventured back to the hotel to check in.
    After initial negotiation with the room, we took a break, before heading to 'happy hour'. This is an awesome concept. A cafe near the top floors of the hotel, breaktaking views, free alcohol, a great place to watch the light show with views of Victoria harbour. There was snack food included, but then we headed around the corner for a meal at a the Biergarten German Resteraunt. That was it! What a great first day :)

    Points to note: At this stage, my phone isnt working. International roaming hasnt connected for some reason. Ive emailed Telstra this morning, hoping to get that sorted.
    Its our second day today! I've already got 150+ photos.. haha. I'll upload some either tonight or tomorrow morning. We've gotta get a move on and get to Disneyland.
    Finally, just thinking, its quite unlikely i'll be able to update this on a frequent basis for this trip, especially after we leave Hong Kong in a couple days.
    I'll do it, it just might take quite some time/ big delays, esp in uploading photos, as this can take some time. Internet cafes seem scarse here, im typing this from behind reception/ business centre at the hotel. Well, thats it for now! Disneyland time!    Leia mais

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Viajante

    Disney Land Hong Kong

    21 de julho de 2011, Hong Kong ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Disneyland - Hong Kong, its just not exhilarating. It wont take your breath away, addict you or have you craving more, more, MORE. Its a decent enough novel experience. All the giddy, catchy and irritating Disney tunes are there; Aladdin, the little mermaid, beauty and the beast... songs you thought had died some years ago or been forgotten in childhood are back to drive their way into your skull. I'm not sure what the suicide count is on the 'its a small world' ride, but it must be in the millions. Hearing this song play about 348 times in succession is enough to drive the most hardened will to the brink of oblivion.
    We arrived around 11am. The attractions we managed to enjoy; Tarzan's Island, Space Mountain, the Lion King show, the 4d theatre show, an average fast food lunch, and that's actually about it. This took 7 hours for the record, the worst part being a lengthy, disgusting wait for the space mountain ride. Getting aboard, eventually, was actually pretty fun. The price we paid was a huge wait, with pushing, shoving primitive locals, who behaved with the manners and patience of animals. Even the staff were at times shocked, holding the beasts at bay.

    The 4d ride was awesome, really good quality 3d, smell, the feel of wind, water, to your Disney favorites. Leaving Disneyland, the skies being as blue as we'd seen them in Hong Kong, Nat and I elected to go straight for the peak lookout. We eventually got to the top via public bus 15C, and were treated with some great views. We were just in time, before a typical Hong Kong fog started to descend on the peak. We enjoyed a nice dinner, before descending ourselves on the 'Peak Tram' back to the ground of Hong Kong island. We adventured on foot through the streets at around midnight to Central station and were back home!
    An exhausting day in the end, but another good one :-)
    Tomorrow, Ocean Park, and perhaps an evening boat ride to soak up the city lights for our final night.    Leia mais

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Viajante

    Ocean Park Hong Kong

    22 de julho de 2011, Hong Kong ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    After being somewhat underwhelmed by Disneyland, we elected to use today to venture off to Ocean Park; an awesomely designed themepark on the peaks of Hong Kong. Its divided into two levels, one at the bottom of the mountain, and the other atop the peaks. To get between the two you have the option of a cable car, or express tram. The former is much more spectacular, if you're willing to wait in line..
    Crowds were again a problem as far as getting onto rides goes. We managed to get onto two, one being the Mine Car Rollercoaser, and the other the Wild Log ride. The mine car was awesome, a roller coaster with a most spectacular view! The second ride, was an excuse to get soaked, with the standard fun drop at the end. Aside from these rides, we managed to see the aquarium, panda exhibits and bird show. The downside was, it was all a bit rushed. We got transported there via tour, arriving 11.30am for pick up 4.45pm. We spent half of the time in queues or trapsing all over the massive scale of the theme park in ridiculous crowds at 35c and intense humidity.

