I think it's pronounced "Thigh-land".......

So I'm 99% sure I've stayed on the same sleep cycle Since we left in May. At first I was asleep at 8 and awake at 4 am and now I'm up until 3, awake around 11. (Back to my college days). So I'm now on our second to last (fingers crossed) overnight flight at 2 am, (3:30 in Australia where we're landing) writing a blog and drinking a nice glass of white. Everyone else is asleep but this is my favorite plane time. I think I left off in Chiang Mai, so now we move onto Koh Phi Phi. We got to Phi Phi, making the very last 2 hour ferry of the day by just a few seconds. Lucky for us, our cab driver apparently worked for Evel Knievel back in the day. And honestly, until you've run with a 23 lb backpack at full speed down a slippery jetty, you really haven't lived. (Cue us almost face planting twice in 12 seconds). But nevertheless, we made it to the island. The picture you see of Thailand is most probably taken in a 2 mile vicinity of this  place. There is teal water surrounded by beautiful limestone towers that just shoot out of the ocean. It is absolutely breathtaking. We fell in love. For about 5 seconds, until we looked around. Turns out, we are about 10 years too old and have about 3x as much material on our bodies as our surrounding islanders. (See crop tops and booty shorts. Also this is the moment I realized I was that bitchy old woman. It was really unfortunate.) Everyone is 19, everyone is drinking warm liquor out of sand pails (referred to as a bucket, mainly because you can't trust the ice), and everyone there is a 'woo girl.' (If you don't know what this is, is a girl that screams woo every time she hugs her friend, takes a Yeagerbomb, or sees a guido.) 

But, we made the best of it, and I think we beat those silly youths. We drank, we danced, and we watched some pretty sick fire shows. These guys were insane. They repeatedly burned themselves and laughed and then started again. I'm sorry, but if a flaming ball of fire burns my arm, I'm not trying to swing it around my head and then light a cigarette with it. But that's just me.

Our favorite day was when we decided to do the 'island tour.' We booked a speedboat tour, where I was promised it was "the best and fanciest way to see all of the islands." This was one of those times where I saw the boat, and immediately missed the Mama Gumbos. (For those of you who don't know, we had two pontoon boats. The Mama Gumbo I and the Mama Gumbo II. These boats weren't pretty, they barely ran, and we loved them. Unfortunately, they were both taken by hurricanes, or they just sank. I don't think anyone will ever know the truth.)

 We went to a few key places including a stop where our guide showed us monkey beach. (But literally showed us, and then told us the monkeys bite. We did not get our rabies shot. So we stayed in the boat for that one.) We went to a few more cays, each more grand and magical than the one before. But - the reason I chose this boat was because they would bring us to Maya Bay, the place I had seen in pictures as a little girl (slash college student) and always wanted to go. We get there, and it is quite beautiful. But to be honest, there were a TON of people there, and trash in the water all around us, which broke my heart a little bit. Rob and I sat in the water and just looked around and it was so surreal. The fact that this exists in nature, and I was able to witness it, was amazing. 

Our very fancy speedboat drops us off at Maya Bay, but our driver explains that the tide is low and we should meet him on the other side of the island. We agree, obviously not understanding what is happening. Once we decide to leave  we begin our trek. We walk to the other side of the island, and then we come to this net which leads to crashing waves against rocks where you were supposed to swim to your boat. There's some fun news. This is like a Spider-Man web with 20 drunk kids on it at any given time. Rob and I climb down the net and then our boat just drives away. Because, why wouldn't that happen to us? We then proceed to  tread water and swim around from boat to boat until we find our guy 20 minutes later. We get into the boat and he looked slightly panicked. Finally he explains that there are a ton of sharks in that area. Awesome. We came out with all of our limbs, got an impromptu workout in, and had about 6 beers on the way home. Caseys-1  Phi Phi Islands-0.

Tigers, Elephants, and Tuk Tuks, OH MY!

So I'm slacking a little lately on this, sorry guys. I'm going to try to get caught up this week as we have 5 flights in 10 days. Joy. After we very sadly left Cambodia, we headed back to Thailand, but this time, in the north, to Chiang Mai. I was a little stand offish after my Bangkok experience, but boy were we in for a treat. It is such a cool place. Everyone, again, was insanely friendly, and I, again, decided this was now my favorite place on the trip.

