This morning we sat with new friends Phyllis and Bruce for breakfast and we enjoyed chatting with them and finding out about their lives. Bruce at one point told me I had a “delightful accent”. Wait!!! I have an accent????? 😂

After breakfast, we rode for over an hour, to Mae Kampong town, (a village of about 130 houses with about 370 residents), to do some hiking. Mae Kampong is tucked between the mountains and the forests and has become a haven for tourism. Interestingly, about 95% of the folks who visit the area are Thai, usually from Bangkok. They come to enjoy the mountains for vacation since this time of year the weather is cool, dry, and a perfect vacation spot.

There are no big hotel chains in the town. In the early 2000’s, residents of Mae Kampong decided to offer their homes for people who wanted to vacation here. The cost is about $20 a night… And that includes two meals!!! What a bargain!!

Are told us that tourism, the precious gems industry, (which consists of rubies, jade, and sapphires which are fashioned into jewelry and exported), farming, tea, and coffee are the main businesses in the area. We drove past signs that said vineyards ahead (Allan got excited), but the vineyards were not grape vineyards, but rather strawberry vineyards! Go figure!

Tea leaves had been cultivated in the area and later on, coffee began to be cultivated. There are many cafes in the village where they serve locally grown coffee to the tourists. In Mae Kampong, its own inhabitants are in charge of managing the tourism, and they directly pocket its benefits.

We passed by a lengthy stretch of land where large trees were being sold. The trees had the root balls attached. Folks who were doing new landscaping, and didn’t want to wait for a sapling to reach maturity in their landscaping scheme, could purchase these trees and plant them. Viola! A beautiful yard with fully-grown trees in a day. An amazing enterprise!

We arrived at the area to begin our hiking and we were offered two hiking trails to embark on. One would be a short hike and one was a more challenging hike, with steep and slippery terrain. Given my foot, we opted for the short hike, as did five others in our group. It still was a very challenging hike and we were glad we had our hiking poles with us. We had to navigate over tree roots and huge rocks as we steadily climbed higher and higher. Along the way we saw the coffee beans growing as well as some beautiful foliage.

Wonder Woman…aka Irene Leslie… again came to someone’s rescue. One of the men (Bruce) was trying to navigate an extremely tall step and lost his balance and started to fall backwards. I was right behind him and was able to stop his backwards fall by pushing my hands firmly into his back. The local guide and our guide were then able to grab his arms to help him up the step. Bruce thanked me and said it was so fortunate I was behind him to stop his fall!

I’ll be here all week folks!😂

When we finally arrived at the top of the trail, we were able to sit down and enjoy an amazingly robust cup of coffee brewed from the locally grown coffee beans and we paired it with a slice of lemon cheesecake. Delicious! We then met up with the rest of the group and walked to some beautiful waterfalls.

Afterwards, we had a very nice lunch with a lovely view of the forest. I wasn’t a fan of the tilapia that was served, but the Kom Tom soup was outstanding as was the chicken.

We boarded our van and drove to the “House of Many Elephants” or Baan Jang Nak. Phet Wiriya is the founder of Baan Jang Nah and is a descendant from the Tai Yong people who migrated to Lamphun province more than 200 years ago. He is a master carver, creating stunning replicas of elephants from different woods, cement, and also putting together scraps of wood to create masterpieces that are sold all over the world. The place also encourages other woods carvers to work in the shop and as we walked around the myriad of elephants, you couldn’t help but be amazed at the artistry.

On the way back to the hotel in the van, we talked with Are about words in a foreign language and how you have to be careful when speaking different languages to make sure the intonation of the word you are saying is correct. Are gave the example of pho soup in the Vietnamese language. Most people say “fuh” rhyming with “duh”. According to the internet, since the Vietnamese use tones when they speak, the word phở, meaning soup, actually has a dipping tone (down then up) with a gentle lift at the end when pronounced. Are said that with an incorrect intonation of the word, it could be confused with the word Phò, the slang term for a prostitute, which is pronounced with a downward, or “heavy,” intonation. Proper pronunciation and the use of the correct tone is essential in many languages to convey the intended meaning and avoid misunderstandings. Are said he was in Vietnam years ago and was very hungry and ordered pho soup. The waitress said “What???? Are you sure???” to which Are said “Yes!!!” She kept asking him “Are you sure?” And finally he said, “Yes. I’m very hungry sees e!” Aha! She realized he wanted the soup and not a street walker! Allan will have to remember that the next time he orders ‘pho’ soup in a Vietnamese restaurant! 😳 (I actually recorded Are saying pho…the soup, so we can practice the correct intonation!)

