Thursday 13 October 2016
Dubai
We headed by taxi at 10am to KL Sental to catch the bus to the airport which takes an hour, once at the airport we realised that we were at the wrong terminal. So another ride on the metro to our terminal and finally we were on the plane to Colombo for a 2.30min stop over. Our flight lands at Dubai 21.40 and we are faced with a massive queue at immigration but finally we have our bags and are heading for the metro for a half hour ride to where our accommodation is. Finally we arrive, very tired and hot but it was all worth it as our apartment is fantastic, just what the doctor ordered.
We walked across to the Mall of the Emirates where there is a supermarket and we did some shopping. Back home we had a nice breakfast with lots of tea while we planned our stay here.
As the metro is the other side of the mall we walked back through to get to the metro as we were heading for the marina area. This area wasn't really built up when we were here last and now it's like one big building site with million dollar boats moored up. The beach area was really busy but at £20 for a sun bed and £40 for a day bed on the beach we decided not to stay. After a sit down and a expensive cold drink we carried on with our walk before we headed back to the metro.
The shops trend to open late here as they stay open until 11pm so we did some retail therapy but only brought a ice cream, I think it's very expensive here.
Had an early morning swim which was lovely as it wasn't so hot but the pool water is far too warm.
After breakfast we headed for the marina again as wanted to try a place called Pier 7 as they are famous for their monster shakes. Trust me they were overpriced and not very nice but the setting was nice overlooking the marina. We brought a pizza and garlic bread for dinner as I still haven't got rid of this cold and not enjoying eating out.
So the big day for going to the top of the Burj Khalifa has arrived and we hopped on the shuttle bus down to the Dubai Mall. It wasn't that busy so with our tickets we headed for the lift and the extremely fast lift to the 124th floor. What an amazing view of Dubai from here, from here you can see so much past the skyscrapers and into the desert. You can pay more and go to the 148th floor but this was very expensive and the views would be the same. Once back on solid ground we stopped and read the history of the worlds tallest building.
Once outside we watched a huge fountain display to music only wish we had time to see it at night.
The Dubai Mall is also the largest in the world and a much nicer mall than the Mall of the Emirates.
Still haven't brought anything here apart from coffee and cake. Our shuttle bus is due to pick us up at 17.10 so we head to the car park and wait for our driver to arrive.
We wanted to visit the area we stayed at 10 years ago when we came to Dubai to visit friends, so we took the hotel shuttle bus to Jumeira beach area. The area hasn't changed much but today was really busy due to it being the weekend. The Burj Arab hotel is also in this area and it's nice to see that no other hotels have built around this iconic landmark. We had to get a taxi back due to the transport links are not good but as it's a meter taxi you don't feel as your being ripped off.
The afternoon we just chilled by the pool and caught up with some admin. We booked our train tickets back to Chichester which felt a bit weird.
Down at the marina they had a Hallowe'en market on in the evening, we then went and ate as we wanted to watch the cliff diving at Pier 7
The Redbull cliff diving final was being held in Dubai for the first time. They had built a platform for the divers on the Pier 7 building. It was a very hot night and with all the crowds there it became very uncomfortable but it was worth it as the diving was very good and the British diver won.
Saturday was our chill day and we spent the morning around the pool and in the afternoon headed for the mall. We had a late lunch in the Cheesecake Factory followed by a large slice of cheesecake. So Sunday morning and we had to checkout at noon so we had a swim and a bit of a sun bath before we showered and checked out. The hotel said they would hold our luggage as we wasn't heading to the airport until late that night. We had booked an afternoon tea at a 5* hotel for 3pm so before heading to the Sofitel Downtown hotel we walk around the mall for a bit as it was next door. Our afternoon tea was ok but certainly not one of the better ones we have had. The hotel was really nice and the staff were very friendly and kept bringing us more nibbles. So 3hrs later we are stuffed and head back to the mall to watch the fountain display with all its lights and music. We got back to the hotel later that night to pick up our bags before we headed for the metro for the train back to the airport. Our flight wasn't until 05.20am so we had a long wait at the airport but that was ok as I had alot of reading and writing to do. The time past quickly and we were sitting on the plane taking us back to the UK and who knows what awaits us back home.
Elephant Nature Park
With great sadness we left Phuket and the dogs but we are of to Chiang Mai and the Elephant Park for a week of volunteering. Our guest house was quite shabby but for one night it was ok, we found the famous night market and it was huge. The market sold everything you could ever want and a great variety of food.
So in the morning we were picked up by the van and taken to park, north of Chiang Mai which took just over the hour. This whole park in a funny way reminds me of Jurassic Park with its large steel fencing and sliding gates. So on route we watched a video about the park and its founder Lek and what she has achieved in so few years. Once our rooms were sorted and lunch was finished at 1pm we had a talk and watched another video about the cruelty the young elephants suffer.
A truck arrived full of bananas and water melon which we unloaded, this is a everyday event.
