nateniale's travels

{ Chiang Mai, Thailand - Feb 2011 } I didn't expect to fall in love with them. They are huge - I am probably just the size of their leg. They are strong and have always played an important part in the logging business. However, I went with an open mind, but thinking that I'll probably be keeping my distance. While still at the deck receiving an introduction of the park and safety instructions, a mischievous young one destroyed the fence, and used his trunk to steal some fruits on the deck. Now, I don't usually endorse bad behavior, but it was so endearing that I could not help but smile. Some form of activities with the elephants are on the list of almost every visitors to the northern city of Thailand, Chiang Mai - be it a ride on the elephant, a show where the mahout showcased the elephants agility by playing football and painting or just admire them behind the fences. After searching the many parks in Chiang Mai, I decided that I would do something different - ...

{ Chiang Mai, Thailand - Feb 2011 } In the spirit of the Elephant Parade in Singapore , here are some photos of the real Asian Elephants in the Elephant Nature Park . They are huge and imposing, their skin is rough and their hair is sharp like bristles. It was just one of the to do list when one visit Chiang Mai, Thailand. I expected to fully enjoy myself, but what I did not expect was to love my time in the park so much that just thinking of the gentle giants bring a smile to my face even after so many months. { Click here for other posts on Chiang Mai  and  a list of my travelogues }

{ Chiang Mai, Thailand - Feb 2011 } It was six men of Indostan  To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant  (Though all of them were blind), That each by observation  Might satisfy his mind. The First approached the Elephant, And happening to fall Against his broad and sturdy side, At once began to bawl: "God bless me!—but the Elephant Is very like a wall!" The Second, feeling of the tusk,  Cried:"Ho!—what have we here So very round and smooth and sharp?  To me 't is mighty clear This wonder of an Elephant  Is very like a spear!" The Third approached the animal,  And happening to take The squirming trunk within his hands,  Thus boldly up and spake: "I see," quoth he, "the Elephant  Is very like a snake!" The Fourth reached out his eager hand,  And felt about the knee. "What most this wondrous beast is like  Is mighty plain," quoth he; "...

Gentle giants, that's what I call them. Simply love the day I spent in the Elephant Nature Park when I was in Chiang Mai last week. We also attended a cooking class where we learnt some of our favourite Thai food. Of course, the food, the temples and the people were amazing too!

Back from a weekend of doing absolutely nothing in Phuket, Thailand! Well, not absolutely nothing but it definitely has a couple of firsts for me - going on a trip with no activities planned, and taking it slow and easy. Usually for my holidays, I would have done all the appropriate research and planned my day-to-day activities from morning till night. However, for our last weekend trip to Phuket, all we did was book the flight, choose the beach we want to be in and book a hotel room. We did not plan our activities - no timetable saying where we will go in the morning, no list of possible lunch places or whether we will take a short day trip to somewhere else, nothing whatsoever. I have to say that it was quite refreshing for a change. We spent the days walking around the town and the beach, lazing around in the hotel room and by the pool, and of course, went for a massage (we're in Thailand!). This was quite different from my normal holidays. I would usually try to make full u...

Feeling quite excited about our two upcoming holidays - a short weekend trip to Phuket, Thailand and a long trip to Japan! Busy planning and preparing for both holidays (well, not so much for Phuket). And, in between it all, I have been trying to write about my holiday in Kangaroo Island, Australia about a year ago! Lots of images of different places are running through my head.  But, for now, it would be this image which I hope I would be able to see when I'm in Tokyo, Japan!   {Image from Wikipedia }