On the Road Again

Spent just two days in Phnom Penh, a big, dusty, but very alive city.    Half  the population of Cambodia is under 22. Took a ferry across the Mekong River to Silk Island where ladies make silk entirely by hand.  The 38 day process begins with the eggs turning into caterpillars who feed on  huckleberry leaves. The caterpillars cocoon. Then the cocoons are boiled and the thread is spun on the spindle as in the picture at the top.  Then the ladies weave the thread with intricate looms into silk fabric.    And for all the Va Tech fans, this tuk tuk, taking ginger to the market, is a long way from Blacksburg.  

Siem Reap, Cambodia’s second largest city of 1 million people, goes from sacred to profane in a hurry.  Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world (402 acres), was started in the late 12th century as a Hindu temple and gradually changed to a Buddhist temple depending on who was king. It remained a religious site until about the 16th century, but it was not totally abandoned.  It is hard to describe how enormous it is, moat and all. The engineering is spectacular too. For the  engineer astrologers in the audience, everything about all of the structures is symmetrical and relates to the natural world. Four entrances, all equidistant from the center, the towers are all precisely the same, height, etc. and the sun rises over a different tower at the beginning of each astrological month. The precision is amazing.  My guide is a great photographer.  I spent two delightful mornings (the afternoon sun is no joke) with Thom and Mr. Phat the T...

I am going to miss being around all these Thai guys whose response to any small problem is to smile and laugh (I think at the absurdity of it all).  So different from the tension, etc that seems to prevail at home.   I am also going to miss the sawatdee ka/kop greeting with  hands like the statue.  Mostly I am going to miss the best travel buddy anyone ever had.  Catherine is winging her way home and I am in Cambodia. Oh, and I ran into this guy in the airport.

Yao Yai is an island in the Phang Nga Bay.  The religion is Muslim, and the call to prayers and young women in hijabs riding motorbikes is an unusual backdrop for a decadent beach vacation.  The view from our villa’s pool is a beautiful garden melting into the sea. The orange and pink flowers (apology to the horticulturalists) litter the pool every morning.   Played with all the beach toys and relaxed.   First paddle of the season Took a longboat excursion to some remote islands... lots of fish in crystal clear water. Finally know aquamarine looks like. Toughest  decision I am going to make today.  Massage before or after lunch?

Krabi Waterfront Krabi Town, Thailand is a city of 52,000 people, on the west coast of Southern Thailand near the Phang Nga Bay where you will find many of the famous islands. The city is renown for seafood, including crabs.  These guys dig crabs so much they have a statue on the main promenade. I am going to recommend the same to OC when I get home. The Thai people have a real smart approach to home security You build a Spirit House outside of your house or really anywhere, So the spirits have somewhere to live, not with you. Genius. Need one of these in the Bayspot Condo parking lot. The food here is incredible. Starting with breakfast at an upscale coffee shop, I had mango crepes and an orange coffee tonic. I never heard of a coffee tonic before, but I think I am addicted.  Third one this week. The guy tells me, “Stir it.”  Good advice, the acid in the coffee is blends  with the tangy quinine in t...

Today we went in search of the herd of elephants that roam in Khao Yai National Park. Ran into these guys instead.  Khao Yai is the oldest and largest. Thailand National Park, about a three hour drive north of Bangkok, but it feels worlds away.  We didn’t see elephants, but YoYo, our guide and a walking encyclopedia, showed us, among other thing,  how to make tea using a piece of wood from a cinnamon tree.  Speaking of other worlds, our hotel looks like something out of Alice in Wonderland. British everything, including manicured gardens and a hedge maze. And of course, afternoon tea. Curiouser and  Curiouser, we seem to be the only Western guests. 

If a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step, than our journey of   9675 miles started with one United flight from DC to Tokyo (6775 miles, 14 hours) and continued with a All Nippon Airways flight Tokyo to Bangkok (2900 miles, 7 hours ). Really liked ANA.  We arrived around midnight, and Catherine turned thirty in the immigration hall at the airport. Bangkok, a city of 10 million people is dissected by the Chao Phraya River where we spent the day.  River boats range from tour boats, bus boats that normal people use to get around, long tail boats, and extensive  trains of barges pulled by tug boats, The long tails are narrow boats with car engines on about a 7 foot propeller Those babies can move. I am happy to report that the tug boat captain below remembered to attach his pink kayak to the barge, undoubtedly for a sunset paddle after work. The hotel surprised Catherine with a birthday cake and we went out in the town with Catherine’s good frie...