We flew from Vientiane to Don Muoang (the “Old”) Airport in Bangkok. Made our way to lodging, and it wasn’t much. But hey, $30 per night in Bangkok. Had dinner on a rooftop restaurant. The next day we took the MRT to Chatuchak Weekend Market and did some shopping. Pete and Lek showed up. We […]
Travelling
Train, Vang Vieng, More Train
To say that China is making its influence known around the world is an understatement. It is made abundantly clear in Laos. They have built a high-speed train from China to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. We opted for the train vs. the bus, 50 minutes vs. 6 hours. Over the course of the the […]
Rolling on the (Mekong) River
Sunrise To an inveterate sunset junkie, it is forgivable to have forgotten that there are also things we call sunrises. When one’s hotel room looks out across the Mekong River to Laos, facing East, one is quickly reminded of sunrises. We got up early for breakfast so that we could make it to the immigration […]
Northern Thailand Magical Mystery Tour – 9 – Fini
The last day of our magical mystery tour of Northern Thailand. In hindsight, we wish we’d planned a few more days in Chang Mai. It has a nice vibe, and when one discovers a great breakfast place, one doesn’t want to let it go. We opted for VIP tickets in the “Green Bus.” $11 each. […]
Northern Thailand Magical Mystery Tour – 6 Pai to Chang Mai
Pai Canyon We decided to take a look at the Pai Canyon on our way out of Pai. Though it was a bit of a climb up, we’re glad we did. The Drive Down In a previous post, we mentioned the curves on the road. It was almost a work of art watching a semi […]
Northern Thailand Magical Mystery Tour – 5 – Pai
Day 5 was the vaunted trip to Pai. Vaunted because there are over 762 curves–most of them hairpin and switchback. Apparently it was built by the Japanese during the 2nd World War. However, we needed to start with a stop for morning – Coffee There are tourist traps, and there are tourist traps. I think […]
Northern Thailand Magical Mystery Tour (NTMMT) – 4 & Happy Thanksgiving to Americans
Our Gratitude We are very thankful that we have this opportunity to travel as we are. We couldn’t do it without the support of our home community. We are especially thankful for our children, Blakey and Peter, who continue to manage the affairs of life stateside. In honor of Thanksgiving, we took a Thai cooking […]
Northern Thailand Magical Mystery Tour 2 – Nan
After a fairly mediocre breakfast at our hotel, we headed off to Nan, in Eastern Thailand near the border to Laos. It was progressively hillier as we made our way toward mountains. Gone were the rice paddies and now we were surrounded by, I kid you not, corn fields. Sometimes there would be a few […]
Bangkok Miscellaneous
Here are some random shots of Bangkok. It is a huge city, 270 square miles. With a population of over 17 million, it is also the most visited city in the world. Feung Nakorn Balcony Rooms and Cafe Nestled in an alley in the old part of Bangkok, this hotel was once an elementary school. […]
Finally…We’re On Our Way!
We woke to the shocking and frightening news that DJT had regained the presidency. If you will permit me a short digression: I was raised in a time that character was the primary requirement for our nations leaders. That at the end of the day, citizenship is more important than partisanship. I’m not so naive […]