Second Day at Sea Northern Caribbean (Monday, January 11th, 2016)

When I first woke up this morning, I looked out the window and there was dense fog. That certainly didn’t give me a reason to want to get up, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. At about 8:00, I tried it again. This time when I looked out, the fog had lifted, but now I can see water running down our window. 

I guess this means that it’s time to blog since I don’t need to rush to the poolside chairs to get a tan. My sweet husband ran up to the lido deck and grabbed us both some coffee to drink as I sat her and typed. He’s just that kind of guy! Whether we’re on a cruise ship or in a hotel, he always makes a coffee run for us while I’m getting ready. He’s so sweet!

It was a nice leisurely day, since the rain decided to stick with us. The back pool deck has a retractable roof, so during the night last night they closed the roof. 

The 18 and over pool,with the retractable roof closed

It makes the area a bit humid, but very comfortable in a rain storm. It is an 18 and over area, so we could just spend the day by the pool, in and out of the hot tub, relaxing. Our daughter is still not feeling great today. She feels good for a while and then goes back to feeling bad. We feel sorry for her, but it makes us happy that our days are relaxing and not crazy busy.  Hopefully she will feel better when we get to our first port.

For lunch today, Steve and I both went to the Guy Fiery Burger Bar. This is a relatively new option being offered on the Carnival Freedom ship.  They hand make your burger for you, and then have a topping bar with lots of yummy toppings.  It's way more food than I can eat, but a great treat!

And our daughter enjoyed another gluten free pizza, hand made just for her!

Although it's rainy, its really quite comfortable outside, so we spent some time on the outer decks just enjoying the day.

A view of the retractable roof from the outside.  We love this!

Plenty of people in the main pool area, even though it's raining

As we walked to the front of the ship, we could see the next big rain storm approaching, so we decided to once again head inside for awhile.

We opted for an afternoon game of blackjack

and a little afternoon snack of ceviche and bar-b-qued octopus

Again tonight, Steve and I got ready first, then left the room to go sit at the back bar while our daughter got ready. We have really enjoyed talking to Suriya the bar tender at the back lido bar. When our daughter was ready tonight, she met us at our usual spot, and we all headed up to the promenade deck to watch an acoustic guitar player. He was really good and brought in a pretty good crowd.

The great thing about rain during the day is beautiful skies at night!

We headed to another nice dinner in the dining room. After dinner instead of heading to comedy, we went with our dinner table mates to the theater to watch the nightly show. It was called 88 Keys, and started out as a piano bar, but then turned into a complete singing and dancing show, based on the piano. It was a really good show. 

When the show was over, we headed to the headliner for a little more Sheila Kay comedy before turning in for the night.  When we got to the room tonight, we were greeted by another towel friend to keep us company through the night.

How does the housekeeping staff have time for this???

Thailand - Flight from Bangkok to Los Angeles (Saturday, November 16th, 2015)

We had a chance to sleep in this morning for the first time in almost three weeks.  Oh my did that feel good!  

We finally got up and enjoyed our breakfast in Bangkok at the Century Park Hotel where this whole adventure began. Many of the people from our tour were in the dining room so we had one final chance to say goodbye before returning to our room for showers and packing.  

As we looked out our hotel window, we noticed some construction on the roof of the temple below us.  They were re-roofing it, using the same bamboo scaffolding we have seen so many times before, only this time, it was set up on a slanting roof.

Nothing scary about this right?!!

Crazy!

All of the hotels we have stayed in for the last three weeks have had the blowdryers hidden away in drawers, so we would go on an adventure each morning to find the blow dryer.  So this morning when I got out of the shower, I started going through drawers looking for the blowdryer.  Steve started the search as well but was also unsuccessful.  So Steve went on the search for our housekeeper.  He found her in the hall not far from our room, and started doing sign language for the blowdryer.  She immediately pulled out a toilet plunger (that must be the most common issue she runs into), but thankfully that wasn't our issue, so next she pulled out a spare bottle of water, but that didn't help either.  Steve finally got her to understand that it was the blow dryer, so she followed him back to the room, thinking that ours was broke.  She walked into the bathroom, pulled the blow dryer off the wall in the bathroom, where it had been conspicuously stored the entire time, and turned it on.  It worked like a charm.  

At this point, we realized how tired we must really be, and were so embarrassed that we didn't see it there, so we quickly gave her a nice tip and sent her on her way.  We both laughed so hard after she left that we didn't see it right there on the wall!  

While I finished getting ready Steve ran out and picked up our final iced mocha of the trip from 7-11 just down the street from our hotel.  We bought coffee in every city we visited, and some of them were quite expensive, but none of them even came close to being as good as the double shot mochas we got in Bangkok at the 7-11.  Amazingly enough, they have a true espresso machine that they use to make them.  And the only 7-11 where we could find coffee was in Bangkok.  None of the 7-11's in the other towns we visited had the machines.....darn!  And the best part was that they cost us 30 baht each, less than $1.00.  Oh are we going to miss these!!