On day one we went to meet the Tigers. Oh, the Tigers. So when you get to tiger kingdom there is like a list of tigers you can cuddle, from newborn to giant. Rob and I went for the "younger" instead of the newborn. (Anyone who knows me knows I'm terrified of a newborn anything......) We went and played with what I can only imagine was the most adorable creature I've ever seen up close. I was dying for a golden retriever puppy, but I've moved on to bigger and better things. Tiger babies, here I come. (I'm sure one of you crazies knows a guy who knows a guy. Put me in touch.) After playing with the baby, Rob and I decided we hadn't quite had enough so we went to take a look at the giant tigers, which are the full grown biggest tigers. We were starting to get excited about cuddling them as well until they started "play fighting." I can imagine them giggling and saying "I'm just going to swat you with my 10 inch paw and then you can just nibble me with your razor sharp teeth." All the while I'm watching this through a fence about 4 seconds away from peeing my pants. We decided that we wanted to live to see Bora Bora, so we moved to the next biggest tigers. (A mere 350 lbs.) These had just been fed and had that glaze over their eyes similar to the one I get following a large Company Burger lunch on top of a champagne hangover. I know how much effort it takes me to get off the couch to do absolutely anything at that point, so it seemed like these tigers were the safer bet. We went into the enclosure and they told us to rub the tummy of the sleeping one. Because why would you not rub the tummy of a sleeping 350 pound, very full tiger? Much to my surprise he did not maul my face off the moment I touched him. (Rob knows this is not always the case when he awakes me from a full tummy slumber.) We wandered through the enclosure with the three tigers (we were already outnumbered by one 350 lb. tiger, but just to make sure, there were 3 in there) and had our tummy rubs and cuddles with each and every one. It was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. These creatures are so beautiful, and this was one of those days I will absolutely never forget.

 

The next day, we decided it was elephant day. (We were Steve Irwining the shit out of Chiang Mai) We did ample research on the elephant farms around the city (there are hundreds) and decided to go with an Elephant Sanctuary. It was one of the best decisions we made. Just a little back story on this amazing place (disclaimer - all stats are stolen from their website, and have not been independently verified. #lawyered) -

15 years ago there were over 100,000 elephants in Thailand alone, and likely millions worldwide. The number of elephants in Thailand has dropped to between 2500-4000. The main reasons for this rapid decline are poaching, habitat loss and elephants dying faster due to mistreatment in the tourism industry. Currently 1 kg of ivory is sold on the black market in China for over $3000.It is estimated that 70-80% of the elephants in Thailand are used in the tourism industry - the other 20-30% are at risk of being poached.

The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary started in late 2014, with a mission to provide as many elephants as possible with the good health, freedom and happiness they truly deserve. They use an ethically responsible approach to elephant eco-tourism as a platform to raise awareness and educate people from Thailand and around the world. In the last 2 years the sanctuary has grown from 3 to 38 elephants. They plan to continue growing and rescue even more elephants over the next few years. The hope is that they can lead by example, and contribute to a positive change in the perception of elephants; to witness a future where elephants are not ridden, poached, overworked, or abused, and are instead treated with care, love, and respect.

The way the sanctuary is accomplishing this is by convincing the mahouts (elephant owners) to bring their elephants to the sanctuary rather then allow them to be ridden. Much of the money they make from the tours is used to pay these owners the amount they would have made had the elephants been working for them, and not living at the sanctuary. Our guide explained that he hopes to one day buy the elephants from the owners, but unfortunately this is very expensive, and they do not have the funds to do that at this point. They have also partnered with the Karen Village people (a local tribe) who also invest their time and effort into protecting the elephants, which is creating a change in mentality of the way these majestic creatures are being treated.

