Bike Friendly

As opposed to most major Asian metropolises, the streets of Taipei are pretty bike friendly.  The not-so bad traffic along with the wide streets and quality roads make bicycling in Taipei something that even tourists can take part in, feel comfortable without worrying too much.  For Americans, the cars drive on the same side of the street as America as well.

Taipei Bicycle Map (click to Enlarge)

Getting There & Rending a Bicycle

Since rivers dominate the Taipei landscape it is not hard to get to a river.  I cannot remember which exact place I was dropped off by, but around 8 or 9pm I had a taxi driver bring me to the river.   I don’t remember what exactly I told him but I got to the river via taxi.  I was dropped off at a giant gate in a neighborhood next to the Danshui River.  The neighborhood was literally littered with bike shops.  There were at least 4 or 5 bike shops within a block of the entrance to the river path which was separated from the streets with a 20 foot high wall as you can see in the photo on the top of the post.

In the particular neighborhood I was dropped off at there were some vending machines selling hot and cold beverages.  I took advantage of this as I grabbed a hot coffee and walked around looking for bike shops.  I should have known coming so late on a Sunday evening that there would be no rental places open and I was right.  Most rental places were closed before 10pm which made sense.  Anyone reading this should take note, but then again most people probably don’t look to rent a bike at 10pm on a Sunday night in a foreign country.

The Place along Danshui River I started From

Riding Bicycle along the River Bike Path

As I mentioned in the previous paragraph I made the mistake of not getting to the river in time to rent a bicycle.  I had thoughts of just calling it a night and trying to wake up in the early AM to rent a bicycle but I didn’t want to risk missing my Monday afternoon flight but I decided to hoof it.

Since I was there and armed with my Nikon D90 digital SLR and tripod I decided to walk along the path to get some shots.  I remember seeing a couple of cool bridges at one point and I saw some in the distance so I thought I could walk to them so I started walking.

I noticed the nice, 2-lane paved and marked bicycle path along with a walking/jogging path which I walked on.   As I walked I had the river to my left, bike path and 15-20 foot wall to my right.  It was a pleasant, quiet and dry evening.  I noticed high water marks from the recent typhoon on along the bike path.  Stating the obvious, I’d recommend staying away from this area during a typhoon!  The late hour I was there would have been nice for a bicycle ride as there were few bicyclists and joggers.

I just kept walking along the path until I got tired.  There were either steps going over the giant wall or entryways about every kilometer or so.  I had a chance to take a few photos of the buildings across the river with the great cloud reflections but it soon got monotonous.  There were several bridges in the distance so I decided to catch a cab once I got a couple shots of the bridge, exited the bike path and took a taxi back to the hotel.

One of the Bridges across the Danshui River

Overall Impression

I would recommend anyone who plans to visit Taipei to rent a bicycle and travel along the paths.  I have read there are over 100km of bicycle paths throughout Taipei, some even leading out of the city into wilderness areas.  I surely regret missing out on the opportunity for less physically active endeavors.

I was alone, pretty late at night and felt completely comfortable.  The only thing that spooked me was the presence of a couple stray dogs as there would really be nowhere to run if they ran after me.   I could see how some people may find the path uncomfortable at night time so if you do the same, it would be a good idea to bring a friend or 2.

More Scenery at a Pit-stop along the Danshui River Bicycle Path

Recommended

When I saw the rather large description of Core Pacific City which is commonly referred to as Living Mall in the Taipei Lonely Planet Guide I put an asterisk next to it.  The Lonely Planet explained that the oddly shaped shopping mall was designed by “the Picasso of architecture” Jon Jerde a famous and highly successful American architect.  Since it was predominantly listed in the Lonely Planet and was very close to Taipei 101 I made it a priority to visit.

I was relatively excited to visit Core Pacific City until I asked the lady at the hotel front desk about it and she told me, “nobody goes there anymore.”   Her lack of interest was kind of a buzz kill as her description pretty much contradicted the author of the Lonely Planet.  This contradiction actually made me want to go there even more to see who was right.

I made sure to have the front desk lady write directions in Chinese so I could get there with minimal hassle.  After my visit to the Taipei 101 observation deck I got in a cab for the less than 10 minute ride to Core Pacific City.

Entrance to the Core

When I first arrived at Core Pacific City it was apparent that front desk lady was spot on in her assessment of Core Pacific City.   As opposed to Taipei 101 which was packed with people, Core Pacific City seemed to be deserted.  I was there at around 9pm and the mall was open 24 hours a day so I can’t speak for “prime time” hours but it seemed that there were very few people there.

