Posted by Jackie Hewett on Tue 23rd September 2008 at 03:09 AM, Filed in Far East, November
This show has been going since 1960 in the Ban Ta Klang Elephant Village in the Surin province (about 450 km from Bangkik), and is organised by the Thai tourist authority. In 2008 it falls on 22nd and 23rd November.
Throughout history elephants have been well respected in Thailand and held as a symbol of power and grace. Today most Thai elephant owners and mahouts are descendents of the Kui tribe who originated from Cambodia and settled in north east Thailand. They are famed for their expertise in capturing, domesticating and training wild elephants and treat these large mammals as part of heir family.
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I stayed at this hotel between Christmas and New Year a few years ago, and the Christmas decorations were still in evidence. Koh Samui Island is not large, and the hotel was barely a 10 minute drive from the airport, but I don’t recall hearing any airplane noise during my stay.
Chaweng Regent Gardens
I was fortunate to stay in one of the royal suites (in bungalow style accommodation right at the beach edge). To get to the room there was a (very pleasant) walk around a large fish pond with water-lilies and lush gardens. I believe that staying in the rooms adjourning the fish pond can be a bit mosquito-ridden so I would avoid staying in those. Our room was beautiful, we had a smallish outside seating area, a lounge area with tv and privacy screens, then into the bedroom (all in beautiful ‘blond’ wood) with another tv, off to the side was a dressing room leading to a black marble bathroom with the obligatory Jacuzzi. All very tastefully done.
Entrance to our Royal Suite
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Situated a couple of hours by ferry from Singapore (see things to do in Singapore) Bintan Island, and especially the Banyan Tree Resort, is a little piece of heaven, and a popular week-end escape for Singaporeans who can afford to visit. The resort is situated at the north western tip of the Island.
The hotel has a great spa - I indulged in a lovely ‘Lomi Lomi’ (Hawaiian) massage which was extremely relaxing rather than the more ‘sports style’ massage. The Banyan Tree also has an outdoor yoga pavilion overlooking the sea – well worth a visit. You can join in group sessions or book a private yoga lesson for up to 2 people. The hotel has 2 beautiful pools, one is circular on the ‘middle level’ near where the spa is and the other is down by the beach – a few minutes walk from the central areas.
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Posted by Jackie Hewett on Mon 8th September 2008 at 12:36 AM, Filed in Far East
I personally don’t like Singapore that much, especially when compared to other places in the Far East such as Thailand and Bali which both seem more culturally rich and steeped in history. The Island city feels claustrophobic and ‘plastic’. By that I mean everything seemed too clean, perfect and sanitised, even the press! Newspapers are factual, but bland, with no in-depth comment or analysis of political figures, their decisions or current affairs, ditto news reports on radio and TV. This seems to pervade the whole culture of the country. Everyone is almost ‘too good’ and law abiding. Many of the recommended tourist attractions I found somewhat contrived such as the man-made pleasure island of Sentosa and the much heralded zoo. Zoos aren’t places I generally choose to spend much time in and if that’s one of the main tourist attractions I am not too impressed!
The Merlion
That said Singapore does have its good points. Obviously it’s a useful stop-over destination en-route between Europe and places like Hong Kong, Bali and Australia. It is great for a couple of things – food (a huge variety and wonderful quality) and shopping. Also, if you need to work somewhere in the Far East it is probably a great base – things work very efficiently here and I presume it is easy to get your stuff fixed, unlike some of the nearby countries.
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This is arguably on of the largest Buddhist celebrations in the world, and over one million people attend annually (July / August) – so it will be crowded! Kandy’s Temple of the Sacred Tooth was built on the edge of Lake Kandy specifically to house the left canine of Buddha that was allegedly salvaged from his funeral pyre. It is said to be the most revered Buddhist object and in 1988 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Kandy Temple
The original wooden temple was built between 1687 and 1707 but it was destroyed during the colonial wars in the 18th century. It has since been replaced by a stone temple. The tooth now rests on a gold lotus flower within jeweled caskets (so it can’t be seen) and is ‘protected’ by two elephant tusks. During the festival the tooth use to be paraded around Kandy but today it remains within the temple and a replica is paraded. The procession today still has elaborately decorated elephants, fire dancers, torchbearers, jugglers, musicians, acrobats and more.
The Parade
On the last night of the festival (10th day) millions enter the temple holding candles and circumnavigate the shrine to pay their respects making a very photogenic sight.
