Over the water!

St Helens with Rainer in the background

Beautiful Mt Rainier!

We knew we were home when Mt Hood came into view!

The journey home started at 11:55 PM on January 22 as we departed Chiang Mai, bound for Incheon International Airport, near Seoul, South Korea.  We arrived about 6 AM after having crossed two time zones.  Anticipating the 10 hour flight across The Water at 6 that night, we booked a room with a bed and shower (and NOT much else) and slept, showered and emerged fresh and ready for the second and longest leg of the trip.  We flew through the darkness and awoke to Washington in the distance.  With little time to spare, we booked through immigration; picked up our luggage; made it through customs; dropped the luggage with airport ground crew and hustled to our gate, just in time to board the Portland flight.  The air was crisp, the sky was blue and we were happy to be on our way home!   

Krabi Town Highlights

True story!

Jane, Larry & Jerry at our hotel



 

Monkeys in the mangroves

We've spent our third week in Krabi Town, a bustling metropolis on the Southern Thailand coast on the Andaman Sea.  Our adventures have included a day-long tour of five islands, a sunset river cruise, shopping at the night market and at shops along the streets of the city center.  The food continues to WOW us...though we are looking forward to a Burger King meal at the Chiang Mai airport this evening and a good old fashioned American breakfast tomorrow!  We all feel a little bit like how the poor, frightened puffer fish pictured below appears!


Puffer fish at the fish farm

Jerry, Maut & Jane

River dwelling

River cruise sunset

Bonnie & her buddy

Jerry & Maut living the good life on the front deck of Maut,s long tail boat!

The Long Tail Boat Cruise

January 17, 2014

Has Larry found religion?

The boat hostess serving refreshments!

 Today. we hired a "long tail" boat to take us around some islands off the coast outside the seaside town of Krabi.  It was quite an adventure!  The boat's long tail is created by a 10 foot long extension of pipe which connects a car engine perched on the back of the boat to a prop, and was expertly maneuvered by the ship's barefoot captain.  The floor of the boat was bamboo, which hid water sloshing below, created by seepage at seams around the water line.   Lunch was provided at a restaurant on one of the islands.  The six of us waded back to the boat through water that (for me) was waist deep.  I wonder if this was for the amusement of the captain and his friends????  We were rewarded with a dessert of fresh fruit as we motored back to shore.   The scenery was breath-taking!

 

AMAZING geologic formations!

Ha Long Bay Vietnam

Our three day cruise in and around Halong Bay was a highlight of our trip to Vietnam.  The crew was charming and attentive to our every need.  The food was delectable.  The company was delightful!  We kayaked, biked and "spelunked".  VERY fun!

Breathtaking rock formations!

Our luxury cruise ship

Drummed onto our ship!

Mike enjoying a refreshing beverage!

Larry preparing to depart the harbor

Dining in style!

Nap Time!

New shawl; comfy cabin, happy traveler!

Romantic moments!

Krabi, Southern Thailand

We arrived here in Krabi yesterday afternoon; settled into our hotel and took a short rest. Dinner was the most AMAZING meal so far!  (Well, maybe the Indian food in Hanoi was a close match)

This is a lovely coastal town on the Southern Thailand peninsula.  The weather is soft and warm.  The bird calls are unfamiliar and exotic......

A view of the mountains surrounding Karabi

Another view of the mountains surrounding Krabi

Rooftop water garden

And HOW FAR are we from Oregon????




Food Glorious FOOD!

THIS is Maya!  Daughter of Mike &Kay

Noodles!  All kinds of vegetable dishes!  Coconut Ice Cream!  Sticky Rice with Mango!  Thai coffee! Tom Yum Soup!  Curry Dishes!  Papaya Salad!  Pad Thai!  Thai Omelettes!  Spring Rolls!   



 

We are off to the airport heading for the Southern Thailand coast!  Here are some photos I promised!

I can't remember the names of the dishes, so they all are simply labeled "delicious Thai food"

Thai and Vietnamese Currency

January 9, 2014
One of the challenges of traveling from country to country is figuring out the currency.  It's easy to get confused and not really understand prices of items offered for sale.


In Thailand, 30 "baht" is about equal to one US dollar, depending upon the exchange rate.  On the OTHER hand, one US dollar is equivalent to 20,000 Vietnamese "dong".  It is not unusual for the dinner bill for the six of us to total over a MILLION dong!  Larry and I bought a lovely original watercolor painting yesterday for 400,000 dong or $20 US.  The most common Vietnamese bill is the 100,000 dong.  US currency is sometimes accepted in shops, but it MUST look crisp and new or it will be rejected!