Chang Mai and Samui, Thailand

Chang Mai, Samui and Singapore

Chang Mai in Northern Thailand was a great place to explore. The air was cooler in Chang Mai and although it is usually fairly smoggy there we were lucky to see it in its less smoggy days. We stayed at a guesthouse in downtown Chang Mai run by a lovely couple who enjoyed having our children in their home. We were able to walk most places but at night we would take the tuk tuk to the night market to explore the shops and food options. We had a blast going to an elephant camp where we got to ride on elephants, an ox cart and then float on a raft down the Ping River. Everywhere we go we tease the kids by asking, “Is this better than Disneyland?” and most times they say “no”, but when asked the same question in Chang Mai they said “yes”. Yeah! After Chang Mai we flew to Samui and stayed on the beach where we lazed about, swimming and swinging on the big swings that hang over the ocean.

After Thailand we stopped in Singapore for a couple of days where we visited the shopping areas and basically treated ourselves to seeing a couple of movies. It reminded us of a cross between California, China, Thailand and Hawaii. We are now in Bali where we will be for Christmas and New Year. We have met several families where we are staying and for some of us it will be our first Christmas away from home. We are looking forward to winding down for the holidays.

Cambodia,

Cambodia

Cambodia boasts the enormous ruins of the temple city, Angkor Wat, and the metropolis of Angkor Thom designated UNESCO world heritage sites. The enormous scale of the ruins can take days to explore, they are spread out over hundreds of acres. Cambodia has many temple sites that are covered by the jungle and rainforest. The rich and ancient heritage of the proud people of Cambodia is overtly balanced by the visual scars of 30 years of war. In a country with a population of over 14 million people, there are still an estimated 16 million landmines left in the soil. The evidence of this is on every street corner in the form of people, and children, on crunches or prosthetic limbs. The tourist industry is relatively new to Cambodia, beginning in earnest less than 8 or 9 years ago. This means that it is a haven for travelers on a tight budget, meals and accommodations, very good meals and accommodations, are mere dollars a day. Dollars. This brings me to another observation. Cambodian currency is the Riel, and you can get Riel from the bank at the airport, but all of the ATM machines, menus hotel bills, everything is in US Dollars, and they are the preferred currency. In fact, you have to buy your tourist Visa to visit Cambodia at the airport in US Dollars, they do not accept their own currency. Makes one think……

The Khmer and Cambodian people are very friendly, and hospitable. They are a people tired of war and are pinning their future on tourism. We visited an art school in Siem Reap that was teaching traditional art forms in a very modern facility. There were also some very contemporary style galleries along the main road.

Besides Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, the boat trip to Tonle Sap was an amazing highlight. This is the largest freshwater lake in Asia, and next to tourism is the second largest economic engine in Cambodia. A thriving community of Cambodian’s and Vietnamese who escaped the Vietnam War live on Tonle Sap, there are floating homes, schools, hospitals, a church and restaurants as well as houses and Buddhist temples on “stilts” nearly 9meters high. During the monsoon season the lake swells nearly 6 times (more or less) its size now in the dry season.

Cambodia has a lot to offer and as previously mentioned is finding it’s future in tourism. As a family traveling to Siem Reap we felt very safe and well taken care of. There are many options for the traveler to stay and to eat. Riding in the tuk tuk’s is one of our favorite means of transportation and there are plenty of them. If you ask the kids what their favorite experience in Siem Reap was they won’t say the temples but they will say their fish “massage”. Cambodia will change in the next decade and if anyone wants to travel there now is the time to go, before it is overwhelmed by tourism. Let’s just put it this way, Roan said he would live on the Tonle Sap Lake…. And for Roan that’s a bold statement!

