Thailand

Hi,
We’ve just arrived in Tokyo and are waiting to take a high-speed train to our hotel. Only 7 more days left of our wonderful trip.
Love,
Jan and Lyle

Rooftop restaurant at the Marriott 48th floor

Best steak ever: El Gaucho Bangkok

Jan's shopping excursion





We visited a small flower market near Chinatown in Bangkok. There were huge baskets and bags of orchids, long strings of marigolds, and small colorful arrangements that are often seen on the elephant statues and as temple offerings around the city.
The cute kitty found a comfy spot to curl up for a nap.

Khao San Road - The book 'The Beach' famously described it as "the center of the backpacking universe" with countless guesthouses, hotels, internet cafes, bars, restaurants, massage parlors, travel agents, bookshops, market stalls, tattoo shops and much, much more. Its unlike anywhere else in Bangkok. Located north of the Grand Palace, the 400 meter long road is a bit difficult to find from the river, but we did eventually stumble upon it.

The Chao Phraya River flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Its river ferries provide access to the various palaces and temples in the old city. The wooden ferries are single row 50 foot long boats. The driver is at the very front and cannot see the boarding area on the back. He relies on the boatman's whistle to guide him: one blast means stop at the pier, two blasts means backup to hold the stern against the pier for 10 seconds so people can jump on and off, a third blast means proceed ahead. There is no passenger limit that we could see and people are mostly jammed onto the stern as the purser yells for people to go below, but "below" is completely full too.




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Hi,
We arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday. Fortunately we are both feeling better today, after several days of “Thai tummy”, and the weather’s lovely. Lyle chose an awesome, modern, and quirky hotel right in the middle of the fun and excitement. The pool is not only on the rooftop, but it’s also glass-bottom! The wavy white rectangle is a van on the street 9 stories below us. The sunset was phenomenal. We’re winding down to the end of our trip and are looking forward the most to cooking our own food again.
Our love to all,
Jan and Lyle

Here is a sample of places we saw in Bangkok.

Looking down onto Sukhumvit Road from the BTS Sky Train

Each floor of this mall is themed by a country or city (San Francisco here)

Were at the Kee Resort in Phuket Thailand. It's the best location right next to Bangla road with its many "walking street" bars, discotheques, and go go bars. It's just a 4 minute walk to Pa Tong beach. The 2004 tsunami also hit this area causing a lot of damage and casualties.

You decide, I think you know the answer...