Ultimate Day of Luxury

December 28

Golden Triangle, Chang Rai, Thailand

We had such a pampered day today. The hotel is super luxurious. I slept in, or as they say in England, I had a lie-in. Read the paper in bed and nibbled on exotic fruit from the complementary fruit basket in the room. Got some sun by the pool. Lunched on yummy Thai food at the hotel buffet while sitting at a table with a view of the fabulous grounds.

The guys went for a game of squash while the girls took advantage of a complementary spa treatment. We had a coconut body scrub, neck/shoulder/back massage, and a soothing facial. Soft music was playing and we once again were overlooking the view. I'm afraid we both fell asleep for just a bit during our facials. 

We met up with the guys just as they were finishing some strawberry milkshakes. We all freshened up to get ready for the next item on our agenda: a sunset elephant trek.

At 4 pm a jeep took us to the elephant camp located on the hotel grounds. We rode atop two elephants along a path up a hill overlooking the rivers that mark the boundaries of Burma, Laos, and Thailand. Along the way, Ryan and Chris each got to lower down from the seat on the elephant's back and straddle the elephant's neck and "drive". 

We disembarked at a clearing where a platform was ready for us with canapés and drinks. Here we could watch the elephants wander around and forage in the brush while we also watched the sun set.

Time to climb back on the elephants to descend the hill but this time Lexi and I got a turn on the elephant's neck. It was actually a smoother ride on the neck than on the swaying back. 

We were taken to the elephant baby camp for our Dining by Design experience. A private table was set up for us on an elevated torch-lit platform. A multitude of candles were flickering. The table and chairs were dressed with zebra and giraffe prints. We were given sticks of sugar cane to feed the three cute baby elephants. Again we could watch them as they played in their enclosure and we dined on a feast. The cook grilled our meat and prepared our dinner just below us and our waiter would bring up each course to us in turn while also keeping our wine glasses filled.

To top it all off, we were given the large paper lanterns to light and set adrift just like on Christmas Eve. We were told to make a wish as we lifted up each lantern. Spending a day like this with family is the stuff that dreams are made of, what more could I wish for?

Tea Tasting and Hard Hiking

Dec 27

We have made our way to the northern border of Thailand to an area known as the Golden Triangle. This is where three countries come together, separated by two rivers. The countries are Burma, Laos, and Thailand.

On the way here we stopped at a town heavily populated with Chinese people. We were taken to a shop for tea tasting. We sampled Oolong, Sticky Rice, organic Beauty (green), Jasmine, and Ginseng teas. The lady conducting the tasting really pushed the Beauty tea. She said if you drink it every day you will have beauty. We noticed it cost more than the others. None of us cared for the taste. Seeing as how I am the only one in the family that drinks hot tea, I chose the one I liked best: Ginseng. It was the sweetest. The sticky rice tea tasted like the water left after cooking rice. The Jasmine smelled like perfume. 

Our guide then took us on a 3-hour hike through the area. Our guide is a marathon runner and biker. Hiking up and down hills for 3 hours is like taking a stroll for him, but it was definitely a challenge for me. We walked past fields where tea is grown on bushes. There were leaves spread out on cloths drying in the sun.

We actually finished the hike in under 3 hours but the kids pointed out that our guide had mercy on us and cut it about 15 minutes short by having our van meet us further up the path. 

We were rewarded later that afternoon when we checked in to the beautiful Anantara Golden Triangle luxury resort lodge. That night we ate Italian food at the restaurant for a break from all the Thai food we had been eating. 

Bamboo Hotel

December 26

Huai Khum Lahu Resort, Mae Salek

The hills of northern Thailand 

The hotel we are staying in tonight is like deluxe camping. We are in a hut made of bamboo. There are straw mats on the floor. Just about everything is made from natural materials. We do have a comfortable bed and an indoor bathroom with a shower.  There is electricity but no television in the room. The internet signal is very weak.

