The Long Way to Kansas

Malaysia

2010-12-08T20:02:00.016-06:00

In an earlier post I described that, in order to meet Thai immigration requirements, we had to have some sort of transportation arrangements in place to leave Thailand before we could go in. So, we were booked on a flight from Bangkok to Kuala Lampur, Malaysia on the day our first 30 day tourist visa expired, which just happened to be Sunday of the day Labor Day weekend. We went from Chiang Mai to spend the night in Bangkok on Saturday, as I had booked another early morning flight (will I ever learn?). Of course, that meant no sleep the night before in the Bangkok hotel and up and about before anyone with any sense would consider on Sunday morning.

We were greatly impressed with Malaysia. Our flight landed around lunch time, so we were able to see the countryside for the first time in the daylight hours. Up to this point, we always arrived after dark when it’s hard to tell what anything looked like. Our taxi driver spoke excellent English and was very informative about what we were seeing. Jack always asks dozens of questions, and he finally had someone who understood and could talk about our new surroundings without a lot of shrugging and saying I don’t know. The highway was very modern, and except for driving on the left side of the road, reminded me of the new toll roads back home. Also, like our new toll roads, a private company had constructed the Malaysian roads and charged tolls to use them. It was a very comfortable ride, especially after Bangkok traffic.

North-South Expressway in Maylasia - Looks like it could be a new highway back home or on the way to Kerrville.

The countryside was really beautiful on the way into Kuala Lumpur and everything looked very neat and clean, with palm tree plantations everywhere. The native rainforests have been replaced with palm trees because palm oil is very profitable and is a main Malaysian export. Palm trees literally cover almost all available open space, with very little rainforest remaining.

View of a palm tree plantation. They are all over the place.

There are many electronic companies with manufacturing plants located around Kuala Lumpur. We felt right at home when we went past the Dell manufacturing plant. We also drove past the new city being built to replace KL as the administrative capitol of Malaysia. Our taxi driver explained that KL is too crowded, with too much traffic, so they are moving the administrative functions of the capitol to a new administrative capitol city called Putrajaya. Maybe we could do that with Austin, move the state agencies to La Grange or something. There are also a lot of new houses and apartments under construction for the government workers to live in Patrajaya, along with the other goods and services that will be necessary, like grocery stores and shopping malls. All are very modern, and, needless to say, we liked what we saw.

Upon arriving at our hotel, the Impiana, we were even more impressed. I had booked online and you never know what you’re going to get, no matter how many guest reviews you read on Trip Advisor. It was truly a five-star hotel for a three-star price. The hotel service was excellent, the restaurant was excellent, and the whole feeling at the hotel was very welcoming and upscale. If we ever get back to Kuala Lumpur, we are staying at the Impiana.

Lobby of the Hotel Impiana. Really big.

Flower arrangements in front of the elevators.

Picture of the lobby from their website. That's me in my good clothes.

After we got settled in our room, we wanted to see a little bit of the city that afternoon, so we took a sightseeing tour. The tour guide, however, thought we would be more interested in the stuff at his friend’s factories, and took us around to see them instead. This is a common tourist trap just about everywhere we’ve been in Southeast Asia. The taxi drivers or tour guides get a little commission on whatever the tourists buy at the factories, so they want to take as many people to them as they can. Whenever a guide or driver asks if we want to see some nice factories, we know to say no. That’s because we have been on a few factory tours when we accidently said yes. The best factory tours have a good overview of how the products are made before they encourage you to purchase anything. For instance, we learned how silk was made from a good factory tour in Chiang Mai.

The silk worm chrysalis is put in boiling water. A very skillful worker then pulls the silk strand and it is unwound and spun into a fiber, which eventually is woven into fabric. Unfortunately, the worms don't survive the ordeal.

Weaving the silk strands into fabric.

However, sometimes the guide doesn’t ask if we want to see his friend's factories and hijacks the tour so you wind up at the factories anyway. Which is what happened to us.

First, we went to a batik factory and store. We wondered if this was on the itinerary and just didn’t remember reading it. The demonstration on batik was good, so we were pretty cool about it, even though the prices were too high to buy anything. We realized we had been hijacked, however, when next we went to two chocolate factories. We never would have signed up for a tour with so many factory stops. Each factory had different chocolate varieties to sample, but no demo, just retail shops. Next was the leather factory where our demo consisted of showing us some leather pelts on a ring, then ushering us to the showroom to make our purchases. Needless to say, we were pretty aggravated about the way the afternoon was going and we were not going to buy anything after being hijacked.

It was obvious that the other folks with us, an Indian couple and a single lady from the Philippines, were also unhappy with the factory tours. The guide finally realized that no one was buying and started taking us to the places listed on the itinerary, where he would drop us off someplace and wait in the parked van for our return. The usual process is to go as a group through the destination with the tour guide telling about what we’re seeing. At one stop, he dropped us off at the very ornate gates in front of the Governor's Mansion and drove off. When the guards saw us standing around, they locked the gates and wouldn't let us in. Then it started raining. So, there we were, no van, can't get in, standing in the rain. Upon his return, the single lady from the Philippines got after him for doing a bad job, and he finally came with us into the market place so we wouldn’t get lost. We did get some good pictures from the Chinese Buddhist Temple, so the afternoon was not a total waste of time.

Chinese Style Buddhist Temple in Kuala Lumpur - Very different architecture and style than what is in Thailand

A closer look at the top of the Temple

The front

Close-up of one of the carved pillars

Chinese-style Buddha

Chinese-style Buddha - Not as much gold and mirror sparkle here as in Thailand, but a lot more colorful and ornate paintings, and stone carvings

Other icons in the temple

Mountain Village and Buddhist Temple near CM

2010-10-15T03:12:00.009-05:00

We heard that we should not miss seeing Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, which is a Buddhist Temple at the top of the highest mountain around Chiang Mai, and is a sacred site to many Thai people. We booked a half-day tour so we would have a guide to tell us what we were seeing. Of course, there are almost always shopping opportunities for tourists on booked tours, and this was no exception. We stopped on the way at a small village to watch some of the hand-crafted goods we see in the markets being made. The village was on the side of the mountain, so of course, the paths were all very steep, some almost at 45 degree angles.

The long winding path in the village

Handmade goods for sale.

Another booth with items for sale.

One woman was sitting at a picnic table drawing a batik design on a piece of cloth about the size of a bedspread. Jack asked her what she was using to draw with, and it turned out to be a stick she was dipping into natural rubber that had been heated and liquified. She showed us some of her completed pieces, and they were totally covered with geometric designs. There were no spaces left unadorned larger than the size of a dime. It was excellent work, very intricate and precise. Jack wanted to buy something she made, and although we could come up with enough money to get something, we could not think of one thing we would do with it when we got home. So, although it was great handiwork, we decided to pass it up.

Making the batik design with melted rubber at the picnic table.

Getting everything just right.

We continued up the mountain in the van, and at one point, the driver had to turn off the air conditioner so we would have enough power to climb some really steep places. After riding for about an hour, we were dropped off in from of the Temple steps. Unfortunately, we were immediately descended upon by the most aggressive and rude hawkers we have come across so far, anywhere in our travels. I was very surprised and disappointed at this. This is Thailand, after all, where everyone is usually so polite. The only way I knew how to deal with the hawkers was to ignore them and walk away, which was harder than you might think, as we were completely surrounded. There was no way I would buy anything from anyone so obnoxious and aggressive.

We did get away from the hawkers and stood at the bottom of the stairs that led to the top of the mountain and to the temple. I didn’t count the stairs up, but it seemed to be about a million. Seriously.

Seriously, count the stairs! The green bannister sides look like the body of a dragon.

But in reality, there were only 309 steps. However, I decided that it would be better for my knees to take the monorail to the top. I was expecting a fabulous view of the surrounding mountains while riding to the top in the monorail, but it turned out to be a big elevator to the top. No view, except for looking at the 30 other people in it with us. When we got out at the top, however, all of the hawkers were gone, and we were in a quiet place of meditation, devotion, and worship, with misty clouds all around us.

The Wat, or temple grounds, consisted of several buildings. Many were ornate and extravagant shrines to Buddha. Each shrine had an alter, an extraordinary, very large Buddha statue (sometimes more than one), candles, offerings, and open floor space to sit or kneel to meditate and worship. In addition to the candles, there were lots of mirror tiles, gold leaf, and metallic painted finishes that made everything glow and sparkle. Everyone takes their shoes off before entering. Our group went into one shrine where a very young monk gave us a blessing and sprinkled everyone with water. The Buddhists in our group knelt down and said prayers.

Buddha in one of the shrines

Our tour guide told us the legend of this temple, and here is the legend as appears in Wikkepedia:
According to legend, a monk named Sumanathera from Sukhothai had a dream; in this dream god told him to go to Pang Cha and look for a relic. Sumanathera ventured to Pang Cha and is said to have found a bone, which many claim was Buddha's shoulder bone. The relic displayed magical powers; it glowed, it was able to vanish, it could move itself and replicate itself. Sumanathera took the relic to King Dharmmaraja who ruled the Sukhothai.

The eager Dharmmaraja made offerings and hosted a ceremony when Sumanathera arrived. However the relic displayed no abnormal characteristics, and the king, doubtful of the relic's authenticity, told Sumanathera to keep it.