The Lonely Planet author was at least right about the layout of Core Pacific City.  The bizarre layout of the mall was interesting enough to warrant a visit from a traveler.  I had a chance to snap a few photos as I browsed the overpriced shops and restaurants, some of which were closed.  As I arrived on one of the basement floors to find the food court I also found a lot more people.

The large variety of cheap food in the food court was on par with most other mall food courts I had ever been to.  I had an authentic Taiwanese noodle dish which was brought to me in a small steaming cauldron.  After I ate I really did not feel the need to explore Living Mall any further so I decided to leave.  I exited out of the opposite side I came in next to the cinema and I had a chance to snap a couple more pictures then it was back to my hotel.

24 Hour Shopping

Overall Impression

From my brief visit to Core Pacific City I would agree with the front desk lady at the hotel.  It seemed like Core Pacific City was a ‘has been’ type of attraction where Taipei 101 and New York, New York (the adjacent shopping center to Taipei 101) was now the happening shopping and tourist attraction.  I definitely do not regret going as Living Mall was pretty cool looking but the shopping and food was the type of run-of-the-mill experience you can get at any mall in your home country or anywhere else in the globe.

Saying Goodbye to the Core

December 5th, 2009

For the last 60+ years Bhumibol Adulyadej or King Rama IX has been the king of Thailand.  He is revered by all Thai people and his birthday is a week-long celebration.  You can view a documentary about his reign in the following  King Bhumibol documentary (27:50).  I remember how large the celebration was when I attended it my first trip to Thailand in 2005.

One of Many Performances on Ratchadamnoen Road

First Trip to Thailand

When I came to Thailand for the first time in November-December 2004/2005 I was fortunate enough to attend the King’s birthday celebration event.  I was staying near Khao San Road which is a 5 minute stroll to the the Grand Palace and the home of the famous emerald Buddha Wat Phra Kaew. I was fascinated that so many Thai people attended the birthday celebration.

Sanam Luang which is basically a huge (30 acres) empty lot next to the Grand Palace was completely packed with people who sat and watched the performances, muay Thai, parades and fireworks while they occasionally sang.  The way the giant number (estimate later in post) of Thai people handled themselves during this huge celebration showed me a lot about Thai culture and the people of Thailand and really factored in my decision to move to Bangkok.

Lit Candles & Singing the Royal Song Before Fireworks Show on Ratchadamnoen Road

Getting to the King’s Birthday Celebration

What I Think is the King's Car Passing near Grand Palace

I now live far from the dinky hotel I was staying near Khao San Road when I was in Bangkok in 2005.  I got an early start because I knew traffic would be difficult if not impossible to get near the Grand Palace before the streets were closed off.

I took the BTS from Phloen Chit to National Stadium to bypass some of the usual Sukhumvit Road gridlock.  I knew I would have to ask multiple taxis because few will take me to the most crowded areas.  After asking 3 taxis the 4th guy decided to take me. I left just at the right time because as we approached the area there were tens of thousands of pink-clad Thais lining the streets to view the King’s motorcade pass.

They were on the verge of shutting down all traffic so my taxi driver actually had little traffic to deal with although security wouldn’t let him drop me off until we got all the way to the Grand Palace. After I got there I was ushered to a sidewalk amidst heavy security which was there more for traffic and people control than security.  They stopped everyone from crossing streets and I sat patiently on the sidewalk until the King’s motorcade passed and they let people move freely again.

An Absolutely Huge Gathering

I made my way to Sanam Luang (the 30 acre lot next to Grand Palace) which was filling up rapidly.   People were ushered to certain areas to create lanes which I soon found out was for parades.  You can see some of the parades in the video at the bottom of the post.  After the parades the area was getting even more filled up.

I wanted to take pictures which was very difficult in this area because the crowd was huge and it was all flat making it almost impossible to get a good vantage point for whatever was going on at the main stage.  I saw photographers on top of these tall utility trucks and thought about paying them for a spot but I knew there was a lot of things to see and photograph elsewhere. I started getting annoyed by the constant flow of people in the area so I walked away from the main action.

There was muay Thai, traditional Thai dance, snake charmers, loads of food and product vendors and more stuff I missed because I decided to move to a less packed area. How many people attended the celebration was a big question for me.  I attended new years even in Brazil on Copacabana beach which I have heard has 2 million people but the King’s birthday seemed to have even more people.

