Eat Pray Live in the Golden Triangle.

We arrived at the cute Chayadol Boutique Resort on the outskirts of Chiang Rai and were pleased with our comfortable accommodation. A small pool was a blessing as the weather was very hot. Sightseeing is a real treat in this part of Thailand and there are Temples and Pagodas in abundance. Chiang Rai is quieter than its big sister Chiang Mai but the super friendly Thai locals make every visitor feel very welcome.

Golden Clock Tower Chiang Rai 

Chiang Rai

The Night Market  is excellent and and a large open air restaurant in the centre faces a good size stage. Locals of every age sing, dance and entertain the crowds for free and it is a real treat to watch the show while eating.

A walk around the elaborate golden Clock Tower before returning to the hotel helped burn off a few calories. The Clock Tower was built in 2008 to honour the King and stands as a landmark in the centre of Chiang Rai. It has a sound and light show every evening at 8pm and was designed by the same artist who built the famous White Temple.

The Black Museum 

Next day we decided to visit the Black Museum or Baan Dam which our taxi/guide said was a must see. We drove the half hour or so to this amazing complex. Built by a Thai artist Thawan Duchanee to house his works, the forty or so traditional Thai Teak buildings also contain the skulls and skins of dead animals alongside intricate works of art creating a most unusual, thought provoking and eerily beautiful complex.

Thai architecture at the Black Museum 

The Black Museum complex houses beautiful artworks

The White Temple 

After our Black Museum day we then decided to go all white – and visit the amazing WhiteTemple of Wat Rong Khun. Built and paid for by Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, this fascinating and incredibly beautiful place also contains some eerie reminders of the fragility of life and death.

The Magnificent White Temple

Constant reminders of the dangers of living a bad life and the evils that can bring. There is even a picture inside the main temple depicting 9/11 and George W Bush to warn us of the horrors of war! 

Thai people love to share good luck and also to remember their ancestors, In the gardens there are several stunning large white and silver trees made from thousands of Bodhi leaves with hand written messages on each. For a tiny donation you can buy one and write a personal message and it will be hung on one of the trees. Chiang Rai was certainly turning out to be a very special place!

Monk Chat

After a few days sightseeing, one day we decided to take an early morning walk to a beautiful temple not far from our hotel. 

The White Temple

While there we happened upon two young monks who were eager to practise their English in return for answering our questions about Buddhism and the daily life of the monks. During the course of our long chat we asked Ben and Chan if there was anywhere we could go for a few days to learn meditation. Ben said he had a friend who may be able to help. We were also invited to celebrate Buddha Day at Chiang Rai and duly arrived at 7 am the following day for this very special occasion. As we were were the only non Asians there, the beaming locals welcomed us with open arms and we were given VIP seats at the top of the temple for the entire ceremony. 

Ready for instruction

Two novice monks have their heads shaved for ordination 

Family and friends arrived for the celebration and a happy procession followed the newly ordained monks for their first prayers at the hilltop overlooking the Golden Triangle.

Wat Phrathat Pha Ngao, Chiang Saen

We returned again the next day and were told that Monk Somsack and his abbot had invited us to stay for five days and would give us personal instruction. We were thrilled to get this very special invitation and knew we were in for a very unique experience. We arrived to the temple with our luggage and were delighted to find that we would be accompanied by four monks and a temple-boy who would take us Chiang Saen, the nearest town to the monastery by local bus. We arrived at the bus station in central Chiang Rai and were helped on by the monks who also insisted on paying our fares. This was much to the amusement of locals on the bus who were intrigued by the sight of two middle aged western women being looked after by four monks and their assistant!

 Golden Triangle Mekong River - Laos, Myanmar and Thailand

Following a two hour bus trip from Chiang Rai we arrived at Chiang Saen and then took a couple of TukTuks to the Wat Phrathat Pha Ngao six kilometers away. I will forever remember the hilarious sight when the two TukTuk drivers decided to have a race while the monk's robes flapped in the wind alongside us. When we eventually arrived at our destination we were met by Somsack and we all went together to investigate the incredible complex of Wat Pha-Ngao. 

The Temple and monastery is a community based around the one thousand three hundred year old statue of the Buddha recovered from the site some years ago.

The Golden Triangle 

1300 year old Buddha at Chiang Saen

Two kilometres uphill stands Doi Jan a magnificent white Chedi which overlooks the famous Golden Triangle. The Mekong River flows below with stunning views of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos all visable and stretching for miles in all directions. Our afternoon was spent walking and chatting with the monks. They loved to hear about our lives at home, our families, our beliefs and what our country looked like. We discussed history, religion, culture, food, travel, life and death... no topic was off limits and we felt they enjoyed the chat just as much as we did. They were funny and joked just like any young people from anywhere in the world.

