Dan and Kilee's Travels

India-Last days

danweiler — Sat, 2 Jul 2011 17:03:00 GMT

Tues I woke early to practice yoga in Mysore & we enjoyed our last breakfast at Green Hotel. Our suite was quite loud due to street traffic & shower wasn't working properly, so we were ready to enjoy Ahmad's air conditioned auto ride to Kelpatta.

Entering Wayanad region included driving thru Binasud(sp?) Natl Park - in US you see buffalo, deer, elk, maybe bears. In India we also saw deer, and a family of wild elephants & monkeys!

Stopped by a holy banyan tree, where legend is that they cut it down to save the temple & the next day it was growing again.

Green Gates Hotel Had cottages but we opted to stay in the hotel-style room with a/c. After lunch at the hotel we napped then walked the single hill road into town. Passing a dirt soccer field & yelling school boys on the way. We got to the Woodlands restaurant just in time for the rains to start downpour.

The rains come in the afternoon, night, or early morning; they are extremely heavy downpour, and last half an hour to an hour. We've only experience rains 5 of 8 days, but it has rained every night. It hasn't effected our travel & roads are well maintained considering.

We came back to the hotel & decided to take advantage of the mini-theatre. A home-theatre setup off the hotel gym, with a projector, surround sound, 6 recliners - we watched American Gangster. For $15 it was ours &we had bought Indian popcorn snacks in town, so it was very perfect night.

Wed, we had breakfast checked Internet once more, then traveled on to Vyrthiri. An interesting trek thru mountain roads, complete with 4km of unpaved "not tarred" jungle dirt/rock road. We arrived at Vythiri Resort. Jungle (Eco) resort with many cabins stretched across jungle streams and lush valley. Our cabin is luxurious, with big jacuzzi & modern amenities ( for the most part), it overlooks a loud rushing stream & is surrounded by jungle. Buffet meals are fantastic in the restaurant with 20 plus vegetarian options. Dan got the honeymoon package which included a couple massage. So after an info session on Ayurveda/ panchayakarma, we had a 10 minute steam and hour side-by-side massage with relaxing oils, Indian music, stream flowing in background & sandalwood incense. At the end they painted Hindi dots on our faces & placed our hands together so we were holding hands. Very sweet.

We went for tea time & back to shower before dinner. After late dinner we read in the room.

Thurs, we slept too late & missed yoga/meditation, but had breakfast. Were supposed to move to our treehouse, but after a jeep jungle ride & realizing it was only accessible thru a 2- person operated lift we felt it was too inconvenient, combined with the fact there was no ceiling fan & you couldn't open the windows (jungle animals & bugs) it was not worth the novelty of saying we tried to sleep in a treehouse. So we went back to lunch & settled back into our stream-side cabin for a 2nd night.

There is a Malabar Giant Squirrel that nests in a tree next to the restaurant. We have monkeys all over the resort, including on our balcony sometimes. Geckos live on every wall (this is true in Thailand, Cambodia, and India) and we have also seen the largest yellow snail (about 6 in. long) on a branch off the balcony.

At 4 pm we have an 2 1/2 hour Ayurvedic treatment, then a candlelight dinner at 8pm.

We will join yoga session tomorrow morn, breakfast, then leave. Driving 3 hours back with Ahmad to Mysore, then have lunch & get a henna tattoo, (and our last minute shopping needs) then board 4:15pm train back to Bangalore. Hoping 7:15pm pickup, then drive to Visthar for dinner & bed.

We hope to stay up later & sleep in so we can get ready to shift our sleep schedules to later hours. Perhaps spend the day at Visthar or at least lowkey/away from the city. We have been invited to dinner at the Selvaraj home, then will head to the airport to begin heading home late Sat night.

We are ready to finish out these days & travel home. We are missing Zizou, family & the lake. It will be nice to arrive & enjoy the 4th at home.

