Guest post by Dee Farrell of Rainbow Tourism Asia covers Lesbian and Gay Travel in Asia.
Spending a day at the world-heritage Royal Elephant Kraal and village in the ancient Siam capital of Ayutthaya is a fantastic way to get hands-on experience with Thailand’s national animal. If you’re lucky, you may even get to ride an Asian elephant to the river so you can check that off your bucket list. And the special treat -Elephantstay is run by two amazing women. Read more
Democracy Monument, Bangkok
Organised by the the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s media websiteIn this contest, articles are to be written on the subject, “WHERE IN THAILAND INSPIRED YOU THE MOST?” By doing so, you have the opportunity to win a cash prize of USD 2,500. Competition open until July 5 2013
They hope that your articles will certainly inspire others to explore and experience the many fascinating aspects of Thailand. We would be very grateful to you if you would also publish this online event in your respected blogs / websites.
Women Travel Blog is happy to support this vemture by offering to post any articles by women, and of interest to women travelers. Send to Rosemary@womentravel.info
For more information, please click here or contact them at article@tatnews.org
She got on the back of the truck with us. I looked at her red lips- was it betel nut?I looked at other women we passed on the road. The signs were definitely there.
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To Western eyes, the habit of betel nut chewing seems very unpleasant The red lips can seem attractive, from a distance, but closer observation will reveal the stained tongue and decayed teeth. Then there is the spitting and hoicking on to the ground. Read more
The elephant loomed up, huge and slow, and just as terrifying as I feared. I watched as the others one by one climbed on. I was the only one left on the platform- it was now or forget it.
Suddenly I was there. I was sitting on an elephant, and it was beginning a steady lurch down the slope. My feet rested behind its ears, feeling the tough hairy skin, sensing the movement of its shoulders, as it lumbered along the jungle tracks. An unexpected wave of euphoria put the biggest smile on my face.
I had been so apprehensive, but now I loved it!
Roots of Asia run tours for women, tours for lesbians, and customised tours in Northern Thailand, Bali and Nepal – even running one in Spain. Accessibly priced, they are focused on meeting local people, mindfulness, and getting off the beaten track.
buy viagra brandmentravelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Joanna.Szreder-150×150.jpg” alt=”" width=”150″ height=”150″ /> The Blond Travels
Guest post by Joanna Szreder author of The Blond Travels
Women had it tough, tougher than men. And I’m not just talking about menopause, monthly stomach crumps or the excruciating pain of labour. For centuries we had to clean, cook, raise kids and make sure our men were always happy. Not that long ago we didn’t even have a right to vote and have careers. Our main purpose was to get married, make babies and make sure our men had their shirts ironed before they left for work in the morning.
Luckily, the modern world allows us to develop ourselves. Women are doctors, lawyers, powerful chief executives of large companies. Finally we can be independent and do things for ourselves. We still are considered a minority in a professional world, but we’ve come a long way to be where we are at the moment. Of course, there are some sacrifices we need to make, but these are choices that are ours, and only ours.
So, why in this world, where we can finally fulfil our dreams and plans,
we are so eager to give up on them so easily? Read more
Physical comfort 3/10, culture shock 9/10 – a great homestay experience in an Akha Village
Brilliantly colourful clothes, remote rural lifestyle, a proud history-The Akha people are one of the many hill tribes who live in the northern mountains , bordering Burma and Laos.
Our tour leaders have personal links with one family, who welcomed all eight of us into their home for two nights. I was so relieved to actually arrive there, that the rustic simplicity of our accommodation did not hit me at first.
This stay was a wonderful opportunity included in our Green Mindful Tour with Roots of Asia who specialise in Tours for Women in northern Thailand.
To see or not to see the Long Neck Karen
- that is the tourist’s dilemma.
‘Go and see if you want,’ said our local hosts. ‘We don’t support the Long Neck Village. It is just a tourist venture, which exploits these people.’. Read more
Thailand: trekking through Karen villages in the mountains of Northern Thailand was wonderful, exhausting, eye-opening and horrifying. It was quite hard work physically and certainly a cultural shock. Even the deep knee bends, and Qi Gong every morning had not really prepared us.
Scratching my legs and getting hives in Thailand
It began with an itch, then a bit of a rash. By morning my legs were covered in raised welts.
‘Uh huh’, I remembered from once before, ‘Hives’.
Was it the heat, was it something I ate in this country of delicious spicy food? Whatever it was, the itching was driving me crazy.
The rash came on while I was at a two day silent retreat in a Buddhist monastery. It spread to my inner arms and chest. All the areas I use sunblock on, all the areas of my skin exposed to the sun and air.
AS soon as we returned to Chiang Mai city I asked the pharmacist at the nearby University Pharmacy. She looked at my ugly red legs with kindness.
“We get a lot of that here, with farang (foreigners) . It’s the pollution, gives you an allergy.’
From my internet research , I had learned that hives, or urticaria, can be caused by food allergies, environmental allergy or excessive heat. All were likely in Thailand. All can respond to antihistamine and to a steroid ointment. So I was confident to take her advice- to rub on Beprogel, a topical solution to reduce the swelling and itchiness, and to swallow Zyrtec, an antihistamine tablet.
Along the road, a herbal pharmacist offered me a lovely cooling green aloe vera lotion to relieve the itch, and also a detox teabag- take three times a day. I checked it out on the internet- thunbergia laurelfolia- can be used as anti inflammatory. She advised cutting out all seafood and fish sauce. This was hard as I had to learn to say, ‘No fish, no oyster sauce’ in Thai.
After four days of trying not to scratch, the swelling was reduced, the itching lessened and things were looking up. But one night, I unthinkingly had the most delicious fish and salad, and within minutes was scratching the new red welts.
Lesson learned.
Going to the dentist in Thailand – is it a good idea?
Do your research first - There are Two Sides to the Story!
We heard a sorry story, in a vegetarian restaurant in Chiang Mai. She was an older woman, well dressed, but holding her mouth and looking ill at ease. Her story was a sad one. Read more
