The Orient

Today starts our trip. Hugh came home at three and the limo driver arrived at five. Traffic was heavy but our driver took the back roads and we arrived early at the airport. The flight to Atlanta was uneventful and we had a bite to eat between flights. The flight to LA was easy for me; I had three seats to myself. We rented our car and using our trusty map made our way to our hotel. Our hotel was in the middle of Beverly Hills. The hotel was the sight of this year's Golden Globes awards. The room was lovely but sleep was all that was on our minds.

Feb. 9 Slept late and had to rush to catch an eleven o'clock city tour. Our tour started at the Farmers Market where we had lunch and explored. We then boarded our bus and traveled to downtown. We stopped at the Dorothy Chandler pavilion where they have the Academy Awards. Our tour leader Bob was a fount of info on anything to do with show business. We then traveled to Sunset strip, Grumman's Chinese theater. We had fun seeing how small some of the footprints of the stars were. Then it was off to tour the stars homes. We saw Tom Hanks, Sly Stallone, Leonardo Dicaprio, the Reagan's, Whoopie Goldberg, Robert Mitchem, Aaron Spelling, and the Sultan of Brunei. Aaron Spellings house was the most expensive house ever built in LA county, 98 million dollars. After the stars home tours Hugh and I were dropped off on Rodeo Drive where we window-shopped and then walked to our hotel. Later we walked to McCormick and Schmicks and had a wonderful meal. We then strolled back to our hotel for a good nights rest.

Today we slept late in preparation for our long flight. After checking out of the hotel we drove to Westwood and had breakfast. We then drove to Santa Monica and walked downtown and out to the Santa Monica pier. It was cloudy off and on but we had no rain. We ate lunch and then drove to Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. We stopped for ice cream on the way back to LA. The trip was beautiful and the homes we saw were incredible. We arrived at the airport and had to stand in a long line to check in. After check in we had several hours to kill but it was nice meeting old friends and catching up. We met our tour guide Frans Bloeme and then we all boarded for an interminable flight to Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific had great service and a huge selection of movies and shows to watch on your personal TV. Hugh and I had a whole row of seats but it was still hard to get comfortable enough to sleep for any long period of time. It seemed like days instead of just 19 hours when we arrived in Hong Kong. We had a short layover and then 4 more hours to Bangkok. Click here to see Los Angeles Pictures

We arrived in Bangkok on Monday Feb.12 at 9:45am (Feb. 11 disappeared in transit). We were tired but eager to start our vacation. We walked outside to find our bus and it was like slamming into a wall of heat and humidity. This is truly the tropics, our clothes wilted and I could feel my hair frizzing. We boarded our bus with our local guide Nora and had our first look at Bangkok. First impressions were it is hot, large, busy and unfortunately very polluted. It is much busier and more modern than what we expected from our travel videos. We checked in the Royal Orchid Sheraton and everyone showered and we had our first official meeting. Frans laid out plans and guidelines for our trip and then we divided into groups. Some people went to bed, others went shopping and our group went to the Bossotel for a foot massage. We were expecting a quick little massage but were we surprised. They put us in big recliners and started the massage with warm towels to our feet and legs. Then they started on one foot and for the next hour we had the most wonderful massage. After our feet and legs were done they also included a shoulder, neck and head massage. We were all trying to get them to agree to go home to America with us. This was a real treat and then we went to a small restaurant at the Bossotel and had shrimp, lemon grass soup called tom yum goong. It was spicy and delicious. Our group then took a water taxi to our hotel. We walked around for a while and looked in shops, but before long everyone headed to bed. The entire group was asleep by 8 pm.

