Bring in the tigers!

So at the risk of being less creative, but more expedient, I give you the quick story of my visit to the Tiger Temple. It’s a temple, there are tigers and here are the photos. OK, I can do a bit better than that…

About 2 hours outside of Bangkok there is a temple where the story goes something like this – 10 years ago someone left an abandoned tiger cub. They monks raised it and over the years their brood has expand to include some 8-10 tigers and several tiger cubs. In fact they have the highest birth rate for tigers in captivity in the world, a feat to which they attribute the tigers’ happiness living with the monks.


The most unique part of the experience of visiting Tiger Temple is that you can in fact interact with, feed and cuddle these beasts. It was beyond surreal and by far the coolest thing I have seen and done in Thailand. See for yourself:

Koh Ngai - just another weekend in paradise....

Koh Ngai was in fact so remote that none of the Thai's I told I was going had even heard of it! When I explained to them we were going to fly to southern Thailand (1 hr), drive (3 hrs) and take a boat (1 hr), they then knew why they had never been. It was explained to me that all that travel to go somewhere that was just another island was viewed as a ridiculous amount of effort, when there are so many island getaways within 2-3 hours of Bangkok.



With that said, it was totally worth it. We were in fact one of 10 guests on the WHOLE island. Imagine…..

- A whole hotel staff attending to your needs

- Uninterrupted waterside naps




- Snorkeling in seemingly untouched waters

- Running on the beach, morning and evening, without seeing a soul



- Collecting perfect shells untouched or trampled by tourist feet

- Perfect, perfect sunrises and sunsets from your bed which is all of 20 feet from the shoreline (see the photo below, yes that is the window that my bed faced)



- Hiking from one side of the island to the other and hearing nothing but the chirp and twitter of jungle creatures

- A massive gecko living on the doorsill, creepy at first ‘til I realized he was eating all the mosquitos!


Hmmmm, yes indeed it was a long way to go for a simple island….but it was in fact this simplicity and peace that will lure me back again.

Boracay, Philippines

I work with many Filipinos, many....so many in fact that we call them the 'Filipino Mafia' as it seems they run the entire Bangkok operation. The thing about Filipinos is that they are wonderfully, warm, fun, optimistic and engaging people. I've yet to meet one that does not embrace life with the most inspiring of attitudes. So when some of my Filipino coworkers invite me to go to Boracay with them over a long holiday weekend, I did not hesitate.

As you no doubt know, it is amazing to visit new countries and cultures, but even more so when one does it with local guidance.We flew into Manila and spent one night, leaving bright and early the next day to make our way to the island of Boracay. Boracay has a reputation of being the most beautiful island in all of Asia, and as far as I can tell this reputation is well earned. I have never in my life seen such amazing crystal blue water and such powdery white sands. I don't know why it is that the earth's most beautiful places are so damn hard to get to, but 1.5 days and 2 planes, a few taxis, a motorbike and a ferry later, there we were....in paradise.
The things you do in "Bora" (as the locals call it) are typical kinds of beach activities, but somehow they take on a new level of enjoyment in such a beautiful place. Fresh fish and crab, cold San Miguel local beer, beachside massages under the palm trees, naps in the sun. The Filipinos say that magical things happen in Boracay and I believe them.
And then there was the "Flying Fish." Very uncharacteristic of me, but apparently at 36 one can still be vulnerable to peer pressure....I joined 2 coworkers (as you will see clearly not Filippino!) on this crazy float of sorts pulled by a power boat. It stayed airborne almost the entire time, I screamed almost the entire time, but it was in fact fun!
Four amazing days in Boracay....and I do not have many photos to show for it because we were in the water so much. But I must share with you the sunset....this is the sunset that both inspires one to poetry and stuns one into breathless silence. Beyond what words can describe...I only hope the photos give you some ounce of the transformation that takes places as day becomes night in splendid Boracay. I will return.....if for no other reason than to see the sunset again.

Hamburg & Paris in the Springtime

Because of some meetings and work events in Europe, I managed to spend 15 days in Hamburg, Germany and Paris, France in April. Somehow 15 days flew by, but I then again I did pack in so very much....not knowing when I would find myself in Europe again.

HAMBURG:
Well my first trip to Germany was to Hamburg and a bit of a whirlwind. I had meeting with a supplier so was there less than 48 hours for a meeting, but I tried to make the most of the 1 night I had there.
We managed to squeeze in German beer (Hefeweizen is an old favorite I wanted to sample in situ); a harbor tour; dinner on the water with a local Germain Riesling, and a lunch of the famous German sausages.
PARIS:
13 days in Paris was in a word - magnificent. While I could have stayed longer in Hamburg, I rushed to Paris to meet a girlfriend who lives in Europe. We met up in Paris for a weekend of shopping, champagne and such other girly stuff. I had 4 days before my meeting started so we made the most of it - burning up the credit cards the whole way, Euro be damned. While those of you who know me well understand I am not price insensitive, but the sad reality is NOTHING fits me in Asia. Not shoes, not clothes, not even underwear. I am simply too big....sigh. So I decided suffer the abysmal Euro to Dollar exchange rate and stock up.
So aside from shopping, I also:

• Visited Versailles Palace about 30 min outside the city....which the palace itself is spectacular, the gardens are the thing that takes one's breath away.

• Went to a champagne tasting and dinner in the Alain Ducasse's restaurant Le Jules Verne.

• Had a private tour of the major works of art in the Louvre after closing time. This was arranged by work as clearly I don't think I could have had this access as an individual. I stood right beside the Mona Lisa and am told often the room that houses it cannot often be entered because it is so full. So many people come here and never even get a glimpse, much less get to pose with it!

• Enjoyed Paris nightlife with some friends and colleagues from work. This is myself and a Thai friend leaving dinner at the Eiffel Tower.

While I love living in Asia, I did notice some strange preoccupations of mine in Europe....largely due to deprivation in the Asian lifestyle. I could not get enough bread....ah beautiful buttery croissants, brown bread with oats and grains, and even the simple baguette. Cheese was consumed in alarming quantities, as was wine. And this may be strange, but should give you some insight into my life in Bangkok...I was beside myself with sheer delight at having proper napkins and plush toilet paper. I guess the septic system in Asia can only handle toilet paper so thin that it is practically translucent. In fact in my own home, I feel like I am going to the toilet of the NY Port Authority Bus Station given the dreadful paper quality. But I digress.....

So...many calories, designer dresses and beautiful shoes later I came back to Bangkok. Remembering why I like it here so much too - cheap massages, 50cent beers and my full-time housekeeper. Ahhh, home again :)