Before dinner the local chief and his wife did a blessing ceremony for us all and we were given bracelets to wear. The food is all vegetarian and basically I lived on plain rice, chips and they did serve pasta on two nights.
On Tuesday our first job was to meet after breakfast at 8am and put into groups and each group does a different job each day. Our group A is cutting corn, we had to ride in an open truck standing for an hour to reach the corn field. We were given a machete and shown how to cut the corn, we all worked a line and the local men tired the corn up ready for us to load onto the truck. Once the field was cut we stopped for lunch before loading the two lorries up ready to take back to the park for the elephants nightly feed. We were back at the park early afternoon and that was our days work done, time for a shower even if it is cold.
Wednesdays schedule is cleaning up the elephant shelters of poo and uneaten corn from the night before. So after breakfast we collect our shovels and head for the shelters and start shovelling poo.
We finished this around 10am so we went and walked some dogs, we were asked to walk the dogs with wheels. There is 3 dogs at the shelter who have lost the use of their back legs and some carts with wheels have been made for them. These dogs just loved their walks, they were so happy sniffing around in the grass and watching the elephants and water buffalo walk by.
In the afternoon we got to walk out and be with the elephants, there is a family that has a 4yr and 4 month old baby. The herd is very protective over them and when a dog barked they all crowded around the baby to protect it, very sweet to see. We then went into the river and throw buckets of water over the elephants while they fed.
They say there is wifi here but it's so hit and miss here it's frustrating, better they tell you that there is no wifi rather than very bad wifi.
Thursday is Leks birthday and it's tradition that everyone plants trees for her, so all day we planted trees along the river bank and around the shelters. Thursday is cleaning day and the room basically had its bin emptied and the bed changed. Strangely enough after the cleaning day we started to get hot water but it was so hot we had to mix it with cold water in a bowl as the temperature couldn't be turned down.
So on Friday we worked in the kitchen unloading the fruit trucks then washing the fruit ready for the elephant treats. We had a go at chopping the melons and pumpkins but we were too slow and pretty bad at it. After lunch it was time to collect the drift wood from the river bank, this was hard work as it was very hot. We had another chance that afternoon to feed the elephants and wash them in the river which was a nice surprise.
Saturday being our last work day was poo shovelling again which I don't mind as we get time to spend with the elephants. After lunch we had a group photo session then free time. I sat on the skywalk and watched the elephants in the river and have mud baths. That evening before dinner Lek gave a talk on the park and the elephant industry around the world, makes you think about the next time you see any animal performing for us and what goes on behind the scene.
Sunday morning we had to unload some water melon trucks before we could shower and check out our rooms. After lunch we left the park at 1pm and headed for the airport for our next flight to Kuala Lumpur.
I really enjoyed the park but a lot of improvements could be made without too much effort.
So in the morning we were picked up by the van and taken to park, north of Chiang Mai which took just over the hour. This whole park in a funny way reminds me of Jurassic Park with its large steel fencing and sliding gates. So on route we watched a video about the park and its founder Lek and what she has achieved in so few years. Once our rooms were sorted and lunch was finished at 1pm we had a talk and watched another video about the cruelty the young elephants suffer.
A truck arrived full of bananas and water melon which we unloaded, this is a everyday event.
Before dinner the local chief and his wife did a blessing ceremony for us all and we were given bracelets to wear. The food is all vegetarian and basically I lived on plain rice, chips and they did serve pasta on two nights.
On Tuesday our first job was to meet after breakfast at 8am and put into groups and each group does a different job each day. Our group A is cutting corn, we had to ride in an open truck standing for an hour to reach the corn field. We were given a machete and shown how to cut the corn, we all worked a line and the local men tired the corn up ready for us to load onto the truck. Once the field was cut we stopped for lunch before loading the two lorries up ready to take back to the park for the elephants nightly feed. We were back at the park early afternoon and that was our days work done, time for a shower even if it is cold.
Wednesdays schedule is cleaning up the elephant shelters of poo and uneaten corn from the night before. So after breakfast we collect our shovels and head for the shelters and start shovelling poo.
We finished this around 10am so we went and walked some dogs, we were asked to walk the dogs with wheels. There is 3 dogs at the shelter who have lost the use of their back legs and some carts with wheels have been made for them. These dogs just loved their walks, they were so happy sniffing around in the grass and watching the elephants and water buffalo walk by.
In the afternoon we got to walk out and be with the elephants, there is a family that has a 4yr and 4 month old baby. The herd is very protective over them and when a dog barked they all crowded around the baby to protect it, very sweet to see. We then went into the river and throw buckets of water over the elephants while they fed.
They say there is wifi here but it's so hit and miss here it's frustrating, better they tell you that there is no wifi rather than very bad wifi.
Thursday is Leks birthday and it's tradition that everyone plants trees for her, so all day we planted trees along the river bank and around the shelters. Thursday is cleaning day and the room basically had its bin emptied and the bed changed. Strangely enough after the cleaning day we started to get hot water but it was so hot we had to mix it with cold water in a bowl as the temperature couldn't be turned down.
