laguna/bang tao

so, as previously mentioned, we moved from patong up to bang tao/laguna for the weekend, since that's where my race was. up there, we stayed at the amora phuket beach resort. it was interesting, to say the least. the room was clean, except for some mold in the bathroom. the wifi was only free in the lobby. it cost 600 baht/$20 for three days of wifi, but even then, the password was only good for one device. kind of annoying. the receptionists were okay, the tour lady and the taxi lady were extremely friendly (the taxi lady was our favorite), but the guest relations lady we dealt with was not great. there's a sign with different activities, and we asked if we could sign up for the market tour, and she kind of tried to convince us to not do it. it was very strange. we did it anyway. we also went during the off-season, so it was very quiet. just us and a bunch of russians. here's what we did there!



for a late lunch, i had some pineapple fried rice, and she had some pad thai (i think). i made the mistake i always make with pineapple fried rice. i always secretly hope if the title is JUST "pineapple fried rice" there will be no shrimp. but there is always. always. shrimp. and there was shrimp in that pineapple. the rice was delicious still. we had this at the hotel's restaurant on the beach after laying out for a while.


surprise!! we went to pick up my race packet and while walking to a taxi stand after doing so, we ran into a VERY baby elephant and her mahout. her name is candy. she kissed us and was adorable. the mahout didn't even want a tip, he just continued walking on his way. amazing.





we ate dinner at sugar cane, which was right next to the hotel. she had ginger cashew chicken, i had pad thai with chicken, we both had chicken satay, and for dessert we had fried bananas! it was all good. all of it.





the next day, we did a cooking class. we signed up for this one at the hotel, but i believe you can find it online too (it's on trip advisor). it started with a trip to the local market, just like the wet market! our guide/later cooking instructor went through and described all the unique spices/herbs/etc. he also showed us the eels and some turtles, which aren't for eating but rather for buddhists. to do what, i don't know. but they're not for eating.




we made a lot of things. we started with tom yum soup, then massamun curry, ginger cashew chicken, fried rice, and steamed banana cakes. because of my nervousness with meat, i asked for vegetarian options and they were happy to accommodate - down to even ensuring i had mushroom sauce versus oyster sauce. it was all so good, but my favorites were the ginger cashew chicken/tofu and the steamed banana cakes. the banana cakes were the perfect amount of sweet/salty/sour. i could eat them all day.


oh yeah, and it was located here, on siray beach. the cooking school is directly on the water, with a balcony over the beach so you can lay in the sun while digesting your goodies. it was relaxing and nice. perfect.




after cooking school, we laid in the sun some more at the resort, then walked for dinner at bliss beach club. it was our most expensive meal, but delicious. pizza, spring rolls, and for dessert, chocolate strawberry spring rolls. so good.


and eating on the beach meant we got to watch the beautiful sunset!

the next day was my race, which i wrote about here.

after the race, we went to the beach, got thai massages and a foot scrub on the beach, then sought out some drinks. i got a pina colada-esque drink in a pineapple, while my friend got a coconutty concoction in a coconut. they were perfect.


then it was time for our market tour. we ended up going out on the truck that takes the hotel workers around. we didn't know it was a self-guided tour, but it was. maybe in tourist season they do something more structured?


i was starving, and immediately found these delicious things. little pancakes rolled up with a green tea custard inside. they were so good.


interesting to see a tsunami evacuation route versus a hurricane evacuation route!


in malaysia we have the take-away bags, in phuket, they have a little handle that goes on your cup to make it a handle. neat.


we had our last dinner in phuket at sugar cane again, where i got pad thai again and so did my friend. for dessert this time we had the mango sticky rice. it was good. everything was good!

overall, phuket was fun. it was definitely different. i felt like everything was on top of each other though. and it was so mountainous, i felt like i was in west virginia with a beach! the food was so good though. and everything is cheap. my only big big problem was our airport arrival. we arrived after the currency exchange closed, so they did an unofficial exchange in which the girl took $100. i didn't notice until i was back at our hotel and sorting everything else, but really! next time i go, i'll know to exchange enough here to cover taxi fare and that's it. and on that, i set up our transportation through the hotel, for 1000 baht. if you can, do this, as it will be much safer than getting a taxi at the airport.

