Daffys in the yard

Signs of Spring

Wonderful after a long winter.

Random Musings

Been a weekend of highs and lows.

• Love that an unknown 100K horse won the Kentucky Derby. And there were no broken legs so none of the horses had to be put down - an added bonus
• My pal Shanna came for a visit, and it was fun hanging out, drinking wine and galloping
• News from India is that my Aunt Leelama has had a stroke and is in a coma

Been quite a roller coaster ride.

Wat Ratchaburana, Ayuthaya

Ayuthaya is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This was the first wat we visited in Ayuthaya, and I was struck by how different it is in style from the ones in Bangkok. These old wats are simply interspersed with home, markets, etc. It's thanks to UNESCO funding that these structures even exist today and are not torn down. These sites are such an incredible record of human history. The photo set can be seen here.

Wat Yai Chaimongkhon, Ayuthaya

The incredible thing about this Wat is the sheer number of Buddha statues - they circle the entire courtyard. This is the only place in Thailand that I saw the "fat Buddha" that I think of as the "Chinese" Buddha - what is the connection I wonder? To see the entire photo set click here.

Wat Phu Khao Thong, Ayuthaya

It is fascinating to me how similar this Wat is to the Mayan temple of Chichen Itza. The complete photo set can be seen here.

Wat Maha That, Ayuthaya

One of the famous photos of Thailand wats is this one of the head of Buddha encircled by a tree. Much of this wat is being reclaimed by nature. It is sad to see all the headless Buddha statues - courtesy of the Khmer. To see the entire photo set click here.

Before the rains

I enjoyed this Merchant Ivory movie, even though the ending was rather predictable. The movie is set in Kerala at the time of the British Quit India movement, and is the story of a man, his servants and a road. I loved hearing Malayalam on screen - though the translations are never as good as the real thing no?

Recent Reads

1. Cutting for Stone
I enjoyed this new book by the Mallu author - his first foray into fiction. I cannot begin to imagine what it must be like to have an identical twin, and this is the story of twins, set in Africa, in a not typical setting.

2. The Tale of Despereaux
I enjoy going back and reading books for children that I never got around to reading. Love the little mouse, but not a great book - maybe this is one of those that do not translate into the same magical read when one is an adult.

3. Buddha, Vol 1: Kapilavastu
While in Thailand, it struck me how little I really know about Thai architecture, history and culture. How did Buddhism get there? So, this is one of the books in my pile to read. This is a manga style comic book - a fast and fun read.

4. The Associate
If I had bought this book in hard cover, I would have mailed it back to Grisham for a refund. Such a disappointment - but then again was not really expecting much. If you have never read Grisham, check out his first 5 or 6 books - great reads. The movies are good too. Do not bother with this book.

5. The White Tiger
Loved this book. My book club selection of the month. Such a different story from India. Not the typical pap written for the western diaspora. A story of class, caste and success. Well worth a read.

6. Keeping Faith
I've read several books by the author, and she always does a good job of looking at an issue from many angles. This one deals with God (a female) talking to a secular Jewish girl of 7 and the hullabaloo this creates in various communities.

Artist Luke

We've got a new photographer in the family! After several disappointing trials with cameras for kids, finally got Luke an older model adult camera (Thanks Dave). I loved how his face lit up when he saw the camera. He quickly mastered the buttons and proceeded to capture 94 images - that does not count the ones he deleted because they were "too dark". Below are some of his photos - including the self portrait. He setup all these shots - told everyone exactly what to do. Cannot tell you how much it warmed my heart to see my 6 year old nephew find his bliss.

Soccer Boys

Took out my bike for the first ride of the season to see the boys go through soccer drills. The little ones are so cute to watch. Love how they have girls and boys on the same teams.

Phuket Town Photos

Spent an afternoon exploring Phuket Town. Click here to see more pics.

Evolution squared

You gotta check out this mind blowing talk.

Kata Beach

Kata beach on Phuket is considered the best beach on the island. During these days of below freezing nights, I sure do miss the warm beach days. Click here to see more pics.