India, Day 3

danweiler — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:29:00 GMT

We left Visthar & Bangalore early & spent 4 hours on highways sadly with constant exhaust blowing in our faces - it is a testament to how heavily populated & full the roads are in India. Our driver had to stop along the way to jump out of the car & investigate some commotion on a bridge; "somebody killed somebody" - apparently there was a recent murder on the train tracks below. Morbid. We did not feel well upon our arrival in Mysore, but after finding our hotel, took some extra time to rest. We hired a local driver for the day & went to lunch (ah, delicious Indian food, bread & teas). We stopped by Pattahbi Jois' Shala, founder of Mysore style ashtanga yoga. And then a number of various shops, bookstores, etc. We traveled to the Mysore palace at 7pm, to see it, as every Sunday night it is lit up with tiny lights & an army band plays music (like marching band & Frank Sinatra songs). It was an especially unique experience to be surrounded by Indian families, with children playing chasing games, enjoying the evening in the park outside the palace. Afterwards we had a late dinner & went to bed. Dan has a cold today, so we will take it easy. we are thinking about leaving for Wayanad (our quiet resort destination, 3 hours away, in the forest) a day early. Unfortunately, our Internet service is slow & unpredictable, so we may not be able to upload any photos unless our connections improve. Love to all!

India, Day 1

danweiler — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 02:53:00 GMT

We left the Concordia Women's Soccer team in Bangkok after spending the day touring Wat Pho & the Grand Palace. The team will fly home Saturday morning with assistant coaches, Betsy & Matt.

Dan & I caught our flight & arrived in Bangalore, India late Friday evening. Concordia alum & friend, Sudhir Selvaraj, met us at the airport with fellow driver, Mahon & took us to our apartment at NGO, Visthar.

We slept well & woke to enjoy breakfast in dining hall, then met again in the morning to ride into Bangalore central. We stopped at pottery town, & Sudhir's new office, then rode with his mother, Mary, to Russell Market, a large fruit, flower, vegetable, toy, & everything market in a large colonial building. Beautiful sights & smells. Traffic & huge population is amazing controlled chaos. We got dropped off at the Commercial road, and walked onto Brigade & MG Rd, got understandably lost but enjoying food & marveling at how a city can double in size over 20 years to 8 million-plus people.

We will leave early tomorrow morning for Mysore, India - a smaller, more Westernized town- to practice yoga, enjoy more food & relax.

Packing for Brazil

danweiler — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:36:00 GMT

The Honeymoon's (nearly) Over

danweiler — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 15:05:00 GMT

Well boarding passes in hand, we are enjoying our last bites of sushi in Japan. We took a convenient shuttle from our hotel into Narita and bought some chopsticks, got a recommendation on food; ate the best sushi of our lives in the most quaint little bar & beat the cold with warm saki; then wandered to a noodle short order shop for omelettes & beer (sounds wierd but it was seriously delicious). I happened upon a karoake bar but didn't have time to belt one out. In the morning we found a zen garden & had tea at the hotel, then went back to the city center. Sunday morning proves a fantastic day to visit the market and the Naritisan Shon-ji temple - it was full of Japanese people, the market was buzzing and the temple grounds were full of little stands selling festive items - after cleansing our spirits with incense outside, we found a Homa ceremony in procession inside the Shongin Buddhist temple & we were lucky to see some of the rites - drum pounding and hear Buddhist chanting. The primary message of the ceremony was for good wishes and world peace. Like all the spiritual and other worldly places we've seen, again, it too was humbling.

(We'll try posting the last of our photos when our internet connection is better back in the states.)

Mentally we are struggling with coming home ~ it's been an amazing trip and we both agree we have adventurous hearts. It's been exactly what a honeymoon should be ~ a chance to be alone with your new spouse, relaxing and discovering a completely new world and perspective in life. And not only do we still really like each other, but we are looking forward to our next travels!

Dan's looking forward to hugging our dog and cutting his fingernails. I'm ready to open wedding gifts and try out our newly-acquired Thai cooking recipes. We are also just a few days away from our birthdays (a big one for me ~ 30th)~ so there is plenty more to look forward too!

Thanks for all the comments, we so enjoyed hearing your thoughts as we were so far away & also thanks for reading our blog ~ we know we are blessed when we can share & for knowing you care!

Tokyo

danweiler — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:03:00 GMT

We made it to Tokyo. Thailand's customs didn't hold us there -- bummer, really. We found each other with not too much difficulty (we flew on different airlines). After leaving customs, we walked into the cold Japanese air. I know 50 degrees is tropical for most of you now but to us it's a big change. We figured it's a good thing to feel this temperature before we are forced back into the FM arctic weather.

