Pedal power rolls on in Thailand

You know you're in Thailand when ...

...you see far more two-wheeled vehicles on the streets and highways than you do four-wheeled ones.

Most of the former take the form of small motorbikes. You'll see equal numbers of men and women driving them, often with someone else along for the ride, sitting behind the driver.

The other form, of course, is the bicycle.

One rickshaw taxi, at your service.

Both of those vehicles are also used to ferry passengers around city streets. The motorbikes-taxis are called tuk-tuks; the bicycle powered cabs are called rickshaws.

Similar to the ancient rickshaws of Asia, they are human-powered. And they're not a bad way to get around, see the city - and at a pace that actually allows you to see the city, and maybe even Shana a few photos while you're cruising along.

Although they're popular with tourists, locals often use them as well, especially for chores like hauling groceries or goods back from the markets, if you don't have a car or motorbike.

They can also take you places motorized vehicles may not be able to go, places like the courtyards of temples.

So if you're ever in  Chiang Mai, Thailand, why not try hailing one, and see the city from a different perspective?

Or as Freddie Mercury and Queen said, in  that famous song about rotund-reared ladies: "Get on your bike and ride!"

Centuries old tradition continues daily

"Thirst for existence, O monks, has a specific condition, it is nourished by something, it also does not go without support. "- Buddha

Support. Nourishment. The Buddhist faith remains strong in Thailand because the people choose to support it. The way they do that is through the centuries old tradition of giving alms - i.e., providing nourishment - to the monks of their local temples.

Every morning, just after sunrise, the monks march out of the temple down the main local road and collect whatever food the people are willing to give. In return, they bestow blessings upon the people.

It is a very simple act - and yet, at the same time, it is a very powerful real-life manifestation of the spirituality of Buddhism.

Without this kind of real-life support, this show of belief, one wonders what would become of the faith - or for that matter, what might become of the people.

Thailand is the one southeast Asian country that has never been conquered or subjugated by a European power. At the same time, the country never really had to defend itself against the European powers during their colonial heydays.

It kind of makes one wonder, maybe there is something incredibly powerful about that simple act of faith, that belief in Buddhism, something unlike any other spiritual following in any other country, something that gives it strength unlike any other country.

Maybe that's why everyone smiles so easily in Thailand.

Tamarind Village Inn an oasis in the city

When I first looked at the website for the Tamarind Village Inn in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I assumed it was located somewhere in a forest, or some kind of natural setting - at least it sure looked that way, based on the images I saw.

Imagine my surprise when we pulled into the entrance way just off a busy city thoroughfare. I should add, it was a pleasant surprise. Very pleasant.

It truly is an oasis, a natural sanctuary, from the huge 200-year-old Tamarind tree growing in its inner courtyard to the lush vegetation found everywhere in and around the grounds. I sat there and actually found it hard to believe I was sitting in the middle of a huge urban area. Still do.

The style of the 42 rooms and three suites is contemporary,but it is also based on the ancient - it makes use of the patterns and fabrics indicative of the various hill tribes that call this area of Northern Thailand "home."

Its amenities include a wonderful restaurant, a large outdoor pool and a spa that offers everything from traditional Thai massage to reflexology, from exfoliation scrubs to full-body massage.

(Regretfully, I did not find time to sample the services at this spa...maybe next time...)

In what I'm beginning to realize is another Thai tradition, the staff is incredibly warm, friendly and helpful; and it feels genuine, unlike some places I've stayed where you realize the service is offered the way it is because of good training. This feels like it's beyond training. Everyone always has a smile that feels genuine.
 
I guess that's why Thailand is so often referred to as "The Land of Smiles."

I have to leave in a few hours, to move on to a new spot, experience some new adventures - and that thought causes my own smile to fade, just a bit.

I'm also sure that before long, I'll more reasons to smile as I continue to explore Thailand and meet new friends along the way.

Thailand, elephants enjoy ancient relationship

Splish-splash, I was takin' a bath - but it wasn't on a Saturday night ... (with apologies to Bobby Darin!)

It was actually a Wednesday afternoon, and as they do every day right after lunch at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre, the mahouts had their elephants down at the river for their daily bath/water-fight.

At least, it sure looked like a water-fight. And everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Although Thais and elephants have a long-standing relationship dating back to the ancient kings of Siam, for many of the elephants at the centre, life was not always so hunky-dory. In recent times, most of them worked in the Thai logging industry at some point, but when the Thai government shut down most commercial logging operations several years ago, the elephants and their mahouts were out of work. Rather than sell them off to private owners or worse, cull them, the government set up this centre to keep them working, happy and healthy.