Our daily routine began early next morning. At 4 am a gong sounded to waken the sleeping monks and nuns. Chanting began at 4.30 in the Shrine Room and lasted around an hour. The centre was then cleaned and everyone assigned their own jobs. Our job was street cleaning and dressed in all white, we joined in the therapeutic swishing of brooms twice every day. Concentrating on the job in hand is an excellent way to practise mindfullness and time passed surprisingly quickly! 

Feeling welcome at the Temple

Breakfast was a very welcome sight at 7.30 and local cuisine was an interesting combination of rice dishes, vegetables, fruit and meat. Then came our individual tuition. Somsack was a cheery and very helpful young man who was delighted to answer any of our questions. He helped us practise relaxation and mindfulness and gave us lots of help with any problems we encountered. One day when the Shrine Room was in use he borrowed the key to the Buddhist Scripture Room where texts from many different countries were stored in wooden carved sarcophagi. We felt like very privileged visitors to be allowed to spend time in this very special place.

Overlooking the mighty Mekong River

Lunch was served every day at 11am and this would be the last food we would eat until breakfast the following day. We expected this to be tougher than it was and when the body is not expecting food it adjusts quite well and surprisingly does not get as hungry as expected. As the weather was very hot, drinking copious amounts of water probably helped too.The afternoons were spent working, learning and some free time to feed the giant carp and catfish in the lake. Evening was more meditation and chanting. By 9 pm bedtime was a timely respite. 

Our second last day was another humbling experience when two novice monks became ordained. We had spent several days in their company where we had all, dressed in white chanted and meditated in the same prayer room together. The young men surrounded by many friends and family, went through the beautiful ceremony of ordination, had their heads shaved, and were given their brand new saffron robes and alms bowls. Their proud parents looked on as they struggled to fold their robes in the correct way and the wise older monks were on hand to help. 

Our five days passed all too quick and and we left feeling that this would be another experience  that would leave life long memory that would be hard to better. 

Bangkok to Chiang Mai

I fell in love with the magic of Thailand on my first visit here in 2004. The huge diversity in this amazing country means having a very different kind of holiday experience every time I come here if I so wish. Tropical beaches, gastronomic havens, meditation and spiritual retreats, nature reserves, tropical rain forests, stunning mountains, vast trekking areas, ancient civilizations, endless shopping and markets, all added to the best value and the friendliest people on the planet... I rest my case. 

Bangkok 

We arrived in Bangkok intending to stay just a few days. Bangkok

The Grand Palace in Bangkok

is fascinating, huge, hot and diverse but the friendly Thai welcome is not as easy to find in the tourist spots as it is away from them. It is advisable to be aware of the cost of transport to different places and the exchange rates or unscrupulous drivers and dealers will soon part you from your money. Before arriving it is a good idea to have a map and familiarize yourself with the distances to whatever sites you wish to visit from your hotel. This city of almost 10 million people covers a vast area and the road system is good though traffic jams are notorious. The sky-train is also excellent and takes you from the International airport right through and across the city. 

After a couple of days visiting the magnificent Grand Palace and Wat Pho, we traveled north to Chiang  Mai. This part of Thailand is much more mountainous and the people are very laid back. Chiang Mai is Thailand's second largest city with less than 200,000 people. Many Thais and ex pats like the cooler temperatures which is a feature of the higher altitudes. Chiang Mai is also home to thousands of temples and pagodas which makes it a very attractive destination. The north also has a rich tribal culture which gives it a colorful array of artwork, clothing and hand crafts. Food here is cheap, delicious and healthy. We also found our first examples of reasonably priced imported wines since arriving in South East Asia...happy days! 

Change of scene in Chiang Mai 

After the hussle and bussle of Bangkok it was a relief  

to arrive in the laid back atmosphere of this friendly city. The old city centre is contained within the city walls and moat,  and was around 20 minutes walk from our hotel. We stayed at the 3* www.pornpinghotelchiangmai.com  and enjoyed relaxing swims at the pool and a delicious buffet breakfast every day. There is an open air rooftop bar which is great to watch the evening sunset in. The hotel is located right at the night bazaar and we were spoiled for choice with an abundance of restaurants, traditional massage, markets stalls and shops.