We are headed to the Narita city walk for the evening. See you very soon.

Dan and Kilee

Koh Chang - elephants & massages

danweiler — Fri, 9 Jan 2009 14:17:00 GMT

Wednesday we spent sleeping in, going to Bang Bao fishing village for lunch (here's a photo) - it's essentially a long pier which makes up the village/homestay, located directly across the bay from our resort (about a ten-minute walk). We wandered back to our hotel in the afternoon to lay by the pool, then back to the pier for dinner. Quite lowkey. In an attempt to prep ourselves for returning to normal life, we had a "movie night" and watched Persepolis at the end of the eve.

Dan still can't resist curry for nearly every meal (red or green, with seafood usually), while I'm a little less predictable with papaya/spicy salads, yellow curry, saute mixed vegetables or padthai.

Thursday, I felt antsy, so we rented a scooter (they rent for about $10 a day here, and it's $1 for an extra liter of gas - which can essentially take you all over the island) and drove up the west coast. We got little helmets, which was reassuring given the traffic is much heavier at this busiest island.

Much like our trip to Cozumel over New Year's 2006-07, the island has a resort-filled west coast (gulf-side) and a remote, rural east coast (ocean, ie. wave-ridden -side). We got our first thai massage on the beach of Kai Bae & I realized my first regret of this trip...that I didn't flippin' get one sooner! For $10 per hour, a thai massage with the wind and waves turned us to jello. Dan's first massage ever in his life... his initial comment "that was amazing...my legs...," his second comment, "man, imagine if i could have that available for players during preseason. although it might be cheaper to fly a thai massage therapist in..." - what a coach. anyway, it was great. we lunched on kai bae, then scootered back south (i did have to stop at a tiny thai flea market) and went to bang bao pier again for a late dinner.

today we are spending our last day on the island at our resort poolside (and when i say resort it's a bit of a misnomer as it only has 12 bungalows and can accomodate a max of 35 people - it has 2 pools and an amazing open-air restaurant).

we will fly back to bangkok tonight and to tokyo early tomorrow (sat) morning. from there we will spend an evening in japan - narita to be exact, a suburb of tokyo, where the airport is located. then fly home again on sun morning (which with the time change will put us back in fargo late afternoon sunday).

hard to imagine right now that this is coming to an end... (but we do miss everyone, especially zizou...)

The Island of Koh Chang

danweiler — Tue, 6 Jan 2009 17:01:00 GMT

We spent our last day at a different resort on Koh Mak called Koh Mak Resort (very original, we know). Our first resort was too busy and loud for us. We have been spoiled with luxury and solitude. Koh Mak resort was back to that. We spent most of the day near the infinity pool on the beach - gorgeous.

We walked to a quaint Italian/Thai Restaurant, Pasta e Papaya. I ordered prawns with asparagus and fennel and Kilee ordered a veggie pasta. My dish was served with the full sized prawns staring at me. A bit nerve-wracking I must admit. After discard the body, I enjoyed my meal immensely. Kilee's meal was tasty as well.

We went to bed early (which we've been doing a lot -- early to bed and early to rise). Yes, that's right I've managed to get up everyday at 7 am. Hold your applause.

We took a boat shuttle from Koh Mak to Koh Chang which docked in Bang Bao, a fishing village famous for it's pier containing crafts, services, and restaurants. We ate a little cafe, Casa del Mar. I continued my curry eating streak with a green curry with shrimp. Unreal - again.

We grabbed a taxi and headed to our last island resort - boo. It is just minutes from Bang Bao and called Nirvana. It is the most isolated resort on Koh Chang - exactly what we were looking for. There are two pools - one heated and one fresh water fed with small rock waterfall. We spent the afternoon next to the rock pool. We were the only ones there. Laying in the sun with the sound of the waterfall near us -- really exceptional.

As we were leaving, a lady and diver master dropped into the rock pool. She was getting some closed water scuba training. I will be looking into what type of certification I could get while we're here. Kilee is already open water certified so I need to catch up to her.