I'll get off my soapbox now, but if you want to learn more, or help this cause, please refer to the link below.

http://www.elephantjunglesanctuary.com

We decided to do a half day tour at the sanctuary and we were picked up bright and early at 7 am. The sanctuary was about an hour and a half outside of town in the mountains, and the vehicle we were transported in was pretty phenomenal. It was a pick up truck, but they had created makeshift seats in the bed and put a glorified tarp over it to keep us "cool." (FYI, it's like 100 degrees everywhere. No one is ever not sweating. It's just our way of life now.) I was really hoping to nap on the way there but surprisingly riding on dirt roads, in the mountains, in the back of a truck, isn't a great napping situation. Once we arrived at the camp we were given a history of the elephants, and the people working there. They gave us some VERY stylish (slash not so stylish) shirts to wear and then handed us huge bunches of small bananas. The elephants at the camp are free to roam wherever they'd like but as soon as you have food, they are there. These elephants were hella hungry. They would reach into your pockets and grab the food themselves if you didn't go fast enough. We almost had a very unfortunate incident where the GoPro was mistaken for a banana. (Luckily Rob has cat like reflexes) After we fed them, we went down to a very muddy river and the elephants followed us in. Apparently, everyone loves a good spa day. We gave them a bath, scrubbed them down, and then rubbed mud all over them. (It seemed counter productive, but apparently the mud helps with mosquitoes. So if you see us sitting on the front porch on Napoleon, having some wine, covered in mud, you'll know what's up.) The elephants wave their ears when they are excited and I was hit in the face with elephant ears about 20 times throughout this mud bath situation. (Lucky for me, they don't stomp their feet when they get excited. This lady was a chunk.) And don't worry, we have about 10 videos of me getting wopped upside the head. One of the elephants was really taken with Rob and me and stayed close most of the day. It must have been our great maternal and paternal instincts. (Hahahhahaha. No.) But it was pretty awesome because she was our personal elephant for the day. (FYI, whoever finds the tiger guy, see if he does elephants as well.) 

Although we were wiped after two days, we were able to wander around the city and eat (shocker) at most of the yummy restaurants in town. The local dish there is Khao Soi, which is a coconut curry soup with fried and regular noodles and some type of meat scenario. (I mean. Yum.) We have an addiction. We already tried to find it in the states and apparently there is a legit Khao Soi place in Portland. Luckily, we're going to be there next summer, and plan to eat there at least once a day. We were absolutely heartbroken to leave such a unique place but feel so lucky to have experienced it the way that we did. Thailand as a whole has been amazing, but this place will always hold a special place in my heart. I have always been a beach person, but not gonna lie, Chiang Mai may have changed me to mountains. (I'm not about to throw a hammock up in the wild or anything. But I could handle a cabin. With a hot tub. And a bottle of champs.) 

To all of our new animal friends, it was an absolute pleasure. Thank you for letting us be a part of your world, even just for a second. I will never forget it.

Much Love,
Anne and Rob

Buddah Buddah Buddah Buddah Buddah everywhere....

 

A few days ago we left Cambodia, which up to this point, has been my favorite stop so far. (I'm aware I said this with Dubai as well, and will likely repeat this sentence at least 10 more times.) One thing everyone kept telling me about Cambodia, was how incredibly inexpensive it was. We had just come from Bangkok, which was by far the cheapest place I'd seen, but that didn't hold a candle to this. $0.50 draft beer? Check. $3 for lunch for two? Check. $10 a night for a legit hotel? Check. All of these things were possibilities. Of course we opted to stay at one of the nicest hotels I've ever seen, and ate one of the top 10 meals of my life, in the best restaurant in Siem Reap, and drank French rose at least once a day, but that's beside the point. We initially intended to go there to give us a little break on spending, and pretty much say we went to Cambodia, but as soon as we landed we realized Siem Reap was so much more than an inexpensive tourist trap.

As soon at we left the airport we were greeted with the happiest, friendliest people we had ever seen. (Key word here is left, as SOME people weren't to cool about me losing my customs form between the plane and the airport. #woops) Everyone, and I mean everyone, from Tuk Tuk drivers, to the receptionist at our hotel, was smiling. (They may absolutely hate tourists, but you would never know. I felt like giving everyone I passed a big hug just because they were so nice, but I wasn't trying to turn that smile upside down, or into a punch in the face for invading personal space...) People seemed legitimately glad to see us, even though no one knew me from Adam. We spent our entire first day wandering around the city eating everywhere we could and grabbing famous $0.50 beer at random bars along the way. We walked through the markets, which were endless, and again, extremely inexpensive. (I obviously bought an obscene amount of things. It felt like I was getting such a good deal, if I didn't buy it, I was basically losing money)

On the second day, we scheduled a car to bring us to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat, the largest religious structure in the world. At 4:30 in the morning, after we were up until 1 am, because, obviously. But it was absolute magic. Although we were told it wasn't even a good sunrise, I was blown away. We were watching a sunrise in the same place someone watched over 1,000 years ago. I can imagine there were a few less iPhone pics and people standing in front of you taking endless amounts of selfies, but still a pretty cool realization. (I have taken spots at Mardi Gras in front of people, so I felt like maybe this was karma and took my punishment...)