Once we were packed up, we made our way down to the lobby, checked out of our room, and waited for our airport transport.

Hotel checkout was at 12:00 and so we waited in the lobby for our our shuttle to arrive at the hotel at 12:30.  In true Gate-1 fashion our driver showed up about 15 minutes early and came into the lobby looking for us.  Once he found us, he pulled up the van and we got in, so it was such an easy morning.  We were on our way to Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

The Bangkok International Departure terminal is very big but very easy to navigate.  We walked in and looked for the departure screen.  It lists departure time, followed by flight number and then check-in counter.  We proceeded to our check-in counter for our boarding pass and to check our luggage.  They were also able to check our seat assignments  and luggage all the way through to Los Angeles.  As we worked our way through the airport, we had to show our boarding passes and passports four different times, so we learned to just keep them handy.

The Bangkok International Departures Terminal is very big

As we entered the international departure terminal, we were greeted by signs to help us find our way.

The departure screen

Our flight is the third one down, flight CZ3082.  We were directed to isle "U" for our check-in counter

The bright yellow signs mark the check-in rows

Once we found our check-in row, we just looked for the China Southern Check-in windows

The international departure terminal is beautiful!

Looking for our gate.  Not a bad view!

Our China Southern plane left Bangkok at 3:35 pm and landed in Guangzhou, China at 7:20 pm (on-time). We had a two-hour layover in Guangzhou, and were supposed to take off again at 9:30 pm, but we had a medical issue on our flight after one of the passengers got hit in the head by a bag.  

We spent about an hour at the gate as the doctors examined the passenger and finally gave her clearance to fly.  The flight crew took good care of us as we sat waiting for our takeoff.  The plane was air conditioned the entire time, and the flight crew provided drinks if we wanted them.  Our pilot made up much of the lost time in flight, still allowing us to arrive on time in Los Angeles, California at about 6:30 pm on November 16th (the same day we left Bangkok).

Our flight home was interesting, in that we remained on Asia time for most of the flight.  When we boarded the flight, it was about 9:20pm.  After we got in the air, they fed us a nice meal, and then at about midnight, we settled ourselves for sleep.  So we ended up sleeping for most of the flight, then when we awoke, they fed us a nice breakfast, we flew awhile longer, and then landed in Los Angeles at about 6:30 pm. 

We collected our luggage without issue at the carousel: 

One of our bags that held all our worldly possessions for the last three weeks!

We called the hotel shuttle as we made our way through the airport, so he was waiting for us when we exited the airport.  Again, we will stay a night at the Holiday Inn Express in Los Angeles before heading home on Southwest Airlines tomorrow morning. 

We received a text from our oldest daughter (she is trying to fly out of Denver International Airport today to go see her husband for Thanksgiving), and she said that they aren't allowing many flights into the airport due to the weather.  They are trying to get as many flights out as possible, so she is hoping to get out okay.

Our daughter will drive out and leave the car at The Parking Spot (an offsite parking lot for airport travelers).  We will then fly in tomorrow and pick it up.  We all get nice trips, and only have to pay for a day of parking.  Not bad!  She just sends us a picture of where the car is parked, and we let the shuttle driver know.

Although we slept through most of the flight, when we got to the hotel, it was time to sleep again.  And believe it or not, we were ready for more sleep.  But even more importantly at this point, we were both really hungry.  

Unfortunately there are no restaurants very close to our hotel, except for McDonald's, which is right across the street, so for the first time in probably 15+ years, I was treated to a McDonald's cheeseburger and fries.  Since I am kind of a health food nut, I struggled with this concept a little bit, but hunger won out.  It was such a big day in our lives that we even sent a picture to our girls, who thought the world must be coming to an end with mom eating McDonald's!!!!

This sure isn't Thai fast food!

We got a good laugh out of our dinner and headed back to the hotel.  We're very tired, but mostly just mixed up on our time.  I'm sure it will take a little time to get back to normal, but for now we'll try and get a good night's sleep.

Thailand Travel to Chiang Rai ( Tuesday, November 10th, 2015)

Our hotel in Sukhothai was off by itself, completely away from town, so eating at the hotel was our only option.  

The view across from our hotel.  So beautiful but not a lot of dining options

As always, breakfast was included in our stay and was offered from 6:00 am to 10:00 am.  It was very good, so the fact that it was our only option wasn't a problem.  

We didn't get into our hotel until late last night, so I wasn't able to take pictures until this morning.  It was exciting to walk out my hotel room door this morning and see this beautiful organic garden that they use in the restaurant.  That makes me happy!

Right outside my front door!