    Having rushed around so much over the first few days, we elected to finish our Hong Kong adventure (or so we would think...) with a Night Cruise/boat ride on Victoria Harbour for the light show. This was most spectacular, arguably my favourite activity of Hong Kong. Finally just chilling out with a glass of wine and breathtaking view was a well received relief.
    So in conclusion, some perceptions on Hong Kong, the people, lifestyles and general observations:
    - Umbrellas: Everywhere. Everyone has them! I mean really? Are these THAT neccessary??? Yes its hot and sunny, but a bit of Vitamin D dosnt go astray. The amount of times I was near decapitated by vicious umbrella movements was utterly countless.
    - Rudeness and naivity: I'd always considered that Hong Kong would have a polite and courteous nature. Alas, it appears these concepts are utterly foreign to so many that live here. Its not as if people are purposely rude here, its just that the very idea of considering the well being of another person in their vacinity never even registers. Queue courtesy, personal space, just the ability to line up, be patient. Time and time again, clerks and hospitality staff must have noticed an appauled or bemused look of disgust on our faces collectively. Pushy times!
    - Midget fever: I think this must have been one of the first times that Natalie felt TALL. Often she was the next tallest in a crowd behind me. The amount of buildings/ rides or locations I had to almost get on all fours to get through was vast. It took me about 5minutes to get on the Space Mountain ride at Disneyland, and by the time that happened, and my knees were beside my ears, I was ducking with fear at the constant beams hurtling towards my head.    Leia mais

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Viajante

    Phnom Penh

    24 de julho de 2011, Camboja ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    After the initial Vietnam VISA debacle, our trip from Hong Kong to Cambodia actually went remarkably smoothly. We started on a brighter note, waking in our Executive Suite with plenty of time to still make breakfast. By noon, we were on a shuttle to the airport.
    We boarded our Dragon Air flight to Phnom Penh with little hassle, stress or concern. The flight was comfortable enough and before we knew it we were touching down @ Cambodia International Airport. Given how heartbreaking our previous VISA drama was, getting one organised at the Cambodian border was remarkably quick and easy.
    From here, our mission was to link up with our Intrepid tour group. Having missed the start of the tour in Vietnam the group was now simultaneously in Phnom Penh.

    We boarded a taxi from the airport for our first sights and experience in Cambodia. What a culture shock it was for Natalie in particular. Poverty aplenty, different dwellings and lifestyles. The most amazing thing to initially stand out was the traffic. Chaos. Mostly motorcycles, and no apparent road rules or safety concerns. There were upto 5 people per motorbike, less than 1/4 of people wearing helmets, some infants, some carrying ladders as passengers!
    We arrived at our first hotel: Dara Reang Sey 2 Hotel. We phoned our tour guide; PK and jumped on a tuk-tuk to meet the group. Our group consisted of 13 people, average age late 20s to early 30s, 3 english, 1 scottish, 2 canadian, 1 roman, and the rest australian.
    Weve finally arrived for our Cambodian Adventure!

    We woke from our 3rd story hotel room @ about 5am to the sound of excessive car, bike and truck honking. The traffic here is crazy and everyone loves a good honk. US Dollars is the preferred currency here. There is a local currency known as the Riel, but its become secondary to the US Dollar. Prices are generally listed in US Dollars. For breakfast, $4US got us pancakes, toast, juice, coffee and dragonfruit.
    Our first major sightseeing experience was the Cambodian Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. These were built in 1866 and 1892 respectfully. The Royal Palace is still used today and the current King resides privately behind the corronation Temple/ Throne Room.
    From there, we boarded a public bus bound for Sihanoukville some 250km southwest of Phnom Penh. The trip took about 4 hours.
    From there, we arrived at our new hotel the Holiday Inn. I enjoyed a $8 rib eye steak, several cocktails, and a cruisy night out at a local bar.
    I really like Sihanoukville. Much moreso than Phnom Penh. Its right on the beach, way more relaxed, casual and tropical. Theres heaps of lizards, cows and frogs here. Im hoping for some memorable experiences over the days to come.    Leia mais

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Viajante

    Sihanoukville

    26 de julho de 2011, Camboja ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Today we met at about 10am for an over-land tour around the area of Sihanoukville. This would be a four part adventure! First up, we visited a small fishing village in the Port area. This was a really interesting look into a simple lifestyle. We'd just been to a fishing village in Hong Kong days earlier, but this was different again. Apparently theres some 300,000 people living in villages like this along the coast of Cambodia.
    From here, our private bus took us through a rocky jungle road to the beach. One thing I forgot to pack was my bathers. That didn't stop us all swimming and playing make-shift volleyball for an hour or so. We then relaxed at the beach front for lunch, cooked by our guide.

