Thailand Tours Archives - Travel Marinade

In Thailand

Is Maya Bay Worth Going To?

November 29, 2015 1 Comment

With up to 10,000 visitors in a single day, is Maya Bay worth going to? Maya Bay sits along Phi Phi Islands and has gained most of it’s popularity from the movie, “The Beach”, starring Leonardio DiCaprio. Me along with thousands of others wanted to see this piece of paradise and so I did what everyone else did and signed up for a day tour. I have to say I was happy about the way our guide was able to manage our timing throughout the day. We arrived about 20 minutes before we started seeing a school of water vessels coming in from every direction and letting off dozens of people at a time. It’s hard to take notice of this tropical paradise when it’s ruined by hundreds of people interrupting your beautiful view with their selfie sticks and fancy DSLRs. While I’m appreciative I got to knock this one off my “Thailand Bucket List” I can honestly say that I wouldn’t return again. The bay is simply too small for the amount of visitors it attracts.

In Thailand

Bangkok’s Food Scene in Phra Nokorn District

November 29, 2015 No Comments

Discovering Bangkok’s food scene can be overwhelming. Here I’ve created a half-day foodie itinerary where you’ll be able to find some of the oldest recipes in Phra Nakorn, one of fifty Bangkok districts.

SAM PRANG, PHRA NAKORN DISTRICT

FLOW: Begin with breakfast having an original and traditional crispy pancake for breakfast and then a 70-year-old ice cream recipe for lunch snack at Tha Chang Pier. If that doesn’t already curb your appetite, you can take a bus or tuk-tuk to another area of Phra Nokorn District for a traditional Thai lunch and dessert.

1. Khanom Bueang: Crispy Pancakes
Address: 91 Prang Nara Road, Choa Por Sua Shrine Sub-district
Opening Hours: 11:00 am – 05:00 pm (every day except Sundays)
Bus Lines: 2 or 60

Crispy pancakes aren’t commonly found on the streets of Bangkok due to the amount of labor involved it take to prepare it. This original and traditional 100-year old recipe still exists from the King Rama V reign. It was once presented to the royal family and has been in the royal family ever since. You can order it sweet or savory and buy one pancake for about 30 baht (approximately $1 USD). Some find this expensive for Thai local standards, but you get what you pay for and here that means deliciousness and arguably the best you’ll find. The business is now being run by Mrs. Somsri Hirunwatit, the granddaughter-in-law of the royal family.

There’s no wrong time ever to have ice cream so make your way over to Natthaporn at your leisure. It’s in the same sub-district.

2. Natthaporn: Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Address: 94 Building next to the Ministry of Interior, Prang Prootorn Rd.
Opening Hours: 09:00 am – 05:00 pm (every day except Sundays)
Bus Lines: 2 or 60

This Thai homemade ice cream recipe is more than 70 years old. They strive for only the best ingredients, and there are no preservatives. We love that! Some of their toppings include red bean, peanut, lotus seeds, crispy roasted mung bean, sticky rice, corn, taro, and toddy palm.

Now that you’ve had your appetizer move into a late lunch over to Sao Chingcha sub-district.

3. Pochsapakarn Restaurant: Thai Food
Address: 443 Buildings opposite to the Chao Por Sua Shrine, Tanow Rd.
Opening Hours: 10:30 am – 2:30 pm (M-F) / 11:00 am – 9:30 pm (S, S)
Bus Lines: 33, 64, 508

One of Bangkok’s oldest restaurants having been opened for more than 90 years! Here you’ll find distinguished Thai spicy style. This is the same style used to serve the Royal family and passed through generations.

I hope you saved just a little more room for dessert! You might be thinking, wasn’t that the ice cream? But, no, you can’t leave Thailand without having some of their mango sticky rice!

4. Khao Nio Kor Panit: Sticky Rice with Fruit
Address: 431-433 Buildings behind the Ministry of Interior, Tanow Rd.
Bus Lines: 33, 64, 508

Now that you’ve made it this far, you’ll want to head over to Khao Nio Kor Panit for some sticky rice mixed with coconut cream. This establishment has been recognized by TV programs, magazines, and different forms of media. While I did mention to try the mango with sticky rice, this is a place you can actually explore other fruit when mangos aren’t in season; something not found at a lot of other places.

I hope you enjoyed my one-day traditional Thai foodie tour. Please let me know what you think in the comments below.

In Thailand

My Moral Dilemma About Riding Elephants

November 18, 2015 No Comments

This is among one of the most sensitive subjects among travelers you can talk about when it comes to Thailand tourism. Is riding an elephant morally wrong and unethical?

I only know what I’ve researched. I can’t say I have any “evidence” supporting the facts, but I’ll tell you my story. If after doing your own research you think it’s still okay to ride an elephant, who am I to tell you judge and tell you that you can’t? We all doing things that are considered unethical at one point or another and each person is unique to his/her own values – whether it’s not supporting animal bi-products to not supporting what some perceive as abuse.

It was the first week into Thailand and I knew I wanted to see elephants. I mean…it’s the thing to do when you’re out here. To personally engage with them seems like such an enriching experience, doesn’t it?

After doing a little research, I found dozens of articles about how elephants that are chained are being abused to support tourism. The elephants are working long hours and that their backs aren’t meant to carry all the weight. You will even find stories about elephants killing their owner out of rage.

I was in Krabi, a cute little beach town in South Thailand. I had a week long visit and wanted to book a tour to get away from the hotel. I find a little kiosk where a lady had a list of tour packages available and she was prepared to give me a good deal. There was one, particularly, that stood out. It was a three-part tour visiting a local hot spring, a Tiger Temple, and then ending with a short 10-minute elephant ride. In as many ways as I could ask if the elephant riding was done in a humane way, it was impossible to get her to understand me. I went against my gut and figured if I didn’t feel right about it, I wouldn’t do it.

We go to the other stops and then finally get to the elephant camp. Everything happened so quickly that before I even had time to think I found myself stepping on one of their backs so that I could enjoy a “bucket list” item of mine at the expense of the animal. Truthfully, I felt like a horrible person the entire time and I couldn’t wait to get off. Here two people are sitting on their backs while a third (mahout) sat on its neck guiding the elephant with a bullhook. I literally felt like I was supporting animal cruelty and this made me a bad person.

I guess the only way I can justify my experience to make me feel less awful about it was that it was a very short ride of about 10 minutes.

I feel morally wrong about. My intuition told me it wasn’t right and I ultimately did something I didn’t feel morally right about. The mahout kept jumping off to get photos, but I kept declining because I didn’t want any photos showing I actually supported this.

My elephant ride eventually ended and there was a little stand nearby that sold bananas for us to feed them with. I bought some feeling it was the only way I could tell them I was sorry.

Is riding an elephant wrong? I’ll leave that up to you to decide, but all I have to say is do your research. There are so many other enriching ways to spend with them which I eventually did further into my trip by volunteering at an elephant sanctuary.