Where in the world.....

Day Four:
Flight to Singapore, Dinner in Singapore City

We arrived in Singapore around 6:00 PM after a quick two and a half hour flight from Bangkok.  We flew Jet Asia, and I was incredibly impressed with the experience.  Checking in at the Bangkok airport was a breeze.  The thing that makes me most anxious when I book airfare through a third party is that somehow our reservation won't be found in the system.  We were given first row seats at check in, and our flight was nice and easy.

My first impression of Singapore was how extremely clean it was! Every area I saw was modern and felt like we could be driving any road in the United States - I'm not sure what I expected but maybe I expected it to be like so many other SE Asian countries...  Singapore has interested me since I was living in Atlanta, GA, and my two best friends (and next door neighbors) were from Singapore.  This is not a cheap country.  Singapore has the world's highest percentage of millionaires, with one out of every six households having at least one million US dollars in disposable wealth.  The exchange rate was about $1USD to 1.35SGD.

We stayed at Copthorne King's, about a thirty minute drive from the airport, near the Singapore River and within walking distance to area restaurants and shopping.  It was a large hotel in the south of Singapore, close to Sentosa Island.  It was fairly run of the mill, nothing too exciting.
 
I didn't know much about Singapore before my visit, and was pretty fascinated by its history, which any individual you meet will be glad to share with you!  Singapore itself is composed of 63 islands, is only 277 square miles total, and houses about 5.5 million people.  It borders Malaysia in the North, and Indonesia in the South.  English is an official language (out of four), and just about everyone speaks it.  Singapore was colonized by the British in 1819, then invaded by the Japanese during WWII (where about 25,000 Chinese were tortured and murdered by the Japanese), and then gained its independence from Malaysia in 1965.   Many Singaporeans have a Chinese or Malaysian background.

Because we arrived so late, all we did on our first evening is walk around the area we were staying and enjoy a laid back dinner just over the Singapore River.  We headed to bed early, to catch up on much needed rest after the business of Bangkok, and to prepare ourselves for our packed day ahead.

Day Five:
Walking Food Tour, Marina Bay Sands, Chinatown

For day five, I had prearranged a walking food tour through a tour operator recommended on TripAdvisor.  I frequently browse the "Things To Do" section on TripAdvisor before any travel, to ensure I don't miss out on top sites/experiences and also to read reviews that many times include recommendations.  I found Betel Box tours this way, which is owned by a man who enjoys sharing the history and food of Singapore with travelers - he also owns a hostel in Singapore.

We chose the Kampung Geyland Seai Uncovered tour, which cost $50SGD per person, and was scheduled for four hours.  Our guide was the owner of the company, and we had a total of eight people on our tour.  During this tour we walked over six miles and sampled more than ten different dishes of popular Malay and Muslim traditional and street foods - and we ended up touring the area for closer to five hours.  Along the way we learned more than we could have imagined about Singapore, and walked through areas we never would have found on our own. (This is why I love these types of tours).

The itinerary included: Geylang River • City Plaza • Haig Road Estate • Eurasian Community House • Joo Chiat Road • Koon Seng Road Shophouse • Joo Chiat Complex • Geylang Serai Market

One of my favorite items we tried was called "otah", which is a type of fish cake cooked and served rolled up inside a banana leaf.  We also tried multiple curries and fish crackers at a popular restaurant called Quentin's, which serves Eurasian cuisine.    Next to the restaurant was the Eurasian Community House.  The tour here really opened my eyes on how the citizens of Singapore were treated during Japan's invasion....  Our final stop was at a Chinese restaurant where we sampled nine different desserts - one including durian, a smelly expensive fruit with a prickly exterior, very popular in Southeast Asia.


Geyland Serai Market

After our tour concluded, we hopped into a cab to go visit the Marina Bay Sands hotel.  This hotel boasts an amazing infinity pool with views of all of Singapore City.  We went up to the rooftop bar and I had one of the most expensive drinks I've ever purchased, called a Colombus (and look, it's tiny!) which was $26SGD!  Needless to say we only had one drink here while seeing the sights.
 

The hotel has such an odd shape to it!