    The next stop was a nearby waterfall. We waited a while undercover upon arrival, as heavy rain had arrived. In the meantime we relaxed in hammocks and enjoyed some prickly local fruit; rambutans (similar to lychees). Once it cleared a little, we ventured over a rickety, Cambodian engineered bridge and waded to the base of the waterfall in a picturesque secluded little spot.
    The final spot for the day was a mountaintop pagoda. Here we got a great view of the town of Sihanoukville, as well as the chance to feed bananas to the monkeys that live here.
    On the conclusion of the day tour, we headed to the beach for dinner and drinks. We found a nice place, right on the sand. Here we all enjoyed good food, and cocktails.
    Eating in Cambodia is tremendously cheap. All meals were under $5 US. All cocktails were $2 US. I also ordered a couple of 'cocktail buckets' These were $4 US and served in a sandcastle bucket, probably the same size as 3-4 cocktails...

    After a few cocktails and dancing, we headed off to the same bar we went to last night. Before long, we were all swimming in the pool by the bar. An awesome night, that is just incomparable to anything that could be experienced back home.    Leia mais

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Viajante

    Chambok (Cambodia Home-Stay)

    28 de julho de 2011, Camboja ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Today was the long awaited day of the 'home-stay' in the rural jungle of Cambodia. We awoke for breakfast, before boarding a private bus at about 11am. This was about a three hour drive from Sihanhoukville. We arrived in the mid-afternoon at the village community center. Here we listened to information and took a brief tour from the local guide.
    The lifestyle here is basic and quiet. Many monks reside in the area, children run amok and there are chickens and dogs roaming free also.

    Dinner was served around 5pm. It consisted of locally prepared cuisine including; potatoes, chicken, steamed vegetables, rice and bananas. Pretty tasty! Certainly better than expected.
    The last point of call was to actually head to our home stay for the night. This actually consisted of being broken up into two smaller groups (7 and 6) and actually sleeping in the residences of the locals.

    By the time we met our hosts of the evening darkness had already fallen on the jungle. We did have the opportunity to enjoy a couple of hours of 'charades'. The language barrier was prevalent as neither tourist nor local had any idea what the other was saying. We did manage to decipher that they found our height amazing and some basics of their family make-up.
    Now down to business.... attempting to sleep. The dwelling we were to retire in was essentially a large shed. There were no glass windows, just barred openings with shutters, which given the humidity were left open. The 'wildlife' was certainly active, with creepy crawlies, lizards, chickens, ducks and cows roaming about. We did have mosquito nets, so once settled in, Nat and I managed to get a couple hours sleep. The challenge was waking during the night to go for the bathroom. I wriggled free from the bed and net, only to find the floor coated in cockroaches and crickets.. three had made a point of lodging in my shoes, in each shoe that is.

    Overall, it was a memorable and eye-opening experience that Natalie and I both enjoyed thoroughly (I think). Aside from the lack of sleep and being taken out of our comfort zones, it was a privilege to have such an endearing opportunity that few others would ever know.    Leia mais

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Viajante

    The Killing Fields

    29 de julho de 2011, Camboja ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    We awoke from our jungle home-stay on very little sleep to the sound of another storm beating down on our tin-shed roof. We gathered our things, bid thanks and goodbye to the locals and were soon off to a locally prepared breakfast at the community center. The food consisted of baguettes with garlic butter, eggs and my own invention of coffee-tea. This occurs when you are not aware which pots contain water, which contain tea, and your host speaks limited to no English.
    Today's itinerary involved a trip back to the capital Phnom Penh. Most of us grabbed forty winks on the way, and a few hours later we were back where we started.
    First we enjoyed an incredible lunch. Tapas, smoothies and my choice being Brie, Bacon and Green Apple combined. Sounds crazy yes? But most tasty I assure you.

    The days two activities were most informative and incredible, yet dire and demoralizing. The first being the infamous 'killing fields.' Some 20,000+ people were tortured and executed here just some 35 years ago under the Khmer Rouge regime of Pol Pot, with some 2.2million killed in total. Here there were several landmarks to a variety of mass graves, along with a massive monument of human skulls.