The place is not fancy but it is cool to listen to insects and frogs through the screened windows (no air conditioning) while drifting off to sleep. We will be awakened by roosters tomorrow morning. We arrived at the hotel by boat as there is just a rough dirt road to get here. It is right on a river. We kayaked down the river for about an hour and then a motorboat brought us back to the hotel so we wouldn't have to paddle upstream. Our guide thinks of everything as he had an ice chest of drinks in the boat for us as well as yummy fresh tangerines and a delicious fruit called mangosteen.

The hotel is in a beautiful location, so serene. The owner's wife and three kids live here and help out. Meals are cooked and served in an open air pavilion by the river. What a great setup.

Rolling Along

Two more modes of transport have been tried: bicycles and motorbikes (scooters).

December 24

Started with "Mary Poppins" style bicycles. Went about 10 kilometers around a city with ancient ruins. Saw many half destroyed palaces and temples and Buddhas. Burma destroyed the city but Thailand later took it back. The ruins have not been repaired to keep a record of the past. Locals still worship at the sites. 

December 25

I guess we did so well on the bikes that the next day our guide took us out on racing bikes with helmets and gloves. We went twice as far and on hilly terrain. That was quite a workout! Ryan literally pushed me along with his hand on my back to keep me going. Thanks Bud!

December 26

The next day we graduated to scooters but only after about an hour long practice/training session. I was happy to ride on the back of our guide's scooter but the kids and Chris did great on their own motorbikes. We went right out on the highway, through towns and then on hilly, curvy, scenic roads. What an adventure!

We used the scooters to get to our next destination with a van following behind with our luggage. We arrived in a small village and left the scooters inside a gate at a house that the tour company has an arrangement with. We then got in a boat which took us along a river to our third hotel. The boat pulled up at the hotel's pier and we were welcomed with a banana-pineapple drink as we sat on a covered deck right by the water which serves as the lobby and restaurant. The area was so remote and peaceful. Wonderful!

Thai Massage

Our tour package included vouchers for a free 2-hourThai massage in Bangkok. Ryan had never had a massage and Lexi and Chris had only experienced it in Morocco. So we were game to try it out. We were not disappointed.

We first had our feet washed. Then we were given loose-fitting pajama-type clothes to change into. We laid down on flat mattresses on the floor. Starting with our feet and ending with our heads, just about every muscle in our bodies was poked and mashed and kneaded. The ladies doing the massages were right down on the mats with us, using their bodies to twist and pry ours. Sometimes it hurt but mostly it felt good. At one point Chris's lady was standing on his hamstrings. They even pressed their feet into our backs as we sat up. 

After the massage, Chris's lady directed him to the restroom. Somehow she could tell he needed to go. ??? I thought we would be sore the next day but I'm glad to report we weren't. It went so well in fact that two days later we opted for another 2-hour Thai massage. We had just spent over 3 hours riding bicycles on undulating roads and needed to have the knots worked out of our bodies. It really helped!

Christmas in Thailand

Christmas is celebrated to an extent in Thailand but it is not a holiday. The majority of people here are Buddhist. Our guide said they celebrate everything here, including 3 different New Years: Thai, Chinese, and International. They want everyone to be happy here I guess. We saw lots of Christmas decorations including snowmen which seemed funny in the warm weather. It was also odd to see kids going to school on Christmas Day.

Here is how we spent Christmas in Thailand:

Christmas Eve - Flew from the huge city of Bangkok to the northern-most province of Chang Rai.

Buffet dinner at hotel with live band playing Christmas music and lighting and releasing of giant floating lanterns.

Christmas Day - Breakfast buffet on outdoor terrace of hotel.

40 kilometer (about 24 miles) bike ride through villages.

Elephant ride through a river.

Casual lunch at local Chinese restaurant.

2-hour Thai massage for all of us.

Relaxation at hotel pool/riverside/jacuzzi tub.

Dinner at local traditional restaurant in town with live music playing in background.

Shopping in outdoor market. Local school girls interviewed us about Christmas for their school project.

It was not your ordinary Christmas Day and really not an ordinary day at all for us!

Exploring Bangkok

We have explored Bangkok the last two days using almost every form of transportation available.