However, King Nu Naone of the Lanna Kingdom heard of the relic and offered the monk to take it to him instead. In 1368 with Dharmmaraja's permission, Sumanathera took the relic to what is now Lamphun, in northern Thailand. The relic apparently split in two, one piece was the same size, the other was smaller than the original. The smaller piece of the relic was enshrined at a temple in Suandok. The other piece was placed by the King on the back of a white elephant which was released in the jungle. The elephant is said to have climbed up Doi Suthep, at the time called Doi Aoy Chang (Sugar Elephant Mountain), trumpeted three times before dying at the site. It was interpreted as a sign and King Nu Naone ordered the construction of a temple at the site.

Statue of the Legendary White Elephant

The temple grounds were also very interesting. There was an enclosure for a huge metal bell, and sets of large bells outside several other shrines. There were also displays of smaller Buddha statues in different poses that had special signficiance for Buddhists.

The largest bell has its own building.

The Reclining Buddha represents Buddha's moment of death, when he achieved total enlightenment. Everyone else gets as close as they can to total enlightenment, but Buddha is the only one who has ever achieved it.

Twelve Buddhas lined up in different poses - one for each month of the year. People light candles in the pots in front of their birthday month for special blessings.

These snakes are to protect the Buddha.

Statue of a fasting monk. He must fast until noon, so he's watching for the sun to get directly overhead before he starts eating rice from the bowl he's holding.

There were many different sets of these great bells all around the temple grounds.

Bells dedicated to loved ones and hung over the door.

Another set of large bells.

Rennovation in progress.

The view of Chiang Mai from the Temple can also be great, but on the day we went it was rainy and overcast, so we didn't see its best.

View from the top on a cloudy day.

Another view on a cloudy day.

We decided to take the steps down the side of the mountain, all one million, I mean 309, of them. In retrospect, I should have taken the monorail (big elevator) back down because my knee was really complaining by the time we got to the bottom. I don’t have a bad knee, it just gets cranky from time to time.

About half way down, with our tour guide.

One more view of the million steps looking up from the bottom.

Sunday Night Market

2010-10-08T07:13:00.008-05:00

Chiang Mai was built as the capitol of the Lanna Kingdom around 1296, and was surrounded by a wall and a moat for safety. The wall and moat were renovated in the 1960’s and surround the center of town now, which is called the Old City. The guesthouse where we stayed for several weeks is inside the wall and just a short walk from one of the busiest gates, called the Thai Phae Gate. Every Sunday night, the roads into the Old City are closed to vehicles and are transformed into The Sunday Night Market.

Getting setup for SNM starts in the morning, but at a slow pace. You see folks riding down the road on their scooters, wheeling big cages along next to them. At first, we didn’t know what the cages were, but after awhile, Jack and I realized that they were the framework for the vendor market stalls. We don’t know where they’re kept between market days, but there are lots of them.

About 4:30 in the afternoon the traffic police come and barricade the street at Thai Phai Gate to vehicles and start ushering people across the street into the market.

Policeman directing traffic

People flooding through the Thai Phae Gate

One Sunday, Jack and I went to the Black Canyon Coffee Shop that’s on the corner across from the Gate, to watch the action as everyone moved in for the evening. There was a lot of activity as everyone draped awnings, ran extension cords, unpacked stuff, and arranged it just so.

Getting setup

Making sure everything is just right

Breaktime before the crowds hit

Directly in front of the coffee shop where we were sitting, two ladies about my age were setting up a waffle stand that made fresh, hot waffles. Waffle stands are a big thing here. I can understand why. They smell so good while they’re cooking, it’s hard to resist. Jack and I usually don’t resist, and will split one as a treat on Sunday nights.

The Waffle Lady

Coke-a-Cola Shadow Box

Goods for sale

Helping setup

The streets eventually get lined with stalls on both sides, and where the streets are a little wider, small music groups take over the center of the road and play for contributions. One of the best groups consists of four blind young men who sit cross legged, one behind the other, playing their instruments and singing. They do a really good job and probably make a good amount in tips. Jack always makes a contribution. Some of the other singing groups are good, while some of them are young kids goofing off who haven’t practiced enough.

Band playing for tips

We see some of the same vendors every week. There is one lady who has a booth of lacquer ware. She has painted everything she sells in the stall. Jack took some time and sat with her as she demonstrated how she drew the flowers on with the tip of the paint tube. She was really talented and we bought some of her things to bring home. Jack was very attentive and appreciative of what she was doing, as he is with everyone who does crafts and works with their hands.

Jack getting lessons

I had an odd thing happen to me, as we sat at coffee shop one week. I had my camera out taking pictures of folks setting stuff up and of the tourists, etc., when I got a picture of a Buddhist Monk, maybe about my age, buying a lottery ticket. He noticed me, and started talking to me, very loud, from where he was standing. He was saying how good it was that I was in Thailand, spending my money and helping his country. I felt a little awkward and the center of attention. Then he gave me a box of specialty cakes wrapped up like you get at Christmas from a department store. I kind of felt as if he was angry with me for taking his picture. Jack and I both thought it was a little strange. Later that afternoon, I asked our landlady about it and she said it was good luck to have the Monk give me something. That’s probably true, but on reflection, I think he was somewhat annoyed, or even angry, that I caught him buying a lottery ticket. I gave the cakes to the landlady at our guesthouse when we left, spread some of luck around. However, in case the good luck part is true, I use the gold elastic band that was wrapped around the box to keep my day planner closed so all the stuff won’t fall out. Just to keep all the bases covered.

The Gambling, Good-Luck Monk

Besides all the cool stuff to buy like lacquer ware, clothes, artwork, etc., there is food for sale everywhere! One of the Wats lets food vendors setup inside its grounds and there is any kind of food that you could want. One of my favorites is an Indian Food guy that has the best chicken kabobs - which are made from roasted chicken, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, some kind of spicy sauce, and yogurt sauce. They are cheap, about $1.50 each, and delicious. So besides the waffel ladies, we get supper at Sunday Night Market for such a good price.

Great food

Fruit smoothies

Thai specialties

The Market and Cooking Class

2010-09-28T01:37:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite things to do is cook. To some that sounds crazy, even politically incorrect. But, I love it. Cooking, to me, is creative, adventurous, challenging, and practical. All characteristics I admire. It serves a need we all have and I am, all modesty aside, really good at it. It follows, then that one of my favorite classes we signed up for was Thai Cooking Class.

The cooking school came and got us in their pickup truck first thing in the morning. Then we stopped at the local outdoor market for a lesson in Thai fruits and vegetables and to do a little grocery shopping on our way to class.

This is a picture of one of the instructors showing us the different kinds of ginger. Did you know that turmeric is actually a variety of ginger, but that we can only get it in powdered form in the States? Neither did I!

We also learned about different kinds of sauces used in Thai cooking, like fish sauce, fish paste, oyster sauce, and soy sauce; the different kinds of oil, peanut, vegetable, or corn. Not olive oil because it burns before it gets hot enough; and the different kinds of rice, white rice, sticky rice, brown rice and red rice. Jack and I already went to that market a lot because it was close to our guesthouse and exploring exotic food is one of the things we like to do where ever we are.
Different kinds of fish paste

All of the produce at the market comes from Thailand and is picked when it’s ripe, not before like at home, which makes everything taste really great. There are little bananas that are really good, and the pineapple is to die for sweet. There were also some new fruits we were introduced to like the dragon fruit, with a thick, red peel, and white with little black seeds inside and tastes kind of like a melon. Another new fruit we discovered are rambutens. They are pink and round, with an outer peel that looks hairy, kind of like a sea urchin. When you break open the peel, it’s a white fruit surrounding a large seed and tastes kind of like banana and melon mixed together. They’re really good.

There is one new fruit that is not so great, called durian. They are really large, like an oversized cantaloupe, with a hard, spiky shell. When one is cut open, the white center smells like rotten onions, and I’m told it tastes like sweet rotten onions. One durian can smell up a whole building. The hotels and guest houses forbid anyone from bringing durian onto their premises because they smell so bad, and will evict you if you do. But, lots of folks really like it, and they are sold all over the place. To learn more about the exotic fruits of Thailand and see their pictures, go to this site: http://www.hotelthailand.com/thailand/fruits.html. There are great pictures and descriptions.

Most of the vegetables are recognizable, although maybe a little different. Corn on the cob is everywhere. There is something that looks like collard greens and taste pretty good when sautéed. Instead of green beans, there are long beans, which look like yard-long green beans. There are tomatoes and potatoes, many varieties of mushrooms, and garlic in little, tiny cloves, and garlic the size that we’re used to. We are finding plenty of food that we like and are able to cook.

Fresh veggies

Thai cooking also uses a lot of herbs, like basil and coriander (which is cilantro to us Texans), and many, many hot peppers. The smaller the pepper, the hotter it is. It also calls for peanuts, a lot of eggs, a little bit of meat, especially pork and chicken, and tofu.

Cat nap at the spice vendor

So, after roaming through the market for a while and picking up some essentials for what we were making, we headed for the kitchen. Everyone got an apron and a hand towel to put in our apron pocket. Before we got to class, we had picked out what we wanted to cook from a list. Jack and I each picked separate items, so we were separated into our own group for the next several hours. The first thing I made was Pad Thai Noodles, one of my personal favorites. Everything Jack made had a lot of peppers in it, which are his personal favorites. Each person in our group had a cutting board and a really sharp clever shaped knife. Before we started cooking, everyone had to wash their hands. Then we all sat down across from each other at a picnic table and had baskets with a tray over the top handed to us. Then the instruction began. If you can imagine a drill sergeant teaching you how to cook, that is what the instructor for the Pad Thai Noodles reminded me of. In a very commanding sort of way, she said:

Take tray off the basket.