    From here we went to the S21 museum, where several buildings were used as prison and torture cells during the same period. Many of the cells were as they were just years ago. Tiny, brutal, chains still intact, barbed wire, scratching marks in the walls and torture devices prevalent. There were photos and the stories of the perpetrators and victims of this horrible period in Cambodian history. The tour was made all the more vivid with our tour guide being one directly impacted by the tragedy.

    From here, we're off to dinner for the evening, and likely an early night!
    Tomorrow we're off to Kompong Cham for a new adventure!    Leia mais

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Viajante

    Kampong Chhnang

    30 de julho de 2011, Camboja ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    I woke up about 6am in our Phnom Penh hotel room, exhausted, staring at the roof. What I wouldn't do for an extra couple hours sleep. We had to bounce up, pack our things and head off early on our way to Khampong Chang about 3 hours away.
    The journey would take another 3 hours, via public bus. Sleep on the bus was not an option, due to a bumpy ride and an excessively loud, brutal horn, which the driver hooted with great frequency.
    At the half way point, we stopped for a break at a place called 'Spiderville' named so eloquently for the delicacy sold here: Deep fried Spiders... they looked even worse than you could imagine. I'll upload photos at the next opportunity. They were crawling with flies, looked old, and were accompanied by deep fried cockroaches Tasty..

    From here, we headed on to our destination.
    This town wasnt particularly impressive. A bit dirty, barron, not a tourist location, and more... fragrant than usual.
    Our activity of the day was a Tuk Tuk drive. The first destination was Nokor Wat, a buddhist temple initially constructed in the 12th century. It has since been renovated and the interior was built in 1920. At times, the lack of reverence and respect shown by the locals at these places surprises me. Much of this was built some 900 years ago, and im not sure the ancestors of the locals would have appreciated people lying around, smoking and laughing as their cats ran across old statues. Furthermore, old paintings, statues, are now coated in $$$ figures of donations. Culture smeared with the stench of currency seems to trivialize it all for me..?

    From here, we went for a drive through farming fields, to see the lifestyle and activities of the local farmers. 80% of Cambodias population are farmers. We then ventured to the hillside to visit the 'man and woman'mountain temples, reflective of old mythology. We're now off to dinner! Tomorrow, the adventure to Siem Riap beckons. We will stay there for 3 nights, and have the oppertunity to see the renowned Ankor Wat.    Leia mais

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Viajante

    Siem Reap

    31 de julho de 2011, Camboja ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    fter another grueling long bus ride, we arrived at our final major stop of the tour; Siem Reap. This appears to be the most modern and developed Cambodian city of our adventures. It sits on the doorstep of the Angkor Wat temples, and has been developed largely over the last 10 years. It is a major touristy city, everyone seems to be coming or going from Siem Reap.
    Our arrival day was rather uneventful. We checked into the hotel, dropped our bags and laundry at reception, and went for a tour of the city on foot with our tour guide PK. We strolled along the river, through the park and side-streets.

    What could have been one of the more uplifting moments of the tour went sour here in the park. There was a stall of birds in cages, where you could pay a small fee ($1US) to set one pair free. Sounded good enough. With birds in hands, Nat and I smiled and prepared to do a nice thing. Nats bird flew off happily enough, mine went up.... and then... down onto the ground. Hopping in fear under some bushes. What was supposed to be good luck, didnt quite turn out that way.

    We headed back, where I elected to rest up, and Nat went off with a couple of the girls; Rachel and Kirsty to the nightmarkets.
    We met up for dinner outside of our hotel, for a casual meal and cocktail and early night.
    A big day lay ahead at the temples of Angkor Wat.    Leia mais

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Viajante

    Angkor Wat

    1 de agosto de 2011, Camboja ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    We were up this morning before the sun @ 4.45am. Today was our much awaited adventure to the renowned Temples of Angkor. It didn't start so well, our goal to see the sun rise thwarted by heavy rain from morning until noon.
    Aside from that, it was a memorable day. These temples were built at the height of the Khmer Empire between the 10th-12th centuries. It wasn't all about the Angkor Wat itself either. Many of the other temples we visited were equally or even more as inspiring and stunning. Arguably my favorite was the Ta Phrom. We arrived here at around 6.30am, before the hordes of tourists, and pretty much had this temple all to ourselves. Nicknamed the 'Tomb Raider Temple' after being used for the relatively recent Lara Croft movie, this was a place to behold. The long ruined temple is engulfed by the jungle, covered in trees, roots, vines and lost in time.