For dinner, we went to Tantra, Nirvana's restaurant. It faces the Bang Bao bay and overhangs the water. We had a wonderful meal - veggie curry and sea bass. It was built 2 years ago for an Englishman's wedding. Great view and design. We loved it!

Love you all.

Dan and Kilee

It's the little things

danweiler — Mon, 5 Jan 2009 00:08:00 GMT

Just thought it would be worth mentioning the little things that make this experience exceptional -

everyone smiles and putting your hands together like a prayer & bowing your head is a form of respect & thanks. "korb koon ka" is thany you.

cars & roads are british-style driving/opposite (wheel is on our passenger side, etc),the islands have only had a few dozen cars total to each of them.

every restaurant we eat at (including those in bangkok) has geckos crawling on walls, all cook stoves are run by propane tanks in mostly open-air kitchens, vegetarian in thai is "mang sa-wi-rat", the fruit & vegetables in the tropics are incomparable (watermelon is scrumptious), the best food is also the cheapest - all the cooks in the kitchens are thai mothers so ordering traditional cuisine at tiny local restaurants is the best.

flowers and plants are amazing (its tropical climate) they make the most garbage-filled area look lush.

thai floors are the cleanest in the world - at every temple, restaurant, home & most stores you take your shoes off at the door & enter in socks or barefoot - and without hesitation, as every floor has certainly been cleaner than those at my own house.

homes are built of primarily corrugated tin or wood/concrete is quite new.

2009 is the year of the lady, blue & yellow - so if you want luck this year, buy her sapphires & gold. (no kidding, daniel & i already purchased ours - happy new year!)

Lovely Koh Mak

danweiler — Sun, 4 Jan 2009 20:44:00 GMT

We left our island paradise of Koh Kood for another island (hoping for paradise again) -- Koh Mak. This island is north of Koh Kood and much smaller. At one time, Koh Mak didn't have any motorized vehicles. That has changed now but it is quite easy to get around the entire island in one day.

We boated to our resort - got settled only to rent another scooter and explore the island. We started with the best Thai iced coffee I'd ever tasted - that got us going. Upon some recommendation from our server, we headed to a few beaches around the island.

Our last beach trip was to Buzios, Brazil and we both commented that it would be difficult to live up those beaches. Well, I must admit that Thailand's beaches have surpassed. They are clean, quaint, and plentiful. Once again, we find ourselves saying that "These beaches will be difficult to match." We know that we are lucky and blessed to experience both of these wonderful places.

Touring the eastern coast, led us to a traditional Thai village - Definitely off the beaten path. We saw how the dried the rubber that they stripped from the trees. Rubber making is a very common trade on these islands. We were actually looking for a "non-touristy" beach but couldn't seem to find it. That's why it's non-touristy we decided.

From there, we headed to the northern tip of the island to watch the sunset. After battling with the many gravel roads and hills, we decided to abandon that idea. The scooter just wasn't made for off-roading.

After all of that, we caught a beautiful sunset back at our hotel. Very peaceful. A swim in the gulf at sunset - what more can we ask for.

We are currently sitting at a nice little restaurant within walking distance from our hotel. Ordered all vegetarian tonight which we found is pretty difficult to do in Thailand.

That's all for now. Talk to you later.

Dan and Kilee

Last Day on Koh Kood

danweiler — Sun, 4 Jan 2009 12:37:00 GMT

We are sitting eating breakfast and don't have time journal about yesterday. We are headed to Koh Mak where we hope to have internet access too.

Sorry -- love you all.

Dan and Kilee

Klong Chao Waterfall

danweiler — Fri, 2 Jan 2009 16:00:00 GMT

We woke up early today, rented a 2 person kayak and were on our way down the river. We headed toward the Klong Chao Waterfall - a famous site on the island of Koh Kood. As we paddled, we passed other resorts along the river. The river is freshwater and flows directly into the Gulf of Thailand - a very unique place.

We paddled about 15 minutes when we came to a small dock where we left our kayak. From there, it was about a 15 minute walk on a rocky jungle path. We walked hesitantly not knowing that we were going the right way. Fortunately, there were little signs along the path pointing us onward. Finally, we reached a large sign "Klong Chao Waterfall."