Our visit just so happened to take place right before Singapore celebrated Chinese New Year.  The Chinatown area was in full-on party mode with so many lights, decorations, shops selling Year of the Goat goodies, candies, and the residents celebrating.  We headed to this area - about a 20 minute walk from our hotel - for a stroll and dinner to conclude our evening.  I had one of the best Chinese dinners I've ever experienced - so fresh and authentic. 
 
Day Six:
Sentosa Island Beach Break, Universal Studios, Little India

On Day Six, I started to feel a bit fatigued from our constant go, go, go.  We utilized Singapore as an in-between stop because we knew that Thailand and Bali would be non-stop.  On this day, I am not embarrassed to say I slept in until noon!  We were thirteen hours ahead of our East Coast US time, and it was catching up with me.  While I slept in, David went to go be a kid at Universal Studios which is located on Sentosa Island, off the southern coast of the main island of Singapore.  I opted to have a chill day, and once I woke and was ready to head out I popped into a cab and went to Sentosa myself - but for a very different kind of day!  I did not plan this day out - I just went with the flow.  I simply asked my driver what the best beach on the island was and he dropped me right off.  He, like every taxi driver we met, had such a love for his country and enjoyed sharing his background with me on our way out.  I was so impressed with how highly educated every person I met in Singapore was, and upon our return home I found out that Singapore had a literacy rate of 97% and education spending is 20% of the Government's budget, wow!

I ended up getting dropped off at Palawan Beach.  The beach itself was average, but very clean.  It was not busy at all, but then again it was a Monday.  I found a beach lounge chair in front of the Bora Bora Beach Bar and had a few cocktails while I read a book and enjoyed the sun.  Man, the Singapore sun is HOT.

Bora Bora Beach Bar, Palawan Beach, Sentosa Island


Sentosa Island

Later on in the day David and I linked back up.  We decided to check out Little India for dinner.  We took a taxi there and back, as it was more than a 20 min or so walk.  I was slightly unimpressed with this area - I thought it would be more lively.  Also, our dinner was just meh.
 
If I ever find myself back in Singapore, I will try to go to the Night Zoo, which I've heard is pretty fantastic.

Day Seven: 
Flight to Bali, Lunch in the Jungle, Monkey Temple, Local Musical Performance

We woke early on Day Seven and headed for the airport for our 10AM flight to Bali, Indonesia.  This was another flight on Jet Asia, and we were equally impressed by the service.  We landed on the island of Bali around 12:30PM.  From the air, Bali was absolutely magnificent.  We could even see surfers in the water as we were landing.  There seemed to be endless beaches and jungle.  The airport was extremely clean, very new.  We paid for a visa upon arrival, which if I remember correctly was around $60USD per person.  The exchange rate in Bali was very favorable at $1USD equaling about 12,500 rupiahs.  We opted to jump into a taxi to head to Ubud, which is not on a beach but rather in the jungle.  It is known as an artists mecca, and the island's cultural center.  Our ride took almost an hour to travel only 38 kms - Bali is known for its unpredictable traffic, terrible drivers, multitudes of mopeds swarming the road, and the poor condition of some roads.  As soon as we were out of the city, the drive was amazing.  Hindu is the primary religion, and temples adorn all of the homes.  Each house has it's own temple, then there are community temples, then there are additional larger temples built by the wealthy.  Temple upon temple upon temple means that there are lots of stone and wood artisans with shops all over the place.  Set up along every possible stretch of road were tiny road-side shops and stands selling food, fruit, housewares, anything you could imagine.

When we pulled up to our hotel, Hotel Tjampuhan and Spa, I seriously felt like we were in the movie The Jungle Book - it was right in the middle of the jungle.  Our hotel consisted of several bungalows, an amazing natural spa along the river, a grotto, and a pool.  There were gorgeous ponds full of fish, and you could hear a cacophony of birds and wildlife mixed in with the water rushing down the river.  There was of course a temple on site that was breathtaking.  We couldn't check right into our hotel as our room was not ready until 4PM, so we headed out on a walk into the town of Ubud to eat lunch and check out the Sacred Monkey Forest.
 
