Wildlife minus the Wild

Weak and tired, we make our way back to the Banger. We pay twice as much to take a “VIP” bus overnight- this way we get bigger seats and a bathroom on board. It is worth it! We had planned to head to Angkor Wat (Cambodia) from here...we gathered information from several travel agencies and began planning. We have concluded that we have nothing left. No more drive. No energy. We are tired after walking short distances, our bowels remain completely unpredictable. We write off Angkor, the hassle of the visa, the 12 hour ride on a mud road, the landmines...we just aren’t up for the challenge and use our better judgement not to go. We will get there someday!!
I can let go of Angkor, but I hold tight to Chiang Mai! We take a 14 hour overnight train ride (equipped with bathrooms) and arrive to Thailands second largest city. Chiang Mai doesn’t feel like a city of 2 million, there are no skyscrapers and few modern buildings. We quickly find a hotel and across the street is a little cafe with a wide selection of international food. I find french toast with the option of ‘maple syrup’ or honey. I was soooo excited!! Although the syrup wasn’t the real deal, it was a taste of home :)
I really wanted to see some wildlife here in Thailand- I mean the cockroaches are really cute and all but I wanted elephants! So, we hired a car and driver for a day and headed out to see wildlife, but not in the wild. Chiang Mai has a bunch of “camps” or “schools” for animals. I don’t know where the “reserves” or “sanctuaries” are- I’m sure they must exist somewhere, but with limited time we are driven to the camps. First stop: Elephants. I think elephants are one of the neatest creatures! The size is unreal and the dexterity with the trunk is fascinating! You can’t even hear them coming- they are able to walk silently! The only thing I don’t like are the eyes, they have these beady yellow jungle eyes. There are over 70 elephants at the camp. They used to be used as working animals in Thailand but that industry has diminished. Now, its all about tourism. At home we would never feed animals (only squirrels and whiskey jacks) but this is Thailand and there are signs encouraging visitors to “please feed the elephants” and little stands selling bunches of banana’s and sugar cane. I guess it helps with the upkeep? So of course I’m going to feed them and Steve buys us some snacks for them. Steve is a logical thinker and prepares the food away from the corral of hungry elephants. This is smart, during the visit we watch as elephants steal entire bunches of banana’s out of the hands of unsuspecting feeders! They just shove a whole bunch right in their mouths! Its crazy! The bananas are smaller here, but the bunches are made up of at least a dozen bananas! We watch the trainers wash the elephants in a river and then there is an elephant parade/performance. This is where the elephant visit gets weird. Eating and bathing are natural kinds of things, but seeing elephants do trained things is strange. They play soccer and throw darts, they paint abstract art, they bow and wave...its neat to see how intelligent and trainable they are, but at the same time so completely unnatural. We get photos with the elephants- they smell like wet rags- and we say good bye.
Next stop: Monkey School. Although we’ve seen many monkeys during our trip we choose this stop because the other option was the snake center. Steve absolutely hates snakes so we went to see the “tree rats”. I saw some tiny monkeys in Ko Samui that looked like little stuffed animals and I hoped to see some of them here. But the only ones of this breed I saw were adults in a cage, I hadn’t realized the ones in the south were babies and that made me sad to wonder what happened with the mothers...I thought the elephants were trained to be unnatural but the monkeys were far more out there! They put on a show where the monkeys do human things like lift weights, ride bikes, play basket ball...all the while on a leash. These monkeys looked like little tiny people dressed in monkey suits. They ask for a volunteer from the audience, so I go. They tie ropes on my wrists and the monkey comes to untie me. They say “don’t make eye contact, he doesn’t like that” so then I was nervous. The monkey had soft wet fingers and was quick to untie me. Later he sat on my lap for a photo- they say “don’t touch him, he might pee on you” so then I was nervous. There were at least a dozen other monkeys at the school, sadly they were chained to posts in the ground and just ran in circles. There were signs explaining “monkeys can be dangerous and therefore must be chained, we untie them at 5pm” but I think it was a poor set up. I bought banana’s and tossed one to each monkey. Although the monkeys appeared ready to catch bananas three of them were so out of sorts or lacking hand and eye coordination that the tossed banana smacked them right on their heads. We saw some three week old babies in a small cage- no mothers in site...we didn’t like this place. Although monkeys can be brats and jump into your rooftop cafe and steal stuff off the table and run away, I would prefer to see them anywhere but in this school.
Final stop: Tiger Kingdom. The tiger kingdom seems like a nice place. We have lunch on a patio that overlooks a tiger den housing 5 large tigers. The tigers are playing in a pond, sleeping in the grass, and posing with tourists. Thats right, you can hang out in a tiger den here. Apparently the health and safety regulations regarding predatory animals are different here- or maybe non-existent. Either way, I am ready to take advantage of this rare opportunity while Steve watches from the safety of the balcony. I’m not ready to visit the rather super sized kitties, and Steve doesn’t want me going anywhere near them, so I head for the little ones. The ‘kittens’ are 5 months old and are already around the 200lbs mark. Its mid afternoon and the baby tigers are sleepy from the heat -phew! I was feeling confident before going in the den, but when I was actually in a fenced area with a pack of 5 brother tigers I began to feel a little vulnerable. There were tiger keepers in there with me of course, but we all know kitties like to play- and play can be quick and unpredictable! Anyway, there was an Aussie working there, I asked how he got a job here (ie: qualifications?) and he said “oh I just showed up and they hired me- do you want some work?” Yikes. The tigers were amazing! They are beautiful! The fur was coarse and their paws were bigger than my hands. The sleepiest tiger in the bunch was named Oliver! The Aussie grabbed Oliver by the front paws and slid him into my lap. Apparently a tiger’s body temperature is 2 degrees higher than humans- so little Oliver was one heck of a heating pad! This experience was awesome and absolutely unforgettable!
Later that night I enjoy some lemon meringue pie and Steve has a peanut butter cookie at the cafe, then we wander around the night market. I buy a couple necklaces and a teak elephant- which doesn’t have beady yellow eyes :) Our time here was short, tiring, and wonderful! Only three days in Chaing Mai and we are back on the train for Bangkok.