So on Friday we worked in the kitchen unloading the fruit trucks then washing the fruit ready for the elephant treats. We had a go at chopping the melons and pumpkins but we were too slow and pretty bad at it. After lunch it was time to collect the drift wood from the river bank, this was hard work as it was very hot. We had another chance that afternoon to feed the elephants and wash them in the river which was a nice surprise.
Saturday being our last work day was poo shovelling again which I don't mind as we get time to spend with the elephants. After lunch we had a group photo session then free time. I sat on the skywalk and watched the elephants in the river and have mud baths. That evening before dinner Lek gave a talk on the park and the elephant industry around the world, makes you think about the next time you see any animal performing for us and what goes on behind the scene.
Sunday morning we had to unload some water melon trucks before we could shower and check out our rooms. After lunch we left the park at 1pm and headed for the airport for our next flight to Kuala Lumpur.
I really enjoyed the park but a lot of improvements could be made without too much effort.
Wednesday 5 October 2016
Thailand - Soi Dogs
So we are back in Nai Yang and Soi Dogs for three weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing all our dogs again. Monday morning it's pouring down so no dog walking but we did spend the morning with the small dogs. It was great to see the people at Soi also and how well the place is looking. The hospital is up and running but the new runs in the centre are nearly finished but with all the rain they have had there is mud everywhere. Monday afternoon and the rain has stopped so I finally got to see Strawberry and the other dogs in B4, there is 4 new dogs in the run as a few have been adopted and already left. Our dogs were really excited to see us and they were pretty much the same, Strawberry still loves her cuddles but she doesn't seem to get picked on as much anymore due to the new dogs in the run. The rain continued throughout the week apart from one day that was very hot and the dogs just didn't want to be walked. I'm happy to be back but still getting anxious about when Strawberry will arrive in the UK.
So finally a date for Strawberry to come to the UK on a super 6 run and now it's a count down to December 10th. She seems a bit down and don't seem to want to walk or join in, just wants her cuddles. I mentioned this to the staff and some blood tests have been done and the result is she has an infection and is anaemic. She is now on a 30 day course of medication and then her blood will be tested again and hopefully the results will be good news.
Soi had an arrival of 50 meat trade dogs coming from the pound in the north of Thailand and the volunteers were asked to help unload them and get them settled into their new runs. All the dogs seem very calm and settled down well. There is a little dog named Tina and she was all skin and bone, how she was a meat trade dog I just don't know.
The weekend was hot and we spent the morning at the beach and then had a swim in the pool due to jellyfish in the water. We had been feeding 4 mummy dogs down by the airport and we finally got Soi to come out to her and any pups. We managed to catch the mum and four of her pups which was a great result and the dog catcher said he would come back out and try to catch the other two pups. The mum was sterilised and put back with her two pups the next day and the other four pups will be neutered and put up for adoption by Soi.
On Sunday we headed into Phuket town and the night market, the market was huge with lots of food stalls to eat from. Was glad to get back to Pensiri as my knees were killing me and time for some pain relief.
So our last week at Soi and it rained on and off for most of the week but we still managed to walk all our dogs in between the showers. Towards the end of the week Strawberry seemed to be a bit more active and happy so I'm hoping the medication is working. We spent some quality time together and she enjoyed her cowhide chews I gave her. So this is the second time I've had to say goodbye to her and the next time I see her will be in December at the Harwich docks.
So finally a date for Strawberry to come to the UK on a super 6 run and now it's a count down to December 10th. She seems a bit down and don't seem to want to walk or join in, just wants her cuddles. I mentioned this to the staff and some blood tests have been done and the result is she has an infection and is anaemic. She is now on a 30 day course of medication and then her blood will be tested again and hopefully the results will be good news.
Soi had an arrival of 50 meat trade dogs coming from the pound in the north of Thailand and the volunteers were asked to help unload them and get them settled into their new runs. All the dogs seem very calm and settled down well. There is a little dog named Tina and she was all skin and bone, how she was a meat trade dog I just don't know.
The weekend was hot and we spent the morning at the beach and then had a swim in the pool due to jellyfish in the water. We had been feeding 4 mummy dogs down by the airport and we finally got Soi to come out to her and any pups. We managed to catch the mum and four of her pups which was a great result and the dog catcher said he would come back out and try to catch the other two pups. The mum was sterilised and put back with her two pups the next day and the other four pups will be neutered and put up for adoption by Soi.
On Sunday we headed into Phuket town and the night market, the market was huge with lots of food stalls to eat from. Was glad to get back to Pensiri as my knees were killing me and time for some pain relief.
So our last week at Soi and it rained on and off for most of the week but we still managed to walk all our dogs in between the showers. Towards the end of the week Strawberry seemed to be a bit more active and happy so I'm hoping the medication is working. We spent some quality time together and she enjoyed her cowhide chews I gave her. So this is the second time I've had to say goodbye to her and the next time I see her will be in December at the Harwich docks.
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