Flower Girl

We particularly like our vegetarian experience at Taste from Heaven http://taste-from-heaven.com and they also have a cookery school and offer home delivery which we didn't get a  chance to check out unfortunately. We also loved the local food in www.lemongrassrestaurants.com/chiang mai/   where hundreds of visitors have left their comments on the walls proclaiming it to be the best Thai food in the whole country. This along with The nearby Red Lion can be found on Loi Kroh Road just behind the bazzaar. We enjoyed the music at the www.redlionpubchiangmai.com too! For great live music check out www.boybluesbar.com just around the corner.

On our second day we treated ourselves to a body scrub and oil massage at the local   www.spadesiam.com  We got two-for-the-price-of-one for around $30 each and slept like babies after our 2 hours of pampering!

The Golden Temple Doi Suthep

For sight seeing, a trip to the Golden Temple at  Wat Phra That Doi Suthep  is well worth the effort. The beautiful 14th century temple is overlooking the city but remember, as with all temples in Thailand, to wear long shorts and cover your shoulders out of respect. The final 300 step climb can be done by tram for a small fee or on foot.  An additional temple is being contructed and we delighted our families by writing a sweet blessing on a couple of roof tiles which will join thousands of others at a permant home on the temple overlooking Chiang Mai.  www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/wat-phra-thart-doi-suthep

The Elephant Nature Park 

Many visitors to Chiang Mai take a trek to one of the Hill Tribe villages or visit a wild life santuary.We heard about a local woman called Lek Chailert who runs a sanctuary for abused and traumatised elephants  at the Elephant Nature Park.   www.elephantnaturepark.org  We had heard some stories about other parks masquerading as rescue  centres but actually money making business and we were keen not to visit any where there was mistreatment. We certainly weren't disappointed! 

The Elephant Nature Park is home to 30 rescued elephants from calves up to a sprightly eighty year old female. The park was also home to 400 dogs rescued from the floods in Bangkok, many of whom have now been rehomed. Some terrible stories are told of traumatised animals injured or cruelly treated by their mahoots so it is a real treat to see them wandering around freely with no chains or humans riding them and no humiliating circus tricks. We were collected from our hotel and driven my minibus to the sanctuary around an hour away. Our guide was very familiar with each elephant and their history. 

The Ellies love their daily swim

We got to feed the elephants twice during the day, were treated to a huge buffet lunch and free water and snacks. The highlight was definitely taking the beautiful elephants tothe river for a bath. Watching them play and submerge in the water was magical. We got to throw buckets of water over them too which was so much fun though a few of us were on the receiving end of mis-thrown buckets of water too! A lift back to our hotel at 5pm finished off a magical and unforgetable experience. We had thought the $75 cost was a bit steep but on reflection the fun packed day was great value and to know that our cash contributed to the elephants upkeep was worth every penny, and of course we have the memories for a lifetime.....
                      

Beautiful Thai style home tucked away in the hills   

                                     

Monkey Business in Chiang Mai 

         

Bath Time for the Elephants at the Nature Park 

 The huge Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho in Bangkok 

Getting Inspired at Aspire Cambodia

The next stop on our travels from Hong Kong through Asia by road and rail was Cambodia. We loved Vietnam and now we were on a bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh. Before we left home, Sue and I had decided that we wanted to do some volunteer work on our travels.

Sending pics by Wifi from a bus Ho Chi Min to Phnom Penh

We joined a group called Workaway  which arranges volunteers in many countries all over the world. Anyone who can offer free accommodation in return for some help can register on the site.

Phnomh Penh 

We arrived in Phnom Penh after a long bus journey although we did find it hugely entertaining to have free wifi and we could send photos back home as they happened - on one occasion when our road turned into a river during a thunder storm and later when passing Buddhist monks, rice fields and buffalos. I had been to Phnom Penh around 5 years before and was troubled by the poverty and upset by a visit to the Killing Fields and torture camp S21. Cambodia's people suffered terribly from Pol Pot's regime and lost 25% of its people to starvation and torture. The country is trying hard to recover from this horrific legacy but it takes a long time to recover from such a past.

We stayed just one night before leaving for Siem Reap where we would be helping out at the Aspire Childrens Home. Siem Reap is also close to the famous World Heritage Site of Angkor Wat which we wanted to visit. Our very sweet driver Sam Nong collected us by Tuktuk and took us the 7 km to the orphanage.

Bumpy ride in the back of Sam's Tuk-tuk

Sam would be our guide and driver for our entire stay at Siem Reap and he made sure we got to see and buy everything we needed. He and his wife and family are also part of the bigger extended family at Aspire. Sean Somnang is the owner of Aspire Childrens Home and he provides a home and education to thirty orphaned or destitute children. Five of the children in his care have already been to college or are working. One couple married and three still live and work there. With the help of donations Sean has managed to buy a piece of land and over years has put up a temporary school and several small houses and sheds.

