ELEPHANTS!

Sawatdee Kah!

Last week Alex and I went to an elephant rescue park in Northern Thailand about an hour north of Chiang Mai. I think it was our best day in Thailand so far! When we arrived in the morning we got to feed the elephants bananas and sugar cane sticks and learned all about them from our guide. Then we learned the commands for riding them- kind of pointless since they do what they want anyways, and who can blame them? They're elephants! Then we rode on them around the jungle mountainous area to a river where we helped give them a bath. It was amazing. Alex even got an elephant kiss :) A lot of the elephant camps are cruel to the elephants and make them do performances and paint pictures but this one seemed to really care about them. Oh, and we got to wear these fancy mahout (elephant trainer) outfits! 

Here's Alex's elephant kiss! He said it was slobbery... 

Getting on and off can be a bit tricky!

The Elephant that we rode through the jungle was a 50 year old male. 

Just a little butt scratch break ;)

The view from the top!

Pretty awesome scenery up here!

I guess the elephants felt clean after this, but we did not!

Thanks for an awesome day Baan Chang Elephant Park!!

xoxo, Jenna

Adventures in Northern Thailand

Sawatdee Kah from Chiang Mai, Thailand!

It has been a nice change of scenery being here in Chiang Mai, its more laid back but still has plenty to keep me busy. The day we flew in we took a quick trip to the highest point in Thailand on Doi Inthanon mountain with one of Alex's coworkers, Bill, and his wife, Kelly.

Here we are at 8,415 feet! Don't we look tired!? Ok, we might have driven most all the way up :)

On the way down we stopped at the Royal Twin Pagodas built in the honor of the king and queen, and a waterfall. It was a bit hazy up there but still really cool. 

Inside the queen's pagoda. We only had time for one and it's Mother's Day here, so she won :)

I also took a photography class last week! Hopefully my pictures will be improving after more practice using the fancy camera. The class took a field trip to the Royal Park Rajapruek, built for the king's 80th birthday complete with its own temple and orchid garden. 

Two of the Thai Airways mechanics were nice enough to take Alex and I on a trip between flights up the Doi Suthep mountain to the temple Wat Phra Doi Suthep which is a sacred place for Thai people and has great views of the city below. 

Visitors bring these little bells and hang them so there's always a pleasant wind chime sound.

 Alex was even given 20 years of good luck by a monk inside this temple area! Thanks to Komson for taking this photo of us!

And here is the real star of the show, the 787! I took this from the window in our room where I can watch the plane take off and cheer because Alex gets to come home!

That's it for now. Next week Alex gets a whole day off before we fly back to Bangkok WAHOO! We are going to see elephants and maybe tigers so there will obviously be tons of pictures!

xoxo, Jenna

The Golden Palace and it's Temples

Sawatdee Kah!

A little update about our whereabouts- we're spending 2 weeks in Chiang Mai, Thailand which is just an hour plane ride north of Bangkok. The 787 is flying back and forth from here to Bangkok three times a day so Alex is a busy guy leaving the hotel around 8 am and returning around 9:30 pm! Sometimes he gets a break in the middle, right now he's taking a nap next to me between the first and second flight. Chiang Mai is much smaller and more rural but quite similar to Bangkok with awesome markets and temples everywhere. There is one big improvement though, there are mountains here! We feel a little more at home, Seattle home that is. Before we left Bangkok we went to the Golden Palace and all the temples that surround their not so humble abode. It was so beautiful that it deserves it's very own blog post.

The official residence of the king and queen in Bangkok

and their trusty guards

The temples, or wats, around the palace are so beautiful! Construction started in the 1780's and continued into the early 1900's. I think Thailand invented the bejewler! This is one of the more famous temples, Wat Phra Kaeo or Temple of the Emerald Buddha (which is actually made of jade) but out of respect no pictures are allowed inside where the statue is. You also have to take your shoes off to enter...the smell of sweaty feet is a small price to pay though because it was so incredible!

I loved these snakes/feet!

j

 

The ornate detail on these buildings is just amazing! Every nook and cranny is covered in beautiful ceramic tiles, marble, colored glass, and gold teak. Here are some close-ups!

I'm off to scour the street market for avocados and mascara :)

xoxo, Jenna