We must leave the hotel before breakfast. We luck out and walk directly to the check-in counter. While there the line behind us grew significantly. In a little more than an hour we've gone from the hotel lobby to the airport lounge.
Two uneventful flights of nearly 10 hours each take us across India, Russia, Scandinavia, Greenland and far northern parts of eastern Canada.
We awoke in Bangkok at 5pm Chicago time. We arrive in Chicago at 7pm, some 26 hours later. This holiday has been quite an adventure. We're already looking for a return to Thailand and Southeast Asia.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Final Day in Bangkok
The worst part about holidays is that they come to an end all too soon. For our concerns about coming to Thailand in the beginning of the rainy season and possibly having our elephant experiences washed out, we have been blessed with incredible weather.
On our last visit we learned to use the Sky Train as a mode of transportation. It's an elevated subway. It delivers us to Siam Paragon which has obviously changed a bit from our last visit. This is the 13th largest mall in the world. Take every extremely expensive shop in the world, add to it one of the most International quality food courts, an aquarium, IMax theater and convention center and you'd have quite the mall.
We've come to have lunch and have an excellent lunch from a number of vendors.
The Sky Train delivers one to the lobby at the mezzanine level. At the top of the escalator on the next floor one is met by the Rolls Royce dealer. Are you serious? In a shopping mall? Walking farther one comes across the Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Bentley and a bunch of other super high end car showrooms. There is a sound shop where turntables (we thought they were obsolete) sell for over $100,000 USD. Who shops at a place like this?
The Sky Train delivers us to a off the tourist path neighborhood. We're in search of a Jim Thomson outlet. After successful shopping we return to the hotel where dinner and final packing for the trip home await.
CJ returns to the roof top deck to take daytime photos even though the staff is just beginning to open the facility.
On our last visit we learned to use the Sky Train as a mode of transportation. It's an elevated subway. It delivers us to Siam Paragon which has obviously changed a bit from our last visit. This is the 13th largest mall in the world. Take every extremely expensive shop in the world, add to it one of the most International quality food courts, an aquarium, IMax theater and convention center and you'd have quite the mall.
We've come to have lunch and have an excellent lunch from a number of vendors.
The Sky Train delivers one to the lobby at the mezzanine level. At the top of the escalator on the next floor one is met by the Rolls Royce dealer. Are you serious? In a shopping mall? Walking farther one comes across the Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Bentley and a bunch of other super high end car showrooms. There is a sound shop where turntables (we thought they were obsolete) sell for over $100,000 USD. Who shops at a place like this?
The Sky Train delivers us to a off the tourist path neighborhood. We're in search of a Jim Thomson outlet. After successful shopping we return to the hotel where dinner and final packing for the trip home await.
CJ returns to the roof top deck to take daytime photos even though the staff is just beginning to open the facility.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Chiang Mai to Bangkok
It's a lazy morning. CJ is off to have a look at the nearby riverside Anantara hotel which is spectacular if not a bit lacking in character. Even though a mere two blocks from our hotel it sits on the banks of the River Ping.
Between our hotel and the Anantara is a temple. This is a busy working temple with many locals praying and some blessing their food. The temple spans to the river where there are a restaurant and river cruise concession on the banks of the Ping River.
CJ manages a quick 10 full laps of the pool while Carol completes the packing.
We have three options to go to the airport. A $6 taxi, $13.50 for the hotel van or $20 gets you the antique Mercedes. Check out this speedometer from 1966.
An afternoon flight returns us to Bangkok. So far the exterior painting of the planes on Thai Air, Thai Smile, and Bangkok Airlines are among the most decorative and colorful in the world.
Suvarnabhumi is a beautiful and efficient airport. Whereas most places would put parking or administrative buildings between the terminals, here they have beautiful Thai themed gardens.
Between our hotel and the Anantara is a temple. This is a busy working temple with many locals praying and some blessing their food. The temple spans to the river where there are a restaurant and river cruise concession on the banks of the Ping River.
CJ manages a quick 10 full laps of the pool while Carol completes the packing.
We have three options to go to the airport. A $6 taxi, $13.50 for the hotel van or $20 gets you the antique Mercedes. Check out this speedometer from 1966.
An afternoon flight returns us to Bangkok. So far the exterior painting of the planes on Thai Air, Thai Smile, and Bangkok Airlines are among the most decorative and colorful in the world.
Suvarnabhumi is a beautiful and efficient airport. Whereas most places would put parking or administrative buildings between the terminals, here they have beautiful Thai themed gardens.
We are welcomed back to the Marriott with the same spectacular suite room only on a different corner of the building so that we have a change of scenery. Dinner is taken in the concierge lounge. The staff has insisted that we take in the rooftop bar. In the dark it can be a scary place with glass panels forming the wall at the edge of the roof; and only so tall as to allow people seated at the tables to see over the top unimpeded. The views from this 50th floor location are incredible.
The night ends with a drink in the concierge lounge with the incredible hostess, Aey. She even remembered our drink preferences from our stay last week.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Chiang Mai Adventure Day
A tale of two adventures. While CJ is off enjoying the
Flight of the Gibbon™
The van climb to our destination ends with over 120 serpentine curves up the mountain. No one said anything about motion sickness medication. Somehow CJ survives.