The 30 acre area of Sanam Luang was completely packed so I did a little math.  I read 6000+ people can fit in an acre so if Sanam Luang is 30 acres then 18,000 people were packed on it.  I think the estimate of 6,000 people fitting in an acre is way off as I remember college football games where crowds of 35,000 stormed the field and it seemed 3/4 of the crowd was on the field which is slightly larger than an acre.

I decided to find a less crowded area and decided to walk towards Democracy Monument.  The whole way from Grand Palace to Democracy Monument was completely packed with people to the point where I couldn’t extend either arm without touching someone.  There was more crowded areas but I highlighted the areas which were packed.

Approximate Area which was Completely Packed with People during King's Birthday

Enjoying the Festivities

As I made my way away from the super densely packed area and walked along Ratchadamnoen Road I could enjoy the celebration a lot more.  The whole area was still packed with people but I was able to put down the tripod to take some pictures of the many attractions.  Everywhere I turned was something different to watch or photograph.

At a certain time (I forgot) everyone lit the candles which were handed out along the way and the people all started singing the king’s song.  Anyone who spends an extended amount of time in Bangkok knows the song as it’s played in the city and park every day at 6pm when people stop what they’re doing, stand and listen to it.  It’s also played at movie theaters before the movie starts.

After the song one of the many fireworks shows began.  The fireworks lasted for around 5 minutes and then a parade of brightly lit floats began.  The floats reminded me of the boats that I saw during the Loy Krathong festival but this time they were on wheels and slowly proceeded down the street.  There were many Thai musical groups performing on a large stage just past Democracy Monument which was being recorded professionally for national television I presume.

One of Dozens of Moving Floats for King Bhumibol

Overall Impression

I had a great time although I’m not the biggest fan of large crowds.  I would recommend a visit to the King’s birthday celebration in Bangkok for anyone who happens to be in Bangkok the week of December 5th.  In fact I would also recommend the King’s birthday as a reason for anyone to travel to Bangkok and experience the Thai people and part of their culture.  I went on the actual day of the King’s birthday but from the fireworks shows I could see from my apartment window, I’m pretty sure the celebration is on for the entire week.   I will let the pictures and video do most of the talking for this post.

Fireworks for King Bhumibol and the Thai People

First Observation Deck

The first floor observation deck was very well laid out and spacious.  They offered a free cell phone which played information when you punched in numbers.  The observation deck had sections clearly marked with a large number and when you punched that in the phone, it would play information about what you were looking at in Taipei which included buildings, mountains, tunnels and rivers.

There was no rush as everyone was allowed all the photo opportunities that the clouds permitted.  I snapped many pictures and the picture (above) which isn’t great was the best I could do through the glass and clouds.  I’m sure on a clear day photos would be better.  I managed to bring my tripod up to the observation deck which I think was not allowed because I noticed many people get theirs taken from line but I guess they didn’t see mine.  It was no use as I had to put the camera lens against the glass in a corner of the window to avoid any inside reflections.

There is a single exit on the first observation deck which leads to a staircase.  You have the option to go up or down and I chose down which lead to the giant ball which is actually a weight damper.  It is basically a counter balance which helps the building not get blown over by a typhoon or earthquake.  It was pretty cool to look at along with the little characters but I didn’t realize at the time how much it weighed.  I actually thought about pushing it to see if it would move which is pretty stupid in hindsight because it weighs 660 metric tons or 1,452,000 pounds!

To put that in perspective the mass damper weighs as much as either 7,260 people weighing 200 pounds, 907 African elephants, 10 M1A1 Abrams battle tanks or 5 blue whales of the largest animals to ever live on this earth.

1,452,000 pounds of Insurance Taipei 101 won't Fall Over

Outdoor Observation Deck

After viewing the giant ball I walked up to the 91st floor which included the outdoor observation deck.  The ticket counter warned access to the outdoor observation deck was ‘weather permitting’ and once I stepped outside I could see why.  Typhoons are prevalent in Taiwan but the day I went it was just cloudy and misty and the outdoor observation deck was in the midst of the wind blown clouds and one half was completely closed down.

I could hear a high pitched howling as the wind whipping around the corner as two security guards stood watch.  The security guard on the left had a huge jacket as he was in the middle of the wind.  I write about this because every 10 minutes the guards would switch from right to left and exchange the jacket for the guard on the cold side.  I was wearing jeans and a button up shirt and I wasn’t cold as it felt like a day in the summer in San Francisco.  I took the following little video which will give you the feel of what is like on the observation deck.

More Shopping

A recurring theme in and around Taipei 101 was shopping.  I’m not the biggest shopper and didn’t see anything that interested me but it still looked like they were simply trying to make back the close to 2 billion US dollars which the building cost.  Before getting in the elevator to return to the bottom, there is a shopping area with art, jewelery and some fashion.  There is also little cafe which I got a hot milk tea with pearls which was delicious.

