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Jungle Treks and Elephants

August 21, 2011 By Guest Blogger

There are jungle treks and then there are jungle treks. In many a place the world over you will find companies that will offer to take you ‘into the wild’ and show you what life is really like. Most of these companies are lying. You will get a chaperoned tour through some trees that you have driven to in a big van; you won’t see any wildlife and you will feel rather cheated.

But not in Thailand, oh no. Thailand is something special.

This is a place where you can climb onto the back of your elephant from a platform, and start an elephant jungle trek that will last all day. The elephant will lumber down the river valley, wading through the water, and sometimes down steep slopes and from your elevated view, you can gaze out over the lush jungle.

And this is just one day of many. In much the same way that Australia has become synonymous with bushtucker trails and walkabouts, Thailand is carving out a significant chunk of the tourist market with its tailored jungle trekking.

It has done so by cashing in on the budget traveler market. Places like Australia attract people from all over the world specifically for that one thing, and people pay thousands of pounds for it. Thailand has approached the matter from a different angle, trying to use the vast number of young – yet cash-strapped – backpackers already within its borders.

It is no secret that Thailand is huge with 18-25 scene. You only need to check a multi-airline website like DialAFlight to see that cheap flights to Thailand are now comparable in price to short hops to Europe. The Thai Tourist board has decided that cheap and cheerful is the way to go, and tries to entice the backpackers away from the touristy areas of Bangkok and into the jungles.

Treks can vary from a single day trip to ones that last weeks, but the common denominator for all of them is that they are cheap. Much cheaper in fact than other places in the world that offer jungle treks – the Amazon rainforest for example – and in doing so, they have all but ensured its success.

Ironically enough, by trying to attract overseas tourists specifically for jungle treks and focusing instead on those who happen to be there anyway, Thailand now has exactly that reputation. In a country that can be overly touristy or tacky, upon returning home the one thing all backpackers are going to rave about is the jungle treks. Especially if there are elephants involved.

Flashback: Peru

August 18, 2011 By Jillian

Our first moments in Peru were not our greatest. In fact, it was the only point on our whole trip when someone attempted to rob us. Yup, it was really not a great start. Things could only get better though and once we thwarted the would be thieves, we were free to roam about the country.

Peru was more than we expected. It’s not often you can say that about a place, but I was expecting the home of Machu Picchu and little else. It turned out there was A LOT more to do in Peru than I ever expected. We spent a month in the country and I still feel as though we missed a lot. Peru was a country of many firsts for us: my first time hiking above 15,000 feet, the first time I saw penguins outside of a zoo, the first time I ate heart, the first time I let a monkey climb on my shoulder, the first time I ran up a mountain in the dark to get in line to climb another mountain, and unfortunately the first time someone attempted to rob us.

Perhaps it is because of that last first that Peru taught me to ENJOY my travels and to STOP worrying. Sure it was incredibly empowering knowing that my paranoid watching had stopped thieves from running off with our backpacks, but instead of doubling down on my “all seeing eye” I somehow felt that the experience validated relaxing a bit. Naively I felt invincible and somewhat like a travel superhero. I felt like I sent a message out with every look, daring the next thief to take me on. Fortunately none did because I highly doubt looking back on it I would have been so successful the second time.

The naïve sense of invincibility allowed me for the first time in the trip to really let my guard down. Ironic that an attempted robbery caused me to be less cautious, but somewhere between being shaken by the experience and exhilarated at thwarting the thieves I realized that even if they took my backpack SO WHAT. Let me repeat that, my world, my trip, it wouldn’t end just because someone took my backpack. So I learned to relax and stop worrying so much. Experiencing something is often less scary than what you imagine the experience to be and after someone tried to rob me I was a lot less afraid of being robbed. Strange isn’t it, but I learned not to be so afraid. I learned to let go of my what ifs, worries and fears and go with the flow. It was exhilarating.

In Peru I learned to let it go and started to really enjoy our trip.

Chinese Acupuncture

August 16, 2011 By Sean

Chinese Traditional Medicine is often looked upon as insane by Westerners. When I first moved to China, I would actually get upset at medical professionals when they told me the medicine or procedure I was looking for would not work, instead recommending tea or acupuncture. Eventually I realized I should heed their advice and visit an acupuncturist. After all, many of Asia’s medical practices have been around for over 5000 years, something pointed out to me almost daily.