We have travelled by:

Hotel water taxi - a barge that shuttles guests across the river

Sky train - runs on elevated tracks over the streets

Metro - underground subway

Water taxi - used by locals. Boat pulls up, people climb in over the side all along the length of the boat and sit down on benches. A sheet of plastic canvas gets hoisted up along the sides to prevent splashing inside. When you get to your stop, the canvas goes down and you climb over the side to get out. As the boat is moving, ticket girls walk along the narrow ledge on the outside and lean in to collect the fare. For the four stops we rode, the fare was the equivalent of just 40 cents.

Small "bus" - used by locals. It is just a truck with benches in the back.

Tuk-tuk taxi - motorcycle  converted to hold driver and 3 passengers on a bench seat behind him. Named for the tuk-tuk sound it makes. It was fun to zip around traffic in it.

Longtail boat - this appears to be only for tourists. You hire it to take you along the canals. There was a James Bond movie filmed in Bangkok where he uses the long tail fin of the boat as a weapon. Will have to rent that movie when we get back. The motor is a car engine inside the back of the boat with a long shaft extending into the water holding the propeller. Seems to be overkill to have a car engine powering a boat.

Car taxi - bright pink. Road traffic is crazy and the driver honks to tell other cars or scooters to get out of the way.

Foot - We walked through various areas including Arab Town and China Town where we had dinner one night. I had guava juice with my meal while the guys ordered beer and two huge quart-size bottles of Singha beer appeared. Chris and Ryan were not able to make it dis-appear as quickly!

There are so many shops and market stalls and food carts. It's nice that the vendors aren't overly obnoxious in pushing their wares. We walked through some seedy areas right past ladies of the night and even a "lady-boy". Pungent smells abound from all the food being cooked right there in the streets on carts. Bicycles are fitted out with counters holding raw meat sitting on ice and a tabletop grill to freshly cook it up for you. We stopped for some fresh coconut milk from a man that used a machete to chop open the coconut and put a straw in it for us. Ryan wasn't too keen on the coconut milk as it brought back memories of a college trip in Mexico and something about coconuts with rum. :-) 

Our guide took us all over Bangkok with the idea of showing us how the locals live. We saw Buddhist temples and palaces and people placing offerings to Buddha at Spirit Houses. We saw the largest flower market in Bangkok. There is a tremendous demand for flowers that people place as offerings.

We noticed that we haven't seen any of the British people that came on the flight from London with us. They probably headed straight down to the beach area of Thailand to soak up some sun. We will do that towards the end of our trip. For now we are enjoying our exploring.

The Tailor Delivered

As a follow-up to my previous post on Visiting the Tailor, we had lunch afterwards, took naps, and went back for the first fitting. Sure enough, in just the 8 or so (sew?) hours since we had left the tailor, they had produced Ryan's two shirts, and a shirt, trousers, and start of a jacket for Chris to try on. So (sew?) not only is the tailor's work inexpensive and high quality, it is also fast.

For some reason, the waist on Chris's pants were a little snug. We decided it was a combination of  him sucking in his gut during the measure-taking plus the large burger he ate at lunch. Good thing they check the fit before finishing the final product. 

About 24 hours after the fitting, the final products were delivered to our hotel. Chris tried the suit on and luckily it fit. I'm sure the tailor would've made more adjustments had they been needed. The clothes look great and now our guys are the proud owners of custom sewn garments from Thailand. 

Visiting the Tailor

Apparently the thing to do when visiting Bangkok is to make a visit to a tailor for a custom-fitted suit or dress.

We arrived in Bangkok this morning at 6 am local time after an overnight 11-hour flight from London. We will only be in the city of Bangkok for 3 days so our first stop after checking in at the hotel was to a tailor. Our guide escorted us on the sky train which was full of locals heading out for a Saturday of shopping. Mr. T, as our guide is called, showed us how to navigate the train system in case we want to go out on our own. I guess we could manage it now but I'm not sure I'd want to try it. At least all the signs are in both English and Thai. The stops are also announced in both English and Thai so that helps.