We arrived at the hotel and had time to freshen up and then we went for dinner at a Thai restaurant. The dinner was served family style and each dish was outstanding.

After dinner, we all stopped at a street fair to see what it was all about. Are told us that we ladies should be on the lookout for elephant pants, a light fabric lounging outfit that is very popular. He said don’t buy at the first stall you see, but rather walk around and compare prices. That sounded like a good idea, so off we went to bargain hunt.

We didn’t know the place woud be crazy town!!! Thousands of people were jammed packed across the aisles and you could barely move. Allan spotted a vender very quickly and we went in, asked the price, it sounded reasonable, we purchased, and went back to the hotel, glad to get away from the frenzy. Allan said that since we didn’t have enough baht for the purchase and the vender accepted US dollars, we made out very well with the currency exchange rate. They actually gave us a really good deal.

We meet friends for a glass of wine at the hotel and then it was to bed! It was a fun day!

View from the culmination of our hike.

The pic below is what the locals use to make whisk brooms with.

At the waterfall

Amazing wood carving

This piece is carved from one piece of wood

At the restaurant, our chicken was flambéd at the table.

One of the dishes. The basket was edible.

Our rice serving.

Accommodations: Amora Hotel Tapae

Morning: Fly to Chiang Mai

This morning after breakfast we flew to Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai is known for its ancient temples, vibrant markets, mountainous scenery, and relaxed atmosphere. The flight was only about 1 1/2 hours and then we boarded the bus to the hotel, passing by the beautiful scenery. Chiang Mai’s scenery is very different from the sky scrapers of Bangkok. There are only a very few moderately tall buildings and flowers were blooming everywhere. We passed the remains of the ancient city wall with the surrounding moat, that was the defense of the old city during the 13th century.

Since our rooms weren’t ready when we arrived at the hotel, we all went across the street to enjoy some Thai food for lunch. Our group is very nice and I’m sure we are going to have a great time together.

We met our guide Are at around 4 pm and he took us on an hour plus walk around the area – deftly crossing the traffic that zooms through the streets by raising an arm and plunging ahead when the coast was pretty clear. Raising a hand and looking like you mean it does cause the traffic to stop…but you still have to be careful of rogue motorbikes that just keep going.

Are pointed out currency exchange places where you could get a pretty good rate, the pharmacy, the convenience stores, etc in case we need them. Chiang Mai sidewalks are practically non existent. They are very narrow and you have to be careful of the potholes and loose cement. Trees are growing sometimes right in the middle so you have to navigate around them and telephone wires sometimes hang down from above so you have to duck when you approach. But tucked within this seemingly unnavigable atmosphere, are beautiful temples, fabulous eating places, and gentle people who smile and bow to you as you pass by. Bangkok was filled with venders selling their wares as you walked along, but the streets in Chiang Mai hardly have any. There are many stores lining the streets, but you conduct business inside.

Are told us it is very rude to raise a finger to point something out in the distance that you want your fellow companions to see. That was good to know since i believe most Americans are guilty of doing just that. (Even though I do remember my mother saying to me as a child, “Don’t point!”)

Are told us that he spent time as a monk and even though that journey was short lived, it taught him much about the ways of life which he still tries to practice: Meditation to develop concentration and insight. Mindfulness to pay attention to the present moment, and Compassion – by cultivating kindness and adhering to moral principals by not stealing, lying, or harming. I feel that Are definitely incorporates those values in his daily life, which is evident in his demeanor and the way he interacts with the group.

While we were walking in a plaza, where no cars were allowed, I noticed that a pickup truck was in the plaza and was backing up. Most of the group kept walking and following Are, but one of the ladies in our group (Sue), stopped to take a photo, not seeing the van behind her. I paused, thinking surely the van driver sees her in his rear view mirror. But no… he kept backing up. In a split second my instincts took over. I knew I couldn’t push her out of the way because then I’d be behind the van. Instead, I yelled and flew to the side of the van and pounded like a crazy woman on the metal! The van stopped literally inches from her. My adrenaline was in full force and my heart was beating out of my chest. Afterwards my hands were literally shaking. Sue thanked me profusely. The rest of the group didn’t realize what had happened since they had continued following Are. It was just lucky I had been in the back of the group at that moment and saw the scene unfold before it could have had a very different ending.

Irene Leslie – filling in for a few moments as Wonder Woman. Whew!!!!

Then a few minutes later as I was approaching an alleyway, a motorcycle literally flew out literally inches in front of me and if I hadn’t come to a sudden halt when I saw the wheel out of the corner of my eye, he would have run into me. Another Whew!!! This time, someone above was watching over ME!