A Lesson in Giardia (aka Beaver Fever)

The mere mention of the word “Giardia” can send a shiver down any hikers spine. We’ve always been diligent about treating water while out in the woods (ok, MOST of the time!!) and after experiencing Giardia first hand we will take this lil parasite more seriously. We’ve learnt a lot about this illness and its effects while in Ko Samui (aka Ko Sam pooie)- this may not be a pleasant update (I can assure you we are fine) but it is what we have been dealing with on this part of our Journey.

Ok, we left Railay and came to the Island of Ko Samui which is on the other side of Thailand. The day of travel was long as we made our way via long boat, bus, ferry, and then pick-up truck taxi. We found a room (well, the room found us) and conked out. We are on the busiest beach on the Island- Chaweng. There are many people and shops and restaurants and the beach itself has nice white sand and blue water.

We woke up and Steve was not feeling well and he began having the extremely watery stools that we both experienced in Bangkok. Oh man, that again? So, feeling fine, I set out on a mission to get Steve some goodies and was even planning to sign up for a tour of the island while Steve rested. I discussed the matter with a pharmacist and she insisted he needs electrolytes and good bacteria in his belly. I agreed however I was initially after some antibiotics. She thought that would be worse for him, so I agreed we’d try this other regime. All we could do was wait and see what would happen, but all morning he was going, and by the afternoon I too was experiencing our Bangkok bowel problem. So, we knew it wasn’t just travelers diarrhea and considering the places we’ve recently been we looked into giardia which we’d joked about it in Bangkok.

With any infection, signs and symptoms vary from person to person and each of us were exhibiting most of them. We both suffered from the loose stools, severe stomach cramping, gas, bloating and a lack of appetite. We became extremely fatigued. Steve developed a rash that looked something like acne all over his back, and I had the addition of yucky nausea. There are smells in the hospital that make me gag, but I have never gagged at my own smell- until now. The smell is unbelievably horrendous which sent up another red flag.

I read about the drugs for treating giardia and headed to three different pharmacies in search of the most effective one. Not available. But I found a pharmacist who knew what giardia was and seemed really knowledgeable on the subject and treatment. She gave me what we know as Flagyl (the antibiotic) at home which is effective in 85-90% of cases. She suggested no milk, fruit juice, or alcohol. We spent most of the next 3 days in bed/bathroom. It was awful- our bodies were aching from being so immobile. We were getting cabin fever and on one day Steve was bugging me so badly I told him to write a journal. Not one for typing, he made a few video journal entries where he accidently referred to his giardia as “gonnorhea”- it was pretty funny. I don’t know if it was the infection or the high flagyl dosing which made my stomach cramps even worse. I also had the lovely side effect of a metallic taste in my mouth, like chewing on tin foil. So, forcing oneself to eat while nauseated to lessen the cramping turns out to be quite the task! Mind over matter...