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elephant day!!

this was the day we were waiting for, the day to meet the elephants!! i booked this tour through phuket.com also, and it was at siam safari. we immediately started by meeting the elephants, and then taking our elephant ride.



each elephant has a mahout, who is matched with the elephant while young and stays with it throughout its life. they are best pals.





the ride was about 30-45 minutes. the mahouts would get off and take our picture at certain spots. we could see the ocean, and the big buddha. it was kind of terrifying at first, because i felt like the basket would fall over, but we made it through. we also saw a very big spider. the very big spider was terrifying.


after our ride, we fed the elephants. our elephant stole food out of another guy's basket!



then we met some baby elephants, aged two and seven. they painted, did tricks, and then took pictures with us. the one looks like she's gonna eat my head!


then they showed us how rubber is harvested. it was crazy. you can only slice the tree once a day!


then they showed us how to pound out our own curry, and gave us some with chicken and rice and pineapples. it was really delicious.




then they showed us how to fully harvest a coconut - from cutting off the outer shell, to cutting open the inside, shaving out the meat, squeezing out the milk, and how coconut oil is made. it was neats. then we had the little white things, which i think were made out of coconut milk and eggs, topped with carrots. then we had thai coffee and thai tea. like teh tahrik, they're mixed with condensed milk instead of regular milk. they were both so so good. i don't really like coffee straight, and i loved that coffee.


then we rode a water buffalo!


after that, they showed us how to harvest rice. and then we were done.

overall, we definitely got our money's worth with this tour. i was expecting to just ride the elephants and that was it, but the extra "tours" after the ride were great. it was only about two hours total, but felt a lot longer and was definitely fun. we loved it.

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semenggoh!

okay. gracious. i don't even know how to start this.

in fourth grade, we had a project where we had to make our favorite animal, using a shoebox as the base. for starters, i am not a crafty person. at all. and this was extremely apparent in fourth grade. that being said, i persevered and created a beautiful little orangutan. i wish my mom took pictures of it. i say beautiful, and i really mean "a box of fuzz."

orangutans have always been my favorite. they're just. so. adorable. i admire the way they bend and move and pick things up with whatever limb is closest - be it their feet or hands. SO OBVIOUSLY, when making my decision to accept a move to kuala lumpur, the fact that i would be one south china sea hop away from orangutans in their natural habitat was HIGH on the list.

semenggoh wildlife centre is one such place where conservation efforts are in place to keep the orangutans in their natural habitat. and, being that it was on the way between our longhouse and kuching, of COURSE we made the stop. we arrived right at the feeding time of 3:00, and all of the orangutans were out.



see the little piece of coconut gripped in this little one's foot? amazing.



this was 32-year-old mr. ritchie. named after a local reporter. he's a bit temperamental. in fact, at one point, when he was tired of eating here, he walked to the pathway which we were on. we were all then cornered into an area while he decided where he wanted to go. luckily, he wanted to go out on the path somewhere else, and not in the opposite direction toward us, as we had nowhere to hide from a moody orangutan!



so pensive.



such an interesting social interaction we saw, as well. this little one was clearly trying to sneak some food from behind mr. ritchie's back. apparently even the orangutans try to steer clear of him!



i just think they're beautiful



i believe this is at the point where we were walking back to the parking lot, and a group of people were stopped on the path. i asked meagan, "what are we stopping for?" only to have an american girl quickly retort "um, the orangutan above us." doh.



they're just graceful!



so fuzzy.



mr. ritchie thanks you for not smoking.



and i thought zip-lining while being hooked up was scary!



semenggoh is a pretty amazing place. we didn't explore any other parts of it, as we pretty strictly wanted to see the orangutans, but i believe they have a nature walk as well that is nice to see.

if i do nothing else while in malaysia, i'd consider it complete. i saw orangutans in their natural habitat. check.

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