Pai Photos

The lovely town of Pai is the furthest north we went in Thailand. Stayed at the Pai Chan bungalows. Would love to go back when it is not burning season. You can see more photos here.

Recent Reads

Still recovering from jet lag, so not gotten much done at all.

Think I set a record in Thailand for least number of books read in a time period - maybe there was simply too much external stimulation?

1. The Blind Assassin
First book I've read by the author - who people either seem to love or hate. I loved this book - so many layers of stories, and beautiful writing.

2. Falling Angels
Lloved this one as well. First time I've read the author - the book is a really fast read and I love the idea of getting the perspective of different people for any given event. We all see and experience things so differently - this book uses that as a way to tell the story. Lovely.

3. The Mosquito Coast
I remember the movie as being dark, and an unusual role for Harrison Ford. The book is an excellent read. The story is told from the point of view of the eldest son. The father is clearly mad - guess it is a fine line between being a genius and being completely nuts. Am going to have to watch the movie again.

4. One for the Money
The first Stephanie Plum mystery. Very light - almost a chick lit mystery.

5. Gone, Baby, Gone
This book is so much better than the movie. I like Lehane. He writes well - though his subject material tends to run on the dark side. This book had some tough themes, but is an excellent read.

Realize as I write this that I read books by 4 authors completely new to me on this trip. Also, a warning to folks traveling to Thailand - bring as many books as you think you'll need. The ones for sale there are mostly "fake" - and the used book stores tend to be heavy on the chick lit side. As are the book stores at Heathrow - what is up with that?

Home Again

Lovely to be home again. It's interesting the things I miss when I am away - it's not what I think I'll miss. It's the simple things - my own bed, being surrounded by my books and art supplies, hanging out with my nephews, fireside chats, the little rituals that make this life my own.

Am seriously jet lagged - must be a sign that I'm getting older. Oh, and the other sign - I needed reading glasses for the first time on this trip! Granted the book I was reading had yellowed pages and that horrible typeset, but still. So have officially bought my first pair. Yikes.

Looking forward to sleeping through the night and having my eating patterns settle into some pattern - it's crazy at the moment.

Leaving Chiang Mai

What a fun last day in Chiang Mai. Took a tuk tuk to visit Wat Umong - a forest wat. Never seen one like this one. It really is in a jungle setting - gives one an idea of what the land looked liked before the town spread out that way. The wat itself is built bunker style - a cool space.

The rest of the day involved walking from one watering hole to another, and watching the world pass by. Just back from a great spot on the Sunday Walking Street with a great view of the action. Getting ready to start the trip back home - first leg tonight is back to Bangkok. Then a flight out tomorrow night. Will load up pics when I get back home.

Getting ready for re-entry

Hard to believe that my trip is drawing to an end. In some ways, I feel like I've been away for ages, and in other ways feels like the time has passed so darn quickly.

Back in Chiang Mai - taking it easy - reading, napping, getting massages, eating excellent food (Musamun Chicken is my latest fave - simply incredible!), exploring neighborhoods, shopping, etc.

Other than the fact that Thailand and Cambodia are having an armed skirmish over where those pesky country lines are on the map, and North Korea is planning on launching an ICBM/communication satellite on Susan's flight path home, life is good.

Pai

Spent the past 3 days in the little northern town of Pai (pronounced "bye"). Getting there was half the adventure. We had heard from a fellow traveler that taking the local bus up there was not the way to go - it's a windy 3 to 4 hour drive, and the local bus she was on was full of people puking. Does not sound like my idea of a fun ride, so took a bonine and opted to use the hourly minivan service. Windy is putting it mildly, and the way these guys drive is enough to raise your blood pressure. And of course there are no seat belts and no guard rails to keep you from plunging down into the ravines if an accident does occur. Yikes. And we had to do this twice - flying those scary little puddle jumpers suddenly looked quite attractive.

The town itself is small and walkable and surrounded by green mountains. Stayed in a great place a little outside the town center (Pai Chan) - lovely bungalows with rice fields outside the windows. The only downer is that it is still burning season up north, so the air is smoky. At one point there were actually flakes falling from the sky - looked like a volcano has erupted nearby! The owners told us that 2 weeks ago they could not even see the mountains nearby. Would be great to go back during the cool, non-burning season. Fantastic place for a little R&R.

