Exploring Beyond the Sanctuary

19 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Thailand

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Asia, Food & Drinks, Koh Pha Ngan, Koh Phangan, Selfish Years, Thailand, The Sanctuary

Mr. Selfish and I loved our week-long stay at the Sanctuary. We attempted to explore Koh Phangan outside of the Sanctuary, but we didn’t really do that much. Here are a few of the places that we tried beyond the Sanctuary.

First, we walked to Bamboo Hutt for traditional Thai food. Although the food at the Sanctuary was delicious, their strong point was the vegetarian food, not the Thai food. However, you had to walk across a very rickety pier to get to the Bamboo Hutt so we only managed to go there once for lunch.

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I Didn’t Know Vegetarian Food Could Be So Tasty!

18 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Accommodations, Asia, Food & Drinks, Thailand

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Asia, Food & Drinks, Koh Pha Ngan, Koh Phangan, Selfish Years, Thailand, The Sanctuary, Vegetarian

During our week-long stay at the Sanctuary, Mr. Selfish and I ate many meals at the Sanctuary’s restaurant. The Sanctuary specializes in vegetarian fare and even offers detox packages as an extra option for a yoga holiday. Mr. Selfish and I did not opt to detox but we did enjoy the vegetarian food very much.

The Sanctuary’s restaurant is set right next to the beach. There were even hammocks on which you could lie and doze.

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Getting To and From the Sanctuary

16 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Accommodations, Asia, Thailand

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Asia, Haad Rin Town, Koh Pha Ngan, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, Selfish Years, Thailand, The Sanctuary

Yesterday, I posted about how great the yoga holiday at the Sanctuary was. However, I had quite a bit of trepidation about actually getting to the Sanctuary.

Our flight to Koh Samui landed rather late in the evening, and February is known for rough waves at Koh Phangan, which is the island where the Sanctuary is based. I wasn’t sure that we were going to find affordable transportation to the Sanctuary. I also found the directions on the Sanctuary’s website to be missing critical information, such as pricing and photos.

So, I’ve decided to break it down here in this post. Here’s a map of where we needed to go:

First, we landed at the Koh Samui airport. Second, we had to take a car taxi from the airport to Big Buddha Pier (red dot). Third, we had to take the ferry from Big Buddha Pier to Haad Rin on Koh Phangan (green dot). Fourth, we had to take either a car taxi or a longboat taxi from Haad Rin to the Sanctuary (home symbol). Due to the multiple modes of transportation we needed to take, I was sure that we would be scammed along the way.

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Our One-Week Yoga Holiday at the Sanctuary

15 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Accommodations, Asia, Thailand

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Asia, Koh Pha Ngan, Selfish Years, Thailand, The Sanctuary, Yoga Holiday, Yoga Retreat

Right after our honeymoon in 2009, Mr. Selfish and I decided to take up yoga. It was quite difficult at first, but of course, it gets easier the more you practice. During the month of June 2012, which is when I was studying for the California bar, I did yoga almost every day. It kept me sane.

I decided that I wanted to do a yoga retreat during our selfish year. I soon discovered that yoga retreats are a little hard core with early morning chanting, fasting, etc. Instead, I decided that we would take a week long yoga holiday at the Sanctuary at Koh Pha Ngan. The yoga holiday at the Sanctuary seemed a bit more chill and relaxing.

For both Mr. Selfish and I, the yoga holiday at the Sanctuary includes:

* 1 week accommodation
* 14 yoga classes
* 4 private yoga classes
* 10 spa treatments
* 10 herbal steam and plunge passes
* 2 healing sessions
* 2 meals

This was my splurge so I opted for the executive yoga holiday package since the accommodation included air conditioning. The total cost for 2 people was 47,410 baht (~$1,598.88 USD).

Our accommodation was certainly nice. We could’ve fit probably three extra people into our Ocean View Round House. We had a cozy outdoor patio area with a dining room table, a couch, a hammock, and even a kitchen.

