Asia Travel Part Three: Bangkok and Chiang Mai

  Ok so let me start off by saying, our day at Elephant Nature Preserve in Chiang Mai was the BEST DAY EVER. It is a truly amazing place, were they have made a home for elephants rescued from all over Thailand. The stories of the elephants lives before they were saved are heartbreaking, the abuse and neglect these elephants suffered is tragic and all too common. That being said, they are now living in an amazing environment where their caregivers open up their doors to tourists to help give them the life they deserve. We were able to feed, bathe and spend time with the elephants for a full day. I was ecstatic, to say the very least (as you can see from my manic grin in the photo above). I just have to say, if weren't a designer, I'd follow my 10 year old selfs dream of working with elephants or dolphins (I'd take the poor pay to have an elephant bestie).

On another note, Bangkok was pretty fabulous also. The Grand Palace, Wat Arun, and Wat Pho were beautiful and unlike anything I've ever seen.  Bangkok feels different from other Asian cities I've visited. It has so much character, which is saying something in a world that increasingly feels like "anywhereville" where cities can start to feel interchangeable because of outside global influences. The tuk-tuks, temples, and ambiance make it memorable and unique. Next stop, Krabi, for some quality beach time.

Asia Travel Part Two: Ho Chi Mihn and Fuzhou

Today is My first full day in Thailand! Horrah! Chris and I met up in Bangkok yesterday and are ready to explore! Last week I finished up my time in Ho Chi Mihn, Vietnam, and spent four days in Fuzhou, China. It's funny when you're working in a foreign city how little of it you sometimes see. In Hi Chi Mihn, we're right in the center of the city and it's easy to get around, and there is so much to see. The buildings are colorful and interesting, so different from what you see in the US or Europe. You still have to be careful of course, one of the girls I'm traveling with got mugged by a man on a scooter and was dragged down the street a bit. She's banged up but overall alright. Just goes to show that you always need to be on your guard.

Fuzhou on the other hand, is not a photogenic city. There are two extremes here, what seems like hundreds of identical brand new sky rises that are mostly uninhabited, and dilapidated old buildings that are packed with people. Every picture I took during the day just looked like a wash of grey. Grey sky, grey river, grey roads, grey buildings. At night, it's a different story, in the nice parts of the city, everything is awash in bright colorful lights and the unsightly parts of the city seem to disappear into the shadows. I may be giving Fuzhou a hard time, I didn't get out much when I was there, besides dinner (which was delicious) and driving to the factory, I did not see much of the city. Lets just say I'm happy to be on the the fun part of this trip, I'll check in soon with an update from Thailand! Have a great weekend!

Week One: Vietnam

My first week in Asia is coming to a close. It's been all work, all the time. The first week is always the toughest with jet lag, fortunately for me, I sleep pretty well, unfortunately for those I work with, it makes me crazier than usual. As all we've really been doing thus far is work, I don't have many great photos, just pictures taken from the car on our way to and from the factories. I'll have tomorrow to bum around the city a bit before I'm off to Fuzhou, so I'll be able to share those photos next week! I'm already counting down the days to the vacation part of this trip in Thailand!

Off to Asia!

1. My photo from Vietnam   2.

Fuzhou

  3.

Krabi

On Sunday, I leave for three weeks in Asia! I've prepared lots of posts for while I'm gone, so no fear, there will still be a new post for each week day! My first stop is Ho Chi Mihn City in Vietnam, I had to count the visas in my passport to figure out how many times I've been, this will be my 8th trip to Vietnam since I started working at Reebok about 5 years ago. The top picture above is from one of my very first trips. I'll be there for a week, and while in Vietnam I'll be mostly in the factories with some good food stops after hours. Next stop is Fuzhou, China, where I'll be in more factories for a couple of days. THEN it's off to Thailand for a 10 day vacation! Chris will be flying over to meet me in Bangkok, where we will stay to explore for a couple of days, then it's on to Chiang Mai, where we'll be going to an elephant reserve!! Last stop is the island of Krabi, which will be beautiful and looks amazing! I'm hoping to post little updates each Friday while I'm gone to share some of the fun and crazy things I've been doing! So keep checking in for new content each day and a travel check in at the end of each week!