We started going less to the bathroom which gave us courage to venture out of the room for more than a few minutes. Steve decided to order a milkshake, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. But it caused him to spend the rest of the day curled up in a ball due to indigestion and stomach cramping. We didn’t realize that the pharmacists “no milk” warning wasn’t to do with an adverse reaction to the antibiotic (we actually give it with milk in the hospital to ease stomach pain), but because in many people the damage caused by giardia in the small intestine can lead to lactose intolerance for up to a month following infection.

Some of you have commented on Steve’s apparent weight loss in recent photos, good observation, due to Giardia he has lost 20lbs! I am down 15lbs, but it hasn’t been rapid like Steve’s weight loss, so hopefully its not giardia related and I can keep er off! lol.

Giardia can be contracted from water (where it can live actively for 3 months!), food, and even surfaces! It takes only 10 spores to lead to infection. Steve believes we picked up the parasite in India- his opinion is biased though because he hated it there- but it is a strong possibility. More animal poops can get into water and onto surfaces during monsoon, and the sanitation in India was poor. The incubation period can be up to a month, so I wonder if we got it in Nepal...we treated our water on the trek, but who knows how long water was boiled for for our daily hot lemons! Maybe from brushing our teeth with tap water...We will never know where we got it and I guess it really doesn’t matter anyway.

Its been a week now since all this started. Sadly, we saw very little of this island but on the bright side the weather hasn’t really been that great. We did have a nice walk on the beach together on one afternoon and Steve’s rash is getting better... We are feeling a little more energetic and have been eating one meal at lunch (usually a sandwhich) and then having a snack for dinner. We leave tomorrow for Bangkok. I’ve been praying every night for this to clear up so we can enjoy this part of the world a little more. But we are very thankful it hit us here and not in a place where our time was limited or we were out trekking! We should know in a couple weeks if the drugs worked...cross your fingers for us!
And remember to treat your water!!

Back to Nature in Railay

Railay is a laid back and we take it easy. Steve doesn’t get his appetite back and is still irregular...I am feeling ok. We spend time hiking, walking the beach, and in the pool. We hire a climbing guide for a half day of climbing. There are over 700 bolted routes in the limestone cliffs around Railay. The climbing is fun- there are cool hand holds (in cracks and rock knobs) but I struggle with the foot holds. We are climbing on well used extremely popular routes and I wonder if that causes the rock to be smooth and shiney in spots- or maybe its the humidity making me slip...or the shoes...I don’t know! I’m far from pro and Steve scolds me when I classify myself as beginner. Despite his weakness Steve has a few rad climbs (yeah I said Rad- I think thats pro talk) he even starts one climb on an overhang. I am proud of my 90ft climb which started as a 5.8 and ended as a 5.10! I had a glorious moment on this climb when I lost my hold, fell, and landed on another climbers head. We didn't make heavy contact and I managed to get off his route- but it was rather embarrassing- the rocks were full of other climbers. Its a good time and we don’t meet any snakes in the rock cracks- but Steve thought he felt one in a hold and almost fell off the rock.

We want to see more of the area. There are boat excursions to surrounding islands (including Ko Phi Phi) and to patches of coral for snorkeling. I don’t know what possesses us to sign up for such trips- I don’t do so well on boats and Steve doesn’t like salt water- but I like marine life and islands. The speed boat holds 30 passengers and the guide was awful. He had a strong accent and would yell at people and get flustered when people didn’t follow his instructions (but we couldn’t understand him and many passengers were ESL). The excursion sites were fantastic though! The water was clear turquoise and full of beautiful fish. The water was warm and I felt like I was soaking in an epsom salt bath which was great considering my upper body was aching from the climbing! The guide brought rotten bread along and threw it in the sea causing hundreds of fish to surround the boat- so we didn’t have to venture far to see them, but then I got worried a fish frenzy would attract some larger fish with large teeth that could potentially mistaken my thigh for bread (my tan is weak). We visited some islands and then had a wavey ride to Ko Phi Phi for lunch. I was of course wearing my handy anti-nausea bracelets, but I got a little woozy. Despite being hungry, I only ate a small amount for lunch as a precaution. I laughed to myself when I realized my lunch of spag and pineapple were both delicacies in past vomiting experiences. We walked around Ko Phi Phi, it was pretty and had lots of shops and people. We boated to another beach and opted out of the off shore snorkeling. Ah, the dreaded boat ride back. It was an hour ride and the waves were definitely noticeable. I had befriended a British shipmate who luckily had a plastic bag with her. I chundered, but was really proud of my stealth barfing technique. I don’t think anyone would have noticed had it not dripped red barf drops all over my white towel. Steve offered me a headlamp and I just laughed.
As Steve forces food down with no appetite, I enjoy the great things available. Every morning I have muesli with fresh fruits and yogurt. The restaurants have BBQ’s every night, you choose fish of the day or chicken skewers. It comes with veggies, a potato, and a corn on the cob- all prepared on the BBQ. So delicious!! I feel bad for Steve who usually has no problem eating, he is losing weight and getting a little boney. Next destination- Ko Samui!