We walked back to the hotel and since it was about 5:30, Allan and I decided to freshen up a bit and have a quick bite to eat. The entire group, Allan and I included, had a terrible night’s sleep last night once again, so we wanted to stay awake as long as possible and hope for a better outcome tonight.

Our hotel’s lobby is quite beautiful and it is still decorated for Christmas. Christmas carols play over the sound system and Are said it will be like this for another month at least.

Allan and I decided to eat in the hotel and we met another couple from our group, Ann and Allan (spelled the same as my Allan), who had the same idea, and so we dined together and got to know each other. We were all looking forward to a cocktail or a glass of wine, only to be told that no alcoholic beverages could be purchased due to the upcoming election. The ban is in effect from 6:00 p.m. January 10 to 6 pm on January 11. Anyone who violates the ban is subject to imprisonment for up to six months, or a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.

While we were disappointed not to be able to enjoy a drink together, it was good to know we would be able to imbibe tomorrow night during the Welcome dinner. Still, even though sans wine, it was a great way to end the day – enjoying the company of new friends.

Tomorrow will be a busy day, so hoping to get a good night’s sleep. Melissa and John, who are in our group and who we had lunch with this afternoon, told us about the app TimeShifter which they said is very helpful to combat the effects of traveling to a different time zone. You begin to incorporate the recommendations a few days prior to embarking on your journey and they say it helps tremendously. Will check it out.

Phone in the airport. I bet most kids would have no clue how it works.

Chiang Mai. Flowers are blooming everywhere

The sites on our way to our hotel.

Part of the old wall that surrounded the city with the moat in front of it.

Queen Sirikit, the mother of Thailand’s King Vajiralongkorn, died a few months ago at the age of 93. For more than six decades, Queen Sirikit was married to Thailand’s longest-reigning monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016. She is being honored all over Thailand. We saw black and white bunting on many buildings in Bangkok, but didn’t realize what they were for. Are explained this to us as we asked who was in the photo that was being honored in the hotel lobby.

In our hotel, Christmas is still being celebrated and will be probably for another month.

Finally … a delicious dark beer that we enjoyed with lunch.

One of the many temples in Chiang Mai. Our guide quipped that OAT, which of course stands for our tour company Overseas Adventure Travel, actually has a different meaning in Chiang Mai. It means
“Oh, Another Temple”. Too funny.

An artisan carving elephants out of teak wood.

Accomodations: Bizotel Premier Hotel

I didn’t get the greatest sleep last night since the time change created havoc with my sleep system and also…I fell asleep practically right away when we returned from dinner, which wasn’t a good thing. But I’m bright eyed and bushy tailed (what exactly does that mean??) and we were down at breakfast by 7:30.

Everyone bows when greeting you, which is the way to show respect. It is done with the “wai” – palms pressed together as if you are praying, with a slight head bow. It is used when greeting someone, saying thanks, apologizing, and most importantly…for showing respect. For a casual greeting, a simple head nod with the wai is acceptable. For elders, a bow from the waist with the wai is respectful. If you are greeting a monk or royalty, your hands in the wai should go to your forehead and you do a very deep bow. Elders usually wait for the younger person to initiate the wai. I noticed there’s a lot of bowing going on to us when we are out and about, usually from the waist, which I now realize is because we are “elders”. Visitors to Thailand aren’t expected to initiate the wai, but should return one politely, which we do. Many times, the word ‘‘sawasdee’ is paired with the wai which means hello or goodbye.

And speaking of elders, I forgot to mention yesterday that when we went through customs at the Bangkok airport, our guide told us to look for the “Elder Priority Line”, which we did, and we were able to avoid the long lines that were going through passport control and we were out in record time.

Our guide for the trip, Are, will be our guide through Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. We will meet a new guide in Vietnam. As I mentioned, Are called us before we left and gave us a lot of useful information. He also set up a WhatsApp and has been giving us site-seeing ideas and restaurant recommendations which are very helpful.

Allan and I decided to take a 30 minute walk to the Jim Thompson home. The weather is beautiful… In the low 80’s with a lovely breeze. The walk once again was harrowing as we navigated crossing the streets. You have to have eyes all around so you don’t get run over by the myriad of vehicles…tuk tuks, motorcycles, delivery trucks, cars, and vender wagons. It is an experience for sure.

Jim Thompson, according to Wikipedia, “was unlike any other figure in Southeast Asia. He was an American, an ex-architect, a retired army officer, a one-time spy, a silk merchant and a collector of antiques. Most of Thompson’s treasures, if not all, were amassed after he came to Thailand.”.