Souvenir Shopping on 91st floor of Taipei 101

Overall Impression

Being a fan of skyscrapers and photography Taipei 101 was everything I could ask for.  Getting up the the observation deck was a small headache but once there it was a pleasurable experience.  Once up on the observation deck there was no hurry or time limit which allowed me to go at my own pace taking photographs, listening/reading about the history of the building and the city of Taipei and of course waiting for the clouds to clear so I could get a decent picture.

Besides all the things that you would expect in huge tourist attraction like this skyscraper there are a few surprises which I will let you find out for yourself if you make it to Taipei 101 in the Taiwan capital.   I would recommend Taipei 101 for anyone who spends even a day in Taipei and would probably head back there if there is a next time to take a chance that I’d get better weather to take better photos.

Taipei 101 History Movie (New Years Fireworks) before Going Back Down

Taipei 101

Taipei 101 was designed specifically to be the tallest building in the world.  In a few months from now it will be trumped by almost 1,000 feet by Dubai’s extremely ridiculous 160 floor ‘Burj’ officially in a month (January 2010) but when I went it was still considered officially the “tallest building in the world.”

I didn’t know much about Taipei before I went but I figured it to be similar to the large Asian cities I’ve been to such as Bangkok, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong but it seemed very different.   I don’t know if it was just because Taipei 101 was so tall or ont but it seemed like Taipei only had 2 buildings over 50 stories, one being 101 and the other being on the other side of the city.

I thought it was a cool way to bring tourists into the city but an expat I talked to on the plane likened Taipei 101 to a giant unnecessary phallus of Taipei.  I was just on a weekend trip so the only thing I cared about was to see it, take a few pictures of it and from the top floor with my Nikon D90.

Getting Close: Walking to Cloud Shrouded Taipei 101 on Xinyi Road

Getting Taipei 101

You may be surprised to know that even though Taipei 101 is probably the city and country’s biggest tourist attraction, many taxi drivers still didn’t understand me when I asked them to take me there.  Like I said in the excerpt for this post, Taipei 101 sticks out like a sore thumb from the rest of the Taipei skyline so pointing may be the best way to tell a cab driver to take you there.

Luckily for me, there was no need to bust through the language barrier to find Taipei 101 or even use any form of public transit.  I got lucky because it is on the same street (Xinyi Road) and is comfortable walking distance from the very likable hotel I was staying Dolamanco Hotel.

The straight walk from the hotel to Taipei 101 passed by numerous bakeries and I stopped at a street stand to get a couple random buns.  I tried to order pork buns but of course I was not understood and they just gave me a bunch of various item filled buns.  Needless to say the hot steamy snacks were nice on a misty Taiwan day.  I bought a timer remote for my camera in Taipei’s ‘Camera District’ earlier in the day and I had a chance to take my first time lapse sequence (below) which in hindsight I should have done the math and took more pictures, but I still got a pretty cool 10 seconds nonetheless.

Shopping

Upon entering Taipei 101 from the ground floor all you can do is shop and it’s not cheap.  You will find every high end store you can think of from Emporio Armani to Gucci to Prada.  You will also find Diesel, Calvin Klein, Nike and less expensive options but NOTHING in Taipei 101 would be considered bargain shopping.

On the bottom floor there is a food court which looked pretty good.  I say looked pretty good because I skipped it and went straight to the bakery.  There is a bakery which you will see as soon as you go down the escalator from the Nike store which I found everything I ate and drank to be delicious and fairly priced.  Since I didn’t want to overpay for stuff I didn’t need, after filling up on delicious baked goods and freshly brewed coffee I decided to make my way to the observation deck.

Looking up to Tower from inside Shopping Area

Line Wait and Fastest Elevator in the World

Taipei 101 boasts the fastest elevator in the world which gets all the way from the 5th to the 89th floor observation deck in only 39 seconds.  The elevator was very cool with space graphics and sound effects as well as a graphic readout of the speed which whizzed to the top very quick which was nice as I was stuffed in there like a sardine.

Before I could get up to the fastest elevator in the world I had to get through what maybe was the rudest line in the world.  They told me as I purchased the ticket which cost 400 TWD  ($13 USD) that there was a 30 minute wait which wasn’t bad until I got in line.  As I stood patiently in line at least 2 dozen people rudely pushed past me, or went under the barricade to get in front of me.  I don’t know if they were all together or something but I was getting pretty agitated.  After around 30 minutes of getting pushed around waiting in line, it was finally my turn to get up to the 89th floor observation deck.

