Sawasdee

Sawasdee/sawatdee kha (in English the Thai greeting is spelled differently depending on who you're reading - also men would say khrap at the end of the greeting)!

Did you think, "Wow-Gloria has a typo in the year?"  Actually that's right...the year here in Thailand is 2558.  If you want to know more about that, follow this link: http://www.thaiworldview.com/feast/feast.htm

First - a confession...even though my mantra (from Yogi Bhajan) is "Travel light, live light, spread the light, be the light"...I am a TERRIBLE packer & came with way too much stuff!  2nd - I made an error in the time difference between Atlanta and Bangkok - we are 11 hours apart (not 12) due to DST.  On November 1st, we will revert back to 12 hours apart.

Bangkok was a bit of a blur!  I was jet-lagged & had so many urgent things to do, that I wasn't able to do much touristy stuff in the 3 days that I had.  Instead I went back to our old soi (street).  Wow - things have really changed.  It used to be a sleepy little soi tucked away from the busy main drag.  The main drag has kidnapped it - now it's full of bars and hotels.  I couldn't even find our old apartment building!  I also went to the school building where Marc & Lauren received 5 years of excellent education.  It's no longer the same school, but someone was nice enough to take me around and let me take a few pictures.  Brought back fond memories~

The best time I had when I was in Bangkok was meeting up with our former family dentist, Dick, (from 25 years ago), and his friend, Brian, who was visiting from Alaska.  What lovely men!  We started the evening at happy hour on the rooftop of my hotel and ended up going out to dinner afterwards.  It was great to re-connect with him, and to meet his friend!

Me & Dick

I have done a lot of walking and sweating of late.  It's going to take me some time to acclimate to Thai weather.  But - I'm not complaining because yesterday and today have been 2 wonderful days!  Han (another lovely man) showed me around Chiang Mai.  I learned that I live next door to the compound where Anna's son (of Anna & the King) built 4 teak houses. The one that Anna's son lived in has just been restored and is now called 137 Pillars House. Here's the website: http://www.snhcollection.com/137pillarshouse/

Also next door is Hinlay's Curry House - we had delicious pumpkin curry and vege stir-fry with yellow rice.  Here's a website that talks about this restaurant - http://chiangmaibest.com/hinlay/

After lunch, we visited Wat Gate (Wat Ket Karam) - Gate Temple, which just happens to be right around the corner from my new home.  Could not have asked for a better location...many thanks to my friend, Angela, for the accommodation recommendation.

Han at Gate Temple

For all my dog loving friends...I learned that this temple was dedicated to people born in the year of the dog.  Every day dogs come to the temple to be fed. And...there are many dog statues all around the temple compound.

After Wat Gate, we went to Meeting Room Art Cafe, which is a very relaxing coffee shop that houses the works of local artists.  We stayed there a long time sipping iced Cafe Lattes, talking and relaxing.  Later we walked around the old town a bit, then went our separate ways.

My Home - I live in a very large 1 bedroom/2 bath apartment on a relatively quiet soi.  It is very comfortable, and not too far from supermarkets, restaurants, and the Mae Ping River. 

Today 5 of us went on a moonlight hike up to Wat Palad.  We saw the waterfalls, walked around the temple and saw the city under the moonlight.  Everything about it was beautiful!  Here's a website that talks about Wat Palad.  http://www.travelfreak.net/wat-palad-chiang-mai/ - I'll include my pictures next week:-)

Thanks to Han, I have lots of wonderful upcoming events for the week ahead!  Stay tuned...

Sawatdee kha - have a nice week!

Update & bon voyage

Wow - the beach is so healing!   My siblings and I had 4 wonderful days of eating, shopping and just hanging out in Myrtle Beach.  We laughed so much!  Great fun:-)  Here's a picture of me, two of my siblings, and my sister-in-law (Lawrence, who lives in Myrtle Beach, is missing:-(

Me, James, Shirley & Kris at Myrtle Beach

This has been my week of "so longs until next year."  It has been packed full with wonderful social events. I am one of the luckiest people on the planet because I have a wonderful family and great friends.  Family and friends...thank you all for your support!  I don't know how I would survive without you*heart.*

I fly out tomorrow around noon.  I just looked closely at my ticket...and realized that I have a 15 hour flight to Seoul, Korea and a 5 hour flight to Bangkok.  That's a lot of flying!  Time-wise, Thailand is 12 hours ahead...so when it's 8:30 a.m. here, it's 8:30 p.m. there.  I arrive in Bangkok on Tuesday 9/22 at 9:10 p.m.