We visited the garden outside the home and then we were invited to take off our shoes and tour the home. I presented my doctor’s note that stated I had to wear a sturdy sneaker at all times and could not go barefoot. They were very gracious and said it was fine. I took off my one sneaker and covered the sock with a bootie we had purchased before we left home. Then I covered my sneaker with another bootie. It wasn’t easy walking with one shoe on and one shoe off, (like Dilly Dilly Dumping ‘s son John) and I might have to request that I wear both sneakers covered so I don’t injure my hip from the uneven gait by wearing only one shoe when we visit the temples.

Thompson’s home was built in stages and the construction consists of six teak buildings that connected to each other to make up the different rooms. This technique represented the best in traditional Thai architecture at that time. Most of the houses are at least two centuries old and had been dismantled and brought to Bangkok from places as far away as the old capital of Ayudhya.

The home was beautiful, as were the many antiquities featured throughout the house. The place was open and airy and the breezes flowed through making it very pleasant.

Thompson brought the silk industry in Thailand back from almost certain demise and the gift shop featured many of his designs in beautiful scarves and dresses.

Thompson was born under the astrological sign of the horse in March of 1907, and apparently a seer told him he would have a life filled with bounty, but to be careful after age 60. Interestingly, Thompson disappeared from Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands after going for a walk in March of 1967. One of the largest land searches in history took place to find him, but to no avail. He was declared dead in 1974. Eerily, he was 60 years old.

We walked back to the hotel and happened upon the owner and CEO of the hotel – Danny – who introduced himself to us and sat with us for a while. I was asking him where a good place would be for lunch and he asked if we had tried his restaurant Patio in the hotel. We said we hadn’t and so he asked if we would like to try some authentic Thai dishes, and if course we said yes! He brought us in and he had the head waiter recommend some dishes: authentic Pad Thai with prawns and Massamon curry with chicken. Danny said that he was told that his chef was originally a one star Michelin chef and he would be preparing the meal. I’m not sure if that is actually true since I couldn’t corroborate his story, but that being said, the food was outstanding.

We went up to our room and rested until 5:30 and then went down to the lobby to meet Are and the rest of the group.

There will be 15 of people on the main trip…11 of which are taking the pre-trip, including Allan and myself. We all introduced ourselves and Are told us what to expect for the next seven days. He said it will be cooler in Chiang Mai, but the mosquitos will be in full force, especially at the camp where we will be for two nights. We have malaria pills and our insect spray so fingers crossed we will be protected.

We leave the hotel at 7:30 tomorrow morning so here’s hoping for a good nights sleep.

BTW- The saying “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed” refers to a lively and alert squirrel (hence the “bushy tailed”) who is full of energy and enthusiasm. The saying first appeared in print around the late 19th century. So I guess that was me this morning and would explain my sudden urge to forage for acorns. 🐿️ 🐿️🐿️

Along our walk. I asked the man if I could take his photo and he nodded and said yes.

The truck where Allan exchanged US money for Thai baht. Looks shady but it worked out fine.

We walked along the canal on the way to the Thompson home.

A block designed by Thomson to print the designs onto his silk. The pattern mirrors the ancient vases below.

The living room in the home.

A little boy’s dresser with commode. See the ceramic cat? His head comes off and the little one can pee inside it. They felt this would encourage toilet training.😳

The pic below are the astrological signs that were meaningful to Thompson. He moved into his home on one of these astrological signs pictured (I forget which is which) since a seer told him that day would be the luckiest. The other sign is of his birth sign, the horse.

Pad Thai with prawns

Massamon curry with chicken

You can sit and have dinner by the pool.

Accommodations: Bizotel Premier Hotel

We arrived safe and sound in Bangkok after a very, very, long journey. We flew from Newark to Los Angeles (5 +hours) and after a few hours enjoying the United lounge, we boarded the next leg to Hong Kong, which took about 15-16 hours. We had to disembark the plane in Hong Kong so that a new crew could board and the plane could be cleaned. We kept our same seats but we had to take everything with us off the plane. The transfer went smoothly and we were back in flight in no time and finally arrived in Bangkok about 2 1/2 hours later. Whew!! In all, we’ve spent just about an entire day in the air.

I wore my boot for the flights since the doctor said I needed to have the boot with me in case the break acted up while I’m away. I’ve been in it for five weeks, so hopefully the wonky fractured calcaneus has healed totally and will behave nicely during the five weeks we’re touring. I’m hoping my boot can tour Southeast Asia in the comfort of my suitcase for the rest of the trip. Fingers crossed. We are traveling very light since laundry facilities will be available all over and unbelievably, my walking boot, which weighs over 2 lbs and goes almost to my knee, fits in the suitcase with room to spare.