Continue… Taipei 101 Part II

Bully’s Pub Thanksgiving Buffet

I have walked past Bully’s pub at least 100 times as it’s on the way to the gym I usually work out at.  It is located right on Sukhumvit Road in between Soi 2 and 4.  You can’t miss it as there is a life-sized brass bull in front (see picture above).  I thought it was an expat and tourist bar so I figured it was overpriced and filled with drunk Ausies, Europeans and Americans so I never really had the urge to go.  This changed when I was invited for a Thanksgiving all-you-can-eat buffet by my neighbor Jan who is a fellow travel blogger at TravelWithJan.com

There was no way I be eating Thai noodle soup on the biggest eating day of any American’s year so I gladly accepted the invitation.  I arrived to Bully’s Pub around 7:15pm after my Thai Language class and luckily it was not that busy.  I stacked up my plate with all the Thanksgiving regular foods including mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey, yams, ham and of course gravy.  I stuffed my face with the delicious Thanksgiving foods as I met Jan’s friends.  One of Jan’s friends happened to be like me, another photographer hobbyist with a photo website which you can see at HowardKreiger.com

After I returned from Bully’s Pub that night I went online to see reviews.  One review sparked my attention as it said Bully’s Pub had a large American breakfast which has been one of the very few things I have missed from America during my 8 months so far in Thailand.

Big American Breakfast

I went to bed looking forward to the next morning when I could dig into a big greasy American breakfast.  After going to bed around 2am I woke up unusually early around 9am.  I checked a few emails and headed out the door around 10m towards Bully’s pub and when I got there it wasn’t open yet!  I was aggravated that I’d have to wait until 11am to get my breakfast but luckily there is a Starbucks across the street which I headed to to drink a coffee while I waited.

The American breakfast comes with 2 large pieces of toast, 2 eggs done any way you like, 2 sausage patties, 2 slices of bacon and potatoes which were made on the skillet with bell peppers and onions.  The American breakfast at Bully’s also comes with coffee/tea and juice which I special ordered a orange/pineapple mix.  The portion size was just like I wanted it and I found myself having trouble finishing although the giant coffee I drank 20 minutes before at Starbucks may have had something to do with it.

Big Plate with Greasy Potatoes, Bacon and Sausage Patties with 2 eggs and Toast

Overall Impression

I’m not really into the bar scene so I pretty much ignored Bully’s Pub and now that I’ve eaten there twice I can say if you’re used to American sized portions Bully’s is a good place to get filled up.  As far as bars go, the place was very big and spacious with multiple flat screen TVs playing sports along with a couple pool tables.

Bully’s Pub is probably the best place in Bangkok (so far) to refuel and begin to reduce that Saturday or Sunday morning hangover.  If you’re really hungry at breakfast time, Bully’s Pub’s breakfast is the perfect thing to get in the morning to fuel you up for a day of whatever Bangkok has to offer you.  The price was 180 baht but after the standard 10% 20 baht tip it came out to 200 baht (around $6 USD) which is double most “American breakfasts” served around Bangkok but Bully’s is twice the size and twice the grease;)

Delicious Breakfast - Extensive Menu

Outdoor Bargain Hunting

Since Chiang Mai is not the home of seemingly endless gargantuan shopping centers like Bangkok most of the best shopping opportunities are at various fairs.  Most people I talked to in Chiang Mai recommended shopping at the Sunday walking street fair instead of the night bazaar which was overpriced.

While all three places I stayed at were withing a 5 minute walk to the old moat gate which is where the fair starts, Montri hotel was located right on the corner surrounded by Sunday’s street fair.  I was staying at the nearby Royal Guesthouse when I decided to check out one of Chiang Mai’s biggest tourist attractions.

To say the Chiang Mai walking street fair is a tourist attraction is not doing it justice.  It seemed all of northern Thailand was there.  People from northern Thailand were there selling souvenirs, art, food and more and many people from Chiang Mai were also there.  Much of the goods for sale I have seen everywhere I’ve been in Thailand but I would guess that most of the people that make them live in northern Thailand.

One of the Many Local Tribes People Selling their Sourvenirs

Near the Moat Gate

The square near the remnants of the brick wall and the old gate which used to surround the city is where I started my Sunday night walking market experience.  The big square covered with baby blue and yellow paper lanterns is filled with booth after booth of goods.   There are many people just lounging around along with tourists and Thai people there primarily for the food and being social.