 
It was a 2.5 km walk from our hotel to the Sacred Monkey Forest, but on the way we decided to stop for a leisurely lunch and to try the local beer, Bintang.  Almost every restaurant was hidden away in the jungle on the sides of the streets.  We found a small place and walked a gazillion steps (this was a reocurring theme in Bali) to individual pagodas nestled high on top of a platform looking over the same river our hotel was situated on.  Our meal was amazing.  We ordered two full meals, multiple waters, and multiple beers and yet our total ended up being somewhere around $5 USD!  In the photo below you can see part of the temple at our hotel.

After our filling lunch we ventured into the Monkey Forest, after paying our small entrance fee.  As soon as you walked in, macaques were everywhere!  There was a lady selling bananas at the entrance while simultaneously swatting monkeys away from stealing the stash.  We were a little bit nervous because the monkeys were not a bit fearful of humans, and were running around jumping on everyone.  As soon as we entered a particularly large one came up and started pulling on my maxi-dress, and even ripped the seams!  The locals were having a laugh, and at this point I thought it was a fairly fun time.
 


I didn't think much about the monkey bite until my Dad scared me into believing I was carrying the rabies virus, which was bound to take over my body at any moment - and there are no vaccines once you show signs....you're done for.  So, upon my return I did damage control and ended up having a round of rabies vaccinations just to be safe.  But that's a whole 'nother story....

At the end of the evening David and I happened upon a temple that was hosting a Balinese dance and music performance.  At first we were skeptical, but the setting was gorgeous so we bought a few Bintangs and made ourselves comfortable at the front of the sitting (on the floor) room only area. The women were dressed beautifully.  The musicians were playing the gamelan, a traditional Balinese musical instrument.  It was almost entrancing, and they were talented.  There were various dances along with the music that told stories about the Balinese people's past - very expressive with a lot of use of the hands and eyes.  The dancers were a mix of very young girls from about 6 years on to younger women in their 20's.  Watch THIS link for an idea of how the performance went! (It is the "Rabbit Dance").

Day Eight:
Massage by the River, Island Tour: Kuta Beach, Jimbaran, Ubud Markets

On Day Eight I woke at 7 AM anticipating the amazing breakfast I'd read about on reviews of our hotel - and it did NOT disappoint.  I had the most amazing, fresh, banana pancakes you can imagine with all sorts of fresh fruits and juice.  So yummy.  We also found some delicious coffee here in Indonesia - it rivaled my Bangkok coffee.  Shortly after breakfast I headed down to the spa to enjoy an hour oil massage along the banks of the river.  The massage was wonderful - although I could have found a less pricey version in town, you just couldn't beat the natural beauty surrounding the massage beds.  David joined me and we were in heaven.
 
After the massage, we showered and changed and headed upstairs to meet our driver for the day.  During my planning I had researched several transportation companies and settled on Bali Made.  It was only about $40USD (including tip!) for seven hours of transportation.  Plus, we had a local to show us the most fascinating spots on the island.  Our driver lived up to all of our expectations.  We loved him because we had no set itinerary but rather went to some of his favorite spots.  The first day we toured a few smaller beaches, went surfing at Kuta Beach, visited an amazing resort (AYANA) off the beaten path, and learned so much about the island.  One word of caution on the popular beaches is that you will definitely come across hundreds of people selling wares on the beach.  They do NOT give up.  I opted to buy a few small items and asked the woman I sold to to hang around and keep others away!  She did, and we ended up having a great conversation while David surfed. 

 
Ayana Resort, Jimbaran/Taris Bali Beach Bar, Kuta Beach

As we rounded back to Ubud, we even stopped at a local farmer's market.  I loved these little chicks that girls were purchasing for less than a penny USD to raise at home.


Day Nine:
Coffee Plantation, Hanging Gardens, Champagne Evening
The next day we enjoyed the same fabulous breakfast and headed out on another half day with our driver.  We enjoyed him so much the day before we booked another outing.  On this day he took us to a famous coffee plantation.  In Bali, the most expensive coffee is called Kopi Luwak.  It is produced in a non-traditional way.... The finest coffee beans are picked and then given to a small animal called a civet.  The civet eats the beans, they get processed by the enzymes in their stomaches, and then he poops them out!  These beans are collected and washed, then cooked and ground.This coffee can cost from $100-$700 USD per kilogram!  There are some ethical concerns here about the treatment of the civets - but the ones we saw on this farm seemed to be well taken care of.