The front of the hotel

One of the pools

The hotel is indoor/outdoor, with beautiful walkways throughout

The reception area

The lily ponds

The dining room in the background

The other pool

The bar, she is straightening up for the day

The library and wi-fi area

 After we finished breakfast and I did a little picture taking, we departed Sukothai and took a scenic drive to Chaing Rai, the northernmost province of Thailand. 

Our luggage always travels separate from us and since we make so many fun stops along the way, it is always waiting for is in our room with we get to our next hotel. 

Each morning we just take a quick look to make sure that our luggage got picked up, and then we can load the bus

Pong, the taller man is our driver, and Yut is our bus boy.  They take great care of us everywhere we go.

We rotate seats each day to ensure that everyone gets their turn at the front of the bus and today was our turn to have the front seat.  Mike always points out interesting facts to us as we drive along, and one of our interesting facts today was that trash cans in northern Thailand are made from worn out tires.  This was the governments way of finding a useful purpose for them.  

Our drive today was only 250 miles and the roads are great, but it takes a long time to go that far because there is a lot of traffic on the highways so we are always waiting to pass something.  

Some sort of farm tractor

Rather common traffic on the highways in northern Thailand

More traffic to try to get through

Even the dogs get in on the action

The drivers are very courteous, and if they are going too slow, they will help the car (or bus in our case) behind them to pass them safely by using their blinkers and brake lights.

Because of the neighboring countries that Thailand shares borders with, there has been a problem with drug trafficking in northern Thailand.  About 300 tons of drugs come through Thailand each year, with about 250 tons coming in from Burma (now Myanmar) and the other 50 tons coming in from Laos.  So as we moved further north, we saw more and more drug check points.  About 30 years ago, the drug lords had control of Chiang Rai, but they now have it under control.  There is now a death sentence for selling or trafficking drugs in Thailand.  

One of many drug checkpoints we encountered as we got further north in Thailand

Steve asked Mike about health insurance in Thailand, and he told us that it costs about 600 baht per year.  If you have a small procedure, you usually pay it out of pocket, but larger procedures are covered.  There is also an allowance of 3000 baht per night if you are admitted to the hospital.  

Our first rest stop this morning was not opened when we arrived, but they were very happy to see us and quickly opened up when they saw us.  They had a lot of interesting old buildings that we could look around as we stretched our legs.

Shops, restrooms and a museum at our first stop

This phonograph was in the museum

 It was about 82 degrees F and 97% humidity at this stop, and our bus drivers was so cold that he had to put on his sweatshirt and hood.  We all got a kick out of it.  

Poor guy!  It was too rainy and cold for him.  Note the steering wheel is on the other side of the vehicle!  Thailand also drives on the opposite side of the road when compared to the US. 

Northern Thailand is about 2000 feet above sea level.  The highest mountain peak is about 6000 feet.  

The farmland of northern Thailand is so pretty

As we headed north, we also started seeing a lot of teak wood trees.  For a long time in Thailand, the lumber industry of teak had been out of control, removing many of the large teak trees from the area, but the government finally put a stop to it, and made lumbering of wild teak illegal.  Awhile after teak lumbering was outlawed, the government decided that they would allow Thai people to remove the stumps of teak trees that had been previously cut, so Thai people started getting creative, and using the stubs and roots of the old trees to create furniture.  So another one of Mikes surprises was to stop at one of these furniture shops to look at the very unique furniture.

The first thing I noticed as we entered the workshop was dinner on the grill.  A huge toad.

And then I noticed the gorgeous furniture in the making

Here they are doing the rough cutting and sanding

The view from their workshop

A very interesting root

These women do the fine sanding

The only teak wood that can be cut now is farm grown teak.  They plant it and thin it in cycles, to allow the trees to grow as big as possible before they are cut for wood.  As we wound through the rain forest of northern Thailand, we made a stop a furniture building shop.  It was an incredible operation with a kiln for drying the wood, and a huge workshop for turning the roots into furniture.  

Also along the road, we kept seeing plants that kind of looked like marijuana, although we knew that they weren't.  We finally asked Mike what they are, and he said that they are tapioca plants.  

A tapioca field

The leaves up close

 So we also stopped at a tapioca farm.  Mike and Yut pulled up a tapioca plant to show us the root.  The root is what is used to make the tapioca.  It can be easily peeled, and must be crushed and exposed to the sun to release sianide that is naturally found in the root.  Once the root is allowed to dry for awhile it can be ground into tapioca flour.

Mike and Yut pulling up a tapioca plant to get to the root

Mike showing us the tapioca root.  They are usually much longer, but they broke this one off

And there was a huge termite hill also

We also saw mushroom stands on the side of the road

And bamboo sticks lying by the road to dry.  They will be used for weaving baskets

My favorite sighting though was a water buffalo.  They used to be very common in northern Thailand since they were used to pull the farming equipment.  But now machines have replaced most of them.