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The Best Cup of Coffee in Asia: Ristr8to in Chiang Mai

14 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Thailand

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Asia, Chiang Mai, Coffee, Food & Drinks, Ristr8to Coffee, Selfish Years, Thailand

I don’t know what it is about Asia but they sure do love their Nescafé (instant coffee) here. I personally find it quite disgusting but have been nevertheless drinking plenty of it to get my caffeine fix in the morning. When I found out that Chiang Mai had a fancy coffee shop, I knew that Mr. Selfish and I would try it.

We visited Ristr8to twice during our week in Chiang Mai. It was far away from our apartment but worth the trip. The coffee was perfectly brewed, had beautiful latte art, and was absolutely delicious.

The menu was a little intimidating at initial glance, but there are basically two steps to ordering coffee at Ristr8to. First, you choose the type of coffee you want – e.g., caffé mocha, flat white, cappuccino, etc. Second, you choose the type of beans – e.g., Ethiopian, Brazilian, blended, Thai, or decaf.

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Visiting the Wats in Chiang Mai

13 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Thailand

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Asia, Chiang Mai, Selfish Years, Temples, Thailand, Wat, Wat Chedi Luang, Wat in Chiang Mai, Wat Phan Tao, Wat Phra Singh, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, Wats

Although the weather was hotter than predicted, Mr. Selfish and I still managed to tour the notable wats in Chiang Mai. First, we took a songthaew (a pick-up truck converted into a taxi) up Doi Suthep to visit Wat Phrathat. The elevation at the wat is about 3,500 feet, and I already had problems with my breath as we were going up the mountain. I have certainly learned that I am prone to elevation sickness.

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Riding Elephants at Baan Chang Elephant Park

11 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Thailand

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Asia, Baan Chang Elephant Park, Chiang Mai, Elephants in Thailand, Riding Elephants, Selfish Years, Thailand

One of my goals for this trip was to ride an elephant. This goal was accomplished at Baan Chang Elephant Park near Chiang Mai. This park is one of the more humane elephant parks in Thailand. You even ride the elephants bareback because putting a chair on the elephants’ backs hurt them.

You start the day by changing into denim shirts and shorts. Then, you feed the elephants bananas and sugar cane. I never realized before how happy and adorable elephants are. They were quite pleased to eat right out of our hands.

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Learning to Make Thai Food in Chiang Mai

10 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Thailand

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Asia, Chiang Mai, Cooking Class, Food & Drinks, Oriental Cuisine Thai Cooking School, Selfish Years, Thailand

Mr. Selfish and I have attempted to make pad thai on a few occasions. Each time, we failed miserably. I have a sneaking suspicion that some of the recipes we had used may have included ketchup. As a result, I knew that we would take a cooking class in Thailand and learn the proper way to make pad thai.

Since we had a week in Chiang Mai, we decided to take the cooking class there. Chiang Mai has so many cooking schools available that it is a bit daunting to choose a class. I ended up choosing Oriental Cuisine Thai Cooking School, because we had the option to make pad thai, as well as a curry paste.

We took a quick trip to the market to buy the ingredients and then headed to the chef’s home to start cooking. Our chef was knowledgeable and funny. She also took a shining to Mr. Selfish after he said that he liked spicy food. Of course, his food was crazy spicy by the end of the day.

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Browsing the Markets in Chiang Mai

09 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Thailand

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Asia, Chiang Mai, Market, Night Market, Ratchadamnoen Road, Selfish Years, Sunday Walking Street Market, Thailand

Mr. Selfish and I spent a week in Chiang Mai. We rented an apartment, shopped at a western grocery store, and cooked our comfort meals, such as spaghetti and meatballs, mac and cheese, and burritos. As a result, we didn’t venture around Chiang Mai that much. However, we did make sure to stop by the two notable markets in Chiang Mai – the Sunday Walking Street Market and the Night Market.

The Sunday Walking Street Market takes place every Sunday from 4pm until midnight. It takes place right in the heart of the Old City on Ratchadamnoen Road, which is entirely shut down to motor traffic. This market had tons of vendors from northern Thailand, and they all felt and looked like authentic handicraft.