It immediately reminded us of Gooseberry Falls north of Duluth with its multi-layer falls. We continued to the main falls which were encased in a small cove -- beautiful. On the right side, a make-shift swing with two handles hung over the water. We both tried our turn on it. I'm trying to upload the video for that.

Then, we stood underneath the falls. What a great sensation -- cool fresh water dropping from above. It was a moment like you see for a honeymoon commercial -- truly fantastic.

The best part was we had the entire cover to ourselves. Our plan of leaving early in the morning paid off. As we were leaving, other people started to filter in.

If you are ever in Thailand, we'd highly recommend it. (;

We headed back down the trail and to our kayak stopping along the way for a nice lunch at one of the other resorts. I absolutely love love love Thai food. The curries alone are worth the trip. For lunch, we ordered 4 dishes (red curry with seafood, glass noodle salad, vegetable salad, and vegetable stir-fry) and drinks for $13. Amazing!!

We returned to our resort for our afternoon nap. Thinking of all you often but don't envy your snow or cold as we sit in our bathing suits on our deck overlooking the Gulf. Not trying to rub it in -- ok, well, maybe a little.

Later.

Dan and Kilee

New Year's Day

danweiler — Thu, 1 Jan 2009 23:17:00 GMT

I love this pic taken at our New Year's eve ~ hope everyone is enjoying the holiday!

We walked to our roadside stand for Singha beers then laid around in front of our bungalow and read, napped and relaxed. (The most excitement on our shore was watching a tugboat beach a barge on the sandbar in front of our resort.)

We took a dinghy to the beach across from us (Dan taught me the J-stroke when paddling) and ate at another little resort there - Peter Pan resort. Primarily full of Chinese tourists, the resort is right next to the public beach, full of local Thai children enjoying the holiday.

Tomorrow we might kayak to the waterfall and get massages (who can resist 3 hours for only $55?) - but not making any commitments. Ah, vacation... where our toughest decision is to nap or not...

Happy New Year!

danweiler — Thu, 1 Jan 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Happy New Year! We enjoyed a New Year's eve celebration unlike any other - cocktails at the resort, a huge dinner of European and Thai food (a menu misprint, Chicken Gordon Bleu, was priceless), raffle giveaways, Thai dancing and fireworks.

Earlier in the day we lounged around the resort (which will likely be the primary activity over the next week), walked to the only market nearby (a roadside stand run by a large family), saw the largest spider I've ever seen in the wild (I'll have to get a picture) and caught sight of a school of leaping silverfish (at first I thought it was the singha beer as it appeared a mirage - they looked like silver ornaments moving in a wave across the surface of the water - there must have been hundreds just larger than anchovies, it was spectacular).

Anyway, miss all of you & hope you have a wonderful new year!

AWAY

danweiler — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:38:00 GMT

We woke early to catch a puddlejumper to Trat - only to find out most ferries were full due to the New Year holiday. We paid perhaps a little more but were able to secure spots on oversize speed boats - great rides reminiscent of the big lake on a windy day.

The gulf is beautiful - with outcropping islands and hidden coves. I think we will be happy to get lost here.

As we rode up to our resort fellow passengers complimented us on our choice - Dan's choice. The bungalows overlooking the breathtaking blue water are the kind dreams are made of - old growth palm trees hide private outdoor showers, the bali-style beds are shrouded with mosquito netting, teakwood floors demand that we take our shoes off, signs warning of dropping coconuts are scattered across the grounds, wooden swings hang lazily over the shimmering waters, and thatched roof huts shading pillowed papasan chaises are calling our names. A cool breeze beats the humidity and forced into our bathing suits we feel in a daze. After getting a mojito, we can't think of a single thing we need right now. This place is paradise and we can't imagine a honeymoon being anything better.

They have us signed up for a New Years gala tonight which includes cocktails, dinner, games and fireworks. Ah, life couldn't get any better, truly it's heaven on earth.

Last Night in Bangkok

danweiler — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:00:00 GMT

Dined at ethos - a vegetarian restaurant & wandered Khoasan Road - famed night area with cheap goods & hostels nearby (full of backpacking students fixing their dreds & looking to drink snakeblood - oh and street vendors sell corn, kernels by the cupfull). A good experience to leave Bangkok on.

