Australian Adventure: Week 28, January 29-February 4, 2023
- Katie and Webster
- Feb 5, 2023
- 4 min read
This week we finished our Australian road trip, before heading to Thailand!
On Sunday we drove from Airlie Beach to Bundaberg. Bundaberg has a long history of sugar cane and rum. We used Bundaberg as a stop over on our drive back to Brisbane as it is 4 hours North of the city.
On Sunday night we went to Mon Repos Turtle Centre to see turtles hatch and turtle eggs being laid. We arrived at 7pm, just before sunset, and spent a little while learning about turtle conservation. Then, we headed down to the beach. With the help of our guides, we found a clutch of turtles waiting to emerge from the sand. We couldn’t take photos but it was an amazing experience, watching the 120 turtles emerge from the sand, and run towards the beach. After they all emerged, we helped them to the ocean safely. Only 1/25 turtles lives to maturity, so helping them all get to the ocean increases their life expectancy.
Later in the evening, we saw a 100kg turtle lay a clutch of eggs, about 25 of them. She was happy to have us around and it was so neat to see such a large wild animal up close.
On Monday, we went to the Bundaberg Brewed Drinks factory. We toured the facility, tasted every flavour, and took home a few favourites. My favourite was Sarsaparilla and Webster's was Guava.
On Tuesday, we went to the Bundaberg Rum Factory. We were led through the working factory, past the large molasses vats used to flavour the rum, and into the bottling facility. Since it was a working factory we weren’t allowed to take photos of the employees or their work areas, instead just the history displays of the brand. Then, we were given some samples of Bundaberg to try.
On Wednesday, we left Bundaberg and headed for Brisbane! We spent the day organizing our Australian life before heading overseas. Webster had physio, we did some last minute shopping, and paired down what we were taking with us overseas.
On Thursday, we flew from the Gold Coast direct to Singapore where we had an 18 hour layover. Although, we had time, the Singapore airport is one of the best in the world, so we decided to explore the airport for the entire duration of our layover. We went to the butterfly garden, cactus garden, indoor three-story slide, and indoor waterfall. Then, we spent a few hours shopping and having dinner in the Jewel mall, where there are 250+ stores and restaurants. Yes, all in the same airport!!
Once it got late, we went to the Plaza Premium Lounge to get some work done and relax in a quieter space. We ended up staying for 10+ hours sleeping in the comfy chairs and watching the planes land.
On Friday, we boarded a short flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand! We landed thirty minutes after the Canadian group, who met us in the airport. We checked into our hotel, enjoyed some time at the pool, and had a relaxing afternoon.
That evening, we went to the local grocery store and night bazaar close to the hotel. We browsed stalls that had souvenirs, food, and of course counterfeit bags!
On Saturday, we woke up bright and early to head to the Elephant Highlands Project. The Elephant Highlands Project houses three elephants who come from abusive work backgrounds. Unfortunately, tourism in Thailand has lead to elephants being kept in poor living conditions, being used for rides, prodded and poked to do tricks in exchange for some money, or to haul heavy materials. These gentle animals, now in the care of the Elephant Highlands Project, are living life in luxury with lots of food and love. Since they were born in captivity, they aren’t able to be released back into the wild. They can’t find their own food and they don’t know how to socialize with other wild elephants. The project employs more than 10 local people and the money paid for the excursion goes to feeding the elephants (300 lbs per day, per elephant), and paying the local people a living wage.
We spent the entire day on the elephants terms, going where they wanted, when they wanted. We encouraged them to come on a walk towards our lunch spot by feeding them hundreds of bananas.
If you are in Chiang Mai, Thailand, supporting Elephant Nature Park is a great way to see elephants ethically. Please don’t ride an elephant or support those begging on the road with an elephant doing tricks or posing for pictures.
Later that night, we ventured out to another night market, much larger in size. We walked through stalls of souvenirs, food, and locals showcasing their talents. It was a great way to end a long day!
This week, we are spending a few more days in Thailand before heading to Singapore. We have plans to tour some temples, attend a Thai cooking class, and visit Marina Bay Sands in Singapore!
Thanks for following along with our adventures and reading the blog. See you next week!
Comments