 

After the coffee plantation we drove to some of the most impressive resorts in the Ubud area.  The Hanging Gardens is pictured below.

We got back to our hotel around 2PM and just relaxed for a while around the pool.  We also enjoyed a bit of the grotto, hot tub, and pools in the spa area which is etched into the side of a rock!
It ended up being a little bit rainy that evening (we arrived in rainy season but had great weather), so what else would we do than enjoy a bottle of champagne while watching the rain, listening to the birds, and relaxing. :)

Day Ten:
Celebrity Bike Tour: Rice Fields, Lake Batur, Mount Batur, Various Villages

Before our trip a friend had visited Bali and took part in a bike tour run by Celebrity Bike Tours that she highly recommended.  We ended up booking the same tour, which picks you up at your hotel and brings you to the very top of Mount Batur, an active volcano overlooking Lake Batur in the center of Bali.  On the way up, we stopped to check out the rice fields, still farmed the same way as they did centuries ago. 

We had breakfast at a restaurant overlooking the lake, and then started on our (mostly) downhill adventure.  We biked through rural Bali, into villages where the people rarely see outsiders.  We had the opportunity to visit a day school and actually went into the classroom to say hi!  We stopped at multiple temples and saw farmers keeping an eye on their fields.  I loved being able to talk to the children walking along the street, wave at the friend farmers, and learn about the history of the various villages.  At the conclusion (it was about four hours I believe) we enjoyed an amazing lunch at the home of the man who owns the business!  We were able to explore the grounds and his family's temple.  The only word of caution here is to watch out for all the wild dogs on the roads!  In Bali most families own pets but they are more of 'community' property and are mostly wild.  They are not allowed in the homes and are fed by passersby. 

After the bike tour, David and I went back out for another amazing massage before our long flight home (27 hours total).  Once again, it was about $4 for an hour oil massage!  After the massage we collected our things at the hotel and headed out with the same guide we had the previous two days.  He was so kind, and wanted a photo with us when he dropped us off.  He had pretty much become a friend over the last few days, and we gave him a quick hug before heading out.

Our total travel time to get home was 27 HOURS.  We had to fly from Bali back to Singapore, enjoy an awful overnight 8 hour layover, fly to Tokyo, then direct to Dulles.

I hope I have the opportunity to visit Bali again one day, I definitely fell in love with the island!

Actually..... 9 nights if you take out the immense amount of flying time! 

This February, David and I set out to explore three Southeast Asian countries - Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia.  It was a whirlwind trip that I squished down into less than two weeks, because I couldn't leave my little stinker (Brenner, 2 at the time) for much longer than that!

An immense amount of planning and research went into this itinerary, and a lot of unknowns due to language barriers and different ways of doing business in these countries.  I had to research the best options for airport to hotel service, best pricing on the excursions I was interested in, hotels, driver services, must-do/sees in each location, and multiple exchanges rates/average prices for everyday goods.  Booking the flight was the easiest step of all, and I relied on one of my favorite travel sites for the job - Trip Masters.  (My other secret weapon, and where I find many of my deals, is on Travel Zoo.)  Seriously, keep an eye out, you can find some insane specials.  The Trip Masters site provides example fares for various itineraries - this one caught me eye and hit the spots I wanted to see, so we booked it!  GETTING to SE Asia may seem like a feat due to costs and time spent flying, but I promise you that once you get there, you can live like a queen for dollars per day.  Our price per person included flights and hotels in each location - and Trip Masters lets you customize locations and hotels as you choose, depending on where you want to stay. 

