Visiting an Elephant School at Chiang Mai

On our way home to Phitsanulok from Chiang Mai last week, we dropped by at Chiang Dao Elephant Training Center located at Ta Yaak Village which is about 56 kilometers from the city of Chiang Mai. It is a place where elephants are trained, educated, developed and molded into better ele-tribe members. 

An elephant school it is!

In this training center, the elephants are literally trained to crouch down on "all fours", lower their front legs and head, pick up small things and hand them over to their trainer/master, drag logs, carry logs using their tusk, push logs by their tusk and trunk, pile up logs and whether you believe it or not - the elephants in this school are also trained to paint. 

In that brief stop, I was lucky to witness for myself the elephants performing their tricks. Here's some of the photos I took using my Samsung Nexus.

Elephants pulling logs guided by their trainers.

After every performed trick/skill, elephants take a graceful bow to the delight of their onlookers.

An elephant doing a self-portrait.

How is this for an end-product?

The paintings are being sold at 500 baht each. 

When the show ends, elephants will go closer to their audience for a treat of sugarcane from them.

I bet for these trainers, not dogs but these elephants are their best friends.

World's Largest Buddha Statue: I Was There!

Unknown to many, Phuket is not just the cradle of Thailand's best beaches but it also is the home of Thailand's biggest Buddha image named PhraputthaMingmongkolEaknakakeeree enshrined on top of Mount Nakkerd.

This all white statue is so far the world's largest, constructed with white jade marble. It measures 25.45 meters wide and standing at 45 meters high.

Governed by the country's top engineers and designers, this structure was constructed to commemorate the King's 80th birthday in December 2007.

Because it is located on top of the mountain, being there gives you a bird's eye view of the whole Phuket town - beaches on the other side and green forested areas at the other. Aside from this huge white statue, there are other golden images related to Buddhist faith found in the place or if your thing is meditation, you can also join in one of the meditation sessions.

El Nido, Palawan: I Was There!

Phuket again? Nope. 

This one is in El Nido, Palawan.

If Thailand has Phuket to brag about, Philippines has Palawan as a counterpart. Both places have their common denominator - cool beaches, exquisite islands and beautiful lagoons to explore. 

When I had my island hopping in Phuket last April, it was like traveling in El Nido. Take this photo for example, if I'd show this side by side with a photograph taken from Phi Phi Island (Phuket), one would hardly spot the difference. This is not surprising at all. In fact, Palawan is listed as one of the best beach destination in the world. 

El Nido, if given MORE of the concerted efforts of the government and the citizens will continue to be flocked with local and foreign visitors because tour agencies have well-organized and very affordable tour packages. Hotels may be a little bit pricey but there are also local inns that offer as much as 300 pesos per day. Aside from that, foods are great and the locals are warm and friendly which makes El Nido an excellent choice for your next get away destination. 

Shop, Hop at Terminal 21

How about shopping or window shopping or sight seeing around the world in just 60 seconds? Sounds cool but impossible, right? Maybe not!

From outside, Terminal 21 located at Asoke intersection, connected with the BTS Asoke and MRT Sukumvhit Stations simply looks like an airport terminal to me. What is an airport doing in one of the busiest streets in Bangkok? Well, Terminal 21 is not a real terminal but a shopping mall but again it's not just an ordinary shopping mall like the rest. Each floor will take you to various cities around the world so shopping means traveling and enjoying the sights when shoppers hit every different floor.

Think of the most famous cities  for shopping and you may just find it here - Tokyo City, London, Istanbul, San Francisco, Hollywood. Now, who needs 80 days to roam around the world when you can do it in 80 minutes and you can even shop till you drop?

So, when you are in Bangkok, this is a terminal you shouldn't miss. You'll love it.

Dream Destinations (Series 4): Holborn, UK

A History of Stadiums in the Heart of Holborn

This summer in the UK is all about sports. Not only are we in the middle of the European Championship, but we’ve still got Wimbledon and the 2012 London Olympics to look forward to. Which is why the exhibition exploring the origins of the world's great sporting arenas in Sir John Soane’s Museum in Holborn should be particularly interesting for sports fans.

A unique opportunity for sport and architecture enthusiasts, from 6^th July to 22^nd September, the Stadia: Sport and Vision in Architecture will give visitors the chance to take a close look at the relationship between history's sporting events and the iconic structures in which they took place, and there’s even a Travelodge hotel in Holborn for those wanting to stay overnight and make the most of their trip to London.

Sir John Soane's Museum (Google Image)

Ranging from the religious sporting competitions of ancient Greece and the often bloody games of the imperial Roman circus through to the modern sporting arena, the exhibition will explore the origins of the modern sports stadium in antiquity and will look at how modern architects have both responded to this legacy and gone beyond it, as well as introducing Sir John Soane's new temporary exhibition gallery designed by the architects Caruso St John.


Inspiring architects from the 15^th century onwards to create some of the largest and most technically accomplished buildings ever built, some of the great monuments of the classical past include the Coliseum, Rome, or the Hippodrome, Constantinople (Istanbul), with the legacy continuing in the great sporting arenas and stadiums that have been raised to house important events today, for example the Olympic Stadium at Stratford.

Dream Destinations (Series 3): Benidorm

Benidorm: Not Just about the Nightlife

Sun, sea and Sangria are a lot of people’s perfect vacation combination.  With holidays abroad on the up, many holidaymakers still don’t like travelling far; the south-east coast of Spain is perfect as it’s only a few hours on a plane.  Package holidays make for a stress free time in the sun.  Cheap holidays to Benidorm are majorly on the increase due to the weather, cheap flights and beautiful beaches as well as the ITV show Benidorm helping to boost the areas popularity. 

Apart from Benidorm’s obvious appeals, what else does this Spanish treasure have to offer tourists?   How about art and culture?  There are a number of popular museums and art galleries open providing tourists and local residents an alternative to the mainstream nightclubs and theme parks. 

Just like London, Hong Kong and Las Vegas, Benidorm has its own Wax Museum - Museo de Cera - offering tourists a chance to get up close and personal with legends such as Sean Connery, Clint Eastwood and Sharon Stone to name a few.

Benidorm by Night 

If giant dolls aren’t your cup of tea, how about an insight into the famous history of the Benidorm and Alicante area.  The Agricultural Museum - Museo Agricola - is an old winery that's been transformed into a museum giving an insight into old farming methods and hand crafts that have all but disappeared, so this is a must see and with admission at just 5 euros you can’t go wrong.

There is also the House Museum - Casa Museo - which will keep the art lovers happy. A contemporary art museum set inside a 19^th century building, holding a good collection of sculptures and paintings and hosting visiting exhibitions all year round.

A Benidorm holiday offers a lot more than hangovers and sun burns.  Thousands of tourists return to this beautiful city and every time they are mesmerised by the history and culture.