Bangkok

How glorious it is to be in Bangkok! A modern clean city where we blend in and where honking is not part of driving! I see cats- lots of cats, which makes me happy because where there are cats there aren’t so many freaky packs of dogs...and malls are everywhere! Every corner has something to buy!
We plan to stay long enough to sort out our visa’s for China. Finding a foreign embassy in a foreign city isn’t the easiest mission but after two attempts we succeed. Our plan for a short stay in BKK is sabotaged by our bowels...ah yes, every travelers worry. Along the way we have had only a few incidents of minor bowel disturbance, but nothing like this. I won’t release the nasty details (for your sake) but it was three more days before we dared leave our room for any extended period. We alternated turns walking to 7-11 to buy essentials like water, yogurt, M&M’s, and oreo’s. We both became exhausted from not eating much and being a little dehydrated. Finally, things were looking ok and we booked out of our room. We went to the mall where toilets are cheap and clean and readily available- just incase! We were ok. We decide to take an overnight bus to the Southern province of Krabi. The bus terminal is another mall! Its awesome. The bus is a double decker and we are on the upper level in the front. Similar to Turkey, there is a stewardess who brings us drinks and snacks. A few hours into the 12 hour ride, we stop at a roadside diner. Steve isn’t hungry but I’m a little rumbly. I follow what everyone else is doing and find out that a thai dinner is included in our ticket. I sit at a table with 5 thai strangers and follow their lead. A server fills my bowl with a watery type of rice. In the middle of the table is a choice of four dishes to add to the water rice. There are boiled eggs cut in half, a plate of what appears to be some kind of sausage, a plate of a boiled leafy green, and little tiny fishes with their heads on still- clearly too small to cut off. I actually thought the fish were grasshoppers at first. I’m just happy with the rice and I avoid eye contact and stare at my bowl. I can feel them glancing at me. I look up- and one of the Thai men with a big smile and a friendly nod offers me the fish plate. Oh no. Oh man. I panic and take one medium sized fishy off the plate and put it in my rice and smile back at him. Its tiny but I can still distinctly make out its eyeballs. He is still watching me and so is that fish. I feel like everyone is watching (maybe I’m still paranoid from India). I put it in my mouth and get a shock of salt flavor! Whooo! Its also very hard and barely chewable. Maybe I was supposed to let it soak in the rice water. I get ‘er down without damaging my esophagus and smile at the man. The old lady beside me tries to fill my bowl with more rice. I make brief eye contact with a young guy and he must have been waiting for it because before I get the chance to look away he is passing me the eggs and urging me to try. Ok, its just an egg so I take it. Its still in half the shell and the technique seems to be to scoop it out and add it to the rice or just eat it with the spoon. I take a small scoop and eat it and almost have to spit it out! Its a salt ball too! But its horrible tasting. Thankfully the table is emptying and the bus is being reloaded and I leave the egg. We sleep a little and arrive to Krabi at 0700hrs.
We are conveniently dropped off at a tourist office and immediately being assisted with tickets and a place to stay and all the usual stuff. The guy has a ride for us to the pier for 500baht- this is for five of us as we have joined forces with a czech and two irish. We are loading the packs and I think back to Bangkok where we took a few cabs and they were VERY cheap. Hmmm...this doesn’t seem right. “Steve we are paying too much, the pier is only 4km away” and he thinks about that and agrees. So does the Irish girl and we talk to the guy and he gets defensive and says its a fair price and I get in a minor dispute which involves Steve dragging me away. I’m glad we did. Its so easy to become glazed over after overnight travel and go along with whatever is presented to you. We go to a little bus that is parked nearby and he charges us 30baht each to the pier. Little buses here are actually pick up trucks with two benches in the bed. The truck brings us to the pier and then we negotiate for a “long boat” to Railay. The water is calm and we are at the Railay beach in 30mins. We have to wade through the water to hit the shore and this is a little tricky with my pack. One guy takes a major dive on the paved sidewalk going from water to shore so I walk in the mud instead. Steve, the master negotiator, gets us a bungalow with a pool for 200baht less than asking! He’s got skills! We are comfy in our latest home with a bathroom, fridge, tv, and airconditioning.