Steve holding the weight of Buddha in his hand

Our lunch stop today was almost 1/2 way to Chiang Rai in the town of Phrae which is known for teak wood and furniture.  We went to an out of the way little restaurant where they had set up a nice area for us, kind of off by ourselves.  They brought out several different dishes for lunch, including rice, pork omelet, stir fried vegetables with shrimp, broccoli with beef and snow peas and fruit for dessert. 

Our lunch spot

All set up and ready for us

Mike and our bus men ordered their own food, which was quite different than ours.  It was prepared in Issan style and was much spicier than what we were eating.  He called Steve and I over to take a try of it since he knows that we like spicy food.  It was a green papaya salad that was delicious.  I think we like it even more that what we were eating because it had a nice bite to it.  

Mike said that if we are ever in the south of Thailand we need to order Plar Tod Namplar.  It is fried shrimp in fish sauce and he said that he thinks we would like it a lot.  He said to also try the steamed crab, but he warned us not to eat the crab in the north part of Thailand because it is often not cooked and will make us sick.

Our next stop was a home where they make clothing from indigo dye.  To make the indigo dye, they mix ash in water in huge drums.  The drums have very small holes in the bottom that allow the water to very slowly leak out.  (This ash water is how they keep the dye from fading).  They then mix the ash water with limestone and mix it by hand until it becomes foamy.  They pour this mixture onto broken twigs from the ingido tree and let it sit for a long time.  The indigo branches will eventually turn the water blue, and this becomes the dye.  Next, they add a pattern to plain white fabric by dipping a metal stamp into hot parafin.  They give it a hard shake, and then stamp the fabric.  They continue this until an entire bolt of fabric has been stamped.  Once the parafin cools, they dip the stamped fabric into the indigo dye.  When they first pull it out, it looks green, but as it dries, it turns a beautiful blue.  

Preparing the fabric:

A large stamp with hot parafin wax is stamped onto plain white fabric, usually in a pattern

Here she is making a huge piece

I am selecting my small piece of cloth to try stamping

I'm stamping on the hot wax

And ta da, a small elephant stamp

Next we will make the natural indigo dye:

A branch of the indigo tree

Water with ash soaking in it

Mixing the ash water with limestone

Soaking the indigo stems and leaves in the limestone water

Dipping the waxed fabric into the indigo dye.  When it first comes out, it has a green hue to it, but as it sits in the air, it turns blue.

Hanging the fabric out to dry

As we continued on our way through northern Thailand, we ran into some rain, and when it rains, it really rains.

Our next stop was for coffee and wine in the City of Phayao.  This city has a beautiful lake, and would be a wonderful place to spend some time.  

We'll take one of everything please

The coffee shop we stopped at had very nice restrooms and fabulous coffee.  They made the most beautiful designs in their hot lattes, and no two are alike!

After we finished our coffee, Mike had one of the local women prepare us a Thai delicacy called jumping shrimp salad.  The woman first mixed up the spices in a bowl.  It was a combination of roasted rice, coriander, onion, red chili and lime. She then added little tiny live prawns (they were about 1 inch long). They were prawns from Lake Phayao.  She mixed them all up in the spices and many of them kept jumping out of the bowl, and then you just eat them....live.  

We're all watching intently as she adds the shrimp

Doesn't that look tasty?  Unfortunately, you can't see them jumping but you can in the video below!

It really wasn't bad, it just freaked me out!

Steve and I both tried it, and it was actually delicious (which you certainly can't tell from my face), but I really didn't like them jumping in my mouth.  That part bothered me a lot, but I'm really glad that I at least tried it.

The link below is pretty funny and shows everyone's reaction to the salad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8GgPx7uaf4

We also asked Mike where the bus driver and bus boy stay at night.  He said that they pull the bus into a place with electricity and showers, and that they bunk in the bus.  They stay with their bus all night to ensure that nothing happens to it, but also it doesn't cost them anything that way.  

Our final fun fact of the day is that it takes a banana tree about 3 months to produce bananas after you plant it.  Once a stalk produces bananas, you cut it off at the ground and a new stalk will grow and produce more bananas.

We pulled into our hotel,  Le Meridien in Chaing Rai at about 5:00, which gave us some time to ourselves before dinner.  Dinner was a beautiful buffet served from 6:00 to 10:00 so we could explore the hotel a little bit and go down for dinner at our leisure.

  It was a fabulous display of food to choose from.  



Although all of our hotels have exceeded our expectations, Le Meridien is definitely the nicest of them all.  We only have two nights here, so we will have to make the most of it.

We took a walk to look around the neighborhood, and we saw construction on a building down the block.

Bamboo scaffolding, many stories high

We are truly loving our time in northern Thailand!