A night of 50c Mojitos

When the night drew in after spending the day with Elephants and nature, I was sooo ready to wind down and experience another epic evening in the streets of Chiang Mai.

So I put on my going out outfit, and got my energy up to go jamming with Teeks.

There we were driving around on our scooter to find the perfect spot that would accept our crazy personalities. After whizzing through a couple of streets he remembered a good friend's spot...

My heart beamed with excitement as the first thing I saw was the 50c Mojitos and Caipirinhas. It was an intimate spot in one of the alleys. The ambiance was reggae vibes, chilled people who were there to meet new people and share different stories. Met a lady called Nicole from Isle of Man who quit her job to come work in Chiang Mai for 9 months. Then there was another girl who had been living in Chiang Mai for three years now. Quit her job in Paris, packed up her things and now her life is in Chiang Mai. What a lovely time to hear so many people's stories. That's the amazing thing I love about travelling is all the people you meet along the way and everyone has a story to tell. While sipping on delicious Mojitos all night, we had the pleasure of listening to people playing on their guitars and singing such amazing songs..

At 6am, we all decided that Mojito night had to come to a close. With the sun shining Teeks and I hopped onto our scooter and headed off for breakfast.

The amazing thing about traveling, you meet such interesting people and hear their stories. We all have a story to tell. People give me a buzz.If I could spend my nights like this every day, my soul would be singing high notes.

Riding elephants, bamboo rafting and white river rafting

After what was an amaze balls evening and only getting 3 hours of sleep, myself and Teeks gathered our momentum once again and headed off to spend an adventure packed day with nature.

Our clan is Batloung which is Elephants, so it was only fitting to go and experience the day with the Thai elephants which are known to be the smartest elephants. Our morning started off with riding the elephants and then we spent time to cool off and had a delicious traditional Thai meal, and of course we needed to quench our thirst with some beer. Once our tummies were satisfied, we headed off for bamboo rafting.

The guy steering the raft had so much trust in me and let me steer it myself. With 7 people on it, I have to say I did a sterling job and my muscles got a good workout. That wasn't the end of our adventure filled day, we then headed off to go white river rafting.. My first time and it was sooo much fun. I almost fell out and I was sopping wet after that.
Seeing we were wet already, we decided to go swim under a waterfall. Other children listened and brought bikini's, I decided that wasn't going to stop me, so I joined the fun in my undies (They were matching, thank goodness).

It was refreshing to spend an entire day out in the beautiful mountains of Chiang Mai and truly appreciate what nature has to offer.

I seem to find amusement everywhere I go.

The moment you step on this, you feel like you are going to plunge into the water

Bamboo rafting

What a delicious meal

Its all about the first sip

"Hello boy. Let Teeks give you some love"

Waterfall swimming. Teeks is always surrounded by girls.

Teeks in his element

Chiang Mai you continue to take my breath away and make me fall madly in love with Thailand.

Love World Tour Asia 2012 has kicked off

Finally I have gotten a chance to start blogging about my Asia travels. I thought that it would have been a seamless process blogging while on my travels, but I found out that I was having too much fun to blog. But now I am all settled back home, and I can spend some time going back in time on a trip that has changed me.

To be honest, I really did not know what to expect, what I did know was that it would be a trip that would change my outlook on life. I am a truly traveled individual, but every time is a different and unique experience and I am excited about how it changes me and what I get from my travels.

The start off my Asia travels saw the end of my New York holiday, a holiday that will go down as being truly memorable.

So my flight from Egypt to Bangkok was delayed by 18 hours, but that did not get me down. Once I eventually arrived in Bangkok, the excitement kicked in.  I need to say that Bangkok airport has got to be the most jacked up airport I have been to thus far. Everything is well organized, people are incredibly helpful, the free wifi actually works properly, and getting a taxi is a pleasurable experience. So off I went to the State Railway of Thailand to catch a train to make my way to Chiang Mai where my brother Teeks lives.