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Go to Wat Pho for the Reclining Buddha, Stay for the Massages

08 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Thailand

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Asia, Bangkok, Chao Phraya river, Reclining Buddha, Saphan Hua Chang, Selfish Years, Temple, Temple of Dawn, Tha Tien, Thailand, Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Wat Po, Wat Ratchanaddaram

Mr. Selfish and I packed in one day of templing in Bangkok. We took the canal boat from Saphan Hua Chang pier to Wat Ratchanaddaram. This Buddhist wat is best known for Loha Prasat, which is a multi-tiered structure 36 meter high with 37 metal spires. Each of the spires signify one of the 37 virtues toward enlightenment.

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Enjoying the Malls in Bangkok

07 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Thailand

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Asia, Bangkok, Bangkok Mall, Mall, Movie Theatre Prices, Selfish Years, Siam Center, Siam Parragon, Terminal 21, Thailand

Mr. Selfish and I oscillate between cities and smaller towns. After being in Siem Reap for a few days, we were craving the big lights of a city. Hence, when we arrived in Bangkok, we knew that we would hang out in the delightfully air-conditioned malls.

We stayed at the Westin, which was right next to Terminal 21. This is the most well-themed mall I’ve ever visited. We enjoyed browsing the stores and taking silly photos.

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Bangkok’s Night Life

06 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Thailand

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Asia, Bangkok, Bugs, Lumpinee Stadium, Muay Thai Boxing, Night Life, Patpong Night Market, Selfish Years, Street Food, Thailand

Mr. Selfish and I spent three nights in Bangkok. It was short but we wanted to experience everything that Bangkok had to offer at night – especially since it was excruciatingly hot during the day.

We went to Lumpinee Stadium to watch the Tuesday night muay thai boxing. Tickets for foreigners were 2,000 baht ($67 USD) per person, but you had ring-side seats and you could take a photo with the main event winner. The local tickets are much cheaper but apparently, it’s quite rowdy back there and foreigners are bound to get pick-pocketed.

We took the underground to Lumpinee and had a quick snack before going into the stadium.

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The Final Temple Run in Siem Reap

04 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Cambodia

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Asia, Banteay Kdei, Banteay Srey, Cambodia, Neak Pean, Phnom Bakheng, Selfish Years, Siem Reap, Ta Som

Over a dozen temples exist in the Angkor Archaeological Park, and there are even more outside of the Park. It was hard to choose which temples to visit. I’ve already gone over our favorite temples – Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, and Preah Khan. Here are the other temples we visited during our three days at Siem Reap in order of preference: (1) Banteay Srey, (2) Ta Som, (3) Banteay Kdei, (4) Phnom Bakheng, and (5) Neak Pean.

I enjoyed Banteay Srey quite a bit. It is about 38 kilometers outside of the Angkor Archaeological Park and takes about 45 minutes by tuk tuk. Although it is far away, it was nice for us to visit a few temples in the morning and then take the trip out to Banteay Srey. It was breezy in the tuk tuk, and it was interesting to see the less developed countryside. Banteay Srey is different from the other temples we visited since it was made of pink sandstone.

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I Feel Like Lara Croft!

03 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Cambodia

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Asia, Cambodia, Preah Khan, Selfish Years, Siem Reap, Ta Prohm

I’m not a Lara Croft fan but I couldn’t help remembering that certain scenes from the 2001 movie were filmed at the Angkor Archaeological Park. In particular, during one scene, Angelina Jolie meets a mysterious little girl at Ta Prohm. I too met a little girl at Ta Prohm. She was sitting among the ruins and graciously agreed to me taking a photo of her.

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Recuperating Between Temples at Downtown Siem Reap

02 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Cambodia, Food & Drinks

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Anchor Beer, Angkor Beer, Asia, Cambodia, fish spa, Haven, Khmer massage, lok lak, Selfish Years, Siem Reap, Siem Reap Night Market, Tuk Tuk

Mr. Selfish and I purchased a 3-day Angkor Archaeological Park for $40USD, so we maxed it out and saw as many temples as possible. In order to get around, we hired a tuk tuk driver, Mr. Nga. He was well-priced, always punctual, provided us with bottle water free of charge, and constantly had a smile on his face. We didn’t have to worry about negotiating with tuk tuk drivers every day because we had Mr. Nga.

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