Today we headed north for a two-day stay in Nong Khiaw, via a 6-hour boat ride on the scenic, blue Nam Ou river. Our hosts in Nong Khiaw arranged the ride for us; this morning, they sent their friend to walk us from our hotel to the dock. A “gourmet homemade lunch” was to be […]
More cinnamon buns for breakfast. (Doubled up this time–bought two. :@) ) Had a very Seinfeldian moment. I was negotiating with a boatman for passage across the Mekong river (we wanted to take a short hike to an underground cave temple), and when all was said and done, we were paying more for the ride […]
Woke up early (6am) to see the “Saffron Circuit:” the striking procession of Louang Prabang’s 500 orange-robed monks as they walk through the Old City to collect their day’s food from local residents. But my true motivation for getting up early was the freshly baked cinnamon bun I devoured after the monks’ morning ritual. Best […]
We got married (again) on the picturesque Mekong river today. (I would marry Sara every day if I could.)
We bade good-bye to our lovely new friends, Charlie and Chris, drove to Chiang Khong and crossed into Laos. Our first observation about the country: that the tourists here are generally much more fit and attractive than those in Thailand. (Chris and Charlie are a noteworthy exception.) Had a long conversation with the interesting couple […]
We love it here in Thaton. It’s quite cold at night (but warm during the day), so today we visited the “Monday Market,” where I bought a fleece jacket. I think it’s quite fashionable; Sara thinks it makes me look like a Vietnamese rice farmer. (Photo forthcoming.)
Today’s lunch was at the all-you-can-eat buffet at the local orchid farm.
I spent today sick in bed. Danielle and Sara spent the day sightseeing and shopping, and discovered that everyone is much nicer to them when I’m not present. :-| (But maybe that’s because they overpaid for everything. :-P )
Despite it feeling like “DisneyWat,” we really enjoyed seeing the mountain temple at Doi Suthep. But today’s highlight was actually the banana waffle I ate at the bottom of the temple. We also inadvertantly pissed off a few locals today, by overpaying for the sangtheaw (small public bus) the were in. This had the unfortunate […]
On our way down the mountain (Doi Chiang Dao), we passed a small Thai military convoy headed up to destroy some nearby opium farms. The army driver stopped us to ask for directions, and our guide told them the way. (I didn’t ask how he knew the exact location of the opium fields. /:) )
Lunch today: best food of the trip, so far. Khao Soi is a Northern Thai specialty consisting of a curry coconut milk broth with egg noodles and chicken, topped with crispy dried noodles. We visited several of Chiang Mai’s temples today, and Danielle realized why velcro shoes are the footwear of choice for Wat-hopping. (Untie […]
Spent the day with our guide, Tong, who was every bit as wonderful as we’d expected. She made an indelible impression on us, taught us more about Buddhism and Thailand than we could ever hope to remember, and gave us a day full of memories. We also made an impression on her. Apparently, I’m the […]
Spent today exploring the city. I bought (and wore) a bright yellow shirt today, bearing the King’s crest and some other symbols which I hope don’t say “Kick Me” in Thai. Follow the logic of this purchase: The King of Thailand (King Rama IX) was born on a Monday Monday’s color is… yellow. Every Monday, […]
Didn’t sleep. The 22-hour flight has worn us down, and our very first sight in Thailand was the chaotic Weekend Market. (Relaxing, it ain’t.) Tonight’s dinner gets filed under “Unsuccessful International Dining.” We went to a highly recommended pad Thai restaurant–it was bustling with locals (only) so our hopes were high. Alas, not only have […]
Greetings from Thailand! We’ve just arrived in Ban Thaton, an absolutely lovely little town on the Thai-Burmese border, and we finally find ourselves with enough time to log an entry here. To keep the friction low, my goal is modest: a three-sentence blog entry each day we’re here. I’ll try to make daily updates, but […]
You know you’re in for an “exciting” vacation when…