Tomorrow we will take an early flight SE to Trat, a port city, to catch a ferry to Koh Kood in the gulf. See our resort: awaykohkood.com

As we head to the islands, we fear our internet connections may not be as readily available - so we may not get to update as often as our wifi has allowed us here... ah, beaches.

Second Day in Bangkok

danweiler — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:20:00 GMT

We got an earlier start today since we have now fully adjusted to the time change. We headed to a section of Bangkok nicknamed "Backpackers Paradise" on Khao San Road -- it has cheaper arts/crafts stores and more authentic Thai restaurants. We signed-up for a Thai cooking class with one of those restaurants - May Kadiee's. It's a vegetarian restaurant which is difficult to find in Bangkok.

There were 16 people in the class -- all tourists -- which at first was a bit annoying since I felt like I was following the guide book like everyone else. That passed quickly when we started to grind the first ingredients to make green curry paste. We all walked down the block to a small vegatable and fish market where May Kadiee explained all of the ingredients (veggies, sauces, noodles) that we will use to make our meals. Upon returning, we went the kitchen and started our first dish. We made Tom Yum Soup, Inaan Soup, Fried Veggies in mushroom sauce, Pad Thai with Tofu, Massaman Curry, Green Curry, Peanut Sauce, Thai Spring Rolls, Papaya Salad. Needless to say we were stuffed upon leaving there. It was really fun and we both learned a lot. We took good notes so we'll try to have a Thai dinner party when we return.

Then, we took another tuk tuk to the Grand Palace - the most famous Buddhist temple in Bangkok - housing the Emerald Buddha and the residence of the royal family of Thailand. It was spectacular --- bold and ornate architecture throughout. Our pictures while nice really don't do it justice. We walked the grounds for a couple hours enjoying the history of the temple. Truly a must see even though it is always busy with tourists.

Next, we bargained our way to a good deal on a riverboat tour. They use longboats to go through the side channels off the main river. It was nice to have a wind in our face in the heat of the day while taking in the views. We rode past many Wats (temples), shanty housing, floating market, fish farm, and Wat Arun. We were told the boat was stopping at Wat Arun for us -- it didn't. I wasn't too happy about it so I talked with the lady that sold us our ticket. She made up a lame excuse about Wat Arun not being open because the queen was there. I knew enough to know she was lying - I called her on it. She told me to go find her boss in the market. I replied "how do I know who she is?" -- then, she ignored me, classic. Well, after some stubborness on our end we did get a boat to Wat Arun.

Wat Arun is the temple directly across the river from our hotel. It was nice to see the prangs (towers) up close -- well sort of. It was closed when we finally made it there. We still enjoyed it though. That was the last Wat that we will see in Bangkok.

We're headed to another recommended vegetarian restaurant -- yummy more curry....

Dan and Kilee

Night Bazaar

danweiler — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:11:00 GMT

After a refreshing cold shower (it is wonderfully hot here 85+ degrees and HUMID) & short nap to help with our jet lag ~ we went to the night bazaar.

Given we are in the Old City the subways are not near us, tuk tuk is the cheapest and fastest mode of transportation. A risky trip, we quickly arrived at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar - a large fair/flea market with a food area and musical act. It was very much like a night market we went to in Sao Paulo, Brazil last June. Drinking german beer and listening to Eternal Flame, by the Bangles sung with a Thai accent was an experience. And the small stall shopping is eye-candy, meanwhile no one bargains as well as Dan (even the Thai are charmed by him).

Despite being in the city center, the buildings are incredibly ornate and all plants are extremely lush. The markets are vibrant. We have to drive through Chinatown to get to our hotel in the Old City and there is a distinct change in smells as we drive through - its wonderful. And driving an open-air tuk tuk through the flower market is phenomenal - bird of paradise as tall as a person and more flowers than I have ever seen in one place in my lifetime. As Dan mentioned the people here are some of the friendliest in the world, very devout to their faith and king.

We are looking forward to a Thai cooking class in the morning and will have to take a ferry taxi down the river.