Take onion out of the basket and cut up. Put in right corner of tray.

Take garlic out of the basket. Smash on cutting board with side of knife and cut up. Put in right corner of tray with onion.

Take carrot out of basket. Cut up on cutting board and put in right corner with onion and garlic.

Take basket and go to stove.

Turn fire ring on medium.

Put onion, garlic and carrot in wok and stir.

Put chicken in wok and stir.

Put noodles in wok and stir.

I will put one teaspoon peanuts. One spoon, one spoon, one spoon, as she marches in front of us with the peanuts.

So, you get the picture. It was okay, though, and everyone’s Pad Thai Noodles came out really good.

Jack with the drill sergeant

We cooked six different dishes that day, and after cooking each dish, we went back to the picnic table that was miraculously cleared away and ate the final results. We ate all day. We were really full.

Hot and Sour Soup and stir fry

Me making Mossman curry paste

Mosmann curry cooking on the stove

Enjoy!

Flight of the Gibbons

2010-09-25T08:06:00.007-05:00

The most fun tour we have taken so far was zip-lining through the rainforest on “The Flight of the Gibbons”. We started out very early in the morning when the tour van picked us up at 6:15. After about an hour's drive, it stopped at a small village perched on the side of the mountain in the middle of the rainforest. Everyone piled out of the van and divided into small groups of four to six people. Jack and I were in the last group, so we watched as the others got ready to go. I was trying not to think about the actual zip-lining part, because I didn’t know what to expect and was really uncertain if I would like it. It was finally our turn and we were buckled into harnesses, had our eyeglasses tied on so they wouldn’t fall off, and put on helmets. Our group got back in the van and went a little further up the mountain, then hiked about 100 meters to the first platform.

One of our two guides gave us a talk about safety, told us what we were going to do, what our equipment was for and how to use it, where the safety line was, showed us where and how to hold on, and where NOT to hold on. Then we started. One guide would hook onto the zip-line and go ahead of us to catch us when we came across. The other guide would make sure we were hooked onto the line correctly, that our equipment was secure, and then helped us off the platform to go across.

The first time I was thinking, “OMG, I’m zip-lining.” After a few seconds, it was, “OMG THIS IS FUN!” It was fast and exhilarating. We spent the next two hours going from platform to platform, getting hooked on and flying across to the next one. I felt very safe the whole time. When you sit down in the harness, it just feels like you’re sitting in a chair. I didn’t feel like I was dangling 100 feet above the ground while flying along at who knows how many miles an hour.

So, why is this tour called “Flight of the Gibbons”? Gibbons are a species of ape that live in the rainforest, all around where we were. They are very shy about showing themselves, but we could hear them the whole morning we were flying around their rainforest. Kind of cool.

I put a new album up of our adventures. Our group was kind of small, so one of the guides got everyone’s camera and took pictures of us the whole time, and he got some good shots.

I added zip-lining to my top-10 list of the most fun things I have ever done. In my life.

Languishing

2010-09-24T06:17:00.002-05:00

I have been very remiss lately with the blog. I am working on new posts and will put up more stuff very, very soon.

Just a quick update: Jack and I have rented an apartment in Chiang Mai and have finally gotten all the 'move in' stuff taken care of - cable, internet, buying bath towel, etc. It's just the same moving in over here as over there - and we've just about taken care of everything.

We're headed to Laos next week for a few days, too. It's just a short bus trip away. We've heard different reports from Laos, it has beautiful scenery, but sad people. Will let you know more soon.

Elephant Safari

2010-08-29T06:00:00.007-05:00

One of the first things we did in Chiang Mai was go on an Elephant Safari, where they kept us busy with several activities that lasted all day. The van picked us up at the guest house first thing in the morning and drove for about an hour up into the mountains to an elephant camp. We had about thrity minutes to mill around with them and got to see them up close, close enough to pet and feed them. They lifted everyone up with their trunks, we took some good pictures, and it was really fun. There was also an elephant show, and Jack got some really good pictures. My camera battery died almost first thing, so he was the photographer for the day. The camp had bundles of sugar cane sticks and bunches of little bananas ready for us to feed them, and they really liked the sugar cane. A few times during the show, they just came up to the short wall in front of the bleachers where we were sitting, reached over and stole whole bundles of sugar cane with their trunks!

After the show we went on an elephant ride. It was kind of scary at first because we were so far off the ground and didn’t know if was alright to trust the little carriage we were in. But, after a few minutes, we relaxed and enjoyed the swaying back and forth. We went on a pretty long ride, maybe 45 minutes, long enough to know it would be a hard day’s ride if that was our means of transportation. All along the path were tall stands, about ten to twelve feet high (elephant height) that sold more sugar cane sticks and bananas. Our elephant knew where the stands were located and demanded sugar cane at each one. He would veer off the path and go to the stand and started poking around the inside of it with his trunk. The person in the stand would hold stuff out of his reach as the handler was trying to make him get back on the path and stop being so rude. He would get very annoyed and slap his trunk on the ground and make snorting sounds to show his displeasure when we didn't buy him anything. The person in the stand would throw one or two cane sticks onto the path in front of him to divert his attention from their stand, and he get back on the path to retrieve it, then would trundle on kind of satisfied. At one stand, however, he actually stole a whole bunch of bananas before they could be moved, and the lady said, “You should buy bananas, that elephant is hungry!”

Eventually, the ride was over, and we went on an ox cart ride. I don’t know why anyone would think that riding an ox cart would be fun, because it was not. Fortunately, it was a short, although bumpy ride. I imagine a buckboard or covered wagon would be just about as comfortable. After that, we had a really nice lunch back at the camp, and then we went rafting down the river.

When I first saw the rafts we were supposed to ride, I did not want to get on one. They were made out of big bamboo poles that were tied together, and looked homemade. Workers were putting benches on them for us to sit for the trip down the river. But, I watched for awhile from the end of the line, and when the people in front of us didn’t sink, I decided it would be alright. Also, the water was only about two meters deep and we were wearing life vests, so we could wade out if we fell in. There was one man in front and one man in back of each raft, guiding them down the river with long bamboo poles to keep them away from shallow places and rocks. The man in front of our raft was very cheerful and talked with us while we floated downstream. He taught us how to count to five in Thai, took pictures of everyone with our cameras, and explained some of the scenery along the banks. I didn’t think I would like the river rafting, but it turned out to be fun and relaxing.

Our last stop of the day was at the orchid and butterfly farm. It was really interesting and really up my alley. We had a lesson on how to propigate them, learned that they take a year to get big enough to transplant into soil, and that the farm has over 80 varieties. Jack let me use his camera and I got some good pictures of many of the different colors and varieties that were there. The butterflies were also pretty and I got a few pictures of them as well. They always seemed to know, however, that I was around, and would fly off just as I was ready to snap the picture. So, there are not so many good pictures of the butterflies.

All in all, it was a great day! We had a lot of fun, got some great pictures, and learned a lot!

Jack on the elephant

Posing for the camera

One of the elephant handlers

Jack and me having a great time!

Having a seat during the show

Bath time in the river

Bath time

Chiang Mai

2010-08-28T05:31:00.011-05:00

We’re in Chiang Mai now, in the northern part of Thailand. I have been reading about this city in some of my travel magazines, and it has always gotten rave reviews. After being here for a little while, I understand why.

CM is a city about the same size as our hometown of Austin, Texas. It has a rich history that you can read about on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Mai. Jack and I have been having a great time here. There’s lots to do without being overwhelmed and nice enough to be able to just wander around and explore on our own. Here’s some of what we’ve been up to.

We booked a guest house over the internet for two nights. It was a cute place, but way too small for us and our stuff. We did some research while we in Kho Lanta and had a list of places to check out, so the first day we went looking for somewhere else to stay. First, we found a really nice hotel for a really good price. But when we checked it out on the map, we decided it was too far away from the markets and other things that we wanted to do. Next, we came to a place called Mini-Cost Guest House. We looked the place over and really, really liked it. The rooms were big, had enough storage space to unpack all of stuff, and the owners lived on site and took really good care of it. So, we booked for about two and half weeks for a really good price!

We found a church to attend, the Chiang Mai Community Church, an interdenominational protestant church that has a service in English at 4:30 on Sundays. It was very well attended, and I got to sing some too, which I really miss a lot. The service lasted about two hours, from the singing before the service started to the end of the sermon.

After church on Sunday evening, we rode a tuk-tuk back to our neighborhood and found the Sunday Night Market. It was great! The streets were closed to vehicles, and colorful vendor tents were setup all along the sidewalks. It looked like a carnival! Everyone in the city who wasn’t selling something were in the streets deciding what to buy. I bought a beautiful pashmina and Jack bought a new belt.

We have a couple of favorite restaurants in our neighborhood, too. We go to one for breakfast run by Australians that serves a variety of Thai and Western food. They have a good breakfast for a reasonable price. We like to go to the Thai places to eat, too. There are dozens of them in our neighborhood, some of them have only one or two tables, and cook to order when you go in. They are usually very good. We were kind of uncertain the first time we went to one because we didn’t want to get sick, but so far, so good. One of our favorite things to do is get street food. We go to a market not far from here and get fresh fruit, grilled or fried chicken, hard cooked eggs, etc., and take it back to our room to eat. We’re sensible about what we get, and usually see them cooking it while we’re in the area. The fried chicken is my favorite here as well as back home. No wonder my waist-line is not shrinking any!