We went through customs at the airport in Bangkok, claimed our luggage, and met our driver who then whisked us off to our hotel. The hotel is beautiful and everyone was very welcoming. We were given several bottles of water, since you cannot drink the tap water in Thailand. Our room has two full-queen beds so we can switch from bed to bed if we’d like. Lol!

We are here a day early before the rest of the tour group will be arriving, just so that we get acclimated to the change in time. That will take a few days.

We left the hotel to look for a restaurant for dinner. People all along the street were selling fish, vegetables, herbs, fruit…table after table laden with food. And everything looked so fresh. We came to the traffic light and when the light turned green for us, and the little man on the pole who counts down the seconds told us to go, we stepped into the crosswalk. Holy smokes!!! No car or motorbike (of which, by the way, there are thousands) stops, even though they have the red light and they see people want to cross who are actually…wait for it…IN THE CROSSWALK!!!! We crossed the street like the frog in the old video game Frogger – one step forward, three steps back and hoped we didn’t croak. It was exhilarating for sure.

We ate at Baam Ajarn and we shared spring rolls and then we ordered shrimp and vegetable dishes with rice. We also had a bottle of beer that was enough for both of us. The cost was a whopping 700 baht … about $22! Very inexpensive and very good.

Surprisingly in Thailand, they only use chopsticks with noodle dishes and for soup noodles. For other dishes, only a fork and spoon are used. They don’t provide knives at the table. Instead, you cut the food if necessary with the edge of your spoon, but most of the food is served in bite-sized pieces, so not much cutting is necessary. (I’m sure the chefs are happy that knives aren’t provided. Less chance of a dissatisfied customer storming the kitchen when the Tom Kha Gai doesn’t come out as promised!) 😳😂

The spoon is called ‘Chon’ in Thai and a fork is called ‘Som’. Thai etiquette says to take the spoon and hold it in your dominant hand and pick up a fork with the other. You put the spoon near the food on your plate you want to eat and use the backside of the fork to push the food onto the spoon. Then you raise the spoon to your mouth to eat it. You don’t put the fork in your mouth. Since rice is usually served with meals, you take a bit of rice as well as some of the main dish and push both onto the spoon. You also take small helpings from the main dish that you were served and put them on the smaller plate to eat. I was watching people around us eating and I think Allan and i did a passable job of consuming our dinner the Thai way.

Now it’s off to try to stay awake until our usual bedtime…which is about four hours from now. All I can say to that is…lotsa luck!!

Our room.

Sign in our hotel room. The durian is distinctive for its large size, strong odor, and thorn-covered rind. It apparently tastes delicious, but the smell is overpowering and therefore banned in many public places.

The food for sale along the street.

There were 8 spring rolls served, but we dove into them before I thought to take the pic.

Our shrimp dishes. We stayed with the familiar before venturing into more unusual dishes.

Our beer. You can also see in the pic how they served our cutlery.

We’re off on another adventure – this time to Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. There are 16 people on our trip and a few of them, like us, will be doing the pre-trip to Thailand as well as the post trip in Vietnam.

We’re flying from Newark to Los Angeles and then on to Bangkok, with a brief stop in Hong Kong to refuel, etc. It will be very long flight, but we have books to read on our paper-white and movies to enjoy, so we’ll be fine.

This is the dry season in South East Asia, and the weather should be pleasant, but hot with humidity. Mosquitos are the biggest worry, but we are taking malaria pills and we will be using insect repellent, so hoping for the best. We had similar weather in the Amazon so we know the drill.

The capital of Thailand, the first country we will be visiting, is Bangkok, which will be where we land on January 8. Thai and English are spoken in Thailand and the country is about the size of the state of Texas.

When our eldest son was a freshman in college, his roommate was from Thailand. His name was Suravid Paboontum (which I’m spelling phonetically as we were told it was the way it was pronounced). We practiced all summer so we would say his name correctly when we met him. We had a list of cultural taboos from the college to be aware of – one being…’never point your feet at his head’. I don’t know why anyone would do that to anyone actually, but we were grateful for the heads up. The day finally came and we greeted Suravid, proud to be able to say his name correctly…to which he responded “Call me Joe! I’ve lived in boarding schools in the US for years!!” Too funny!

Anyway, we have been apprised of cultural no no’s while visiting the countries in South East Asia by our travel company, so we are good to go… and yes… one is ‘don’t point your feet at anyone’s head’… but of course, we already knew that. 😂