This operation has the longest zip line run in Asia at 800 meters or a half mile. It also has the superman run where you zip line hooked by your back and fly like superman and instead of landing on a platform, land in a net like Ranger training. For your continued enjoyment, there's the Indiana Jones bridge! All in all 18 zip lines, 3 sky bridges, and 2 Abseils (repelling).
CJ's group consists of a family of four from San Francisco, a couple from Perth, and a woman from Seattle.
Shortly after crossing the first sky bridge, there is a small gibbon population consisting of both white and black gibbons.
The 800 meter run comes directly after the gibbon encounter. This is a screaming fast run; so fast that for CJ's size a second brake is added to keep from killing the guide on the catching end.
The van climb to our destination ends with over 120 serpentine curves up the mountain. No one said anything about motion sickness medication. Somehow CJ survives.
This operation has the longest zip line run in Asia at 800 meters or a half mile. It also has the superman run where you zip line hooked by your back and fly like superman and instead of landing on a platform, land in a net like Ranger training. For your continued enjoyment, there's the Indiana Jones bridge! All in all 18 zip lines, 3 sky bridges, and 2 Abseils (repelling).
CJ's group consists of a family of four from San Francisco, a couple from Perth, and a woman from Seattle.
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| Look ma, no hands |
Shortly after crossing the first sky bridge, there is a small gibbon population consisting of both white and black gibbons.
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| Sky bridges are not a preferred path |
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| White gibbon center of picture |
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| White gibbon comes to feed |
CJ began crossing the Indiana Jones sky bridge and the poor woman in the middle started bouncing up and down violently. He had to stop and let her get off the bridge.
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| A bit more challenging than it looks; Don't look down |
At this point some of the zip lines cross over and under one another. We keep seeing the next group zooming by on the 800 meter run. Note the legs of someone zooming past at the top of the picture while the boy in blue is in CJ's group.
Next we come across Superman!
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| Heading belly down and head first into the net |
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| First of two repelling stations |
Following our "flight", a Thai lunch was served accompanied by this Thai musical group.
There were 21 hairpin turns to the start of the zip lines; 40 returning for lunch, another 12 each way to the waterfall and the 140 on the return down the mountain. Thai food must really agree with CJ if he didn't lose the groceries during these runs up and down the mountain.
Carol musters enough energy to make it through happy hour and a light dinner at the hotel.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Chiang Mai
The hotel's 1965 Mercedes 230S delivers us across the old city to the biggest temple complex in the city. From here our walk takes us along the moat that surrounds the old city of Chiang Mai to one corner where parts of the old wall remain.
We explore the primary park within the old city. Cold coconut milk from a fresh coconut is refreshing. The park is a nice mix of a lake, trees, green area and exercise equipment. We take in numerous additional temples and depart the old city through one of its main gates.
Another tuk tuk delivers us back to the Sunday walking market where we explore a bit, have dinner and then walk until we're ready to drop. We don't walk all that far but fighting a crowd of literally thousands is difficult. This is a very popular market and CJ is surprised by the quantity of non-Asians in the city. The market runs the length of the old city; into every temple complex, and as far as one can see on the major cross road at the center of the city.
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| New pagoda under construction |
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| Sunday prayers |
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| One of the city corners |
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| Fresh coconut juice straight from the coconut |
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| Unique wooden waden |
A tuk tuk provides the ride back to the hotel where we take a welcome dip in the pool; actually a couple of dips.
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| Tuk Tuk |
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| Grilled whole squid |
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| Quails roasting |
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| Sunday Walking Market |
Golden Triangle to Chiang Mai
Today is moving day. Between breakfast and an early lunch CJ takes some final pictures.
High above the resort up the path past our room complex is an open plateau serving as a viewing area, shrine, and relaxation location. From this point one gets wonderful views. In the picture immediately below taken in Thailand one sees Thailand on the left of the Ruak River in the foreground, Casino Paradise in Myanmar with the red roof just on the other side of the Ruak, Myanmar the wooded area on the right, the Mekong River in the background and Laos on the other side of the Mekong.
As we arrived back at the resort on the elephants we did not have cameras. We were coming up the walk and were riding above the roof line shown. The was only this tiny doorway to the right and we had fat elephants and our legs outside of that. We had to make a 180 degree right followed by an immediate 90 degree left. Not sure how but we still have our legs and the doorway is still there!
After taking some last minute pictures, our driver begins the four hour ride to Chiang Mai at noon. Four hours later we arrive at the Ping Nakata hotel.
Today will be a lazy day after hectic yesterday and the long drive. We take dinner in the hotel and crash early.
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| Our room the two peaks in the center |
High above the resort up the path past our room complex is an open plateau serving as a viewing area, shrine, and relaxation location. From this point one gets wonderful views. In the picture immediately below taken in Thailand one sees Thailand on the left of the Ruak River in the foreground, Casino Paradise in Myanmar with the red roof just on the other side of the Ruak, Myanmar the wooded area on the right, the Mekong River in the background and Laos on the other side of the Mekong.
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| Laos on the left, Myanmar in the center, Thailand to the right |
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| How did the elephants get through here? |
Today will be a lazy day after hectic yesterday and the long drive. We take dinner in the hotel and crash early.
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