Amber's Girls Trip to Thailand!

Buddha: "Whenever you see things, just see. Whenever you listen, just listen. Whenever you know, just know."

Words nor pictures could express the fun, excitement, and happiness I felt on my girls trip to Thailand. The cultural experiences and girl bonding moments will be cherished forever. I will do my best with the following pictures to at least show you what I saw.

We left Okinawa on April 26, 2010 and returned May 2, 2010. One week without kids or a husband, no dishes to wash, no laundry to do, no errands to run, no questions to be answered, no chauffeur responsibilities....Freedom!! Dang! The airplane ride itself was awesome!!

There were a lot of political protests being taken place in Bangkok and the US embassy was not restricting, but warning travelers to be careful. We had plans and reservations for a hotel there, but decided it was in our best interest to steer clear of the craziness and head elsewhere. Since we were flying into Bangkok, we chose a city driving distance close: Pattaya. Little did I know, Pattaya had it's own "craziness" in itself!!

It was so neat to see the different things there that they considered normal, everyday stuff.

Like this street cart parked in the middle of the road serving everything on a stick. And this isn't even half of it! This is the "G" rated review of Pattaya!

Of course they had a McDonalds!!

It was the little things that fascinated me...

In the back of our "taxi"

Pattaya

Hard Rock!!

I thought this was funny...

Me, Hyla, Jeanine, and Lorelei

The House of the Ladyboys...this was an awesome show!!

"I can't get over that 400 Baht!!!"-famous words spoken by me.

Boyz Town was for the boyz...

Infamous Walking Street!!

This was CRAZY!! I won't even begin to tell you the things I saw!! Imagine it and, yes, I saw it!

Lorelei and I in front of our fave spot on Walking Street.

The girls inside the Candyshop...

The Icebar...

was soooo cool! I wish there was one wherever I lived!!

We hopped on a plane and took a flight to Chiang Mai to spend the rest of our vaca there. 2 days in Pattaya was enough!!

We did see a protest there...not violent at the moment, but I guess the potential was great.

Once in Chiang Mai, Lorelei and I got another massage to relax. The one we got in Pattaya wasn't enough!!

The Spa...

Our room...

Onto Maesa Elephant Camp!

I did love coming here. It was neat and interesting, but I still felt a little bad for the elephants. I was told that elephant camps are very popular in Thailand because they produce a lot of revenue from the tourists. But because Thailand is so heavily populated, camps are almost necessary because they would not be able to survive and run in the wild. Most all of the elephants in Thailand were domesticated at some point and used for logging. When logging became illegal, elephant camps were created because they could not be returned to the wild. The younger elephants were born in the camps. The camp and it's motives, training techniques, and care of the animals are what separate the bad camps from the good ones. Luckily, we went to one of the "good" camps.

We took an hour long ride.

We watched a show put on by the elephants where they played soccer, danced, showed off their training techniques, painted, and even played musical instruments.

I didn't believe the paintings they were selling there were really done by the elephants until I saw it for myself. Amazing!!

Funny at first...

Then, not so funny when they were fighting to kiss me!

"Okay!! I'm getting outta here!"

Flight of the Gibbon Ziplining!

Our awesome tour guide!

Look!! I'm eating Thai food!!

No, really!! Look! It's IN my mouth!!

Onto the Maekampong Waterfall...

We came across a tree blessed by a monk...interesting.

On the way to the temple, the stars again aligned for us, and we were lucky to run into a Thai Buddhist funeral procession. They walked for about 2 miles from the temple to the family's house. It was led by several monks. The immediate family were the ones that held the fancy pink thing with the casket inside. They lit off firecrackers all along the way too...to drive off the spirit to heaven. This funeral was for a teenage boy who died of an inherited disease. Our taxi cab driver knew the family, that's how we found out so much information. He said that everyone in their small village get together to help the family on this day. They help with the funeral details, the food, the gathering at the house, and all the cleanup. That way, the family has only to focus on their grieving.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple

The temple was actually under repair due to a recent earthquake.

It is believed to be good luck to the visitor who strikes all the bells here.

It is also believed to be good luck to do the following ritual: Take your own bell (which you may inscribe) , circle the golden pagoda three times (the bell shaped building in the center of the temple that holds a relic of the Buddha) while praying (to my own God in this instance) and then light the incense and candles, place them in their proper place and then you can pray at the Pra Ubosote while laying your flower there. You can then place your bell anywhere on the red fence surrounding the pagoda where it will remain forever.

