Elephants have long been important to Thai culture, where they are a symbol of religion, history, royalty, and power. According to Buddhist legend, Queen Maya of Sakya, Lord Buddha’s mother, dreamed that a divine Bodhisattva on a white elephant touched her side. She later became pregnant and since then elephants have had a strong connection to the divine and royalty in Buddhism. As Thailand is a Buddhist society, this is one reason elephants are held in such high esteem (the old kings of Thailand rode around on white elephants). Additionally, elephants were used in the logging industry to help clear trees so there was a practical nature to their importance, too.  So If you get the chance to ride, pet, or even just feed the elephants you should take the opportunity. 

I visited Thailand a few years ago and wanted to share a get away with you.  Back in 2009, there were few resorts, restaurants, or bars and most bungalows had only cold water and fans. Air conditioning and hot water were a luxury. The island was rustic. Even on its most touristy beach during high season, there was hardly a soul around and a bar would be considered busy if it had more than five people in it. We spent four days biking the island, laying on the beach, gorging on cheap seafood, and watching some of the most unbelievable sunsets I had ever seen in my life.  Ko Lanta was paradise. A beautiful, seemingly unknown place located in a region known for being the epicenter of Thailand tourism. How everyone managed to miss this paradise with its long and wide white sand beaches, cheap food, and sunsets (the island faces due west) boggled my mind.  But everyone’s loss was my gain and those four days left a deep impression on me.

California is a very popular state in America.  Known for its fame, beaches, and geographical beauty it is home and a pit stop to many tourists.  San Francisco is one of the most eclectic cities in the United States. It’s home to liberals, hippies, hipsters, techies, immigrants, yuppies, that big red bridge, Alcatraz, delicious Chinese, seafood, and, well, food in general (this is a great city to be hungry in). To me, it’s a magical place. While it lacks that certain fantasy life that would convince me to pack my bags and live there, I look forward to each visit with excitement (and hunger). There’s always something new and exciting going on.

If you like Paris in the springtime, you’ll love Provence in the summer. The region’s famous lavender fields burst into full flower at the end of June and last until the beginning of August in a good year. Don’t miss your chance to see–and smell–the fragrant herbs up close and personal this year. Here are three great places to stay while you’re there:
Les Ramparts
Le Couvent des Minimes
Le Mas de I'Amarine
Check these places out and let me know what you think.  I'm curious to think what kind of travelers I have reading my blog. 

Here are a few other travel blogs you should check out if you enjoy mine:
-Y Travel Blog
-A Luxury Travel Blog
-Young Adventuress
-Wandering Trader


Tell me what you think, and if you would like more similar blogs listed.

Just a quick update.  If you think there are more tourists now than ever, you're right.  More than one billion people visit another country each year.  The U.N's World Tourism Organization expects the number of international tourists this year to break 2013's record of 1.1 billion travelers.  That number topped the year before that and so on.  It is only greatly increasing annually.  At this point the guess by the U.N's World Tourism Organization is that 40 to 50 billion people will travel this year.  That only means you should prepare your traveling trips more carefully and effectively and inform yourself on safety tips and rules to wherever you travel.

I thought I might write about Barcelona, Spain considering I'll be traveling there this Summer.  Spain is for the artistic eye and the wild imagination.  Gothic Quarter has said to be very interesting.  It's a long walkway in Barcelona where venders sell beautiful hand-made paintings, jewelry, and even foods.  But it is a beautiful and clean environment to get a feel for what Spain is really like.  Royal Palace of Madrid is where the Spanish royal family resides.  I doubt you would be able to get a close looks at the grounds considering the fences and guards are made to keep wanderers out.  Curiosity killed the cat, you know.  The Cathedral of Cordoba is the most historical thing in Spain to visit.  Leonardo De Vinci painted the whole ceiling by hand and it stands there in tact to this day.  Spain is going to be so exciting to visit, and I'll be sure to share my stories when I return.