Today everyone was feeling much better and we started the day with a delicious breakfast in the hotel. We then met Nora our guide and started our bus tour of Bangkok. As we traveled on the bus Nora told us that Bangkok has a population of 7 million. We arrived at the Wat Trimitr, The Golden Buddha. This statue is huge and made of 5.5 tons of gold and dates back 200 years. This Wat is next to a school and Nora say that we will get our best prices from the shopping area here. We then traveled to the Wat Po or the Reclining Buddha. This complex was huge with a tremendous amount to see in a 35-minute stop. There was a lot of architectural interest and a true photographers dream. There were flowers everywhere and the carvings and mirrored tiles, and broken pottery was beautiful and very colorful. This was the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok. The reclining Buddha is a massive statue, 150 feet by 50 feet, and lies in the final position of the Buddha before death. We the traveled to the Grand Palace and on the way Nora told us that the Grand palace was built by King Rama I and served as the royal residence until 1946. It established Bangkok as the capital of Siam in 1782. Each successive king added to the palace, that is why we see so many different architectural styles. We had our group picture made here. On the grounds we saw the royal guesthouse that is used today by foreign dignitaries and royalty. The Queen of Belgium and the Crown Prince of Belgium were in residence there during our visit and we saw their car caravan. Nora told us that Pres. Nixon, Bush, and Clinton had stayed there. Also on the Grounds Was Wat Phara Keo or temple of the Emerald Buddha. The Emerald Buddha is dressed in golden outfits that vary with the season. The King himself changes the clothes. The Buddha is actually made of jade but Nora says that it is called emerald because it is green. Nora gave us talks on cremation practices, schooling, stating that school is mandatory for 9 years. She also told us that parents encourage their sons to become a monk for a short period of time as this teaches him compassion and public service which in turn makes him a better husband and father. Ninety percent of Thailand is Buddhist and the King is the religious leader. We made a stop a JS International Jewelers. I tried on several things and finally decided on an 18kt gold ring with an oval cut ruby and two diamonds, very wearable and pretty. After lunch with Linda and John, the doctors went to the Bangkok Christian Hospital. While they were gone Linda and I shopped a while and went back to our room to look over Linda's jewelry that she is making. When Hugh returned we went to the pool and swam for a while. It was lovely and warm. We then showered and dressed to go to a dinner show with Jay, Arlee, Rich and Sandy. The food was wonderful and varied and the show colorful and very entertaining. Some of our group took a car to the Jim Thompson Silk Showroom. Jim Thompson introduced silk making to Thailand. It was a late night and we were all tired. We slept well but had to wake up early.

Today started with swapping Valentine cards with Hugh. He gave me a keyboard for my palm pilot, its super. I gave him Chaco sandals for his trip kayaking. We showered and it was off to breakfast. We had a very early wake up call and everyone looked sleepy as we boarded the bus. We started our bus journey to the floating market about an hour south of town. Nora talked a little about her family and also about the King. We stopped at an orchid farm and we did not see a lot of orchids. Nora showed us how they extract coconut milk by hand and how they boil it to make coconut sugar. It tasted very sweet but good. We had a happy house stop, bathroom break, and continued our journey. It seemed to be a lot longer than 120km but we finally arrived. We thought the market was close but we were wrong. We had to travel in long flat bottom boats with very long motors called hang Yao or long tailed boats. The spray from the boat was terrible and the traffic on the water was just amazing, everything from gramps or grans paddling to young children playing or the speed racers of the river. When we finally reached the Damnern floating market, we transferred to a sampan. There were so many tourists you could hardly see the local people carrying out their trades. It was a rather disappointing thing because it was so commercially geared to tourist. We then boarded the bus and were off to a teak showroom. We saw them carving furniture, some so large that it took months to finish, Teak trees are only used after 50 years of growth, and some are so large that tremendous pieces can be carved out of a single trunk. We then went to the Rose Garden Resort for lunch. It was good but not very spicy. We have been very surprised how bland the food is compared to what we call Thai in USA. We arrived back at the hotel just in time to make a quick trip to our room and meet for a trip on the Chao Phraya River, in a chang yao, which means long tailed motorboats. We had a local fruit buffet. We saw the royal barges, military installations, and a monastery where the young men go when they become monks, and the hotels along the river. We disembarked at the Shangri-La Hotel and went next door for another foot massage at the Bossotel. Frans went with us. We had to wait 15 minutes but when we returned our two masseuses from the first time were waiting for us. They treated us to a 2-hour massage including our arms, head, neck and shoulders. It was great. We went to the restaurant next door and had dinner with Frans. He had a meeting and Hugh and I walked backed to our hotel through the streets of Bangkok and even at 9 it was very busy and most of the shops were open. It was off to bed early because jet lag had finally caught up with us. Click here to see Bangkok Thailand pictures