Next, I had to determine how best to sample these countries with the time we had available.  I am not the laid-back, cocktail sipping, beach sitting traveler.  I had things to SEE!  Here's how our trip went:

Day One:
Arrive in Bangkok, Thailand at 11:30 PM - Here I arranged for hotel transport upon arrival - although more pricey, I knew we would be tired as hell after our DC to Tokyo to Bangkok flights and didn't want to fight for a cab or get lost.  I called the hotel a month previous to schedule, and paid for the fare, which was about $30 USD.  The operator at the hotel barely spoke English, so I was wondering whether or not our transport would actually be there..... but he was!  Our driver who spoke absolutely no English had a sign with our names on it, and into his cab we hopped!  He was incredibly nice, and full of smiles.  My first impression of Bangkok was that it was ALIVE.  It was noisy, filled with cars, mopeds, bike taxis (the way most 9-5ers in Bangkok get to their jobs), tuk-tuks, people with little carts all over the place selling street food.  We were excited.

Hotel: Salil Hotel Sukhumvit Soi 11




Our hotel was the cutest little boutique address absolutely surrounded by cafes and restaurants, tons of nightlife, massage parlors, and hole in the wall bars in the Sukhumvit neighborhood in Bangkok.  We wanted to be close to the action and we found it for sure.  This was our exact room - it was quaint and you could hear the bustling street sounds at all hours of the day or night.  We were greeted very warmly by the staff at reception.

Two hiccups - no hot water and confusion about whether or not I had previously paid for the transport.  Both resolved quickly. 

Day Two:
Temple Tour, Thai Massage, and Dinner River Cruise

David and I woke up early the next morning and enjoyed an amazing breakfast (included in price) and some of the best coffee I've had in my entire life.  We had a little bit of a concern about our events for the day, as the tour company that I had booked our temple tour with had not yet re-confirmed.  (Most of the tour companies did not require a deposit online, and we found out later that the company we booked with did show up, but aren't that great about responding to emails or answering the phone!) Lucky us, as we strolled downstairs to breakfast, the hotel had a tour operator on site.  And, after quick discussions, we negotiated a far better price for the same exact tour - and had a private driver!  At this point $1 USD equaled about 32.5 Thai baht - our tours that day cost about $24/each.

We spent the morning visiting three temples: Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha),
the Grand Palace, which also houses Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of Emerald Buddha), and Wat Traimit, which houses the largest sitting golden buddha.
 
Wat Pho - The Buddha is enormous!  Such a gorgeous sight.  Each toe was larger than my head.




Grand Palace

At the conclusion of the tour, we were taken to lunch at an amazing restaurant that overlooked the river, immediately opposite from Wat Arun (below) called "Deck by the River."  The food was delish - I enjoyed real panang curry that still makes my mouth water today.



After lunch, our driver took us back to the hotel.  David and I then headed out to try a traditional "Thai Massage."  All I can say is WTF was I thinking?!  We walked a few doors down to a nice looking spa, and paid the miniscule fee for a one hour massage (which ended up being about 180 baht equaling a measly $6 per person).  I swear I have never felt pain like this before.  What this woman inflicted on me was pure torture!  My Facebook post from that day stated: "I just willingly submitted myself to the worst torture I've ever endured at the hands of a tiny Thai woman who mauled me with her hands feet and elbows, attempting to rip my muscles right off of my bone and crack things in my body that I didn't even know would crack. I wanted to cry the whole time and am just waiting for the bruises to appear. In conclusion, do not ever sign up for a traditional Thai massage as these woman clearly enjoy pushing you past your pain threshold. Good Lord!"

The final adventure of the day was an evening dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River.  We were sort of coerced into the cruise by the same tour guide who arranged our day's adventures, but it wasn't my thing.  Of course the scenery was beautiful, but it was just... meh.  The food was half-way decent, the music was God-awful.  Picture a group of 4 women singing Mariah Carey with absolutely no rhythm..... and no English language skills.  Also, it was the most expensive adventure of the day - go figure - at about $40 USD per person.



Day Three or Otherwise Known as "One of the best days of my life!":
River Kwai, Tiger Temple, Elephant Bathing, Bangkok Nightlife

River Kwai/Tiger Temple:  When I was about sixteen, I saw a documentary on Animal Planet highlighting the lives of monks that live among tigers.  They walked with them with no protection, no chains, they ate in their company, and they worked to take care of tigers brought to them with injuries or needing rehabilitation.  I knew from that day on I HAD to go see these monks, this temple, these tigers!  The first excursion I booked was to visit the famed Tiger Temple, or what is locally known as Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno. This is the one tour that I paid in full before arrival - therefore I checked TripAdvisor to ensure it was a reputable firm.  This was not a cheap excursion, but was worth every penny to me for the experience.  The tour company we utilized was Bangkok Day Tours.  The exact tour we booked is linked here.