Vegtable stand at the market

Jack with a smoothie and other goodies at the market

Baskets of Rice for sale

Kho Lanta, Thailand

2010-08-26T11:03:00.012-05:00

Our flight out of Bangkok landed in Krabi, a major city in southern Thailand. The hotel we booked online, Mook Lanta, sent someone to pick us up, who was at the baggage claim holding a sign with our name on it, and our luggage was the first two pieces off. We felt that things were smoothing out from the chaos of Bangkok. Koh Lanta was a long drive away, and included two ferry rides. The neighborhoods looked friendlier than in Bangkok, and we could catch glimpses of the ocean during the drive. And the van was tricked out, too. Cushy seats.

So, imagine our surprise when the van pulled up in front of a group of buildings at End of the Earth Hotel! We were on a dirt road that had huge muddy ruts and enormous red, muddy puddles. I recognized the hotel sign from the website, but that’s where the similarity ended. We were greeted by a very young, sweet looking Thai couple who were smiling and saying, “Yes, yes, you are here!”

Each room was its own little cabin built on stilts with elevated walkways to each one, and looked somewhat like the pictures on the website. The couple whisked our bags away to the third cabin with us following, put everything inside, had us go inside, gave us the keys and, still smiling, said “Good night” and shut the door. Jack and I stood in the middle of the room, speechless as we looked around. While the pictures on the website looked beautiful, it was obvious they had been taken some time ago, as everything had a lot of wear and tear. It’s also in the middle of the rainy season there and the room smelled like it had been closed up for a long time without having been aired out. The bathroom didn’t have a roof over the shower and reminded me of a bathroom at a camp site, kind of rustic. To top it all off, it was the hardest bed we have ever, ever slept on. So, there we were, at the End of the Earth Hotel with nowhere else to go and no way to get there. We did the only thing we could and got settled in and tried to make ourselves comfortable. However, we decided to wait until morning to shower because we didn’t know what kind of night creatures might decide to join us.

Our room at Mook Lanta Hotel

The next morning we went to breakfast and the same young Thai couple had a table ready for us. They fixed us an “American” breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee. It was pretty good except that the ‘American’ style bacon was not cooked at all, maybe just heated up a little. I decided that I didn’t really want any bacon that day. By the time breakfast was over, our shock had worn off a little, and we decided to explore. We went one way, through a similar place with individual huts and got to the beach. We went the other way and got to the town. Because it was the rainy season, some places were closed, but most were open, although there weren’t many folks around. Koh Lanta is a fishing village that is slowly being taken over by tourism, which is sad to see. There is a lot of new construction going on, along with the construction mess that goes with it.

Jack in the open air shower (He insisted I post this picture)

Almost everyone rides little scooters there. You will see men, women, women with children, entire families up to four or five people, and people with dogs; stuff tied on or riding in baskets and crates; putt-putting down the road. There are many creative ways to attach your stuff or your children to your scooter.

There is a large Muslim population in southern Thailand where Kho Lanta is located. The Muslim girls and women cover their heads and shoulders with very beautiful head pieces and scarves that they sell at the local shops.

There is also a kind of improvised taxi there called a tuk-tuk or took-took. The tuk-tuks in KL were motorcycles with a somewhat elaborate side car attached that had benches in it for up to three or four people. Tuk-tuks were everywhere too, most of them for hire. Whenever an available tuk-tuk saw Jack and me walking along, they would beep their horns and asked if we wanted a ride. Usually we were into the walking, but sometimes we would hire one. You let them know where you are going and always negotiate the price before you start. Even though everything costs much less here, you can still be overcharged in ‘tourist-y’ places.

We hired a tuk-tuk driver on our second day in KL who took us all around the island, took us to a very nice restaurant overlooking some fabulous scenery, and to the original Old Town of KL. It cost the equivalent of about $21 for him to drive us around all day and tell us the history of the place.

Our tuk-tuk gassing up for the day's journey

We booked and paid for the End of the Earth Hotel for four nights, and stuck it out to the bitter end, but we were ready to escape. We did not have another hotel booked because, in addition to everything else, the “internet was broken.” But, acting on faith (or stupidity), we had the inter-island van come and get us to take us back to Krabi. This was a public van and the cost was much, much lower than the private van who met us at the airport. However, we did have an unfortunate incident while on the trip back to Krabi.

There were two short ferry rides between islands to get back to the mainland. On the second, longer ferry ride, everyone got out of the van, including Jack and me. Well, I just left my purse on the floor beside where I was sitting. Not smart. When we got back in the van, I could tell that my purse had been gone through, and upon checking discovered that some money, about $30, and the local cell phone had been stolen. My passport and credit cards were all there, however. We can’t prove who did it, but I learned a lesson about taking my purse, and now we always lock our luggage whenever we’re in transit, too.

Since we didn’t have a new hotel, and we had been robbed, Jack and I got off the van the first time it stopped. It was The Maritime Park and Hotel Resort. We went up, and without a booking, got a room at the sale rate. And, the hotel was amazingly beautiful. We started out with two nights, but in the end, wound up staying five! We had a room on the corner of the 5th floor with picture windows on two sides that gave us an amazing view of the surrounding area, all parkland and tropical rainforest. After our time at the End of the Earth Hotel, it was such a great relief! We had a great breakfast everyday, went shopping at the local mall (I love malls), and went snorkeling on the reef. Those last five days in Krabi turned out to be really great.

A view from our room at Maritime

Another view from our room at Maritime

View from our room

The mountains as seen from our room

View from our room in Maritime

Snorkeling on Kho Phi Phi out of Krabi

Bangkok, Thailand

2010-08-25T07:44:00.004-05:00

We finally got to Thailand. After the stressful events surrounding our connection in Brisbane, it was a relief when everything went better. We went through customs in Phuket, which consisted of giving a stern-looking clerk half of our immigration card and getting the other half stamped and handed back. That was it. No luggage check or anything. We had a long lay-over at the small Phuket Aiport, so we had plenty of time to have a leisurely supper at the restaurant and relax. We landed in Bangkok at 9:30 p.m., and after we collected our luggage, went out to find our ride to the Convenient Grand Hotel. Lots of other people were trying to find their rides, too. We found the woman from our hotel who wheeled our luggage to a seating area. She had us sit and told us to wait for some other folks to get there. That gave us some time to do a little people watching in our new country.

It took us some time, an almost alarming amount of time, to reach our hotel from the airport. It was too late for anything to be open as our hotel van drove through the dark neighborhoods and deserted streets. We finally arrived, however, and were pleasantly surprised by our hotel and room, even though it was far off of the beaten path located in the middle of a residential area. The hotel was only a few months old, and the room was really big and comfortable, and we got a really great night’s sleep.

The day after we arrived, we decided to go shopping. Mostly we needed regular stuff like shower gel and sun screen. There was a nice man in the hotel lobby (The Tour Man) who arranged for a driver to take us. When we asked about taking the bus, he just laughed. The Tour Man arranged for Sam, who spoke very good English, to be our driver. Sam took us to a mall that was pretty far away, but one that the local folks go to, not a tourist destination. We had fun looking in the shops and finding our way around. I'm finding malls to be pretty universal so far except that here all the signs are in Thai, with a little bit of English, and all the women’s clothes are no bigger than a size 2. It was really modern, full of people as it was Saturday, and really loud. In addition to all the people, there were about five or so shops with loudspeakers setup by their entrances advertising sales or demonstrating something, and turned up really loud, adding greatly to the noise level. I thought it was great! We were about the only folks who weren't Thai, but no one seemed to notice.

The second day, we arranged a trip with The Tour Man to see four temples, and Sam was our driver again. Sam was very happy to see us, and he wanted to show us a really special time. So, we wound up going to many, many other places in addition to the four temples. First, we went on a tour of the canals in a long boat. It was really interesting and fun, and, we got some great pictures! Next, we went to the Emperor's Palace that was awesome and great to see. It was really hot though, and really crowded because it was Sunday and the Queen’s birthday was that week. We had dressed in pants and I had a long sleeved shirt on because we were going to the temples, so that made the heat even worse. I got some great pictures, but I was really hot.

We saw the Reclining Buda, the Sitting Buda, the Emerald Buda, the Golden Buda, and the Standing Buda at separate temples. They were all beautiful and awesome. We had to take our shoes off and go in our socks inside each. Jack and I were both amazed that our socks were clean that night after walking around all of those temples without our shoes. If you sit down, you are not supposed to point your feet at the Buda, talk too loud, or do anything else considered disrespectful. I took a lot of pictures, but I don't think I have enough pixels on my camera to do justice to the amount of detail there was in the very ornate decorations.

After we looked at the temples, we went and had some lunch at a neighborhood restaurant that Sam knew and did not have any other tourists. It was really good and a pretty good price. We decided we had had enough fun, though, and requested to go back to our hotel after lunch. Jack and I were about to melt away into puddles from the heat and humidity. Sam was worried that he made us angry somehow, but we were just pretty overwhelmed, hot, sticky, and had seen enough temples to realize that, although they are beautiful and awesome, they are all about the same.

We decided that Bangkok was not for us. We had a good time sight seeing, but our hotel was too far out of the way and we are at the mercy of the Travel Man to go anywhere without his assistance. The city is also huge and overwhelming. And, we were feeling somewhat like an ATM machine.