I took a trip to the doctor and took off my shoes and socks as instructed. Sam, ironically the name of my Chinese doctor, took out a box of needles and made it a point to show me they were sterile before ripping open the package. He asked me where my pain was and was shocked at how many achy spots I had for my age, then he got to work cleaning some skin and then….

Then he STABBED me with a needle.

Ok, it was more like a quick jab followed by a twist. The twist makes it so that the nerves tighten up. A little twist and there is a little bit of pain, so he twisted until the pain went away.

My stomach churned whilst I watched the needles plunge quickly into my skin, but it was over just as it had begun. When I thought we were finished, he walked away without saying a word. A minute later, Sam returned with a machine unfamiliar to me. He explained it was going to send electrical pulses to the needles, which would make the tissue surrounding the needle jump. Sam continued by saying this would not hurt, but in fact relieve the pain because it allowed the tissue to relax and heal itself. All I could think about was how completely unnatural the needles and electrical stimulation felt to my body.

He turned it on slowly so as not to make the pulse too strong. It felt….weird! He had me lay still for a full 20 minutes before he began removing the needles from my body. When he finished, I couldn’t stand up! My muscles were just that relaxed.

Next, Sam offered to cup me, which clearly required further explanation. The procedure required that he take a glass bowl and place a flame inside it so it ate up all the oxygen. With the oxygen gone, Sam would quickly place the bowl on my back so as to suck the toxins from my body while also increasing blood flow to the area….and giving me some serious circular bruises for a few weeks.

The pain of the cups sucking on my skin was much more than I had anticipated and far stronger than the acupuncture had been but I managed to grin and bared it. Twenty minutes later, I was a free man. I shook Sam’s hand and dashed out of the hospital as quickly as I could.

In time I grew to love acupuncture. Although I still hate the process, it actually makes me feel better. I’ve gone back nine times since that first trip and can’t wait for my next treatment.

IF YOU GO: Acupuncturists in China are like lawyers in America, they’re everywhere! The procedure is affordable for everyone. If you go to China and want to give this a shot be sure to ask around for recommendations. The first time you do something like this you’ll want it to be a bit ‘gentler’ and if you don’t speak the language you’ll either need a translator to help you through it or you’ll need to find an English-speaking doctor.

Rail Holidays – The Jewels of India

August 14, 2011 By Guest Blogger

Imagine being buried in a pile of penny sweets wearing a suit made from feathers surrounded by the cast from West Side Story in full chorus. This kind of sensory overload is equal to that which you will experience on a trip to India. However the India trip, of course, will also be much more rewarding, enjoyable and less like a Lady Ga Ga video. One way to remove a bit of unnecessary intensity from an Indian adventure is to let somebody else take care of the plans, which is why I decided to go with rail holidays. With the worries of destinations and transport taken care of, I was free to soak up the experience.

Delhi

First was the chaotic cocktail that is Delhi. What a magically intoxicating mix: throw in a handful of languages, a generous portion of New Delhi sophistication, mix in a few drops of ancient magic and blend in a bumper pack of Crayola. This is a city shared by medieval markets and cosmopolitan coffee shops; where tours of ancient monuments can be followed by a round of Mojitos. My highlight had to be the Red Fort: towering arches and auburn splendour hewn from sandstone in the 1600’s; the first of many architectural masterpieces to come.

Agra

Of course, nothing could quite prepare you for the Taj Mahal, the jewel in Agra’s crown. No matter the level of hype or hyperbole, this palace more than lives up to it. A fleet of 1000 elephants carried the dazzling slabs of white marble 200 miles to construct it; surely the most extravagant gift ever made to a lover. Inspired, I tried a similar feat with hamsters and Mini Cheddars when I got home. Apparently it’s not a good idea to use an edible building material.

Beyond the Palace of Winds, Fort Amber looms over the Maota lake. This really is the stuff that legends are made of. Whilst the Palace is a ghostly ruin, sand blowing beneath high arches, the Fort’s facade resembles a princess’ jewellery box.

Ranthambore National Park

If anything grapples with this incredible architecture to be the icon of northern India, then it has to be the elusive tiger. Our next destination, Ranthambore National Park is a haven for them, as well as a plethora of other animals including leopards, mongoose and crocodiles. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the safari, and we even caught a glimpse of the majestic tiger, lapping from the edge of a nearby lake.

