Elephant Nature Park

It has been my long dream to see a real elephant , touch at (if possible) and admire this magnificent creature. The first time I saw one was in a zoo, I think in Ueno or maybe Tennoji (not sure) but it did not look happy at all.

The second time was in Angkor Wat , where tourist were riding on it’s back, again it looks sad , tired and tortured.

I found a sanctuary , Elephant Nature Park, in Chiang Mai who rescues abused Elephants. They also support/ help families who stopped using their own Elephants in riding camps and this is where I went for a day, a great and amazing day with the Elephants.

They have several on going project and I was lucky enough to join the Saddle Off Project in Kon Kub Chang. We prepare the elephant food, feed it to them , took them for a walk for their mud bath and gave them a bath afterwards.

Patiently waiting till we finish preparing the food.
Food !!!

More Food !!
Can I get more please !!!

Mud Bath Time !!!
Happy Dance ! (Click the picture to see the video)

As I said or wrote specifically there are several on going projects that better than watching elephants paints or riding them.

When in Chiang Mai, try to bring your family , friends to the Elephant Nature Park.

 

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Thailand 2018 : The Sanctuary of Truth

Although The Sanctuary of Truth has probably left some forest bald , deforestation , you can’t helped but be impressed by it.

This temple is located Pattaya which is about 3 hours by bus from Bangkok.  It is located along the shore, so the sea breeze constantly deteriorate the structure so it needs constant maintenance.

Let’s take a short tour of the temple:

A view from a far.

Closer..

Side View.

A little closer.

One side of the temple is under renovation, replacing the areas which are already starting to disintegrate.

Busy like a bee.

Very intricate detail of the temple.

At the workshop, busy carving new status.

Inside the temple is as intricate outside or even more.

Visiting this place made the trip to Pattaya worth it.

Philippines 2017: Swimming with the Turtles

Heard many things about Apo Island from friends and though I cannot swim, I was still intrigue and want to see the underwater beauty and see beautiful corals and swim with the turtles.

The island is best known as one of most beautiful diving spot in the country.  It is located just a few hours by boat from the main island of Dumaguete. There are several options to from Dumaguete to the island but after computing the cost of day trip to the island several times, we decided to opt and join a tour by Acqua  Dive.

There were 2 other customer who joined us so we had the boat all to ourselves. All snorkeling equipment are included. They also move around several times so we can get some good snorkeling area since the best location was currently close. The corals were damaged during the big typhoon that happened a year before, so they close off that part of the corals to give it time to heal.

Approaching the Island.
Can you see the Turtle’s head?

More tourist, snorkeling.
Beautiful Island.

It was a beautiful day, relaxing and lazying in the boat.

If you are around the area, try to visit the island and enjoy what nature has to offer.

 

Philippines 2017 : Swimming with the Whaleshark in Oslob

The name Oslob became famous because of the whale shark.

The town is about 2-3 hours by bus to the South of Cebu City.  It got scandalize when a picture of a girl rode one of the whales while being tied down got posted on facebook.

Interviewing one of the fisherman who is working as one of the boatmen ferrying tourist to the whale-sharks , I found out that the local government step over and took control over the situation.

Now the fishermen worked together to make the place cleaner and protect the whale-sharks while tourist both local and foreign enjoyed the  this gentle giants. They also chased away boats bringing tourist who are not registered with the local government.

There are now rules that the fishermen follows and the place although still chaotic, it is organize chaos now.

Fishermen now have extra income to support their families as well, so they do not over fish for extra income. Fishes are now slowly coming back as well.

Enjoying the sunrise while waiting for the whale-sharks. Basic information about the whale-sharks

Basic rules to follow

I do not own a go-pro or water resistant camera, but everybody have 30 minutes chance to swim together with the whale-shark and it was an amazing creatures. I was very happy that I got a chance to see them up close and personal.

The whale-sharks are not there for our entertainment so please respect the creatures and follow the rules. Let’s admire and enjoy the moment swimming with these gentle giants.

Enjoy Oslob.

A weekend trip to Hong Kong

Let ‘s take a short break from Thailand and head out to Hong Kong for a short trip.

Stopped by Hong Kong airport several times but never had the chance to visit this vibrant city and eat some delicious food.

Miss K found a really affordable flight to Hong Kong so off we go. We arrived in Hong Kong Friday night and left Sunday afternoon so we had the whole of Saturday to explore.

First stop is Fa Yuen Street  or Sneaker Market .  It is were most local shop so prices are going to be cheaper than tourist area.

Walking a little further we found the Flower Market and just enjoyed the beautiful flowers for free.
Enjoying the moment.

Beautiful Orchids and my mother will be very happy in this store.

The next stop is the Bird Park. Here you can find bird enthusiast were they bring their birds to interact with other birds to learn new songs. But the sad part is , they are also selling birds there. We were looking at some of the birds and then the owner just gave us a bad look and took the bird away. I think he was feeling over protected over his bird.
Practicing a song, but better to be free, right?

Birds and their owners.

Walking around the city made us both hungry so we made our way to Yum Cha.

Cute little buns shaped like pigs and other cute animals

Sweet Pumpkin Lava Bun

 Pig shaped Meat Bun

Cute little birds Tart.

Yum Cha offers this cute little buns, but taste wise, you can find better and more tastier treats in some areas and maybe affordable .

Now that we are filled, we head out the port area before heading to Victoria Peak.

Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day so not getting a good view.

The pirate ship. Reservation is needed.

We took a short ferry ride to Central from Tsim Sha Tsui but before heading out to Victoria Peak, have to try the infamous Egg Tart from Tai Cheong Bakery and some coffee from Pacific Coffee.
Now it is time to check out Victoria Peak. As soon as we got to the cable area, we know that it will take us forever to get to the top with all the tourist lining up, so we decided to take the taxi up and then walk back down. As soon as we got there, we have to try the egg waffle with Ice cream, eating time again 😀

Again, it was a cloudy, foggy day so no city view for us.

It was a nice walk down though and then we explore a little bit of central Hong Kong and before heading out back to the hotel, we have to have another cake and this time from Maxim Bakery.

Very very delicious Mango Lava Cheese Cake.

It was a long day of walking and eating so both of us where really tired and slept really good.

There might be some good Night clubs or bars but both Miss K and I are not really into bars and nightclub.

The next day, it was more on shopping for present and food (again) before heading out to the airport and coming back to Osaka.

Could have stayed one more day and eat more but maybe next time.