    Overcome by excitement, I ran off on my own, and before I knew it I was alone. No voices, no sounds, nothing but me and the temple. Half ruined, the temple is now like a maze. Doorways are collapsed and appear to lead nowhere, and other openings caused by decay, provide oppertunities for adventurous passage. Aside from the main temple itself, we visited a total of four others, the day involving about 10 hours of walking, a large portion of it in torrential rain.
    It was everything I might have hoped for, and different to many of the other amazing places of the world I've seen. Its not hard to understand why its considered a wonder of the world.
    Its mystifying to consider how this place must have looked at its prime. How the people would have been, lived and behaved. Wandering through such remarkable feats of craftsmanship and engineering really provided an encapsulating snapshot of a lost civilization.
    The final stop of the day was the Angkor Wat itself. A little too crowded for my liking, and a little rushed. What the other temples gave in terms of wonder and intricacy, the main event, the Angkor Wat made up for in sheer size and dimensions. It towers over everything else, and was a grand site indeed.

    By the days end, exhausted, feet soaked, Natalie and I grabbed a few hours rest in our new room before dinner and drinks at the nicknamed, Pub Street, finishing at the Temple Bar.
    What a day. Only one remains before our journey to Bangkok.    Leia mais

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Viajante

    Bangkok

    3 de agosto de 2011, Tailândia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    We awoke in time for breakfast with a few remaining members of our tour group at about 8am. After check out, we thought we would get in a little bit of sightseeing, a half day of activities close to the hotel.

    We booked a private boat ride from the nearby pier, which sped along the canals of Bangkok for about an hour, before dropping us off at the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace dress code was agonising in such scorching heat. Within minutes my jeans were stuck to my legs with sweat. It took the gloss off enjoying the spleandor of the palace. Fortunatley we ran into Leisha and Scott from the tour, which picked up our spirits enough to enjoy the palace for a couple hours.

    Here we picked up our things, and set off for the Lebua tower. No more tour guides or tour group, here we began the final stretch of our hotel. A bit of luxury, and 5 nights for Nat and I to enjoy Bangkok by ourselves.

    The hotel itself was quite stunning. We elected to upgrade our room to the Lebua Tower Club, to spoil ourselves for days in dingy hotels, and having to spend way less than expected over the course of the tour. The room we have is absolutely stunning. On the 58th floor, with balcony, lounge, king size bed, big tv, its awesome. The downside is, the cost of everything else in this hotel is extreme. There are three restaurants, with the main courses there being between around $50-150AUD. Upon arriving, we were asked if we would like a coffee and tea. As all our drinks for our room were to be included we accepted. That cost us $30AUD alone. So that takes us to the point we're at right now. We do get, included, unlimited drinks in room and between 12noon-6pm, unlimited alcohol and snacks from the tower club lounge.

    Oh, the other downside, is the pool here is closed.... for renovation due to emergency??? They did offer us a free drinks card for the rooftop bar, and access to the Holiday Inn pool nearby free of charge, with free shuttle bus, so we'll have to give that a try. The hotel itself seems rather isolated, with not too much in close proximity (eg. laundry, restaurants etc.). We'll have a venture out soon enough and see what we can find. Otherwise, a quiet night in and some available affordable room service (there is some cheaper food) may be a possibility. Tomorrow we're thinking maybe the zoo, maybe a swim, we'll see    Leia mais