This morning we were up early for our flight to Chaing Mai. We said goodbye to Nora at the airport and had a 1-hour flight on Thai Air. When we landed our local guide Irene met us. We took a bus to the Westin Riverside Plaza and checked in. We had lunch in the coffee shop and it was very good. After lunch we boarded the bus to tour the doi suthep and the Meo (which is also called hmong) hill tribe village people. We had to transfer to trucks to make the final climb up the mountain. It was a rough and dusty ride. The people dressed in costumes and were not considered a part of Thailand. It was very poor and the people tried to sell us handicrafts and junk. We headed down the mountain to the mountaintop Royal temple, doi suthep,(tell it is Royal by gold umbrellas at four corners. We rode a cable car to the top and saw the stuppa. It was all very beautiful some people went in to be blessed but we abstained. We then walked down the mountain and visited the Jade Orchid store. They showed us a film on jade and the different types and colors, red, light green, deep green, and orchid. After arriving back at our hotel Hugh and I swam before dressing for dinner. We went as a group to the Khantoke Dinner and cultural show. We had to take off our shoes and sit on cushions. We ate northern Thai food served in Lanna Kingdom court style. The show was very similar to the show we saw in Bangkok so we were not upset when everyone wanted to leave early. On our way out they were launching hot air Chinese type balloons that sailed so high we could hardly see them. They were lovely in the night sky. Back at the hotel we settled in for a night of rest that we very much needed.

We were up at 5:30 and had breakfast with Rich. We took a 1-hour bus ride to the working elephant camp. We purchased bananas and sugar cane to feed the elephants. They would eat the whole bunch at one time. They put on a great show, harmonica playing, bowing, sitting, trumpeting, giving a man a massage, putting hats on and off the trainers heads etc. It was very enjoyable and the elephants looked very healthy and well cared for. We then boarded the elephants for a 2-hour ride up and down mountains, over a creek and back to our camp. It was so fantastic and the elephants were so sure footed. We laughed and talked and had a great time. We then had time to pet the babies and see part of the next show. We then traveled to the Orchid farm where we saw a variety of orchids and had a family style lunch. The food was ok but the French fried pumpkins sticks were the biggest hit. We then went to the Gems gallery and it was really nice. It had a wide selection and several people made purchases. I bought a simple silver and amethyst ring and earrings. Next we went to Shinawathra Thai Silk Factory. We looked around for a short time and then went to a Teak and Rosewood furniture factory. After that we visited Prempracha's Collection Pottery. We looked at all their prize-winning pieces and then saw their celadon gallery. I purchased a small celadon elephant that is so cute you have to smile when you look at it. We went back to the hotel and Hugh and I went swimming. It was so refreshing to swim laps and really exercise. The view from the pool deck was nice. Several in our group went to the night market but were back early without too much to show from the trip. We then showered and packed. We had dinner in the River Terrace Restaurant at the hotel and went to bed early. Click here to see Chiang Mai Pictures

Today we were up at 5 am with bags out at 5:30. We had a nice breakfast and went to the airport. We said goodbye to Irene and boarded our flight to Bangkok. It was only an hour and we then transferred by bus to the international terminal. We had a long wait for our next flight and people shopped in the duty free shops, read, or just walked around for exercise. Finally at 12 we boarded our flight and arrived in Singapore at 3:30. We cleared customs and as usual we were in the slow as cold molasses line. We finally claimed our luggage, met our local guide Florence and boarded the bus to the hotel. We are staying at the Oriental and it is quite lovely. We changed some money and walked around a mall that is connected to the hotel. We then showered and dressed for dinner. We went to Bugis and had a funny Chinese style dinner. We laughed because it wasn't what we expected at all. It was in the middle of a very busy market area and we ate outside. The food was served family style. The food was fine and it was full of local color. We then got in Trishaws and had a nighttime city tour. It was so much fun, the temperature was perfect and the city was really hopping. We saw the red-light district where it was hard to tell the prostitutes from the transvestites. Hugh got some pictures. The ride ended all to soon but in a very nice location, The Raffles Hotel, famous in movies and for the Singapore sling. We made our way to a lovely old bar with live music. We had Singapore Slings and danced the night away. We were the hit of the bar and got an ovation when we left the dance floor. I don't think many people dance there. We hated to leave but back at the hotel everyone retired for the evening.

