Retired Afloat is at Samui Elephant Home.

1 week ago

I had the privilege of escorting a tour to the Samui Elephant Home. #samuielephanthome rescue elephants from hard labour, circuses, tourist trekking etc in Thailand. There use to be 12 trekking groups in Thailand but there are now only two. These are not illegal in Thailand. In majority of cases they need to buy the Elephant to rescue it. The Sanctuary cares for these beautiful creatures, providing proper dietary requirements, medical needs and a natural environment to grow old in. They provide educational programs to grow awareness.

The favorite of their 16 residents is Granny. She is 62 years old and only has 2 of her 4 teeth remaining. This means she can only eat soft foods because elephants grind their food and she can't. If you give her sugar cane (which the elephants love) she throws it away because she is smart enough to know she cannot eat it. This was an amazing experience.

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Retired Afloat is at Pattaya, Thailand.

1 week ago

Viking Venus overnighted in Pattaya, Thailand, so we took the opportunity to cut the 50 minute (one way) bus drive down to one return trip by staying in Pattaya for the night.

The hotel lobby was quite grand. We shopped 'til we dropped in the air conditioning of Terminal 21 which themes each floor with a different country. We used the local "Baht bus" to get there and back which was fun and very convenient. In the evening we headed to the infamous "Walking Street" but it was too early and very quiet. So we wandered into a beer garden located over the waterfront for a Sangria and snack to watch the sun go down. We finished off the night watching a live rock band at a street bar.

The shopping, hotel, food and entertainment were all fabulous. Another great day.

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Retired Afloat is in Chon Buri, Thailand.

2 weeks ago

Another day, another beach resort! A relaxing day for both of us at Ravindra Beach Resort and Spa including a delicious lunch. Getting lots of opportunities to relax and soak up the sun. Soon we will be too relaxed to relax!

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Retired Afloat

2 weeks ago

Day 2 in Cambodia we were on a Tuk-Tuk excursion together. We visited a beautful local temple and the local market that hit the senses, sight, smell and audio with a sudden downpour as we wander through the market. (That's the noise you can hear in the videos). The final picture is exactly what it looks like, a basket of eggs. But not your everyday eggs. They are "young duck" eggs. The young is in reference to the duck. Inside the egg the duckling has developed to the point of having bones and feathers. It's a Cambodian delicacy.

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Retired Afloat is in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

2 weeks ago

Our first day in Cambodia saw us both escorting different tours. Lea went to a Beach Resort to relax for the day (just what she needed!) and Geoff escorted a tour to the local market and then to a beach resort for a dining and sunset experience. They were great experiences for our first visit to Cambodia.

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