I didn’t know whether the square by the moat gate was the entire Sunday street fair so I decided to walk up Ratchadamnen Road.  Up the street I immediately noticed there was plenty more to the Chiang Mai walking street fair than just the square by the moat gate.  I immediately noticed an alcove with solely food restaurants which I had to stop at.  I ordered this omelet looking thing with noodles.  As I was eating the omelet I started talking to a Thai girl who turned out to have been living in Australia for the last 7 years.  She asked if I would join her and her 3 sisters for a walk through the fair.

Moat at the Beginning of Street Fair in front of Montri Hotel

On and On

I walked up the street with the Thai Aussie girl and her sisters and the streets seemingly got more crowded.    It was very crowded to the point where  I  would get stuck in a bottleneck for a minute at a time in some spots.  We stayed primarily on Ratchadamnen Road which included a couple temples and the fair seemed like it went on endlessly.  After a few blocks we turned around and headed back towards the moat gate.  My new Thai friend had to take her sisters home so I went to business and bought some gifts for my sisters.

View from Top of Apartment Building along Ratchadamnen Road

Overall Impression

While the Sunday walking street fair in Chiang Mai was huge it was nothing I haven’t seen before.  For me the highlight was the delicious food which was easily available almost everywhere I looked.  While it was crowded, there was absolutely no motor traffic which is unusual for Thailand.  People traffic was pretty heavy but no motorcycles, trucks, scooters, etc. made the Chiang Mai walking street fair a pleasurable experience and a must for anyone staying in Chiang Mai over the weekend.

Monkey See Monkey Do

Monkey school was not originally included in the master plan.  After visiting the long neck hill tribe and eating at the Tiger Kingdom buffet my driver recommended the monkey school.  When I say recommended I really mean forcefully insisted as he just drove me there without really asking if I wanted to go.  I’m sure he got some form of commission for taking me there.

I entered the monkey show and paid the admission fee of 200 baht ($6 USD) and was ushered to a small stadium like bleacher seating with the capacity of 50 or so.  There was an announcer over the loud speaker who told everyone to be seated for the show which would start in 5 minutes.

One of the "Students" at Monkey School

The Monkey School Show

The ability of the monkeys to perform human-like mental activities such as recognizing numbers and math were interesting.  The physical abilities of shooting basketballs with rather good accuracy, swimming to retrieve coins from the bottom of the pool and lifting weights was interesting as well.

The monkey school show was short and sweet as a different trainer came out with 3 or 4 different monkeys which they had collars and chains around their neck.  It started with a monkey retrieving these numbered markers when the number was announced.  The monkeys also did some math.  Next they came out with a shopping cart, retrieved coconuts, lifted weights, shot baskets and finally dove under water.

A volunteer from the crowd’s hands were bound and he was sat in front of the audience of around 10-20 people.  The announcer told the volunteer not to look at the monkey while he was untying the rope and when the volunteer did, the monkey gave him a pretty brutal slap across the face.  When he slapped the volunteers face the trainer yanked on the leash pretty hard jerking the monkey’s head.  While this probably wouldn’t be considered animal abuse how the monkeys were housed may have been, read on…

More Accurate Free Throw Shooter than Shaq

Monkey Prison?

While some consider any wild animal taken out of its natural habitat to be animal abuse this monkey school had some signs of less than optimal measures for keeping the monkeys captive.  Before and after viewing the show you can see the non-performing monkeys which were all chained up.  Many of the monkeys were walking around in circles which is all the movement which was allowed as they were chained up to a post.

The monkeys which weren’t walking around in circles looked dejected and many were coughing and seemed sick.  Needless to say I felt pretty bad for all the monkeys chained up so I bought a bunch of little bananas to feed them.  I fed every single monkey (around 20 or so) a banana.  It was pretty interesting that some of the monkeys got ready when they saw me with the bananas and caught them while others let the banana hit them on the head.

I shot the video (below) after I fed all the monkeys a banana so you can’t see how manic and dejected they looked while many were walking around in circles as the  show was on but you can hear the coughing of monkeys which I think were sick from living in bad conditions.

Overall Impression

While I enjoyed the 15 minute monkey school show, the mistreatment of the animals was hard not to notice.  As I mentioned before, having wild animals chained up in captivity is never good but it seemed like these monkeys could have been kept in better conditions which would have not had me leave Monkey School with a sour taste in my mouth.  I would recommend anyone traveling in the area to drop by unless time is of the essence.  If time in northern Thailand is short, monkey school is nothing you should be disappointed for missing.  If anything you can pay the 20 baht (60 cents) and buy a fruit basket to feed the poor chained up talented monkeys.

