Marci and Steve Go Back to Europe

Marci's Bangkok to Chiang Mai We are at an age where finding the perfect style of travel is getting harder. We long ago left the world of backpacking, if indeed we ever truly had a place there. We long ago choose to bypass the Four Seasons/ Mercedes limo style. Our comfort zone was a nice four star hotel at a great price, days of fast paced touring on our own using our ingenuity, travels mags, and the internet to find hidden gems and undiscovered places. We were most excited being in places and discovering art, food, and people far different from our everyday lives. We ventured to Tulum well before most people ever heard of it, let alone it was discovered by the fashionistas. We are comfortable going off the beaten track in a rental car and stopping roadside for a cold beer and a cultural interaction, and even better if it is in a foreign language with lots of hand gestures and smiles. We tried to define our travels as just a tad ahead of the curve.  Most of you have follow...

Somehow, when I was planning to come to SE Asia, I just expected it to be hot and humid. I was naive; the humidity here is world-class….like walking-in-water humid. When I leave my air conditioned room to go to breakfast in my lovely boutique hotel, my eyeglasses immediately fog up to the point that I can’t walk….. By the end of an hour my hair is curly, sweat from my ass has soaked thru my pants, and I take at least 2 showers a day. But we are having fun. Most of the day was spent with our Bangkok guide, Sue…she is pleasant, prompt, and a great helper in getting around this confusing, traffic-chocked city. Sue & Marci at the Grand Palace  We used taxis, boats, tuk-tuks, the Sky Train, and more to get from place to place on the tour. Water Taxi We all had lunch together at a nice (air conditioned) restaurant that Sue has been going to since she was 9 years old (now 68)….she says all that has changed is some of the servers. Beautiful temples (here...

Time to catch up...we made it from HK to Bangkok with out much adventure. The best part of this trip was the fact that you can take a new train from downtown HK Island right to the airport (cheapest, fastest way) - and, you can check your luggage right there at the train station regardless of which airline and you won't see it again until you arrive at your destination....Fabulous. No Cold Water Available.... Arriving in Bangkok, greeted by our guide and driver and off to the hotel in the worst traffic I've seen in quite a while. I'm informed and find out the hard way that getting anywhere in this town will be an ordeal....what would be a 10 minute cab ride in NYC is 30 minutes plus in Bangkok...too many cars and not enough roads. We are rushing to get checked in because I have arranged in advance for great seats at one of Marci's favorite things --- a drag show. In Bangkok, the Calypso Cabaret is a world famous "ladyboy" extravaganza. It is not t...

I swore I wouldn't blog because we are on a fast paced trip, tiring on our bodies, minds, legs and feet. And Steve has done an admirable job of posting but he is no Hemingway, just a cute old guy who loves to travel and snap good pix. And I am going to let him keep posting his short daily blogs but once a stop, I will take some time to sit down and pen. We decided to make Hong Kong our first stop simply and only because we could get frequent flier business class seats on American. But let's not fool ourselves, American is long gone and USAir simply usurped their name for lots of money hoping we would all forget how lousy they are. Although we paid all the miles for biz class, we had to go coach PHL to LAX, which I admit we knew from the start. The Admirals lounge in PHL was maybe the best service of the entire flight. Their food vendor for LA to HK had listeria in their  kitchen and so up until boarding it was questionable what, or if, we would have any food. We had a 2 1/2 h...

We are staying on Hong Kong Island, in a quieter part called Sheung Wan. Marci wanted me to experience the full HK deal, so we hoped the Star Ferry to go across the harbor to Kowloon. Much busier, noisier, and just as dirty, if not more so. I found nothing special about this area....lots & lots of shopping & eating...and not too much else. I've seen fancy stores before, and the low end outdoor markets are just full of crap. Marci did find time to duck into a few boutiques that had unusual items..... We both agree that Hong Kong lacks much cultural interest and I'm happy to just consider this a way station on the way to the rest of the trip....we will rest up from the journey here, eat some great Chinese  food, and prepare for Thailand. Above is Man Mo Temple , built in 1840, full of sandalwood incense smoke.