Bangkok - New Years Eve

Many people know of my hatred for Valentine's Day.  But I'm quickly adding a second holiday to my hated list and that is New Years Eve.  I thought being in Bangkok would solve the problem of an expensive holiday, overpriced prix fixe menus, and amateur night out at the bars and restaurants in a big city.  No luck.

Our hotel had several NYE offerings.  All were extremely expensive though.  There is a Times Square type of celebration downtown but we were worried about not being able to get a taxi back to our hotel and we were located on the opposite side of the river so walking wasn't an option.  All the river cruises were charge at least three times as much as they would on a normal night.  Since Thailand actually celebrates the Thai New Year in April, I'd heard the Thais don't really celebrate NYE like westerners do. I figured we'd hit up a casual local restaurant nearby and then head to the river for the fireworks.

Oh no.  All the restaurants in our neighborhood were closed.  There was nothing to eat at our hotel because every eatery was hosting a NYE party and was closed.  We were told the pool bar was open until 8 pm but when we went to go eat it was closed and we had to order room service.

So the bottom line is NYE in a different country still requires lots of cash and planning.

We were able to book a massage at Healthland Spa, a local place I found recommended on Trip Advisor, at the last minute at 8:30 pm for a couples massage.  Nick had never had a massage before.

In the US, the masseuse is very careful to completely drape you and cover up all your private bits.  Not so in Thailand!  They had us undress in front of them and hop in the shower.  By the time it was Nick's turn they were out of the room so he was able to undress in private.  He hopped on the massage table still in his boxers.  His masseuse insisted in a combination of broken English and hand gestures that he had to put on this little spandex brief thing instead.  At this point his eyes are shooting daggers at me for making him do this and I'm trying extremely hard not to laugh.  I will not be able to convince him to ever get another massage.  That's fine.  More for me.

I would really recommend Healthland Spa.  They have several locations all over Bangkok.  The prices are cheap.  You can find cheaper but the quality of the cheap places can vary.  I think our hour long massages were $20 each.  The rooms were very nice, the masseuses were excellent and professional.

Back at our hotel we headed next door to a little local bar on the river to grab a drink and watch the fireworks.  Except they didn't have any more tables outside so we had to sit indoors.  I must admit, it was nice to not be freezing my butt off on NYE.

All of the hotels on the river put on a fireworks show and we had a beautiful front row view along the railing next to the river.  Total NYE cost = $50 for 2 massages, tip, & taxi + $8 for beers at the bar next door.  Much better than all the options that were $100/person or more.

Bangkok - Wat Arun

Wat Arun is the last of the 3 main temples in Bangkok that we visited.  It is across the river from Wat Pho and Wat Phra Kaew/Grand Palace.  Wat Arun is also known as the Temple of the Dawn.  The entry fee is 50 Baht.

Once again, the temple was beautiful and extremely ornate and colorful.  Wat Arun is distinguished by it's very high central prang.  The climb down from there was terrifying as the steps are extremely steep.

Proper attire is required here, as at all temples.

Bangkok - Fishing Village

We decided to book the fishing village excursion through Tong after hearing the praise my friend had for their day at the village.  We had Charlie as our guide for the fishing village tour as well.

The fishing village is located about an hour outside of Bangkok, not far from the floating market and the train market.  Unfortunately, an excursion to this particular fishing village can only be booked through Tong, and as I mentioned before, I wouldn't recommend her tour business.  The upside was it wasn't crowded with tourists.

The main source of income for the people who live in this area is fishing for cockles and mussels.

We brought bunches of bananas with to feed the monkeys.

This monkey hopped in our boat which scared the crap out of me.  He was inches away from me.

Then he swiped his little paw at my leg.

And then he reached into the bag of bananas and took several of them.

These huts are used by many to overlook their area of the "farm" and make sure outsiders aren't fishing in their territory.

This is where we ate our delicious seafood lunch.

These are huts that you can rent and do an overnight at.  I'd love to do that if we go back.  It was so peaceful and beautiful in the fishing village.

Bangkok - Elephant Camp

The last stop of our very long day was to the elephant camp.  Originally we had planned to stop at a different elephant camp on the way back for an elephant ride and an elephant bath that was closer to the floating market.  But we were at the Tiger Temple for hours waiting to feed and play with the baby tigers and wouldn't get back there before closing.

So Charlie suggested this elephant camp nearby.  Honestly I'd skip it.  The elephant ride wasn't very exciting, it was very bumpy, and they were kind of rude.  When we were climbing off the back of the elephant they asked where their tip was.  We know, we know, just let us get off the giant animal first.

Verdict:  not worth the time or money.  Plus the elephant ride was just damn uncomfortable.

Bangkok - Tiger Temple

The Tiger Temple was our favorite part of the whole trip.  This was our main purpose for hiring Charlie for the day.

The Tiger Temple is operated by a group of Buddhist monks.  It was started when a local farmer brought a wounded tiger to the temple years ago.  Now they have many tigers, both those born at the Tiger Temple and those who were injured and rescued.

There are also many other animals on the site including deer, water buffalo, cows, peacocks, and bears.  Most wander around in the open except for the bear Bam-Bam and her boyfriend.  The monks have them sequestered from the tourists trying to get a baby bear.

We started out by getting to walk with the tigers down to the canyon.

In the canyon you get to take pictures with several of the tigers.

We walked back up to where we started the walk down to the canyon and spent some time petting and posing with several of the tigers.

By far the best part of the visit and of the whole trip was getting to play and feed the 4 month old tigers.

Because our guide wasn't confirmed in advance, Charlie didn't know we were interested in this and got us the last spots of the day for this activity.  Unfortunately this meant we spent a lot of time in the middle of the hot day waiting.  We visited the other animals and fed the deer, Sweet Eyes.  Sweet Eyes loved Charlie and stuck her mouth into his backpack because she knew he had a snack of corn for her.

We got to go into their cage for 45 minutes.  This is an extra fee and was 1000 baht per person.  This was the best $65 we have ever spent for the 2 of us.

Tiger in stealth stalking mode.

These awesome looking boots were to protect our feet and legs from the tigers.  When we first got in their cage one of the tigers rolled over out of nowhere while I was petting her and swiped at my leg and scratched my knee a little bit.  I was glad I had the moon boots.

We got to feed the baby tigers with a baby bottle.

I just want to take this baby tiger home with me.

See, I'd be a great tiger mommy.

Look how big their paws are.  There was a 1 month old tiger at the temple.  It was about the size of a house cat.  I really wanted to take it home with me.  That tells you how much they grow in only a few months though.

This tiger knows her food is up there.

Chowing down on some chicken.