Every day, they show off their skills (painting, playing music, etc.) to visitors in the morning, then take their baths in the afternoon.

The centre is home about 50 elephants, and as well as providing homes for them, it also runs an elephant hospital on-site and has a mobile elephant clinic that travels the country to help heal injured or sick elephants.

As the elephants finished their bath, they formed up in formation to march up the road in single file. You could almost hear them singing, "Oh, the aim of our patrol..."

Jet lag melts away at Vous Wellness Spa

So I arrive in Thailand after flying for 15-1/2 hours, tired, jet-lagged, a bit tense. I find out our tour organizer has pre-booked spa treatments for us at the Novotel Airport Hotel, Bangkok. All right!

Then the tough part comes ... what service do I choose? I can get a straight Thai massage, but that can be vigorous, almost stressful to an already tired body. Hot stone massage doesn't do a thing for me. I certanly needed more than a reflexology (fancy name for a foot rub) treatment. Hmmm..mmm I pondered the menu and came upon something called a "Hot Oil Jetlag Massage". That's it!

This massage combines some elements of Thai massage with those of Swedish/deep tissue relaxation massage. Just what the doctor ordered.

When you enter the spa, you are greeted by a lovely hostess with a traditional Thai "wai"and a request for which service you desire. While waiting, someone brings you some wonderfully warm and relaxing bael fruit tea.

My massage therapist, Noi, comes out to greet me then leads me back to the treatment room, down a hall lit beautifully by small candles at each doorway. After I exchange my clothes for a spa robe, she comes in, sits me down and gives me a soothing footbath. Then it's up onto the massage table for my treatment.

Soon, the tension from all the air miles melts away under her skilled hands. Too soon, it's over.

Noi brings me some more tea, gives me a farewell wai, and I head back to my room to enjoy the warmth and relaxation for as long as I can.

It's a great way to start my visit to Thailand ...

B.C.'s Bloedel Conservatory gives parrot lovers a chance to see exotic birds locally

Okay. So you know part of the title of this blog includes "parrots." Maybe, if you don't know me, you're wondering, "Why parrots? The guy's supposed to be writing a travel blog."


Well, I actually do write quite a bit about parrots I encounter in my travels. In fact, I seek them out - parrots that is, and trips that will bring me into contact with wild parrots.


The reason I'm so interested in wild parrots and the conservation of those wonderful creatures stems from my life prior to becoming a travel writer, full time.


Years ago, my wife ended up adopting a Congo African grey parrot named Nikki. He had lived in two different homes before he came to us. Eight years later, a second CAG came to live with us: Coco. He was six months old when we met him, and has been with us for 10 years now. Five years ago, we adopted another parrot, an Amazon named Einstein.


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Coco Puff, the Congo African grey parrot.

Because I've always been interested in enjoying the outdoors responsibly and doing things to help conservation, it was only a matter of time before I began focusing on parrots, writing about companion parrots as well as their wild cousins, in places like Peru, Bolivia, the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico and Ecuador. Over the next few months, I will post blogs that detail some of my experiences as I travel to view parrots in the wild.


Okay. So by now, you may be wondering, "What's this got to do with Bloedel Conservatory?"



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Grooming time at the Conservancy.

This facility is located in Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Park. It's the highest point in the city, you can get great views of the north shore mountains. But the Conservancy itself is in a big glass dome that houses hundreds of different tropical plants - several species of birds, including parrots. A pair of macaws, a cockatoo named Charlie, a CAG named Rosie and some others all live there, year round. It's a great opportunity to see these birds up close, not enclosed in a cage, if you can't afford to head to South America or the South Pacific or Africa to see them.

I've included a shot of the two green-winged macaws grooming each other.

Anyways, you can expect to see more posts about "parrot travels" here in the coming months. Enjoy!

My Top 10 Most Odd, Interesting, Unique and Amusing Massage Experiences, Part 2.

And now, as promised in my last blog post, without further ado, here is the second half of my “Top 10 Most Odd, Interesting, Unique and Amusing Massage Experiences.”

The master bedroom at the Putrajaya Shangri-la Hotel.
Read about it in a previous blog post.

6. The Reiki Massage.  

Years ago while vacationing in Jasper National ark Alberta, Canada, I went looking for a place to have a massage. As this was in the days before spas took off in popularity, there was no spa, per se, in the town of Jasper. However, by asking some questions, I was able to find out where I could get a massage.

The massage therapist turned out to be a practitioner of reiki as well as massage, and she combined the two elements in her treatment.

She started off with a very nice massage; but here’s where it gets a bit weird (in a good way).