We then started to tour the temples, and temples, and temples. We went through about 5 or 6 by 9 am and we were beat. Also - a little off subject - but all I wanted was a guide book so we could understand the importance of what we were looking at. A man wanted $1.00. Rob told me it was too expensive. This is how our perception of money is now. Lord help us when we get to Singapore..... Anyway, these temples are absolutely amazing. I have never seen the pyramids, but I'm guessing it's a similar thought process when people see those. Over and over I just kept saying, "I just don't understand how they built these 1,000 years ago." And then I promptly remember, the aliens helped them.

We spent our final day wandering through the soul of Siem Reap, soaking in the happiness and (mostly good) smells of the city. We bar hopped down Pub Street, ate at a small street cafe, and bought a few more things from the night market before begrudgingly heading back to our hotel to pack and fly to Chiang Mai. As many of you know, I don't love touristy places. I like to see the culture and the heart of a city so that I can feel it's spirit. Although there are a good number of tourists in Siem Reap, the city has maintained its true self. Sure, there are a few westernized restaurants and hard rock cafes (not a joke - there is a Hard Rock Cafe in Cambodia), but I feel like the Cambodian people, cuisine, and culture are still so evident in the city, an attribute which unfortunately, many places have not been able to hold on to. So here's to you Siem Reap, I will miss your $0.50 beers, and your smiling people, your to die for soft shell crab, and your classic fish amok, and I hope you will always keep that sassy personality you have going right now, because I want to see it again the next time we're in town.

Cheers,
The Caseys

Bangkok - A tale of two Cities

So whilst planing this trip I have reached out on many of the places we were stopping to get advice on what to do (and eat obviously.) Bangkok was by far the most disputed stop of them all. Either people loved it or hated it, really no one was like, "Eh, it was cool." It was like, "Best place I've ever been ever in the history of the world," or "I will never go there again for fear of the awful smells and being inundated with millions of people at once." Turns out, that perception holds true for us as well. Although it was not my favorite place we have been, Rob was infatuated.

In all fairness, I did not love Bangkok, but Bangkok did not love me back. First off, everyone kept telling me about the smell, which, having been to bourbon street, I assumed couldn't be that bad. What bourbon street is missing is the raw meats and fish on top of the urine, gas, and vomit smell. That, my friends, is a special kind of smell. I came, I smelled, I don't want to go back.


We have been using public transport everywhere we go, and honestly, have gotten pretty good at it. (And by that I mean Rob figures it out and I blindly follow him in hopes that we are going in the correct general direction). Well, in Bangkok, they have your normal buses and trains, but they also have a riverboat. Rob and I decided we were going to use the boat as our transport that day. Well - we were planning on doing a food tour of Bangkok that night (which honestly could have turned my whole view on this city around, because you know I love some good food) but after we accidentally got on what I can only assume was the slowest boat in service ever, we were 45 minutes late to the tour and they left us. So - keep in mind - that I am now hangry and have been riding around on sewage water which may have splashed on my face at one point. Luckily, it didn't burn my skin right off.......

So in an attempt to keep me from escalating from normal hangry to exorcist level eat your face off hangry, Rob found a little hole in the wall place, his specialty, which was famous for their duck, my absolute favorite. I will say the food was absolutely amazing, but after about 4 Chang beers, I had to use the bathroom. There's some good news. This restaurant had a bathroom inside the kitchen (because why would it be anywhere else) and something kind of resembling a toilet bowl embedded into the cement floor. I later learned this was called a squat toilet. (Use your imagination and you can figure out how it works). Luckily, being from NOLA, we have had a lot of practice squatting. I walked out feeling truly defeated until Rob showed me a very fun story. Apparently, that same day, in Bangkok, a 10 foot long Python crawled up a similar squat toilet and attacked a man. So, it may have been the worst bathroom experience of my life, but damnit the python didn't get me. I'll take that as a win.