Monkeys Chained up while Not Performing

History of the Rings and Long Neck

The Karen  Padaung tribe people are not originally from Thailand.  You can watch the National Geographic video (below) for all the history and information about them.

Getting There

Most multiple attraction tours out of Chiang Mai include trips to various “long neck” villages.  The Karen hill tribe village I went to was very close to Chiang Mai.  I hired a driver from a tourism booth in the city center.  I chose a 1/2 day tour which included the drive out to the hill tribe and other attractions in the area.  Within 5-10 minutes from the “long neck” village there were many road signs advertising tourist attractions very close by such as an insect museum, Tiger Kingdom, Monkey School, ATV off road tours, target shooting and much more.

I’m pretty sure I overpaid for the tour which cost me 1000 baht ($30 USD) for the driver who drove an air conditioned pick-up truck.  He took me where ever I wanted so I chose the insect museum and he pretty much automatically drove me to the m0nkey school and a “Asian Arts Museum” which turned out to be an Indian owned, overpriced souvenir peddler which I’m sure he got commission for.

The (refugee camp) Village that the Long Necks Live and Work at

Save your Souvenir Shopping for Long Necks

The long necks let themselves be so visible to tourists for a simple reason.  I would be willing to be the tourism industry supplies the Karen hill tribe outside of Chiang Mai with a large percentage of their income.  Most of the women are sitting there and working on their crafts while the tourists walk by.  They seemed more than happy to pose for pictures with any tourist and I felt obligated to buy some souvenirs from them if I was to ask for a picture.

While I saw a couple men working in a nearby field I wondered where the men of the tribe were.  I would guess they worked somewhere in the nearby area performing agricultural based jobs.  Evidence of the men’s handiwork was all over the village.  I counted 5 babies and/or toddlers in the village.  My driver joked that since the long necks don’t have television cable, the only thing they can do is make the babies which I thought was pretty funny coming from a Thai guy speaking broken English.

Showing off Long Neck-made Bracelets I bought as gifts

Human Zoo?

I have heard many people criticizing the tours and presentation of the long neck people as some sort of human zoo which I completely disagree with.  While the women are on display in plain view of all the visitors, they are working on their crafts.  Anyone who calls this a “human zoo” obviously prefers they be packed in some tiny sweatshop somewhere working on their scarfs, purses, bracelets and other handicrafts 16 hours a day.

Most of the people seemed happy to have foreigners visiting while others seemed burned out from constant photo requests and bartering from the steady flow of tourists.  Overall like most Thai people, although truly Burmese refugees, the long necks seemed to be happy and friendly people.

Beautiful Young Pedaung Woman and her Baby

Long Neck Working Women

Overall Impression

I enjoyed my visit to the Karen long neck hill tribe.  The people were extremely nice and it was interesting to see people with a unique culture  that only exist in small numbers in a small part of the world.  The souveniers were some of the same things you can find all over Thailand but I felt better buying stuff directly from the source which allowed me to authenticate my gifts for my family by sending pictures with the actual items which I bought.

Even if you do not plan to buy any souvenirs or gifts, the visit to the long neck village will make you really appreciate all the handicrafts and Thai art you see sold throughout the country and region.  The stuff doesn’t come from some giant robotic factory or some billionaire businessman, it comes from local tribes like the long necks.

I would recommend the trip to the Karen Hill tribe to anyone who visits Chiang Mai.  There is also a dozen or more other attractions in the same area which is only a 30-45 minute drive outside the Chiang Mai city limits.

Souvenirs I bought as Gifts from the "Long Necks"

For More Photos of the Karen Long Neck Hill Tribe Please Visit tourismPICS.com

Learning about Chiang Mai Night Safari

When I booked Studio 99 Serviced Apartments I noticed a night safari on their list of tours.  No word says, “getting out of the big city” more than safari.  Being the animal lover that I am, it sounded much more appealing than the Chiang Mai zoo although the zoo is home to famous Chinese panda along with its baby panda.

As soon as I arrived to my hotel after the hour flight into Chiang Mai from Bangkok and 10 minute taxi ride to the hotel, I asked the front desk about the night safari.  They told me to arrive there around 7pm and told me a little about it.  They tried to find me a driver as well.

Getting There

Even though I rented a scooter I didn’t think I would be able to find the night safari as it was out of town.  Like I mentioned before, there are no regular taxi or bus services in Chiang Mai so I resorted to tuk tuk.  I asked a driver how much and they asked for 400 baht ($12 USD) for a ride out to the night safari and back 4 hours later.  While I could have probably negotiated I accepted his offer and packed my camera and tripod for the journey to the Chiang Mai night safari.