We wanted to go back to the beach, so headed off to Koh Lanta after about three days in Bangkok. Koh Lanta is a little island south of Phuket that looked like a good place to do a little bit of snorkeling. More about Koh Lanta tomorrow.

The Journey is half the fun?

2010-08-15T23:44:00.005-05:00

Our journey from Port Douglas to Bangkok was quite eventful, because, first of all we almost didn’t get out of Australia.

For some unknown reason, I decided that it would be alright to book the 6:00 a.m. flight leaving Cairns going to Brisbane. Since Cairns is a one hour drive from Port Douglas, and with check-in and security screening and all, our pickup time from PD was 3:15 a.m. So, of course, that meant that our getup time was sometime before that, about 2:00 a.m. Some may say, why bother going to bed at all? But we are too old for that. We did turn the lights off about 9:30 the night before to try to sleep. Jack may have slept a little bit, but I probably only slept a few hours, an hour at a time, because I was worried that we would oversleep the alarm and miss the plane. Anyway, I never sleep well before anything major, especially before going to a new country. Fortunately, we did not miss our transport, nor miss the plane. And I did get a little bit of sleep on that 6:00 a.m. flight.

The journey out of Brisbane into Thailand, however, is another story. We discovered, when making our connection, that in order to meet Thai immigration requirements, we must have some sort of transportation arrangements in place to leave Thailand before we could go in. So, with very little time to spare, we went to the internet kiosk to book ourselves a flight to Kulua Lampour the day before our 30 day Thailand visa expires. Booking the flight proved to be very stressful. It seems that at the same time we were trying to use our Visa bank card to buy the airline ticket in Brisbane, the hotel that we had just checked out of in Port Douglas was trying to charge our final bill to the same card. Our bank has an entire department that looks for unusual card use, and determined that we could not be in two places at once, and turned off our card before the ticket purchase went through. After a little panic attack that we would miss the flight, I finally found the direct website for Air Asia, who takes American Express, and booked and paid for the flight directly with them instead of using the travel site that only took Visa.

So, with immigrations requirements met, we still had to make it through security and customs, both of which needed to open some more lanes because of the extremely long lines. We saw on the overhead monitors that our plane was in Final Boarding status, and just started asking folks if we could cut in front of them so we would not miss our flight. When we made it through both lines, we started running to the gate.

We were not the last passengers on the plane, but our names had been paged more than once with the final boarding call. A nice young man with a walkie-talkie saw us, a fat lady and an old man running down the corridor carrying all of their stuff, and called ahead to the gate saying that we were on our way. Needless to say, I was pretty stressed out when we made it to our seats.

Thank goodness the flight itself was uneventful. They kept bringing us food and water, supplied a clean blanket, new sleep mask, ear plugs, and headphones. And the seats in front of us had a TV monitor that played a wide array of movies and shows. And, no crying babies. All in all, it was very pleasant, as far as an eight-hour flight can be. I did worry from time to time, however, that I had not properly logged off of the computer in the airport, and that someone, everyone maybe, was logging their time onto my credit card. I didn’t need to worry, however, because the bank had just turned off my credit card and I was only charged $3. Can I hear a “Thank you Jesus!”

I did work it out with the bank and hotel to turn my card back on and to pay my final bill. And, Jack and I learned an important lesson here, to check and double check immigration requirements to where you are going to make sure you meet them.

Cairns and Port Douglas

2010-08-11T05:50:00.000-05:00

The final two destinations in Australia were on the east coast, Cairns and Port Douglas. A visit to the east coast was essential for going onto the Great Barrier Reef, the primary reason for my being in Australia in the first place. We arrived in Cairns to rainy, but warm weather. Our hotel was quite a way off the beaten track, but once again, right on the bus route. The busses in Cairns were not nearly efficient as they were elsewhere, but they weren’t nearly as expensive either. We bought a weekly ticket for $20 each, which was a real bargain. We were right down the street from a local mall, where local folks hung out, so it was not a ‘tourist destination’ with ‘tourist prices’ either. We developed a little routine where we went to the food court in the mall for breakfast, then got a bus to somewhere in the city from there afterwards. We went to the beach, but had been advised by friends not to go on the GBR from Cairns as the water was not very clear from too many tourists going out to see it.

We took a few tours while in Cairns of the surrounding area. One half-day tour took us around where learned about the local history, visited some churches, and visited a store where we learned about opals and how they are mined and processed. Ninety-five percent of the world’s opals are mined in Australia.

The second tour was an all day event. We went to the Daintree Rainforest, Mossman’s Gorge, the sugar processing factory, Cape Tribulation, and a river cruise to find crockodiles. All of these have significant histories that still impact the local region and were very interesting. Also, the movie “Crockodile Dundee” was filmed in the Daintree Rainforest. The scenery along the way was awesome, everywhere you pointed the camera was a terrific picture.

Other than those two days, we just took in some sites on our own and did a little shopping while waiting for the weather to clear. We also took an impromptu tour of some of the surrounding neighborhoods and outlying towns from Cairns when we got on the wrong bus one day. We did make it back to our hotel, however, but it took the whole afternoon to do it.

The last thing we did in Cairns was go through our clothes and other stuff, and put a box together to mail back home. It consisted of the winter clothes we bought in Sydney, some stuff we brought from home that we decided was not necessary, and a few books. So, we put all this stuff in a box and carried it to the post office in the mall. It cost $82 to mail that box, and it will be six to ten weeks before it arrives. $82! I don’t think all the stuff in the box cost $82! Anyway, another lesson learned, give it away unless it’s just really, really special. Mailing it back is really, really expensive.

The beach just a block outside our door!
We finally made our way to Port Douglas. We found a cute place to stay, that was one block from the ocean one way and one block from the town the other way. We decided not to schedule anything except for a snorkeling trip to the outer reef. It was the best week of our stay in Australia. Port Douglas was great, although a little expensive. It is a tourist town, but very nice tourists go there. The snorkeling trip was wonderful. ‘Go snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef’ has been on my bucket list since I was 20 years old and lived on Okinawa. So cool that I can now check it off. I took some pictures underwater, but have to wait until we can find a place to develop them before I can post any (real film, what’s that?)

We met two really nice couples on the snorkeling trip. One couple was about our age on a long holiday and was from Australia. The other couple was probably young enough to be our kids, also on holiday, and from Germany. We are now friends on face book. I just love fb!

We went on an evening sunset cruise our last night in Australia. We saw all kinds of wildlife in the river estuaries around Port Douglas. Crocodiles, kite birds (that look like eagles to me), and sand fleas. You really can’t see sand fleas, but they bite hard and leave big red welts just like mosquito bites. I have several as souvenirs.

The Kite from the cruise, waiting for the fish the captain throws for him

So, we said good bye to Australia by way of Brisbane, and hello to Bangkok, Thailand. The adventure continues.

Taking the Gahn Train to Alice Springs

2010-08-10T05:39:00.001-05:00

We did not want to leave Australia without seeing the Outback. We decided to take a famous train, The Gahn, to Alice Springs, located in almost the exact center of the country. The Gahn Train route is named after workers from Afghanistan who immigrated to Australia with camels to bring necessary supplies to the settlements in the outback. The camels could survive the harsh conditions and could carry a lot of stuff.

Jack and I decided that we would buy the least expensive tickets available, i.e., the cheap seats, which meant that we would be in reclining seats for the 25 hour trip instead of a sleeping berth. We made some sandwiches, bought way too much snack food, and boarded the train with our little overnight bag. Well, 25 hours is a long time to ride a train. Especially sitting up. We did get up and move around a lot, but 25 hours is still a long time to ride a train. Especially sitting up. The lights did go out during the night time hours, but it was not conducive to sleeping. I probably slept about two hours or so, Jack maybe a little more. Next time we’re getting a sleeping berth or taking a plane.

The Ghan

We arrived in Alice Springs and since we did not want to rent another car, had to settle for a hotel room above a tavern in the city center, down the street from the train station. The tavern also had a nice family restaurant, so that was convenient. The patrons of the tavern seemed to be a little bit on the rough side, so we did not go in there except for one time when we thought they had a live band that turned out to be juke box turned up really loud. We only stayed in Alice Springs for a day and a half, so did not have time to take in any of the usual destinations. However, we feel that we saw everything we wanted to see in the outback and do not regret that we only stayed a short time.

I have fallen in love with Aboriginal art since being here. I just love it. I can’t afford an original piece, however, but I think I will look for some prints or copies or something when we settle back into real life.

Adelaide

2010-08-09T05:21:00.008-05:00

We turned in our rental car in Adelaide and were, once again, depending on public transportation to get us to where we needed to be. Fortunately, our hotel was on the main bus route, and just a few blocks from the restaurants in the city center. Our room was in a part of the hotel that was supposed to be renovated next, so it was not that great, but we only stayed there four nights. And, I did talk down the price because of that fact, so it was also a pretty good deal. Adelaide reminded us of Austin a little bit. It’s about the same size and has the same kind of laid-back atmosphere.

We spent one day getting to the Cleland Wildlife Park. Just 20 minutes from Adelaide city center, unless, of course, you are riding the bus. The bus was very convenient and inexpensive. We disembarked at the stop to make the connection to the park about 20 minutes after the last bus of the morning departed, with the next one not due for three hours. After expressing some frustration and exasperation at ourselves for not checking the bus schedule more carefully, we decided to explore the small village (very small village) while we waited. First, we had a latte and cake at the cafe, where the guy making the latte looked like he rode in the local motorcycle gang. He did make a great latte, though. Then we went next door to the post office and had a nice conversation with the post mistress there. She was planning a trip to Alaska soon and had some questions about America for us. The post offices in Australia are connected with little retail shops that seem to be locally owned, like the post office on the Waltons in the dry goods store. So, Jack and I took some time there and wrote a few postcards back home and mailed them off.