But I digress, in an effort to give Bangkok a fair shot, please see the below retort from our guest writer, Mr. Robert Taylor Casey II, Great Guy:



Thanks Anne! No really, “thanks”. Thanks for allowing me to attempt to follow up that post.
Dear Readers (mainly our parents and those of you who "hate read" the blog),
        Some of you may remember the playground game "Have you ever been to Bangkok?” which was popular with school boys of a certain age. Well, Bangkok, herself, is quite similar, like a swift kick or smack to the gonads. (Yeah, grade school boys are stupid). One is immediately overwhelmed by the traffic, the smells, and the food - oh ma Leewwwwrd - the food! And this is where my metaphor ends because there is nothing great about that playground game; however, the qualities and experiences which initially make Bangkok painful, frightening, and vomit inducing are actually her greatest assets.
                
When it comes to traversing the city, imagine the worst traffic you have ever experienced. Bumper to bumper gridlock. Now, add eight million people who live in the Bangkok area who all seem to be on the road simultaneously in various forms of transport: automobiles, motor bikes, taxis, bicycles, and of course the damn tuk tuks. People here tend to create their own lanes. It is quite common to see countless numbers of motor bikes, many with three riders or a child riding in the lap of a parent, skillfully weaving in and out of traffic. Three lane freeways have a tendency to become four with a high speed motor bike lane on the shoulder. Sidewalks aren’t really a thing, so add thousands of pedestrians into the mix as well. It is amazing that we did not see a single wreck or incident of road rage. I don’t know how this is possible other than to say that in our experience, Thais are pretty even keeled. As a passenger, watching our driver navigate this carnage was an impressive display of human ingenuity. I mean I get pissed when someone drives under the speed limit on St. Charles Ave. This guy had far more to contend with.
  
Speaking of ingenuity, the Metro (MRT) and Sky Train (BTS) are some of the most delightful forms of public transport I have every experienced and not just due to their cleanliness. In order to secure a one way fair, one simply identifies the number next to the intended stop on the map. This number corresponds to a button on the ticket kiosk and coincidentally is the cost of one’s fair. Insert funds, press the appropriate button, and presto a ticket appears. It is fool proof. In addition, the boarding process is quite efficient. Thais queue in straight orderly lines (none of this mass huddle, every man for himself, trampling old ladies to get on the train mentality. New Yorkers, I’m looking at you.)
When it comes to food in Bangkok, unbuckle your belt in preparation. There is a veritable feast of street food, hole in the wall mom and pop shops, and Michelin Star restaurants. Despite the questionable health practices, I loved everything about the street food. Some of my favorite areas were Sukhumvit Soi 11, a hip expat area closer to downtown, and the night market in the Bang Rak area. The activity is intoxicating, a simultaneous flow of orders in, preparation, cooking, cleaning of pots in the street, orders up, and chatter. Dumplings, salted fish, pad thai, jumbo prawns, skewered satays, hunks of meat on hooks, whole chickens and ducks, soups of indiscernible ingredients  - everything is for the taking. To the uninitiated, it is daunting. But what I found is putting in the slightest effort with a vendor or waiter, usually arroi mak mak (very very good), opens up the experience, to the point that I’ve found myself forced to sample some other delicacy just so someone could witness the expression on my face.


  My favorite dining experience was at Prachak Pet Yang on Charoen Krung Road. The owner’s grandfather founded the business in 1909. For our New Orleans readers, it is reminiscent of Casamento’s in both texture (tile everywhere) and efficiency. Their signature roast duck is stuffed with Thai herbs, marinated Chinese Cantonese style, and slow roasted in a coal/wood fired oven, creating a thin, crispy, salty exterior and moist, succulent meat drenched in its natural juices. Taylor and Steve, I have a man meat project when Anne and I return.

  Bangkok is chaotic, dirty, and intimidating, but I viewed it as a challenge rather than a threat. It was not so much the transportation system, plethora of food, or cheap, cold beer that sold me, but the people themselves, even the opportunistic, scamming tuk tuk drivers which is a story for another time. The Thais we met in Bangkok were approachable, affable, and accommodating (take that Johnnie Cochran). They were proud of their city and culture, and they were excited to share it with others. In many ways, they reminded me of the people of our own city. I felt like we hit the tip of the iceberg in Bangkok, and I am excited to go back for more.
Bangkok, you have me now,
Rob