The tuk tuk ride from Montri Hotel smack dab in the center of Chiang Mai took around 30 minutes.   Upon arrival myself and tuk tuk driver noticed about 100 various types of deer roaming freely before the entrance which was a sign of things to come.

As I got there (picture on very top is entrance) and paid the fee of 500 baht ($15 USD) I was greeted in the lobby by an amazing elephant who could play the harmonica while swinging a hula hoop around its trunk (video below).  It could also play this other instrument which its master put in its mouth.  Banannas and bamboo were available for purchase to feed this talented beast.

Looking across the lake from the lobby I could see a bunch of trees and nothing man made.  I was smart this time, and purchased some mosquito repellent lotion so I wouldn’t get eaten alive while taking photos.

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Walking around Lake

They gave me an itinerary of the night safari experience as I purchased the ticket.  I arrived around 7pm and the tram ride safaris were not until around 9pm which allowed around 2 hours of time which was not idle.  They recommended a walk around the lake which was surrounded with various animal exhibits from tortoises to tapirs.  Most of the exhibits were minimally distracting including the tiger’s in which the fence seemed pretty low to prevent a tiger from escaping.

Towards the end of the walk around the lake I nearly jumped out of my pants as I was passing multiple wild cat exhibits and heard a giant roar/growl from what I thought was a lion and it actually turned out to be coming from a nearby speaker.  Walking in the dark alone surrounded by cats ranging from small house cat sized wildcats to cervals to scary looking black panthers while not scary was kind of uncomfortable.

They recommended returning after an hour to watch the water and laser show but I decided to stay across the lake and take some pictures without anyone in my way.  The water show was a photographers dream with a bunch of cool looking lights and reflections which make some pretty spectacular looking, easy to take photos.  After the water show I made my way back to the main area where I had some Thai food at the restaurant.

Watching the Laser Water Show on the Other Side of Lake

The Safari

At around 9pm they ushered the English speaking guests to one side and the Thai/Japanese speaking people to the other side for each tram safari.  Everyone packed on these tram safari vehicles and they were off.  I would guess there were 25 people on each tram which could have accommodated for 100 so I considered myself lucky because I had the ability to move from side to side to get pictures of animals on either side.

Each safari was separated into sections which included animals of southeast Asia, Africa and Australia.  The tram would slow down and a spotlight would turn on each side which enabled everyone to see the animals 90% of the time.  Trying to photograph the animals was made difficult by the driver who would slow the tram down to a crawl but never really let it come to a complete stop.  Coupled with the low light, movement made it very difficult to get a good picture of one of the animals.

I saw a bunch of animals which I have never seen before including about 10 species of deer/cow like creatures which didn’t excite me too much.  The animals I was really impressed with were the hyenas.  They were almost twice as big as I thought they would be.  You can see some pictures of some of the animals at the bottom of this post.  After returning from the first safari there was a 30 minute break until the next safari which enabled everyone to get a drink or…

Before Boarding Safari Tram on Beautiful Chiang Mai Night

Surprise Surprise

I was presented the opportunity to handle a baby tiger for a picture which cost a couple hundred baht.  While I have no interest in being anywhere near a blood thirsty adult tiger a baby was a lot more appealing.  They had 3 baby tigers in this glass encased room.  Two tigers were very small baby orange tigers which I thought I was going to have my picture taken with and there was this older white tiger which was twice the size of the little orange ones.

After I washed my hands they walked me right in and had me sit down on this wooden step and before I could sit comfortably I see this white tiger come running at me!  The handlers handed me a bottle with Tiger’s milk as the tiger jumped on my lap and I fed it for 30 seconds as they snapped pictures.  I must say the fur on the baby tiger felt EXACTLY like my sister’s dog, a year old male corgi.  They gave me a CD with the pictures on it as well as a print.  After the tiger feeding I went on the second tram ride to see the animals from Australia and more from Africa.

Feeding Adolescent? Tiger Milk for 30 Seconds

Overall Impression

While the Chiang Mai night safari was no replacement for actually visiting the animals in their natural habitat it was a fun experience.  I thought the presentation of the animals at night made it tenfold more interesting than walking around in a crowded zoo looking at caged animals.  The price was a little steep for Chiang Mai standards as total I spent over 1000 baht ($30 USD) but it was well worth it.  You can find more detailed information on the Chiang Mai night safari website.

Some of the Animals Seen on the Night Safari