Next, on the recommendation from the cafe owner, we decided to hike to the next little village across the highway using the pedestrian bridge, approximately a kilometer up the road. The road wound up and down, up and down, up and down at 45 degree angles for quite some time. I personally think it was further than a kilometer. When we got to the sign announcing that we had arrived in the new village, there were still much more road, up and down, to go, before we would come to a shop or anything other than neighborhood houses. We decided we might not make it back in time to catch the bus to the park, so we walked back down and up, down and up, down an up, across the pedestrian bridge, until we reached the bus stop. We learned that we should check the schedules of all the connecting busses when planning an outing.

Parrot in Cleland Wildlife Park

The wait was worth it, however, as we had a great time at the park. The park is where all the pictures of us petting the kangaroos were taken. They just hang out on the grass like laid-back dogs and very slowly and carefully come up to you if they think you have any food for them. We petted a koala, fed the wallabies’, saw Tasmanian devils eating, got great pictures of dingos and tropical birds, and learned a lot of very interesting things about the different kinds of animals of Australia. All in all, it was a great trip, even though we missed the morning bus.

Road Trip - Small Town Life, Social Clubs and Final Impressions

2010-08-05T01:42:00.003-05:00

Road Trip – Small Town Life and Private Social Clubs

After Canberra, we made our way down the coast through Bateman’s Bay, stopping at Eden for the night. We found a really, really cute place to stay in Eden, with two bedrooms, a washer and dryer, and right on the ocean. I wished we had a little more time there, it was really nice and relaxing. From Eden, we went to Moe, (pronounced Mo-ee, with a long o) and stayed the night there. From Moe, we stayed in Horsham overnight, where the innkeeper showed me the best internet site to get great room rates call www.wotif.com. I have booked all my rooms through that site since then. We finally made our way to Adelaide on Saturday night. All of the little towns were really nice, and off of the tourist path. The innkeepers were all friendly and welcoming and gave us good advice on which way to go and interesting points to look for.

View from an outlook between Bateman's Bay and Eden

Almost all of the small towns we went through are organized the same way. There is a town center, where all of the shops and restaurants are located, usually about two or three blocks long. We would usually stop in and get lunch and do a little exploring of the shops before we got back in the car. Each town also has a well maintained public restroom, not associated with any shop or convenience store, so you don’t have to stop at someone’s business just to use the bathroom.

It seemed to us like everything in the towns closed down about 5:00, including the restaurants, making us worry that we would not get any supper. Then we discovered private social clubs. There were several things to do at the clubs, including gambling. Gambling is legal in Australia, and the place to gamble is a social club. There were slot machines and Keno. Each one had a raffle for something; one was a new car, and one was giving away groceries for a week. They also had entertainers come in for concerts. Most importantly to us, however, was that they had restaurants, with good prices and pretty good food. And, they let folks come in who didn’t live in their area without becoming a member. So, we went to the social clubs in the evening for supper and a little bit of people watching.

The scenery was beautiful and everywhere we looked was a picture. We saw a lot of dairy farms with very steep, grass covered hills. It was not good for farming, but was excellent pasture for dairy cows. The diaries all looked like picture-post cards from the road.

Road Trip – Final Impressions

Driving on the left side of the road got a little bit easier as time went on. Jack and I helped each other out with reminders to get on the other side when we were making turns, etc. After awhile, the panic and hysteria in our voices also subsided. Our car was a Holden Commodore, made by General Motors. It was pretty big and comfortable to drive, except for the other-side-of-the-road thing. It went pretty fast without effort. However, speed limits are strictly enforced here. They monitor with speed cameras in cars that they park on the side of the road. They move them around so you don’t know where they’re going to be. We think Jack might have gotten a speeding ticket because one of those cars snapped his picture doing 7km over the speed limit. We will see if the car rental company adds to the bill.

Speaking of the rental company adding to the bill, one of the perils of driving a strange car on the other side of the road is blind spots and backing up. Yes, I confess, I backed into a sign and scratched the left rear panel just a little bit. Budget Rent-a-Car didn’t think it was that little, though, and added a substantial amount to my American Express card as a result. Needless to say, I was pretty happy to turn the car in and again rely on public transportation. That alone should save me a bundle in car repair costs.

Road Trip - Canberra - Australian Politics as I understand them

2010-08-04T01:39:00.002-05:00

Road Trip – Canberra, the Capitol of Australia and Australian Politics
The next morning we made our way to Canberra. Canberra, (pronounced Canbra) is the capital city of Australia. It’s about 280km southwest of Sydney and 660km northeast of Melbourne, and is Australia’s largest inland city. It’s about the size of Austin with a population of about 345,000. The site was chosen as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s two largest cities. This and more historical information on Canberra can be found on Wikipedia using the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canberra .

Jack and I took a tour of Australia’s Parliament House. It was opened on May 9, 1988 by Queen Elizabeth II. Paraphrasing from the Self-Guided Tour brochure, “the building combines art and architecture to represent the unique country and the parliamentary system which governs it.” The very modern architecture of Parliament House represents the history of Australia, from its ancient beginnings to current times. The building itself is, in our opinion, ultra-modern in design, and we couldn’t help but compare it to the Texas State Capitol building on our tour. While we appreciated the very thoughtful approach to the design of the building, we didn’t get a sense of history from it as we do when we’re in the Texas capitol. The building is pretty new, however, and will eventually get some interesting history behind it. Here is a link to an article that explains the legislative process in Australia. http://teachit.acreekps.vic.edu.au/cyberfair2002/parliamenthousecanberra.htm . We liked Canberra a lot and found it very interesting.

Politics in Australia have been pretty fascinating since we have been here. The night after our arrival, all hell broke loose. Kevin Rudd, the Prime Minister, held a press conference around 10:00 pm, and announced he was calling a meeting to hold a confidence/no-confidence vote on him continuing as the Prime Minister. So, at 9:00 am the next day, the Labor Party ministers met, voted him out, and voted in Julia Guillard, the first woman PM. From what I can tell, Mr. Rudd was having some popularity issues regarding various policies that were implemented during his tenure, and regarding a mega-tax on the mining industry. Upon being sworn in, Ms. Guillard immediately began reversing some of those troublesome policies, and renegotiated the mining tax to what seems to be a more reasonable level.

About two weeks ago, she called for new elections to be held on August 29th, so she could be elected Prime Minister by the people, in her own right. Now the campaigning has begun. The campaigns seem to be a lot like the campaigns at home. Her opponent from the Liberal Party, Tony Abbott, says “With her you’ll get this…… and then this will happen.” Then she says “He has a bad record, don’t trust him, He doesn’t respect women”, etc., etc. The big difference is that campaigns only last about 30 days or so. Yes, that’s right, 30 days.

During the time since she became PM, some interesting facts have come into the public forum about Ms. Guillard. She is 48 years old, single, never been married, and has no children. She lives with her boyfriend, who, if elected, will move into the official residence with her. And, she is agnostic, and will not claim a faith that she doesn’t have. There has been a little bit of disapproving talk about her personal life on the morning shows, but no one is horrified, or really even sees these things as issues. I believe this would cause endless, endless debate in the US, and probably derail any serious discussion on the issues. What do you think?

Road Trip

2010-08-03T01:34:00.005-05:00

Road Trip - Overview

It has been a few weeks since I uploaded a post, but Jack and I have been pretty busy the past few weeks. First, we rented a car in Sydney and drove to Adelaide, over 1920km, which took a week. After a stop-over in Adelaide for a few days of exploration, we took a train trip up the center of Australia to the Outback and Alice Springs, where stayed in a hotel over a tavern for a few days. Next, we flew to Cairns, where we stayed for a week and took some tours of local points of interest and into the rainforest. Our last week in Australia is where we are now, Port Douglas. We took a trip out to the Great Barrier Reef where we did some snorkeling and have had some pretty awesome downtime. Of course, we have taken pictures the whole way.

Road Trip – Getting out of Sydney – Picking up the rental car
After three weeks in Sydney, we rented a car to drive to Adelaide. Jack and I both enjoy road trips and felt it would be good for us to be on our schedule for awhile, instead of on the public transportation schedule. So, we picked up the car, said our prayers over the fact that we would be driving on the left-hand side of the road, and started out.

We managed to make our way out of Sydney, after getting lost, of course. Even though we had been all around the city on the buses, when I’m not doing the driving I really don’t pay attention to the route. Also, the buses twist in and out of all the little side streets to make sure everyone gets good service. Traffic in Sydney was fast and the lanes are narrow. And our car was wide, wider even than what we were used to back home. But, I only went the wrong way one time (that day), and fortunately, there was no on-coming traffic. So, after much consultation with the map and with help from a very nice lady Jack saw walking down the sidewalk, we managed to point the car in the right direction and get out of the city without further incident.

The first day, we only made it to a little town called Goulburn, about 200km down the road. We both decided that we were so stressed out and tired from what I term as ‘driving left-handed’ that we stopped early for the night to recuperate from the day’s adventures.