We were picked up from our hotel at 4:30 am by a driver who did not speak English at all!  He didn't have much to say, so I was a bit nervous that we wouldn't have a good guide on our visit.  We drove about an hour and a half, suddenly stopped on the side of the road, and in hopped this tiny Thai girl, probably about 25 years old.  She spoke perfect English, was upbeat and excited, and had gone to see the tigers many times before so she gave us a quick idea of what to expect upon arrival.

Our first stop was at the Bridge over the River Kwai.  It was stunning, a good photo op.  We didn't stay long, but walked across the bridge and took some shots.

We drove a bit longer and finally arrived at the Tiger Temple, in Kanchanaburi, Thailand.  The first experience, and the one I thought was a little bit too touristy, was the process of providing food for the monks.  The tour operator brings this food which we held in baskets (because you cannot touch a monk/hand off food) as a procession of monks came to claim it.  I got the impression that this was all for show - that the monks don't actually eat this food.  It was all over rather quickly.

Next we walked into the huge park area, where all kinds of donkeys and wild pigs were grazing.  Once we were inside, we were given a quick talk about safety for ourselves and the tigers, and then we walked to a temple.  From here we could hear the tiger kittens mewing!  In small groups, so as not to frighten the animals, we climbed about 30 stairs and at the top were about six of the most adorable, tiny tiger cubs!  Surrounding the exterior of the temple were younger (maybe 3-6 month?) cubs playing with monks and temple volunteers.  The babies were roaming free but the older cubs, who were already quite large, were loosely tied to the exterior posts.  They had plenty of room to roam around and were busy being fed by our small group.  We had over an hour of free time, cuddling and kissing on the babies, feeding them and the older cubs milk.  It was unforgettable.

 
 
Next, we had the opportunity to walk the older cubs to another area - it was bath time!  We took turns scrubbing the tigers with soap, playing in the water with them, then feeding them large chunks of boiled chicken.  This was also the first time we saw one of the full grown tigers - who was walking around the property with a man by his side.  He was ENORMOUS.  I will never forget the thrill I felt when I saw this tiger so close in person, without any bars or gates separating us!  I definitely kept my eye on this large tiger the entire time!


After bath time was over, volunteers took these cubs to a fenced in play area.  In this area were about 10 6 months to a year old tigers playing with all kinds of toys.  They are so similar to cats!  They were trying to stalk and pounce on these toys.  I would be lying if I didn't say this didn't make me extremely nervous.  Although under a year, they were huge.  Definitely David's favorite part.  He lured a tiger cub up into a tree with his toy and had the best time getting the tiger to pounce onto the ground on the toy. 
 
We had the option here to go and play with more tiger cubs next to the play area, in their dens.  Laura, an awesome Australian girl I met on this tour, joined me.  (David preferred to stay with the older cubs).  This was UNREAL.  We were the only two in this den with five or six tiny, newborn cubs.  They mewed as soon as they saw us - were incredibly soft and cuddly - and wanted us to hold and snuggle them.  We had unlimited time here it seemed.  Never once did we feel pushed to move along to the next activity.  We kissed the babies, and laid on the floor with them, letting them paw us and give us wet baby tiger kisses.  Amazing.  At this point we had been at the facility for over 3 hours! 

The last part of our Tiger Temple experience was taking the enormous full grown tigers down to a swimming area to watch them play.  There were two groups of about 5 people and each group had one tiger to walk about a quarter of a mile to the water.  This was NUTS.  It was such a thrill to be close to these adults.  We were allowed to stroke their back, but were warned to stay away from their tail - just like any kitty I guess!

 

 


Once we got to the swimming hole, we were corralled into a small fenced in area - the fence was only up to my chest - and the volunteers swam and played with about 8 full grown adult tigers within yards of us.  These tigers would roar at one another, tackle each other into the water, jump 10 feet in the air to catch a toy and then splash into the water, and were interacting with the volunteers so well.