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Viajante

    Sai Yok

    6 de agosto de 2011, Tailândia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Today started early, at 5.45am. We had a busy day ahead, a tour taking us out of Bangkok. We rushed downstairs for our complimentary buffet breakfast. Still chewing, we were picked up by bus from our hotel at 6.30am. After several bus transfers, and complications we were eventually on our way, a 2 hour drive out of Bangkok.
    The tour group was catered largely for backpackers. We were the only English speaking people on the bus, others being French and Eastern European.
    Our first stop of the day was the memorial cemetary at Kanchanaburi. Some 6,400 people were buried here that perished building the 'Death Railway' from Thailand for Burma in WWII. The majority of those buried were English, Dutch and Australian. From here, we wandered through the associated museum for half an hour or so, which gave an account of what actually happened here. We then walked accross the bridge itself, crossing the River Kwai. Near the bridge, we came accross a promotion for Bangkok Zoo with two baby leopards. For just 100 Baht ($3.20 AU) Nat got the oppertunity to hold a baby leopard and feed it two bottles of milk (which it wolfed down delightfully).
    The next stop was elephant riding at an Elephant camp. It wasnt the longest ride, but fun enough. Nat had a blast! I felt a little bad for the captive elephants but they still seemed happy enough and in decent health and spirits. I couldnt say the same about the two monkeys kept there... chained around the neck, they seemed hyperactive, drugged, or both. Theres something disturbing about seeing a monkey trying to hang itself and twisting around in circles.
    Lunch was pretty awesome, a floating resteraunt on the river with tasty Thai cuisine. We then boareded little bamboo rafts, were towed upstream, cut loose, and left for the current to take us back to our starting location.

    After lunch, we stopped briefly at Saiyok Noi waterfall. This was a really picturesque spot for a picnic or even swimming! We didnt have time for the latter, and when I peered into a burrow to see gigantic wriggling crab feet, im glad we didnt.
    The last stop of the day was the Tiger Temple. This was fairly awesome, but rushed and over-hyped. The idea behind this place is a place for monks to 'look after' animals and nurse injured animals back to good health. They have volunteers from around the world helping here. The state of tigers was still concerning. They looked heavily sedated, restless and irritated, especially being splashed and forced to 'entertain'. We waited half an hour to walk among the tigers and have photos taken. It was a rushed affair. 'Sit. Touch. Smile for photos. Move along.' Photos as a couple would also cost 1000 Baht ($32AU) On top of the 600 Baht entry fee

    After a few photos i'd have rather just spend 30 seconds with the animal, petting its fur and feeling it breathe. This was not an option however.
    We took the long journey home, arriving near Ko Shan Road just in time for dinner. We wandered along, and craving steaks found a good place down an alley.
    We finished the day with a massage from Dr Fish! I'm not sure how many have seen my feet, but in their current state, they are a disgrace... made worse by extensive walking over this trip. The fish loved me, polishing off every bit of skin or blister they could find. Tasty! It tickled so much, feeling 100s of little fish wriggle between your toes and over your feet, nibbling furiously. Nat and I laughed so much, I think we attracted about 10 other clients,
    Today was a great day, and nice to get out of Bangkok    Leia mais

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  • Kristofor MallegromMap Asia 2011Viajante

    Bangkok

    9 de agosto de 2011, Tailândia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Today was the final day of our Asian adventure. Whilst it started terribly, it ended up being one of the best. The plan today was a tour to Bangkok Safari World Zoo. We woke at 6am, not knowing what time pickup was, having received no confirmation call or email from our booking days earlier.
    Even having called the company the day before, they seemed unsure. Eventually, they contacted us at breakfast, and after several delays, managed to organise a pick up for us around 9am.
    It was a great day from there. It was a private tour, taking us to Safari World (about 45minutes outside of Bangkok), taking us around the zoo, lunch included, and then a trip home via the jewellery factory.

    This was an awesome zoo! Part one was a drive in our own vehicle through an open-range zoo where the animals roamed free. There was plenty to see and they all looked healthy and happy; cranes, pelicans, deer, lions, tigers, rhinos, buffalo, bears and more.
    We then explored the rest of the park on foot, attending several shows including: Seal show, Elephant show, Dolphin show & Bird show. These were all awesome, its incredible to see how intelligent some of the animals are and what they're capable of.
    I've been to alot of zoos and animal related experiences over the years, but this was about the best animal interaction i've ever had. Elephants painted us a picture, we rode elephants, were picked up in elephant trunks, fed elephants, petted elephants, twice hand fed and petted giraffes, and even hand fed lemurs! It was an awesome day.
    Finally, we enjoyed one last swim at the Holiday Inn pool at night, and then back to the top of Lebua for our 'complimentary cocktails' at the Dome. We then ordered room service, dragged all our food out onto the balcony and enjoyed our own private dinner under the stars with a great view of Bangkok!    Leia mais

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  • Final da viagem
    10 de agosto de 2011