กรุงเทพมหานคร, Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok Thailand

We spent several days exploring Bangkok and the Chao Phraya River. Some of the highlights included the Temple at Wat Pho, and its enormous reclining Buddha (Roan’s favorite) the Temple of Dawn (Sam’s favorite), and the Royal Palace. Thailand has its own brand of Hindu and Buddhist traditions that are fascinating to experience within the context of greater Asia. Ani’s favorite sculptures are of the Naga, the Seven (more or less) headed serpent that is known to churn the river of milk separating the heavens from the earth and good from evil. Right now is the cold season, or dry season in Thailand, although the weather averages around 88 degrees Fahrenheit daily. The river culture and canals remind me in a strange way of Venice. Mountains of Lotus flowers and lily pads drift down the main river and gather along the sides of the canals. We celebrated Monica’s birthday by visiting the Red Cross Snake Farm where we got to see snakes being milked for their venom, and treated her to a Thai Massage and to Thai dinner. There are elements of Bangkok that are conspicuously on the “shady” side; if you look for it you will see it. We tried to see Bangkok for the beauty that it offers although the negative elements are quite obvious. Once you start to “see” the negative side it’s easy to become suspicious of the people around you, mainly the tourists. All in all we had a positive experience in Bangkok, the Thai people are very accommodating and friendly. After Bangkok we left for Cambodia, we will return to Thailand again with visits to Chang Mai and Samui.

Japan

日本国

Japan

It is our last day in Japan. Matt and I are sitting in our hotel room just outside of Kansai Airport across the bay; we purchased some wine and a beer from the Family Mart downstairs as well as snacks and Cokes for the kids as a treat. Sam, Roan and Ani just ran to their room to play. It is getting dark outside and from our hotel room on the 15^th floor we look down and see the subway and trains racing by, weaving along the tracks laid out in front of them. It makes us wonder if California or the US will ever have a system like this. It has been overcast since we made it to Japan and this afternoon the sun broke through for a while making my eyes fill with happiness and warmth. Japan is not as cold as when we were in China (-4 degrees centigrade) but still chilly enough to warrant a scarf and jacket. We traveled most the day from Kyoto to this stop and are trying to relax before we leave for Thailand tomorrow. The boys were able to get their Internet fix and Ani cuddled up on the bed to watch the movie “Bolt” on Matt’s iphone. We started our time here in Tokyo, where the neon lights shine brightly at night. Gaming places like Pachinko and Taito are everywhere where both adults and kids can play till their money runs out. We visited Asakusa to see where they sold fake foods used in the window displays at the restaurants and the Sensoji Temple as well as Akihabara, a part of Tokyo where a lot of technology is sold. We tried to mail home some plastic food Matt purchased in Asakusa along with a souvenir Sam bought, the woman said we couldn’t send food through Fed Ex… at least we purchased some good fake food! We all laughed when she finally realized it was fake. After Tokyo we traveled via Shinkasen bullet train to Kyoto. In Kyoto the mix between the traditional and contemporary blends well, modern malls mix with temples where people are actively worshipping and praying. All of the temples are beautiful and it is surreal to walk through the lobby of a 25 story hotel, through the doors of a Starbucks outside and step onto the grounds of a 16^th or 17^th century Buddhist temple or shrine, complete with burning incense, stone figurines with hand-knitted caps and capes to keep them warm in the cold, prayers tied to the trees etc. It is an incredible blend of the ultra-modern and ancient ritual. One of the highlights was a visit to the Heian Shrine in Kyoto. The gardens and ponds that surround the shrine were breathtaking especially right now with all of the leaves on the trees changing colors, vibrant oranges, reds and yellows. Sam’s favorite part of Japan is the food; sushi, tempura, udon and duck we ate at the Chinese restaurant for Thanksgiving. One word about toilets too; we have seen a lot of them in our travels. They range from the most basic, a hole in the ground, to the fantastic, here in Japan. I have to say, that having a toilet with an arm rests full of more controls than your standard TV remote is quite an adventure. I am sure some of the things the toilet can do would be illegal in many US states.

Next stop, Thailand.