Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Far East Compendium

I've been back for three days, but I am still two thousand miles from the casita.

The overseas part of the trip was fabulous.

I'm too lazy at the moment -- blame jet lag -- to provide fresh detail.

Instead, I'm recycling these all call emails I sent along the way:

9 Nov

We are having such a good time that it may be one of those have to take a flat for a month and come back and do it right sort of countries.

It is all 1st class. For example, the hotel tonight is totally teak -- everything is gloss wood from floor to ceiling except for the throne room which is marble. The shower reminds me of the Rambo First Blood prison strip scene with the high pressure hose -- the sort of shower all showers should be like.

Had a Thai traditional massage with heated herbs at the Wat Po Massage school in Bangkok last week and am in love. I was bent like a pretzel and poked with thumbs of steel. The next day I went back and said, "Please may I have another?" I'd fly the thousands of miles just to go there again, and again and again...

Saw a textile museum which I pillaged for neat clothes and then a ceramic kiln that is over 2000 years old today.... plus a wax technique traditional Buddha casting studio. Very artsy fartsy.

The food is wonderful, the hotels deluxe and the guide fluent and informative. Had the best bacon ever, ever, ever at the hotel in Bangkok. Thai pig tastes good.

This AM the pick of the buffet litter was a spicy Chinese sausage with mixed veggies dish -- sweet and hot and oh, so good. Plus so far it has been six days of perfect eggs to order. I love the spicy food, although I think all of the concentrated wasabi hits from sushi eating over the years have ruined me for mere peppers.

15 Nov

Landed in Siem Reap last night.

Spent the morning in the ruins of Angkor. It is really amazing and worth the journey. This afternoon is the main temple complex -- Angkor Wat. (Wat is temple)

Thailand was wonderful. I want to go back next year and get a flat from mid December until the end of January. Bangkok rocked and Chiengmai was also fabulous. There is a swimming pool at the Rimkok resort in Chiengrai that also deserves special mention. I spent three hours paddling, soaking, and basking one afternoon and could have spent days. If the diving in the South is as good as folks were telling me, Thailand might be the vacation spot of choice for a little while.

D and I have lots of tales and many goodies. The shopping is amazing. I have also made a few good acquaintances (some local) -- all potential travel buds when the best baby is at sea or otherwise occupied.

My Thai was progressing from non-existent to bad, but functional -- I was picking up five to ten words/phrases a day and the reactions of the locals to me popping off in their vernacular were cute.

To the parents -- Realizing I probably have emails from you asking about "the long time no email situation" buried somewhere in this stack of spam that just uploaded from RoadRunner's server --- but I haven't sorted through yet and wanted to get an "everything is OK" message out first...

W -- Happy birthday -- good news about the tickets, I'll take care of the hotel from Cali when we make CONUS. (Yes, I was in Thailand when I wrote about running away to Thailand -- I meant in the future....) Have you gone diving here before?

M -- expect two boxes from Chiengmai --- UPS air -- full of Thai silk. D hit the birthday bonanza.

Miggy -- operation something kewl for the girl friend's Xmas present was accomplished and how -- but we busted your budget by five whole dollars. I think you will like it regardless... it is from Gems Gallery -- the top jewelry chain of Thailand.

Regarding the "long time, no email" -- I've just been having too much fun and have not had the opportunity to grab a keyboard since Chiengrai. Yes, I am a rat... but everyone already knew that, right?

19 Nov

Once again I'm writing from the airport in Seoul, Korea. There was an eight hour layover between the flight from Bangkok till the final leg to LAX. I've managed to kill two hours at the internet cafe, catching up on assorted neglected geekage.

D is asleep on the seats next door, covered with a woolly. It is much colder here than it was in Cambodia.

Due to the time zone changes, this will be the longest birthday ever -- taking up well over thirty hours. It was my birthday when we got on the plane in Bangkok and it will still be my birthday when I disembark in LA at 0900 in the morning. What a kick.

D bought my "cake" yesterday at the bakery of the Raffles Grand Hotel D'Angkor in Siem Reap. It's a deluxe chocolate brownie with half a pecan on top. Five of us stopped there to check out the elephant bar our last afternoon in Cambodia. We had a late lunch in the conservatory waiting for the three o'clock opening and I admit to having a several cocktails, the two most notable being the Femme Fatale and a Brass Monkey.

Angkor Wat was amazing. It deserves to be one of the wonders of the world. I found it much more impressive than Machu Picchu, but then again -- I have an Asian bias. My only regret is not having more time there. It would have been kewl to stay a little longer.

Over all the trip was two thumbs up. I've never traveled with a tour group before, so in some ways it was a little confining. However, it was equally nice having Thai and Cambodian guides who were street savvy and able to add valuable cultural commentary.

Four of the group stayed behind in Bangkok. Ten or so have left on a flight for NY. The rest of us are roaming the airport seeking amusement -- or are wisely snoozing like D.

The counter just alerted me to only having two minutes left -- so enough with this...

19 Nov

When I last left you, I was running out of time on the Internet cyber pass.... and so my epic journey began.

Up I pop to find an ATM -- which one would think would be a simple task in a large international airport, hmmm?

But nothing about this mission was simple. I had to go through immigration and customs twice -- getting more than my share of unhealthy X-ray dosage. Once out -- which took some doing as I had to be logged out by security as well as processed through the normal desks -- I had to hit five different machines before I found one that would take my USAA card...

All to get more local currency to continue to use the Internet....

You would think they would have an ATM within the secure international departure zone -- but no.

While I was gone, D woke up and was solicited to survey the airport. She gave it high marks -- well deserved as it is impressive -- but suggested they add cash machines within the secure zone.

Since I had excess wan, we went off get lattes and inspect the duty free offerings. At which time, I found my birthday present to myself -- a very snazzy roller board combo set -- hard sided in red with buff leather accents. It is petite and very chic.

Madame Butterfly -- D's grandmother -- adores red and may like it and I thought originally that I might give it up if she admired it sufficiently, but it is growing on me -- to the point that I may feel too possessive to be generous.

I only have 20 more minutes until we board. (yeah!)

And once again -- the cyber pass time warning is blinking...

posted by Bohica at 2:56 AM