I must comment that our guide was absolutely amazing the entire time, and I highly recommend the tour company we utilized.  She had our camera the entire visit and we came home with over 200 photos of us interacting with the tigers. 

Elephant Bathing:  Our day was not over at this point, although we spent four long hours with the tigers.  We hopped into our car and drove a short distance to an outdoor restaurant.  Here we had traditional Thai food, buffet style, and a cold "Chang" beer.  After we shared our highlights of the Tiger Temple we were off to the next destination - an elephant farm that provided tourists a ride and bath in the River Kwai!

Upon arrival we slipped into bathing suits, and we were off!  No waiting, no lines.  The place was not busy at all - all tourists were with guides and the area was extremely rural.  We learned that the mahouts have been with their elephants since the elephants were babies, and the mahouts were born into the family profession.  Two elephants were waiting at an incredibly high platform, and without any ado, my mahout says "Jump on!"  Well, this elephant had absolutely nothing for me to hold onto and we were extremely high up....it was frightful!  But she waited patiently while I got situated behind her ears and then she started walking down the fairly steep incline.  This is NOT for the faint of heart.  I ride horses, have great balance, and still felt I may just fall off the side of this animal!  Of course I had David go first, and he seemed to be doing just fine. 

We walked down a steep hill and right into the River Kwai.  The elephants seemed to enjoy the water - or are just used to the process - so they went straight in!   The water was freezing cold and the current was fairly strong, but the elephants seemed at home.  We splashed and played, were thrown off the elephants and pulled back on with their strong trunks, and enjoyed about an hour on these animals.  It was very fun, but I will say that I had a little bit of a general unease about the whole thing.  I am such an animal lover and although I did not see any outward signs of abuse, I have read a lot about the training practices of these magnificent animals in India and SE Asia.....

 

During the entire experience, our guide was once again taking a ton of photos and even videos on our iPhones.  She was excellent.

At the conclusion of our water play, the elephants took us back up to the platform and off we hopped.  One of the ways this farm makes money is to sell bananas, which elephants absolutely love, at 3-4x the going rate in the markets.  David and I bought a ton of these bananas and spoiled the heck out of our two elephants.  Others wandered up so of course we had to buy even more to ensure everyone had a taste.

Man, we were worn out after our long day!  On the ride home, which was about three hours if I remember correctly, David and I passed out.  We awoke back in Bangkok refreshed!  We showered and had a bite to eat, then headed out to meet Laura, the Australian girl that we spent the day with, at a hole in the wall bar well known in Bangkok called Cheap Charlie's.  It was in an alley a few streets down from our hotel, and is literally a bar under the awning of the exterior of a neighboring building!  Customers add their flair by hanging a trinket on the bar - it's full of the most random things.  Sitting room is roped off into the alley, with a few chairs and logs to perch on.  We met people from every country imagineable here, and picked up some South Africans to join us for the rest of the evening.


We discovered the most random places in Bangkok that night.  One is a pop up VW van that drives around, stops in random spots, and serves drinks in buckets.
 
We also visited some 'Lady Boy' clubs because, hey, it's something you've just got to do when you visit Bangkok.


Day Four: Lazy Day of Travel
On the fourth day of our Thailand adventure, we had to leave for the airport by 12PM.  Therefore David and I, after our hectic and full day previously, opted to sleep in (hey, we were out until almost 4 AM!), enjoy a laid back breakfast, and have another massage.  Knowing that we definitely could NOT handle another Thai massage, we found a place within walking distance to enjoy an hour full body oil massage for only 120 baht, which equals about $4USD!  We relaxed until our driver (the same driver who picked us up at the airport) was ready to head out. 

I absolutely loved Bangkok.  I loved the whir of activity, the mix of so many cultures, the food, the up-all-night mentality, the fact that you could do or buy almost anything you wanted here.  I loved the people most of all.  Every single person we met greeted us with a smile, asked how they could help in any way.  I can't wait to visit Thailand again! 

Next Stop: Singapore!