Udaipur

Udaipur is another watery wonderland, rippling reflections of towers and temples decorating the surface of Lake Pichola. The floating palace at the water’s centre is positively dreamy, and our tour was lucky enough to arrive when the waters allowed a visit.

To round off are the ancient Buddhist and Hindu temples known as The Ellora Caves. Never before had I seen anything even remotely like this: an architectural wonder calved straight into a basalt cliff face. Statues, balconies and pillars stand frozen in time, expertly crafted over 1000 years ago.

Author: Sophie McGovern is an avid traveler who enjoys the challenge of travel. She still hops a train from time to time.

Good, Bad, Ugly: Visas

August 11, 2011 By Jillian

Traveling overseas usually requires visas, especially if you’re not traveling within a defined geopolitical area, like the European Union or the Commonwealth. As we traveled around the world we collected visas and visa stories. Fees, processes and paperwork differed in every county, some were a breeze, others were so painful they overshadowed nearly the whole visit. Interestingly enough, our good, bad and ugly are all from Africa. I’m not going to lie, obtaining visas there sometimes felt like catching Harry Potter’s snitch leading us to write an African Visa Guide.

The Good: Mozambique

Like so many visa processes, we had read differing accounts as to whether visas were available at the South Africa/Mozambique border. Unsure we were walking down the street in Buenos Aires when we came across the Mozambique consulate. The next morning we arrived at the consulate during business hours prepared to spend our day filling out papers. To our surprise we were met by a housekeeper who showed us into what could only be described as a formal diplomatic receiving room. The two of us, dressed in our travel best we looked completely out of place in the lavishly decorated room. We heard the clatter of breakfast dishes and shortly the consul came to greet us and inquire about our business. He was clearly surprised, but incredibly gracious with us. He spent several minutes socializing with us about our travels, our background and our itinerary in Africa. Eventually he disappeared with our passports leaving us as fish out of water again in the receiving room. When he returned, we had Mozambique visas and a new friend.

The Bad: Egypt/Sudan

A tourist visa for Sudan can take months to process and you have to send your passport to Khartoum. That clearly wasn’t an option for us, so we found a legal work around- a transit visa. The transit visa allowed us 15 days in the country without a problem so long as we had a visa for our next destination – Egypt. We assumed we’d have no problem getting Egyptian visas so we went to the Egyptian Embassy with our South African friends to apply. That’s when we were hit with the catch, processing time for South Africans was less than 4 days. For Americans it was a 10 day minimum, no matter what. Frustrated we politely explained the situation to the consulate officer, who empathized and offered to talk to the consul for us. She was unsuccessful and we ended up having to stay an extra week near Addis Ababa waiting for our Egyptian visas. Not the worst situation by any means, but 10 days is a lot of extra time when our Ethiopian visas were limited to 30 days in country.

The Ugly: Ethiopia

And that brings us to the ugly. It wasn’t that the experience was so long or painful, rather that it was overtly unfair. By the time we arrived in Ethiopia we had been traveling well over a year and were used to special rules or fees for Americans and Europeans. Usually our fee was within the same range as those for other Western nations, but we were shocked when we stood in the consular office in Nairobi and heard we’d have to pay $70 instead of the $20 for everyone else, including their colonial oppressor – Italy! The consulate explained, sanctimoniously that Americans can afford to pay $70 and therefore they should. Never mind that if Americans fly into Ethiopia they only pay $20 like everyone else for a visa on arrival. We were subjected to a patronizing lecture on how we can pay therefore we should and how unbalanced our own immigration system is. While I can’t argue that our immigration system isn’t broken, I’d be lying if we didn’t point out to the officer that at least the fees are EQUAL for everyone. (And we never once complained about a country that charged us a reciprocal visa fee). We left frustrated, enraged and thought seriously about not going to Ethiopia as a matter of principle. In the end, we got our visas and left for the border. You can only imagine our rage when we showed up at the Kenya/Ethiopia border and the first sign we saw in the customs building was stamped USAID: A gift of the American people. Awesome.

If you’re interested in an interesting statistical breakdown of our trip around the world, check out our trip by the numbers!