Marci and Steve Go Back to Europe

We are having a fantastic time here in Cambodia. I am staying at a hi-style retro-mid-50s boutique hotel. (  https://viroth-hotel.com/ ) I have had the best restaurant meal of the trip - better even than Nahm in Bangkok, and for $27 per person....All th e food has been fantastic, the people just as warm and welcoming as in Laos, and the weather has turned - but be careful what you wish for, because I wanted it warmer, and the last two days here have been in the 90s, and very humid - like 85% humid. You just have to surrender to the humidity and not care that you are dripping water all over your body. Steve & Sok....Sok surprised me with a beer for a hot day  But Sok, our driver, always has almost- frozen washcloths ready to hand us every time we return to the car, rolled up really tight just like a spring roll, smelling like mint or eucalyptus , and it just might be the most refreshing thing ever created ....Marci already has decided these will be standard i...

Laos to Cambodia One of the things you learn quickly as you travel to places you have only heard about all of your whole life, is they are nothing like what you expect. And expectations can start right at the airport.  Hong Kong airport is modern with the easiest transportation into the city. It is not pristine but it definitely represents the city...a bit dirty but easy to get around. Bangkok airport is super big and crazy busy, again just like the city. In Laos, Luang Prabang’s airport is small, not very modern and has bathrooms that, well, let’s say you would rather not use, but the people are friendly and easily speak English.  Luang Prabang seemed clean compared to Thailand. It felt like a large Mexican town where you stop noticing the broken pavements and get used to how people live as you peer into open doors walking by homes. But what a walkable city. Our hotel was a kilometer from the Night Market and the town stretched out from there another kilometer...

Peace Bombs Today, a history lesson. Laos, a small Southeastern Asian country, is a landlocked place in between Thailand, Cambodia, China, and Vietnam.....what possible strategic position it could occupy on the global stage is beyond me. The United States of America dropped almost 250 million bombs on this tiny place, waging a SECRET WAR that not disclosed to the US public from 1964 until 1973.  This is equivalent to 52 plane loads of bombs, every 8 minutes,  24 hours a day, for 9 Years. We (America) made Laos, on a per capita basis, the most bombed place  on earth...ever in human history. Even today, almost 300 people every year are casualties to unexploded ordinance.....the American legacy in Laos. They are much more forgiving than I could ever be. Everyone I've meet here is gracious, kind, helpful, and welcoming. At the Night Market, in addition to the beautiful silk scarves handmade here in Luang Probang, or the delicate handmade paper, or the delicious smel...

Our last morning in Thailand we were treated to a great walking tour offered by the hotel, free of charge. We visited 3 temples near the hotel with the fabulous Kan, the concierge. She was able to explain much regarding Buddhism that had escaped me. Our trip on Lao Airways, who has a spotty safety record, was uneventful. The twin prop plane only held 62 people, mostly all under 30 years old. We were met by our next guide, LanXang, who is cute and charming. Welcome, Comrade....... LanXang We were whisked to our new hotel, Le Sen Boutique Hotel - only 10 minutes or so from the airport. Luang Prabang is much smaller than the last town.....only 68,000. It is cute, walkable, charming, full of interesting architecture, and.......really cold...!! Everyone here is excited that their winter has finally begun - but not me. This is too cold for what I’ve packed, and with the (continued) overcast skies I’m not sure how to dress...it’s only 18 degrees (C).  ...

Steve writes - Today was spent at an elephant sanctuary called Elephant Nature Park. This is one of many elephant joints In Thailand, but one of the only that is a rescue sanctuary - they take in injured and maimed elephants and let them live out their days without the need to work or perform, or give rides. It was really weird to just walk among them all day, but after a while it seemed pretty normal. They are gentle but dangerous, as they can crush you all too easily without trying. Feeding them is a bit silly for adults, and I passed on participating in the group bathing opportunity. Still, it’s nice to support a place that is helping animals that have stepped on land mines, or broke their hips and were never cared for. A feel-good day...... Back in time for a haircut at the first place I saw.....I have started to look too much like Dr. Irwin Cory for my taste, what with the oppressive humidity and unruly length. My young Thai hairdresser never stopped talking, b...

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...