Great supper tonight

2010-07-09T06:08:00.003-05:00

Jack and I took the ferry tonight and went across the harbor to a neighborhood called Neutral Bay. We had a great supper and the final bill was more in line with what we would pay at home for a nice dinner. Everything is really expensive in the 'tourist neighborhoods', but this Thai place was in a regular residential neighborhood.

We still can't find a place to have a drip cup of coffee. When you order a coffee, you can get an expresso, a latte, a long black, or a short black. We have figued out how to make coffee in our apartment that resembles what we're used to, but it's not exactly the same. It's really lucky that I love lattes, as I'm having one every day.

Potts Point, Sydney, Austraila

2010-07-08T19:30:00.002-05:00

Jack and I moved to a neighborhood called Potts Point in Sydney about two weeks ago. Potts Point is on the harbor, and right next door to Kings Cross, a famous or infamous neighborhood here. We have been busy learning new bus routes, the train schedule, and how to que-up to check-out of the grocery store. Our bus service is not as frequent as Bondi Beach, but we have easy access to the trains just a few blocks away in Kings Cross. We bought a "go anywhere, anytime, on the bus, train or ferry" ticket for this week and have been very happy with the results. We rode the train up into the Blue Mountains, which took about two hours, and is far, far out of the city bustle. We've taken several ferry rides, my personal favorite, to explore some areas across the harbor. We went to the Sydney Opera House in the rain yesterday that resulted in some great pictures.

Speaking of pictures, I downloaded my camera this morning and have some pictures to share in Picasa.

So far, so good

2010-06-27T03:01:00.011-05:00

We have been in Sydney since Tuesday night, local time. I think that would be around 1:00 a.m. Tuesday morning at home. We have been busy learning how to get around, where to find food, and how to get our laundry done. We also needed a different place to stay. We like Bondi Beach, our current neighborhood, but it’s an area right off the beach that’s kind of off the beaten path and really expensive. So, here are some random observations and thoughts on what we’ve been up to so far.

The flight from Honolulu was 10 hours and crowded, with lots of babies and toddlers aboard. Overall, they behaved pretty well. The isles were just big enough for one little guy to do laps, with his dad trying to keep up behind. They were both pretty happy to be up and moving around. We had a few small meals on the plane, not included in the ticket price, and they were all expensive. They tasted pretty good, though, as far as airline food goes.

Getting through customs was pretty easy. Jack got stopped because he had microwave popcorn in his backpack. It was confiscated for some reason. Popped popcorn would have been okay, but not un-popped.

I called our hotel/apartment to let them know we would probably arrive after 6:00pm, after the office closes (Thanks for making my phone work in AU, HA.) The provided really good instructions to get here.

Take the Airport Train to Central Station.
Switch to the Bondi Junction train.
At Bondi Junction, get off the train and catch the 389 bus to Bondi Beach.
Get off the bus just past the 3rd round about on O’Brien Street.

We managed to buy train tickets, get on the train, switch trains, get to the bus station, buy bus tickets, get on the bus, and get off the bus at the right place. And there we were, right in front of our place, at 5:55. All of this during rush hour and dragging suitcases along. This is not a testament to our super travel powers, but rather a testament to how organized and thought-out the mass transit system is here. The train stations and bus stations are in the same building. Everything runs on time. Our bus, the 389, runs every 10 minutes all day, every day. Very convenient and reliable. At least half of the population use mass transit, so the busses and trains always have lots of riders. No empty busses or trains here.

It’s a little bit cooler here than we expected. One of the first items on the agenda was to get Jack something warm to wear, as he didn’t have anything with long sleeves. So, he borrowed my black sweater, put a shirt on over it to cover up the lace on the front, and off we went in search of breakfast and warm clothes. We managed both. Then we went to the local IGEA grocery store and bought milk, eggs, bread, and cookies, and a few vegetables to make salad. They sell lettuce here with the roots and dirt still on. Different from what we’re used to.

Jack in his new jacket

Everyone here has been really helpful and nice. All ask us where we’re from. We think the prices are really high. But, Bondi Beach is a beach tourist area and everything is priced accordingly. There are some things about prices that are really different. The price on a menu is the final price. No taxes added in, they are included. No tipping. We really like that part. So, the final tab often is lower than we expect because there are no added charges to surprise you at the end.

Even though it’s late fall/early winter here, the beach is still beautiful. And popular. There are many surfers in wetsuits out every day. We have seen one fellow several times, no shoes, no shirt, chest covered in colorful tattoos, running down the sidewalk, carrying his surfboard. Sometimes he’s headed toward the beach, sometimes he’s coming from the beach, still dripping wet. He seems very cheerful although I would imagine he’s cold. Temperatures are between about 45 degrees to 60 degrees F, which seems pretty cold to me.

We are moving in the morning to a hotel/apartment in Potts Point. Our new place has a wonderful view of Sydney harbor, and is a one bedroom instead of an efficiency. There’s also a grocery store right across the street, so that will be convenient. We are making the move on the bus, so it will probably take more than one trip to get our stuff there. The adventures never end.

We're in A U S T R A I L A !

2010-06-22T19:06:00.001-05:00

We finally made it! It's been a loooooooooooooooong day! Over 10 hour flight, full of little children and babies, then running to the train, chaning trains, running for the bus to get to the little apartment we rented online (for only a week, TYJ). We made it here just before the lady who runs the place was due to leave. So, she let us in and directed us to the most expensive cafe in the universe for supper. So, we will have to find a grocery store tomorrow first thing so we don't run out of money and starve to death. Everyone is really nice so far, and have been helping us get off the plains, trains and busses at the right place.

We are falling asleep as I type, so will write more tomorrow!

Getting to Hawaii

2010-06-18T11:02:00.004-05:00

Jack and I are in Wakiki now. It's 6:00 in the morning and we are still trying to adjust to the jet lag, as we have been awake for more than an hour. We have a little hotel room a few blocks from the beach in what Jack refers to as the hotel ghetto. The weather is nice and cool this morning and we have all the windows and doors open.

Yesterday was a day to get used to the time change. We are five hours ahead here and are working to adjust to local time. So, when our stomaches say feed me lunch and it's only 9:30 in the morning, we have to wait, wait, wait.

The journey here the day before took a long, long time and we learned a lot. The first leg took us to LAX, where we had to change terminals. We decided to walk since it was just across two parking lots to the next one. So, the first thing we learned was that our backpacks were too heavy. We are working that out now.

The second leg took us to Seattle. Why? Because I booked the least expensive ticket through Priceline. Why the best price would take us many, many miles out of the way, I don't know. But the second lesson of the day was to analyze the itenerary more carefully. Sometimes saving a few dollars is not worth the extra hours it will take to make connections.

The final leg finally brought us to Honolulu. There were many, many lessons learned there. Pick different seats. Front seats are not the best because the arm rests won't go up between them. Maybe pick a different airline. Our plane seemed a little old, and the little video screens didn't show the movie very well. So, although I heard the movie "Valentine's Day," I really didn't see it. However, we did arrive safely and on time.

We made it through security several times just fine. No surprises and no searches. All in all, a good way to begin.

Begin

2010-06-17T21:01:00.005-05:00

Last Sunday, June 13th, our new paster started what hopes to be a long tenure at our church, St. John's UMC in Austin, Texas. June is moving month for pastors in the United Methodist Church. I have observed that about every six or seven years, the current pastor leaves us and a new pastor arrives. The transition can be hard for a congregation and for the new pastor. The congregation is mourning losing a beloved old pastor and often makes it tough for a new pastor to come in. My family and I have been through some transitions that have been really hard. On the other hand, the transition can be fairly smooth. While the congregation loves and holds the outgoing pastor in the highest esteem, they can, at the same time, embrace the new pastor with anticipation and excitement, looking forward and being open to the blessings that will come. I believe THAT is what has happened and is happening right now at St. John's. It is truly a blessing to behold.

The title of the first sermon by the new pastor last week was "Begin." The pastor's new beginning at St. John's, our new beginnings with him, the beginning of the new relationships among us all. You understand. It was really good.

So, why am I writing about this in my blog today? The travel blog? Because, like our community at St. John's, this is the week when Jack and I also BEGIN the new phase of our life, The Big Retirement Adventure! And, like our SJ's community, we also said a lot of hard good-byes and have a lot of anticipation for the blessings to come. We said good-bye to our children, my dad, our friends, and our dogs. We sold our cars, moved out of our house, gave away most of our furniture, and packed up and stored the rest of our junk. We carefully chose what clothes to bring, which shoes would work the best, and what liquids and lotions we needed to put into the quart size zip bag. We packed, and re-packed, and re-packed it yet again to fit into one suitcase each that would go in the overhead bin and one backpack each that would go underneath the seat in front of us.

We've only just begun. But it seems like we've been working on the beginning for a while now. And, anticipating what's to come is keeping me breathless.

Last "donation" trip for the truck with the last of the furniture.

Where we're going first!

2010-06-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

The Husband put this together telling about the start of our adventure:

Retirement is good but it's been busy emptying this house to make it ready for my daughter to move in the day we leave. June 16th we will be in Honolulu, Hawaii, then Sidney, Australia the 23rd of June. Then a road trip south and west along the coast to Adelade. From there a train ride across the outback through the interior to Darwin on the northern coast. Then another road trip to Cairns,and the Great Barrier Reef. That sounds like a couple of months doesn't it?

We've got four shots for exotic deseases, visas, plane tickets and International drivers licenses. And we've already spent a ton of money but I can hardly wait to get started.