Today we got to sleep in until 7:30 and it felt really good not to be up before the sun. We had a great breakfast in the hotel and then went on a city tour. We started with The National Orchid Garden. Since 1859 orchids have been associated with the botanic gardens. There is a major orchid-breeding program. Over 700 species and 2100 hybrids are now found in the Garden's collection. This was a beautiful secluded tropical garden with a wide spectrum of every orchid hue. We all enjoyed the atmosphere and the many opportunities for photos. We next boarded our bus and traveled through the Indian area of the city, down Orchard Street with its many boutiques and hotels, through the financial district and into China town. We stopped at a wet market and walked down some of the streets. The weather is very hot and humid and we were glad to get back to the bus. We then traveled up Mt. Faber to overlook the city and also see the cable cars to Sentosa Island. The panorama was terrific and we saw an Indian bride and groom. They posed for pictures and Hugh gave them a card and promised to put the picture on his website. As we traveled, Florence gave us a history lesson on Singapore. The name Singapore means lion city. The population is 70% Chinese, 19% Indian, 4% Malaysian. Singapore was founded by the British and held until 1959. In 1942 the British were expecting an attack by the Japanese from the sea. They were fooled and the Japanese attacked from the north and held Singapore until 1945. After the city tour we went back to the hotel for lunch and a rest. At 2:30 we boarded the bus for a cruise of the harbor and outlying islands, which included high tea. The boat was a Chinese junk "Cheng Ho". It was a terrific trip and the ocean breeze felt good. We had tea and enjoyed the company of Jay and Arlee and Suzanne and Byron. We stopped at Kusu Island and walked around. The islands are used for specific things, one for a resort, one for storage of explosives, etc. On our return trip we had some rain showers but they did nothing to dim our fun. We arrived back at the hotel around 6 and rested and read for a while. We showered and dressed and walked a long way through interconnecting malls. We had a light dinner and were ready for bed by 10.

Today dawned hot and muggy (surprise, surprise). We had no itinerary but were up by 7:30. After breakfast we boarded a bus for Sentosa Island. We had a great time walking on the beach and taking the monorail around the island. The bus ride showed us a new part of Singapore that we did not see on our tour. We made it back to the hotel in time to put our bags out and take a shower. We decided to take a walk to Orchard Road. We took our time because the heat was so bad. We made it to the Ngee Plaza were they have all the major designers from all over the world. It was nice too see the way rich and famous shop but a cocktail dress made of camouflage material (actually it was silk and chiffon but still camouflage) was not worth the 2500 Singapore dollars that Christian Dior was asking. We then walked through a large Japanese department store also filled with designer boutiques. It was 6 stories and very lovely to spend time in. We then had to make a hasty walk back to the hotel to be on time for the trip to the airport. Some people took the morning to relax and Jay and Arlee went on their own to explore and also challenged the bus system and the subway. We headed back to the hotel and were so hot and tired that a 3-hour flight did not seem too bad. When we arrived at the airport we found our flight had been delayed for 45 minutes then came the announcement of a 5-hour delay. We were fed a reasonable dinner but very much enjoyed our dining companions Sue and Byron. We are still at the airport waiting for our flight. The flight finally took off at 10:25 and it was after midnight when we reached Bali. Our local guide Herry in full native costume met us. We reached our beautiful hotel, the Bali Intercontinental and checked in and went straight to bed. Singapore pictures

We were up early and after breakfast we met Herry our local guide and traveled to a silver jewelry craft shop. It was raining a bit and the shop had no electricity. The prices were not great and I didn't buy anything although several people did. We then traveled to Pura Puseh Batun, the Hindu temple of origin. Everyone had to were sarongs even the guys and we made a colorful group. This is the main Hindu temple that we saw. Women were making the reed baskets and candleholders for worship. The temple was very old and quite architecturally lovely. We then visited the Seni and Kerajinan Art Gallery where we saw carvings and furniture being made. These pieces were very intricate and made out of mahogany and rosewood. They took months to complete and were very expensive. Another bus ride took us to the beautiful terraced rice fields outside of Ubud. The bus driver made a quick stop and we all had to dash through the traffic to get to the side of the rode to make pictures. The countryside was lovely and the fields were postcard perfect. Frans and Herry the shepherded us across the rode for a quick hop back on the bus. Traffic was heavy and there was no place for a large bus.

