Category Archives: Thailand

Riding Elephants at Baan Chang Elephant Park

11 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by in Asia, Thailand

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

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.

FeedingChiang Mai 420Chiang Mai 429

Continue reading →

Learning to Make Thai Food in Chiang Mai

10 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by in Asia, Food & Drinks, Thailand

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

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.

CookingChiang Mai 388

Continue reading →

Browsing the Markets in Chiang Mai

09 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by in Asia, Thailand

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

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.

Chiang Mai 240Chiang Mai 274Soap and Art

Continue reading →

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

08 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by in Asia, Thailand

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

Bangkok 01Bangkok 03Bangkok 04BuddhaBangkok 09

Continue reading →

Enjoying the Malls in Bangkok

07 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by in Asia, Thailand

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

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.

Terminal 21Mall 03Mall 04Bunny and Cat

Continue reading →

Bangkok’s Night Life

06 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by in Asia, Thailand

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

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.

Bangkok 16Bangkok 01Bangkok 02

Continue reading →

Continuing Our Selfish Year

29 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by in Asia, Australia, Bali, China, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

≈ 3 Comments

Mr. Selfish and I have been in the States since Dec. 16th. We have truly enjoyed our time back “home”. Even though we are technically homeless (since we rented out our house), we consider the States to be home.

It has been wonderful to see so many loved ones and enjoy the comforts of home. I especially loved meeting my adorable three month old nephew for the first time and experiencing Christmas through the eyes of my 3 year-old and 6 year-old nephews. Mr. Selfish and I also appreciated all of the delicious food that everyone has been cooking for us. A home cooked meal with family beats eating out at a restaurant every time.

But tomorrow, it’s all coming to an end. We are continuing our selfish year. We have eight more months and about thirty more cities to go. Here’s the map of our itinerary:

Round 2

Continue reading →