The place where you light and place the 3 candles and 3 incense.

My Bell...

Platz bell and Brownfield bell...

Me at the entrance....this was an awesome cultural experience.

This little girl was just outside the temple at the bottom of the stairs with her mother and infant brother. The mother would let you take pictures of the little girl for a baht donation. I didn't realize until afterwards that this was the mothers sole source of income. Another harsh reality of the poverty in Thailand. My friend, Hyla, can speak Thai and told the little girl to do well in her studies and she will become something great. It's sad to think that this little girl is already being taught at such a young age that her youth and beauty is the key to her survival and money.

Now onto another adventure: Tiger Kingdom!!

Now that's a comfy pillow!

Sorta' like a kitty cat but not quite...

Now on to the big tooth!!

Creepin'....yes, I was nervous and scared!!!

Still thinking I'm crazy!!

A little bit more relaxed, but still thinking WTH??

You want me to do what?!? Lay on him?!? This is the picture of him right when he saw something. He jumped up, and I was like "Woah!!"

Lorelei and I...I wish I knew what we were laughing about!!

Waiting to take the train from Chiang Mai back towards Bangkok near the end of our trip. This was NOT a great idea...overnight train in uncomfortable metal seats, hot and sticky, with a disgusting bathroom and no food...yuck...

Hyla's uncle picked us up from the train station and we headed to Ayutthaya. This sign peaked my attention. I never really have gotten over the fact that you have to pay for the bathroom facilities and then have to pay again for toilet paper. It was cheap, but I always forgot to buy the TP before going into the stalls!!

Ayutthaya was founded by King U-Thong in 1350 and he proclaimed it the capital of his kingdom. In 1767, it was invaded and destroyed by the Burmese Army. They burned the temples and buildings for the melted gold. The ruins of the old city now form the Ayutthaya historical park, which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This is the remains of Wat Mahathat, a royal monastery.

After the fall of the kingdom, many thieves invaded the ruins and tried to steal the Buddha statues to sell to museums and the black market. But because they were too heavy, they just stole all of the heads. None of the heads remained intact except the one above, which was actually rebuilt for tourism.

The remains of kings are in these 3 pagodas still...they are sealed with cement. The middle is the father and the two outer chedis house the remains of his two sons.

Yep, I was really here...pic to prove...

The Sanctuary of Truth is located on the seashoreof Rachvate Cape, Pattaya. It is a replica of ancient art, but is the power of contemporary creation. It is all built of wood, to meet the intention of constructing the real "Wooden Sanctuary". It started construction in 1981 and is estimated to take many more years to be finally complete.

The truth that is shown through the Sanctuary is the relationship between human beings and the universe, which are the father, the mother, the earth, the sky, the sun, the moon, and the stars. They are supposed to be the truth of being human that eastern philosophers had searched for and discovered from time extending beyond the reach of memory. Not sure if I totally get that idea, but the art was still amazing!!

This is a picture of someone working on the wood carvings...

Can you believe this is carved out of wood??

I have no idea what these were for, but of course I had to ring them!!

More of the intricate carvings...

Lorelei wasn't allowed inside because of her short shorts. They made her buy a sarong!! Here she is showing off some leg. Lol...

The tourists...

Us inside...

We had a personal tour guide who explained all of the different sections of the Sanctuary to us. This is a picture of the ceiling.

This girl was supposed to represent the princess of the Sanctuary. You weren't supposed to take pictures of her...well, actually you could but for a hefty price! I "snuck" one in while she was on break...

More of the wood carvings...

Oh, YUMMY!! Roti Saai Mhai!! This was the best silky cotton candy taco thing ever! haha...

Our last stop on our adventure was at Hyla's aunt's house for some good old Thai home cooking. On the menu?? Kowpadpong (Egg Fried Rice), Basil Stir Fry (Sweet and Holy basil-two kinds), Tomkhagai (Ginger Lemongrass soup), Fried Salty Beef, Ginger stir fried beef, Panana Stir Fry, Chicken custard mousse, soup of herbs, Mango with salt/sugar/pepper mix, Papaya salad, BBQ chicken with sticky rice, Rambutan, Green onion and cucumber, and Mango sticky rice. When the Thai cook for company, they mean business!!

Egg Fried Rice!

There's nothing like hand grinding your own herbs...from your own yard!!

Everything was crazy delicious!! And I was able to write down 3 recipes to take home. No, I haven't made anything yet...no excuses :-(

Again I will say this was an amazing vacation. The memories will be cherished forever!!