We then went to a local restaurant for lunch. It was laid back and took forever to get served. The food was delicious and we enjoyed the meal although it cut into our shopping time in Ubud. The bus let us off at the market in Ubud and there were stalls selling everything including food, animals, carved pieces, weaving, batik, etc. We shopped quickly as Frans only gave us an hour and fifteen minutes. The bus picked us up and everyone was on time but Frans. He was ten minutes late and came aboard with a large bag he had purchased. Herry then took us to the Taman Burung Bali Bird Park. It was a lovely rainforest setting and there were a lot of different birds to see unfortunately they were not named so without Byron's expertise we would not have recognized many species. We enjoyed our visit and would have lingered longer if we had the time. We went back to the hotel to shower and change for a cultural show and buffet dinner. When we arrived the show was almost over and because of a mix up there was no buffet. We were treated to a fantastic dinner in a beachside restaurant that was open-sided and very elegant. It was called Singaraja and was the finest of our resort. We had a wonderful evening and after dinner Frans took Dottie, Jack, Linda, John, Byron, Suzanne, Hugh and I to Salsa Bar. We danced and Frans joined the band for a song. Hugh and I strolled on the beach and through the resorts gardens on our way to bed.

Today was a free day in Bali because Frans changed the hospital to tomorrow morning. After breakfast Hugh and I changed to swimsuits and hit the beach running. Some of our group took a walking tour around the grounds of our resort to see the religious sites. We walked along the lovely beach, swam, went to the pool and swam, relaxed in the sun and swam some more. We had drinks with John and Linda and Hugh tried a gin fizz, a new discovery on this trip. We walked down to the Four Seasons resort with John, Linda, Dottie, and Jack. We explored the hillside there and made our way slowly back to our hotel for lunch. The others decided to eat at the Four Seasons. Hugh and I decided to get a cab to Kuta for the afternoon and had a marvelous time exploring this quaint little surf town. There were surf shops all along the beach and in the downtown area. We had dinner at Raja's in downtown Kuta and the food was terrific. We then walked to the beach and watched the sunset. We took the long rode back to down town and explored some little shops along the way. I bought a lace pillow at Uluwatu Handmade Balinese Lace. They had some beautiful blouses and skirts. We then took a taxi back to our resort. Click here to see Bali, Indonesia pictures

This morning we were up early and off to breakfast. Hugh then left for his professional visit to Sanglah General Hospital. I had a free morning and I shopped in the hotel shops, wrote postcards and relaxed by the pool. We were already packed and when Hugh returned we had a small lunch by the pool and did our final preparations for our flight to Hong Kong. We arrived at the airport and Herry and Frans paid our departure tax and we checked our bags. Our flight took off on time and it took 4 hours to get to Hong Kong. We arrived and were met by Maria. Her English was terrific and she talked nonstop. We all loved it because she shared a lot about her city and gave us an overview of what we might want to do. We arrived at our hotel, The Great Eagle and it was right downtown Kowloon. It was late and we stayed in the rest of the evening.

After breakfast we met Maria for a city tour. We drove to Victoria Peak and we were able to see Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the Great China Sea. On our trip Maria told us about growing up in Hong Kong. She lived in government temporary housing when she was very young then her family rose to the top of the list and were able to get government housing. Five of them live in 900 sq. feet. This is not uncommon and a definite step up from the cage people, those who rent a single bed from someone and the whole family lives on it, sleep, eat, etc. The whole thing is wrapped in wire and locked up when they are not there to protect their belongings.