The children with teacher Pandit love learning English 

 These are homes to girls and boys dormatories, a volunteer house and some makeshift homes where Sean has allowed some needy families to come and stay. It is where he and his wife, mother and children also live. Ducks, chickens, geese and dogs wander everywhere and first thing in the morning the chickens have to be evacuated from the open air classrooms! The atmosphere is happy and loving and complete feeling of one big happy family where everyone does their chores and older ones help the little ones with great love and care.

Conor and Sean with Neath and Neang

It was baking hot when we arrived and all the children came out to see us. The beautiful smiling faces were instantly uplifting and welcoming. Sean makes sure the children all learn English - not only is it helpful for getting a job but has also become a common language between South East Asian countries and enables them not only to travel to English speaking countries but also to communicate with each other in a common tongue.

Happy faces in the classroom

We helped out by  giving classes in English every day and the children were delighted to have native speakers to help with pronunciation. Seans dream is to build a proper school for his own and the local poor children and to date has built the basic structure of a fine building.

With the help of donations bit by bit the school is taking shape. As soon as we saw it we realised that our friends and family back home would probably  love to help out too. So we set about raising funds as quickly as we could. Incredibly in just over ten days we had raised enough to complete the dowstairs windows and doors for four classrooms. We also bought some badly needed supplies, games,  books and lots of food. Cambodia is a relatively expensive country in SE Asia and the cost of supplies is surprisingly high so it was wonderful to see how well Sean spent and accounted for every cent we gave him.

Time for serious study

On our final day we had a party for the children and they danced and played traditional Cambodian music for us.  It was the best of fun and a happy day we will remember all our lives especially our attempts at joining the children on stage for the fun. We were joined by Irish volunteers Sean and Conor from Dublin and teachers Neath and Neang both former children at Aspire.

 

The children love to go to school 

         To round off our memorable stay in  Siem Reap, we booked a few days in the Antanue Spiritual Resort & Spa through Agoda.com. For a paltry $10 per night each  we got a lovely twin room and breakfast served to our room each morning. The hotel has a nice pool and the sweetest staff who help with anything they can.  From here our trusty Sam took us to the world heritage site of Angkor Wat at 4.30 am to see the sunrise.

Final day party with all the children 

Not only is this the best time to arrive, before most of the throngs of tourists, but it also means getting in five or six hours of sight seeing before the burning sun zaps any remaining energy you have left! This place has to be experienced. Ancient  cities and temples spread over 160 square kilometres, some up to one thousand years old, lay buried deep in the Cambodian jungles until rediscovered over the past 60 or so years. One in particular was made famous in the Lara Croft - Tomb Raider film of 2001. Major excavation work is going on to save many ruins from being lost to the jungle yet again.

  

Bayon Temple part of the Angkor Wat Complex

Tomb Raider Temple Angkor Thom

                         The ancient ruins of Angkor Wat is spread over 160 square Kms.  It is the largest religious monument in existance and a Unesco world Heritage Site.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat 

    

Hong Kong to Hanoi overland.

Sue and myself first met over eight years ago while volunteering in Mombasa, Kenya. We had a lot in common including being single mums with grown up children and a shared sense adventure. We lived in different parts of Ireland, me in the capital Dublin and she in a small town in the south of Ireland Tramore in County Waterford.

We had travelled on short trips together both in Ireland and various countries in Europe but never for more than a week so this promised to be a lot different. Both in our fifties and after downsizing our homes, we decided on some overseas adventures in Asia. We booked return flights to Hong Kong and decided we would see as much of Asia as we could in 3 months.

Our plan was to use trains and buses instead of flights, so we could really experience the different cultures. Following an eleven hour flight from Amsterdam we finally touched down in Hong Kong and made our way to our very trendy and reasonably priced funky hotel on Kowloon.

Junk Sailing in Victoria Harbour 

Hong Kong Harbour Skyline 

                                                                     





The Hotel Sav supplied us with a free smartphone which allowed us to travel and explore Hong Kong with ease. Numerous special offers and money off vouchers were listed along with recommendations for restaurants and shops. The phone even gave us free local calls to make bookings or buy tickets and the SatNav meant we were never lost. The hotel also supplied a free shuttle bus also so we could travel to the Victoria Harbour area and even to and from the airport for free. 

On the second day we decided to take the Big Bus Tour which takes visitors on a trip around Hong Kong Island. Out to Stanley Market and the nearby Repulse Bay close by where many wealthy Islanders have expensive beach-side homes. Later in the evening a trip around the harbour in a Junk followed by the nightly fireworks display as the sun set, rounded off an amazing day.