We enter the tailor shop and immediately are seated on comfortable sofas and offered cold drinks. They are happy to see us and look at us with dollar signs in their eyes. Chris has decided to get a couple of dress shirts and suits. Ryan, who will soon be entering the career work force, will have some shirts made as well. We are handed catalogs to look through to see what we want. Our obvious question is pricing but there is no straight-forward answer when going the custom route as it depends on what quality of cloth is chosen. There is also the confusion of pricing in the local currency. Thirty Thai Bhat equals about one US dollar so we are looking at spending thousands of Bhats. Yikes.

Ryan is whisked away to select the colors for his shirts from among the bolts of fabric lining the walls. He decides on one white and one blue. Meanwhile, Chris is having a tape measure placed in precarious positions all over his body to be fitted for his suit. A quantity discount deal is offered and 2 silk ties are thrown in for "free". We've never had custom tailored clothing made so we hope we are getting a good deal. The shop will send a car to pick us up from our hotel later this afternoon to go back for the first fitting. That sure seems fast. I'll keep you "posted" on how it goes....

Going to Asia

I am going to Asia for the first time. It will be the fourth continent I have had the pleasure of being on. (North America, Europe, Africa, Asia) We are heading to Thailand for Christmas. It is already a different experience just being on the Thai Airways flight. The flight attendants are dressed in silky long garments and wearing fresh orchids. They all smile so sweetly and are very polite. Some even greeted us on the plane with a slight bow, hands together. Our drinks are handed to us on a tray. Fresh orchids in the bathroom is a nice touch. We received hot towels to clean our hands before we ate. And this was even in economy class!

Health and Safety??

I think England goes overboard with Health and Safety laws sometimes. 

My latest encounter was with an electrician who had worked too many hours the day before.

Our house is full of recessed spotlight fixtures that are constantly shorting out.

In these "100 days of darkness" of dreary, short winter days, having enough lighting in the house is very important.

I was doing my time waiting in the FIVE-hour time slot I was given for the electrician to come fix the wiring in two of these light sockets.

Two hours into my "sentence" I received a call saying the electrician could not come out as he had worked late the day before and Health and Safety regulations required him to rest today.

I'm thinking "You're kidding, right?"

He was not kidding.

This is the same country that doesn't require bicycle riders to wear helmets but allows them in the same lanes as cars.

Strange.

Special Treats

When you live in another country you adapt and do some things a little differently. What once seemed mundane becomes a special treat. For example, our daughter was thrilled to be surprised on her birthday with a wake-up visit from friends bringing.... Frozen Waffles! To find frozen waffles in England you either have to be able to shop on an American base or at the wholesale warehouse store of Costco. We don't have a Costco membership so it's nice to have friends that do and who are kind enough to share with us their American treasures.

Sometimes it's the little things that we miss (frozen waffles). Other times we are blessed to be able to experience normal activities in special places. I celebrated my birthday last year with a nice dinner and a play at a theatre in the West End of London.

This year my birthday falls on the day of the American Women in Surrey Holiday Homes Tour. Seven beautifully decorated homes are open for visitors to see and proceeds from the ticket sales goes to charity. Some of the homes are historic, one was built in 1740, another is a 120-year old cottage. Touring the homes with friends will be a special treat on my birthday.

Even attending a Christmas Carol concert turns into a special treat when it is held in the historic Kensington Palace in London. Kensington was the home of the British royal family before Queen Victoria moved into the current royal residence of Buckingham Palace.

As I sat in the dimly lit intimate space of the King's Gallery of The King's State Apartments, listening to the Choir from Hampton Court Palace Chapel Royal, I reflected on the history that gallery has seen. The room looks as it did when it was decorated for King George I in 1727. We were surrounded by marvelous paintings on every wall. One painting near where we were sitting depicted the Nativity scene, so appropriate for the Christmas carols we were listening to. I imagined the room being lit by candlelight as it surely must've been before the electric lights were installed. Royalty had been in that very space and now here we were in modern times still enjoying it.

Here is a picture taken at the concert:

Christmas Concert at Kensington Palace

This is what the Gallery looks like during the day:

The King's Gallery

Painting of Nativity Scene

Special moments in special places yield special feelings: Special Treats!