We then drove to Aberdeen where we took sampans around the Aberdeen floating village. We saw the world's largest floating restaurant, Jumbos, and had a great time. Our captain was a little old lady who would not dock until we had paid her. She makes quite a living at $7 a person. We next visited the Dynasty Jewellery (their spelling not mine) Manufacturer. It was lovely but their prices were much higher than in Thailand and they did not make many sales, even with our shopping group. We then traveled to Stanley Market. This was a huge area with a lot of stalls. The people were not aggressive and they had a wide variety of merchandise. Everyone I think made at least one purchase. Most of us shoppers would like to have stayed there a little longer. We then went back to the hotel where the people who wanted to travel to Mainland China tomorrow signed up for their trip. They had to get China visas, which seemed odd but Maria said you could not travel freely between China mainland and Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a Special Autonomous Region and highly regulated. Five of our group went on a Professional Visit to Dr. C. K. Lo on Nathan Rd. He is a surgeon and acupuncturists. This visit was enjoyed by all and very informative. While they were gone I went shopping with John and Linda. We went first with Frans to an optician and they got new glasses. I had him hold some frames for me. We then went to Rio Pearls and Linda purchased two strands, one pink and one gold. I purchased a pair of earring to match my grey pearl necklace. Their prices and quality was very good. We then shopped in little shops around Mody Street while John visited the Museum. Back at the hotel at 5 I met Hugh and he and I went back to the optician, Tai Kwong Optical Co., and we both bought new prescription sunglasses. The prices were less than half what we pay in the states. We had a lovely dinner at Buddy's Famous seafood on Ashley Road and the food was fresh and delicious. With our tummies full we decided to walk to the night market on Temple Street. It was amazing how many people were on the streets. The night market was a trip. Every stall had different knockoff type merchandise but for the realy big names like Chanel, Louis V, Gucci, Rolex, etc. you had to ask and they showed you on the sly. It was very secretive and the police were patrolling constantly. It was an experience and we then walked back to our hotel. Tired and happy we settled in for the night.

Today we slept in until 8:30 in anticipation of our never-ending day tomorrow. Eight people in our group left at 7 to go to Mainland China on a tour. We had a leisurely breakfast and then took the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island. The ferry service is clean, convenient, and has the fastest turn-around I can imagine. Once on the island we took the moving stairs to Hollywood Street and browsed in the antique shops. There were several pieces of furniture and leather tea caddies that we liked but after much consideration we came away empty handed. We strolled down the steep alleys of the Central Market and slowly made our way back to the Ferry. During the crossing we saw cruise ships, junks, sampans, and police boats. It is a busy harbor but also clean. Back on Kowloon we had an American lunch at The Hard Rock Cafe. It was a nice departure from Asian, Chinese, Malaysian, Etc. Hugh of course needed a nap after his pig's sandwich. While he rested I wandered around Ocean Center with its 700 shops. There was every designer I could imagine and some I never would have thought of. Needless to say I did not see each and every store. After shopping I met Hugh and we dressed for our farewell dinner with our group. We met in the lobby and walked to Jimmy's Kitchen on Ashley Road. The restaurant was lovely and the service was fast and efficient. Everyone attended but Jon and Deborah. We had great food and better company. We all discussed our favorite parts of the trip and had a great evening. We stayed late and slowly walked back to our hotel. Click here to see Hong Kong pictures

This morning we made the final check of the room and stuffed the last few things in the suitcases. After breakfast we had some free time and we took a long walk through the city park and saw lovely gardens, clean paved paths, and a huge swimming complex with indoor and outdoor pools. The shops open at 9:30 even though it was Sunday. It was overcast and drizzly, just the kind of day that made it a little easier to leave. Hugh and I did some last minute shopping at a street store and had to get out the spare suitcase when we returned to the hotel. We had made the whole trip to this point with only two suitcases. We put our bags out and prepared to go to the airport. We said goodbye to Jon and Deborah because they had a later flight. Maria accompanied us to the check-in and we said goodbye to her and also to Rich and Sandy who were flying on to Tokyo. The flight took off on time and it was long and tiring. Everyone made it back to LA healthy and after clearing customs we went our separate ways. Some flew on home today and others were spending the night. Hugh and I flew back to Cincinnati and missed our connection. We had to spend the night and we were so tired we didn't even get upset; heck it was after midnight already. We had an 11o'clock flight Monday and we were in our own home by three. Still tired but very glad we had made the journey. /susan