I thought this sounded pretty good and he said I could post it!

Packing, packing, packing

2010-06-01T17:00:00.000-05:00

The packing is well underway. We cleaned out the shed - with help from the Daughter. The husband took some of the metal junk to American Recycle right up the road - got $125 for it, too! Took some of it to the land fill where he had to pay them to take it, burned most the rest in the burn pile (we live waaaaay out in the country, where burning trash is okay)and, finally, he took all the toxic stuff (paint, etc.) to the place where you're supposed to take it for disposal. In otherwords, didn't burn it and didn't take it into the landfill.

I've been going through everything and getting rid of lots of stuff. I took massive amounts of clothes and other household items to the church rummage sale. I have some books for the local library that are ready, and the old livingroom furniture is going to the Salvation Army next week! Yea!

However, even after all the cleaning out and throwing out, there's still an incredible amount of stuff that must be delt with! It's unbelievable how many dishes I thought I needed to take care of two people. How many towels, sets of sheets, pairs of shoes, bottles of shampoo, boxes of herbal tea, bags of frozen spinish does it take? Probably not as many as have turned up in my house!

OMG, my mom was right!

2010-03-02T11:00:00.000-06:00

I had many different kinds of jobs during my career. After I was in the Navy, I worked at a major insurance company supporting the claims adjuster. I worked for a family attorney for a few years and learned a lot about wills, adoptions, and divorces. I eventually became a civil servant, or an employee for the State of Texas. I started working in the legal department of a university system, and eventually moved over to the accounting and finance side of the office. I finally made it to the position I had as a systems and business analyst for another state agency. Amazingly, all of my previously unrelated careers and jobs all contributed to the qualifications I needed to land the perfect job for me. So, as it turns out, my mom was right. Learn how to type and you can always get a job.

With this ring . . . .

2010-03-01T12:00:00.000-06:00

The Husband made our rings when we got married and this is him holding mine. It was quite a process. We started by taking a class in jewelry making using the lost cast wax method. Then we went around to pawn shops and bought broken chains and rings to use the gold in them to melt down to make the rings. Then he sat at the kitchen table and carved the forms for the rings out of a special kind of wax. He wore these big, funny magnifying glasses so he could really see what he was doing. Then he would hang the wax rings upside down in a square form and pour a special plaster into the form around the wax rings. Then he would heat the resulting block of plaster so the wax rings would melt and drip out. This would leave a hole in the plaster that was the same shape as the original wax rings.Then he would melt down the gold in a ceramic dish with the blow torch and pour the molten metal into the plaster form. After everything cooled down, the molten metal became solid again, he would wash away the plaster, leaving the rings, now made of gold.

He wasn’t happy with results the first few times he made them, so he would make some more wax rings, another form, melt down the gold, and pour the rings again. This went on for weeks before the wedding, and I was just about convinced that we would have to go buy some rings. Then just three days before the wedding, he got the results he wanted.

To me, the making of these rings is kind of symbolic of marriage in general. It takes some preparation, some practice, a lot of patience, a little bit of cussing, and a lot of perserverance to get the results you want.

Happy Birthday HAM

2010-03-01T06:52:00.000-06:00

Just a quick little post to wish Ms. Pretty and Smart, otherwise known as The Daughter, HAPPY BIRTHDAY. This is a milestone year, but it is shaping up pretty well so far.

Ms. Guardian Frog

2010-02-28T11:00:00.000-06:00

During my career, I made a lot of friends. There were some really good times, professionally and personally, and there were some worse times. This picture is of what I call my “Guardian Frog”. I know it’s silly, but here’s the story. I was having one of those worse times at work, and it also happened to be my birthday. Birthdays at work usually just come and go without a lot of fuss. But, that year, my two friends from work gave me this cute frog to cheer me up. It meant a lot to me that they wanted to help. So, I always kept her close to keep a watch over me, and I’m reminded of how important friends are every time I see her.

Blue Bell

2010-02-27T23:08:00.000-06:00

This picture is of a foam-rubber blue VW Bug. I believe I got it from a convention somewhere, from an insurance company or something. I always kept this blue bug on my desk as a reminder of some of the hardest times and some of the best times of my life. I was married for a short time during my Naval career, and when I moved back to my hometown, it was me and the Daughter. During most of the time she was growing up, I was working, working, working. I worked in a law office for a few years, in the insurance industry for a while, as an accountant for a while. I went back to school at night, then went back to school full-time and lived on student loans. During all of this craziness, I was driving a blue VW Bug. We referred to her lovingly as Blue Bell. She cost $400, which I could afford. She got good gas mileage. She was cheap to fix when she broke down, which was not very often. So, when I eventually went to work where all of my unrelated career paths merged into a dream job, good hours, good pay, and a great organization, the blue bug on my desk was a reminder of what I had come through. It was indeed the hardest part of my life, but I always remember those as some of the best and most rewarding times. And all because I could type.

Stuff, stories, and memories

2010-02-27T21:46:00.000-06:00

The theme of my life right now is cleaning out stuff as we are preparing to take the longest way possible to Kansas. I first noticed this theme when I was slowly going through my desk while getting ready to retire. I was passing important working-stuff along to co-workers, taking other important non-working-stuff home, and throwing other junkie-stuff out (why had I saved that stuff, anyway?). I also had a lot of pictures and toys around my desk that had been in my space for many years, and were, in a sense, old frinds of mine.

At the same time, I was approached to give a little ice-breaker speech about myself, and I realized that the stuff on my desk could help me tell my story. Well, the ice-breaker speech went pretty well, so I think I will take the same approach in the blog as I clean out the stuff that has accumulated over the past few decades. You can learn a lot about someone from their stuff and the stories that are attached.

I had a picture of my mom pinned to the wall of my cubicle. It was taken when she was about 17 or 18 years old. She was really beautiful. Our relationship when I was a teenager was pretty typical. I didn’t think she knew anything, and she didn’t think I knew anything, and we pretty much disagreed about almost every topic. However, as we all know, moms are really pretty smart. When I think about what some of the best guidance or advice I ever got from my mom, one of the many things that sticks out in my mind was when I was in the eighth grade and she made me take typing in school. I had already filled out the forms to take homemaking. "No," she said, "take typing. When you can type, you can always get a job. Then, you won’t be trapped in a situation only because you can’t take care of yourself."

So I took typing.

Our family moved around a lot when I was little, and I believe that’s why I have the wonder lust now. However, by the time I was in high school, we had pretty much settled down to where we live now, and adventure was everywhere except where I was. So, as soon as I was old enough, I joined the Navy, and saw a small bit of the world. I was stationed in Okinawa, Japan for a few years. It’s really hot and humid there. Really hot and humid. I worked outside as an electrician for fighter jets. It sounds really fun and exciting, right? No. It was really hot. Really, really hot. And humid. And, being a fair-haired girl, I was pretty sunburned all the time. So, one day, I just happened to mention that I knew how to type. Most of the fellows, probably all of the fellows at that time long ago, did not know how to type. So, I was miraculously whisked inside (into the air conditioning) to keep track of all things that needed to be typed.

Thanks, mom.

The Revised Plan

2010-01-15T22:18:00.000-06:00

I just retired a few months ago (the week of Thanksgiving), and my husband is retiring at the end of April. We are both still pretty young, as far as retirees go, and in really good health. Our original retirement plan was to sell our house in the big-city boom town where we currently live and move to Kansas. There are two good reasons why we made this decision. First, the Husband is from Kansas and almost his entire family still lives there, where they are awaiting us with open arms. Second, the cost of living is much lower there, and I would not have to get another job. I was fortunate enough to retire young, and could reasonably have another career. So, it was decided.

Then, I starting turning over in my mind what our life might be like in Kansas. I became more and more concerned with my happiness quotient living there, considering my tendency to get very bored with monotony. The Husband would probably be very happy, with his best-friend and first cousin there to pal around with. He lives in a very nice farming community where it’s pretty fun to drive tractors around and talk about growing hay a lot. It’s a nice place to visit.

My retirement date got closer and closer. I absolutely wanted to retire, and was working to get my replacements trained to take over the duties I performed, but I was having a lot of anxiety about the whole moving to Kansas plan.

While talking to the Daughter one evening, I was saying how I would like to travel a little bit between moving-out here and moving-in there. I just know that when the Husband gets back to Kansas, he will never leave again. Somehow that evening, the discussion progressed to where a new plan emerged, and it was very exciting. I would just have to sell it to the Husband. The Daughter would have to sell it to the Son-in-law, too.

So, here’s the revised plan:

The Husband and I would travel the world for a while (at least two years) before we sell our house and make the big move to Kansas. During that time, the Daughter and her husband could lease our house and take care of the place. That would give them the opportunity to save some money to buy their own place when we return.

So, that very evening, when the Husband got home, and we were sitting on the porch talking, I asked him what he thought of the revised plan. I had envisioned having to work to persuade him by using some tears, some pleading, some bargaining. But, after I outlined the revised plan, he paused a minute, and said, Okay. Just like that. Okay.

The Son-in-law had the same response. Okay. Just like that.

Well, okay. So, that is why the name of this blog is called The Long Way to Kansas. We’re going to Kansas, but we’re taking the very longest way around that I can think of.

So, the next few months will be spent getting ready to go. I’ll let you know the progress of cleaning out all our stuff, giving away the furniture (I hate the living room stuff), packing up and storing the stuff we can’t part with, getting our documentation together, settling on destinations, and all the rest of the fun stuff to come.