I’m lying on my stomach, and she placed her right index finger into the centre of the palm of my right hand. She then placed her left index finger into the middle of the sole of my right foot. I can feel an energy surge that seems to join the two points together. It’s kind of cool.

She then removed her hands and walks over to the other side of the massage table to start working on my left side. But I could still feel her fingers – or something – touching my right hand and foot, joining them with an energy between those two points, even though she’s not in physical contact with them.

It’s weird, but in kind of a cool way. Rather than worry about it, I just relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the massage.

Oh, and after the massage, she introduced me to the concept and use of rune stones for divination purposes. Bought a set in a New Age store later that week, and I still use them today.

7. The “Feel-my-belly” Massage

Kind of a nice experience, although it did strike me as a bit off-the-wall when it happened.

I’m lying on the massage table, waiting for the start of a massage from an RMT I’d been going to for about two years. At this time, she was very pregnant with her first baby, well into her second trimester. She was just getting ready to start the massage, when all of a sudden, she blurts out, “Oh, he’s kicking!” grabs my hand and sticks it on her belly. “Can you feel him?” she says.

Ah, yeah. I could.

“Isn’t it cool?” she asks, then after about a minute lets go of my hand.

Although it was not really part of the massage, it was a different kind of experience. I was actually quite flattered that she thought enough of me, trusted me enough to share that moment. I’d never had my hand on a pregnant woman’s belly before, so it was a first. I just never thought that particular first would be under those circumstances…

8. The Congo Lover Massage

While staying in the Cayman Islands, I had a massage from a woman who, as it turns out, was originally from Kenya. During the massage, while we talked, I found out that when she lived there, she’d had a few African grey parrots as pets (as do I – but you probably figured that out already, given the title of this blog!) She taught me how to say parrot in Swahili: Kasuku.

Nothing weird, nothing amusing, but kind of neat.

9. The Wet Massage

A rather forgettable massage, but remembered simply due to its lacklustre nature.

I had this massage while staying on Tenerife in the Canary Islands at the host hotel for the 2006 Seventh International Parrot Convention, co-hosted by Loro Parque.

The spa offered me a choice of regular Swedish or deep-tissue massage when I booked it. I like a fairly deep massage, but not rolfing-deep, so I booked the “regular” pressure massage. Mistake #1.

The spa also has several water treatments, including a steam room, a Jacuzzi, a sauna, a cold room and a cold bath. I thought I might as well enjoy those and get really relaxed before my massage. Mistake #2.

When I went for my massage, all I had to wear was my bathing suit. Now, I’m used to getting all my massages in the buff, albeit with 90 per cent of my body covered with a sheet. However, this spa therapist (not an RMT, and with a poor command of English) indicated she did not want me to strip down completely. So, I had to climb onto the massage table in a wet bathing suit. Yuck!

Then she proceeded to give me what I felt was a really lame massage. When I asked for more pressure, she said, “No, you did not book a deep-tissue massage.”

It was a sub-optimal experience. The lesson here is, always book a deep-tissue massage when  spa gives you the option (usually those that do, do not have RMT’s on staff, so it’s a way of charging more; an RMT always costs more than a CMT or spa therapist). If the massage gets too deep, at least you can the therapist to back off on the pressure a bit. But  many spas will not provide deeper pressure if you don’t book a deep-tissue massage.

Also, bring something to wear besides a wet bathing suit ...

10. The Moroccan Massage.

Not odd, not really amusing, but definitely unique. I spent an afternoon enjoying a couples massage at a spa in Vancouver that specializes in Hammam and Gommage massage as part of the package. Essentially, you and your partner start off in a big steam room to get nice and relaxed and warm. Then an employee comes in to give you an exfoliating body rub.

This part caught me off guard, a bit. We’re both completely naked, the woman giving the exfoliation is not. No one told me about this in advance, so I felt a little strange, with my wife sitting there after her exfoliation, watching a strange woman rub stuff all over my body with everything – and I mean EVERYTHING hanging out. No towel was offered, so it jarred me a bit. I rolled with it. Ditto, when she was done, and she had me stand up so she could hose me off.

Then it was back on with the robe, out for a really nice, 60-minute private full body massage (where I was covered by a sheet) followed by a half-hour of relaxation in a private booth with mint tea and Moroccan cakes.

Would I do it again? You bet. If I ever do, at least I won’t be too surprised by the exfoliation.

So there you have it. Will I ever be able to add to this list of 10? More than likely, as I'm off to Thailand in a few days and I certainly plan to enjoy a Thai massage or two while I'm over there. And I'm bound to encounter more funny/odd/amusing weird massage experiences during my travels around the world.

Stay tuned, as they say in TV land ...