The Honeymoon Begins

danweiler — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:30:00 GMT

We just returned from an amazing morning touring Bangkok. We started the morning with a nice breakfast at "The Deck" (our hotel's restaurant which is right on the the channel).

From there we walked a block to Wat Pho. One of Bangkok's famous Buddhist temples. Admission to Wat Pho was a lofty 50 Baht each ($1.75). The Reclining Buddha was breathtaking. Only minor hiccup was when I hit my head on a threshold -- ouch, only a little blood though. It took us about an hour to see Wat Pho in its entirety.

We left Wat Pho with plans to go to the Grand Palace only to run into a friendly Thai man who told us it was closed until 1 pm. He suggested that we go to the Black Buddha, Golden Mount Temple, and then come back to the Grand Palace. He hooked us up with a Tuk Tuk ride that would take us to all of these places for 40 Baht ($1.50). So off we went in our first Tuk Tuk. We have a short video of it that I'm trying to upload to youtube -- we'll see if that works.

Our first stop was the Black Buddha. It was a very small temple that only had one other person inside. We started visiting with him only to find out that he owns Royal Thai Rice. They ship rice all over the world -- I assume him to be a very wealthy guy. He explained the history of the Black Buddha and how it was his best place for luck. Very interesting man -- every Thai person we have met has been extremely open and friendly. I thought the Brazilians had the monopoly on this but the Thai are all smiles and positivity.

The driver asked us to do him a favor by stopping at a local shop to just browse. I had read prior to the trip of this scam that the Tuk Tuk drivers have by getting you to stop at places that you didn't intend. We agreed to stop for 5 minutes. The store was called Manhattan and it was a dive of a clothing store. Only stayed 5 minutes and then moved on to see the Golden Mount Temple.

We walked to the top of the Golden Mount for some great views of Bangkok. It is an enormous city that we won't even scratch the surface of touring. It gave us a nice birds' eye view. Walking down, we rang the bells for good luck. Thai people are Buddhist and believe in projecting and giving off positive energy so that they will, in turn, have a blessed life. I have never seen such a consistent effort to be friendly and nice that I have here. Granted we are tourists and they are providing services but it just feels different. We'll see if that remains throughout our travels.

From there, we headed to the Grand Palace only to find that it was much too busy for us. We decided to head back to the hotel to rest. Along the way, we stopped at a number of street markets selling jewelery, silks, and food. We ate our first Thai meal at a small place in one of the markets. We had to ask the guy in the table next to us to help us order. It's difficult to explain that we don't want meat or seafood. We have a language cheatsheet but it doesn't really help that much -- at least so far. Any hoo, the meal was fantastic but didn't fill me up. We stopped another joint right next to the water. Shared a Singha beer and ordered a spicy basil dish. Blazing hot but the spice didn't stay with you. Extremely good too.

Well, that's all for now. We are pretty well-adjusted to the time change but need a short nap to relax. More to come.

Dan and Kilee

Customs Shmustoms

danweiler — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:02:00 GMT

WE MADE IT!

After a very long trip with many obstacles, we are sitting in our hotel on the channel in Bangkok. Our hotel website is http://www.arunresidence.com/main.htm if you are interested.

We flew separate flights from Tokyo to Bangkok. Kilee left first so she was waiting for me when I landed. That part actually went as we originally planned. We walked to customs, stood in a short line, gave them our papers and went through. Absolutely no problem. We, of course, had been stressing during all of our flights that it would work out. Thankfully, the ticketing agent in Tokyo gave Kilee a boarding pass. That is where I thought we'd have the issue.

Upon leaving customs, our car service driver was waiting for us with a sign with our names on it. High class. He took us directly to our hotel. 45 minutes later we were unpacking and finally relaxing.

The pictures attached our views from our hotel room. It's a split level boutique style hotel on the Mae Nam Chao Phraya (the chanel that runs through Bangkok). The pictures are of Wat Arun - a famous buddhist temple directly across from us. ONe pict when we arrived and one in the morning.

We both slept part of the night but are still adjusting. We are planning to see Wat Pho - houses the 150 ft reclining buddha and The Grand Palace.

Well, that's all for now. We love you all and will keep you informed thoroughly for this portion of the trip since we have internet at our hotel.

Dan and Kilee