Nightly Fireworks Display Hong Kong 

Galleria Shopping in Kowloon

Leaving Hong Kong after a few days we boarded the train to Guanghzou - formerly Canton. The two hour journey was very pleasant. We then had to cross the huge city of 14 million people by metro. Our next train was the brand new high speed bullet train. The large station which was built to house the train, was in stark contrast to the traditional older stations we were used to. The train got us to Nanning in under four hours, a trip which took thirteen hours by normal rail.

High Speed Bullet Train Guanghzou to Nanning

       
China was a very different experience to Hong Kong. Getting from the train station to the hotel was particularly difficult as our directions were printed in English and of course none of the taxi drivers could read them. English speakers were rare and we found this particularly difficult especially when ordering food. Lots of restaurants show pictures of the food served, although what appeared did not always resemble the picture! Sue managed to entertain the staff on a few occasions doing chicken impressions to try to find out if what we were ordering contained chicken! The children especially stared at our unusual hair and faces, though a smile is the same in any language so this always helped convince them that we were human!

Nanning was sweltering and even the locals looked uncomfortable. We took ourselves off to the beautiful Qingxiu Mountain Park which was nicely cool and overlooked the city. The sounds of birds and cicadas was a great respite from the noise of traffic and we loved the beautiful gardens set out in themes. The park was filled with beautiful trees and lakes. There are also ornate wooden buildings and temples celebrating many different neighbouring countries and regions of China.

Qingxiu Mountain Park 

Tai Chai in the Park 

That evening we treated ourselves to a two hour long head, foot and back massage. The entire session cost just €11 and our sweet massage therapists were shocked when we offered a tip along with the payment. Tipping is not normal in this part of China and we had our money returned to us when we offered to tip a taxi driver on another occasion.

Leaving Nanning for our next leg was tricky. Even though we were close to the railway station we could not manage to carry all of our bags over the uneven pavements, so there was nothing for it only to hire two motorbikes to take us. We each climbed on the back with rucksacks on out backs and suitcases between the feet of the drivers. We had some giggles as we passed numerous entire families of 4 or 5 on other motor bikes, and seeing their expressions of surprise as we passed them. We must have been a strange sight - these two middle aged aliens with luggage pilled high on the backs of motorbikes racing through the traffic.

We got our overnight train from Nanning to Hanoi without too much trouble and fortunately had the four berth cabin to ourselves. The journey took from 6 pm until 5 am. It was a bit of a hassle having to take our luggage off the train and go through security twice in the middle of the night as we passed out of China and into Vietnam but it made our arrival in Hanoi very welcome indeed.

Nanning Skyline

Traditional Chinese Artwork

 Nanning Sculptures

           

             

Cold Turkey

I love to holiday in Turkey. There is so much to see and do in this country which straddles both Europe and Asia. Turkey hosts more than 30 million tourists each year, the majority of whom visit the cities and coastal tourist resorts.

10th century frescos in Goreme

             

13th century Caravanserai 

Antalya

Camel trekking in Cappadocia

Eastern delights on the Silk Road

In November 2014 I got the opportunity to travel firstly to Antalya and then through the mountains to Cappadocia in Central Turkey with my son. We both had birthdays coming up and when a cousin told us about the Turkish Government subsidised trip - it didn't take long to decide that we were going. It had been many years since we holidayed together and it was a great chance for us to spend time together before he left to live in Australia. Turkey has a booming tourist trade in the summer months but many hotels lie empty in the winter months. The Turkish government subsidise some of the costs for holiday makers which makes this a very enticing and economical destination if you like unusual locations.

Following a couple of days chilling in Antalya, we took the long bus journey through the Taurus Mountains of Central Anatolia to the Unesco World Heritage site of Cappadocia. The region is famed for it's 'Fairy Chimneys' and was certainly not disappointing. Originally covered in lava the local people dug deep into the soft stone often to depths of 8 or 10 stories, to construct underground cities. Partially as a defense against invaders, the cities also protected the residents from harsh winters and hot dusty summers. Over time erosion has given way to an incredible fairy tale landscape. The dramatic open air museum of Goreme contains the remains of 10th and 11th century homes and many churches with brightly painted religious frescos still perfectly preserved. On our return, we stopped to take refreshments at one of the 13th century Caravanserais dotted along the famous 'Silk Road'. These stops were used for many hundreds of years where travellers would take rest with their camel trains and trade their silks and exotic eastern delights en route to Western Europe.

Dining Al Fresco

One of the many underground churches in Goreme