This is where Love World Tour Asia began. Thailand, Chiang Mai.

I visited my brother Teeks who lives up in the mountains of Chiang Mai. Being a Muay thai instructor he manages the school in the mountains. He lives a simple life that is filled with serenity and inner peace. It wasn't so much that I was in Thailand that I was so overwhelmed, it was seeing my brother after over more than a year. Seeing how he has grown into a handsome young man who's outlook on life is so refreshing.

Off we went and hailed down a TUK TUK which is one of Asia's main public transport system. Their main transport is scooters. Scooters scooters everywhere you look. The day started off with breakfast and one of Teek's favourite places, all for just 30baht which is $1. After checking into where TK first stayed when he arrived to Thailand, we proceeded to go and rent a scooter. Was I beaming with excitement or what?

We spent the day going to the market to buy fruit which we ate up in the mountain and exploring the breath taking views the mountains have to offer. Whilst Teeks sorted out a few admin stuff, I spent time chatting to a Monk who was up for a break. I have never been asked such profound questions in my life. Some questions I looked at the Monk with a puzzled face, some questions I was worried about what his reaction would be. Out of all the questions asked, the one that really made me rethink my life was, "What are you doing to take care of your soul?" That question was my guide for the rest of my trip. That question is one of the reasons I have decided there are some things in my life that add little and at times no value. That questions guided what it was I truly wanted to get out of this trip and out of my life. What I do know is that life is what you make of it, what you take out of it. I do know that life is not waiting for me to start living, it keeps going with or without me.

After the mountains we headed off back to the City to grab some Thai food. Curry and sushi were the order of the day. What a delicious meal.

The fruit that made my mouth water. I only remember the name of the big one-Dragon fruit

The school that Teeks suns

Such beautiful children- I wanted to take one back home for Tumi

Teeks and I ready to scoot off

Taxi- So cheap to take one

The Thailand Railway station- Find a space on the floor and sit and wait for your train.

The Muay Thai instructors have to wear white..

Hill tribe house

TUK TUK



The night before departure

So, the night before always has to be eventful. And with us girls, it sure did not disappoint. With it being Tumi's 30th, we started off the night with a recap of the weekend and chatting away with excitement about the next days to come.
Turning 30 is for some daunting and for others, exciting. I cant say I am Tumi's spokesperson, but this lady sure looked composed and excited for her dirty thirties as she calls it. Last night we got a taste of what New York holds for us. Fantastic company, great food, ambiance to boot and just the right spirit.
Our two other girls, Bobo and Sphume found themselves packing furiously for their flight out this evening.
For the girls flying out tonight, Tumi, Bobo, Sphume and Thando we bid you an awesome flight. I hope the girls had an opportunity to wind down and have a sip of something something in the lounges before their departure. For those still here in the land of Jozi, we hope that our last days of work do not take too much of the excitement away. Lets hope we don't miss our flights. Lets hope we have packed all that we need.

Let the GOOOOD TIMES BEGIN!

Getting to know Katiso...

Image taken by Stephanie O'Connor


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What you are hoping to get out of the New York trip?

A different experience from the other times that I have been to the Big Apple. NY is the city where big things happen, so a bit of inspiration. Discover something about myself I didn’t know. Fall more in love with art, music, food and life.


How often you travel? 

Overseas-Once every year.

Past travels? 

USA (NY, Albany, Washington, Florida, LA); Europe: France (Paris, Nice, Monaco), Germany(Berlin and Dresden), Austria, Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice, Pisa), Switzerland, Amsterdam, Prague; UK(London); Africa (Egypt)
Straight after New York I leave the girls to go to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos

And why going with a bunch of your girls is the best summer holiday?

I’m sure in many life books they say that this is one of the things you have to do at least once in your life. Its New York. Its with crazy, fun loving and free spirited girls. We are at stages in our lives where its about enjoying life to the fullest. And making sure we have experiences that are memorable. You cant tell me you are not jealous.