Where will you stay?
I'll be at a hotel in Bangkok for 3 nights.  My flight to Chiang Mai is scheduled for Friday afternoon.  In Chiang Mai I'll be staying in a 1 bedroom efficiency apartment for 3 months.

One small correction from last week's post.  Han told me that he is not really a tour guide but organizes and plans travel programs, and introduces people to local guides.  Works for me!

As of tomorrow, my cell phone (4842) will revert to text only when WiFi is available.  I will not be able to receive calls.  For those of you who have WhatsApp or Viber, you can easily find me.  FaceTime also works.

Bon voyage...until my next post!
Gloria

T-minus 13 days and counting

I'm sitting here in Stacey & Marc's den watching the U. S. Open.  Watching tennis is very relaxing for me and has inspired me to write my next post.

Time is flying!  Lauren has been visiting...and tonight, sadly, she will fly back to Dallas.  The four of us have laughed a lot, watched lots of tennis, and eaten some of our favorite foods.  It has been WONDERFUL!  I love hanging out with them and could do it 24/7/365 - no problem:-)

Tomorrow I'll drive to North Myrtle Beach to hang out with my siblings.  We'll have 5 days together.  More laughing and eating, along with enjoying the beach.

Plans for Thailand are on target.  I just bought my plane ticket for the flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.  The ticket cost 1,500 Thai baht (or $42 USD).  I can't think of any flight that I could take in the US for $42, can you?

The one long-time friend that I have in Chiang Mai has contracted pneumonia and is convalescing:-(  She has kindly and thoughtfully put me in the hands of her friend, Han, who is a travel resource and tour guide.  He has provided me with tons of wonderful information not only about Chiang Mai, but also about Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.  If you're interested, you can find out more about him on his website www.alamasia.net.

One of the comments that I received from my first blog was, "Now we need to see a current picture of your family."  Well...here you go:

Marc, Gloria & Lauren - Hollywood, FL - November, 2014

Can you speak the language?
Many of you know that I've been trying to improve my Spanish over the past few years.  For me, this will be a lifelong goal.  When we lived in Thailand, I spoke Thai quite well, but I haven't spoken Thai in eons.  Luckily, I was able to find some Thai CD's at the local library.  They're quite good.  I listen to them every day, and I've been smiling as I am reminded of certain words or phrases.  By the time I arrive, I might have just enough Thai in me to get to the bathroom and my hotel.  I'm really looking forward to improving my Thai!

One quick note: I can no longer be reached at my former home phone (ending in 1374).  If you need to contact me by phone, please call my cell (ending in 4842) until 9/20.  After 9/20 you can contact me by email, Skype, WhatsApp or through this blog.

Have a great week!
Gloria

OK - this is getting serious!  I'm finally starting to feel the anxiety...stress...overwhelmingness of my decision to go to Thailand for a year.  My suitcases aren't packed, I still have lots of stuff to do...but - I have confidence that it will all work out just fine:-)

I've rented my house and am staying with Marc & Stacey.  They are WONDERFUL hosts!  Lauren is visiting as well.  My whole little family here together*heart*

Next week I will go to Myrtle Beach with my 3 siblings - our time to bond before I leave.  Then...I'm off to Thailand on September 21st - arriving on September 22nd.  I will be in Bangkok for 3 days before settling down in Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand).

Why Thailand?
We lived there 25 years ago for 5 years.  We all loved living there for many, many reasons!  We were there during a time when Vietnamese refugees were still coming out of Vietnam after the war, and Bob worked with the Quarantine Division of CDC.  Over the 25 years, Bob had the opportunity to return once for work, but I never was able to return...until now.  Although Thailand is a very different country from the Thailand I knew from 1985-1990, I'm excited to experience the country again.  It should be a totally different experience.

Marc, Bob, Gloria & Lauren in Bangkok 1989

 Marc, Bob and Lauren in Northern Thailand 1986

This is my first blog.  I will do my very best to post on this blog once a week from now on.  I may not always meet that goal, but I'll give it my best shot!

Until next week...
Gloria