One of the activities is hiking to hill tribe villages. After much discussion, we opted not to do this - seemed a little strange to go look at people. Maybe will do it next time with some activity in the villages, so the entire thing does not seem so voyeuristic.

Oh, and I had the best massage of my life at the Pai Massage Center. Still glowing.

Sunday Walking Street

An absolute must do when in Chiang Mai. One of the major streets in town closes to traffic, and vendors line both sides and spill across the moat and into wat compounds. Loads of locals and tourists, and the energy is fantastic. Great deals on almost anything you can imagine buying, including fabrics, picked up several items. Snacked my way through - pad thai, sticky rice with mango, tamarind pods, durian ice-cream, shrimp sausage, etc. Am going to have to go on a diet when I get home!

On to Pai today - 3 hour ride up windy mountain roads. Glad I have my bonine.

Travelers Tales

My ear ache got so bad, decided to visit a doctor. Walked over to a local clinic and the doc said that I had an ear infection and asked me what I had put in my ear - umm am old enough to know not to do that by now I would hope. She put me on an antibiotic course and also gave me some ear drops - total cost of everything was less that $7. So maybe the US health care gurus could talk to these folks to help draft a national health care plan. And I am happy to report that am feeling much better today.

The Chiang Mai night market is nothing like I have ever seen before - it goes on and on. Loads of things to look at, buy and eat. Had some yummy seafood last night. And the guavas here are larger than pears and so very delish. Been snacking on those for energy boosts :-)

Explored a couple of wats today - Wat Chedi Luang was incredible. At a nearby Wat Pan Tao - with the largest teak building I have ever seen, I made a birthday offering for Sajan and Saffina - both have birthdays this week (Happy bday!). This ensures them both a better life and a better fate. How can one argue with that?

Off now to the Sunday Walking Market and to search for a good dinner spot. This is our final night here - we are headed to Pai tomorrow.

Old Town exploration

Walked around the Old Town part of Chiang Mai - inside the walls. There must be thousands of guest houses here - how do they all stay in business - and some have rooms as cheap is 150B (less than $5)!! There are wats on every corner - walked out to explore some of the larger ones - Wat Chiang Man and Wat Phra Singh - stopping in to peak at some of the smaller ones along the way. Also stopped in at the Arts and Cultural Center and Museum - really good overview of the city and its past. Of course snacked along the way - found a woman who makes the best fried banana fritters in town, and had an excellent dragon fruit shake. And tried my first mangosteen - yum yum. After a nap, feel refreshed and we're out to explore the night markets. Am looking forward to foodie and other treats.

Chiang Mai

Arrived in Chiang Mai after a 14 hour overnight train ride. We splurged on the 1st class a/c sleepers - good thing too. Other than waking up every time the train lurched (thought I was falling off the top bunk), was a smooth ride. Not sure if there trains are always late, or if this was an unusual event - we were almost 2 hours late - and there were some folks trying to catch a flight - ouch. The Ayuthaya train station was a tiny one. The board said that our train would arrive at 21:00 and leave at 21:01 - did not leave much time to get on!

Love Chiang Mai so far. Our hotel is in the quiet north-east corner and it's fantastic. We are pretty far north - the terrain is more mountainous. Could move here for an extended period of time too. I keep saying that this entire trip.

Relaxing day

Been on the go for several days, and needed a down day today. And to top it off my right ear is swollen shut and painful. And Susan broke a toe (again!).

So hung out in a fun place with a good book and enjoyed the pouring rain - picked a good down day. Am currently reading Mosquito Coast - am gonna have to see the movie again - the father is nuts! Picked up this book from my sis - books are hard to get here. Well, that's not entirely accurate. You can get loads of books - all nicely wrapped in plastic. Thought it was to keep the dust out - isn't that nice? Nope. Turns out that the books here have a nice color cover, but the pages inside are all photocopied - so the text might read in a slant across the page! Not sure that I could even get a blank bound book for that cheap in the states. Incredible. Once you get used to the fact that everything, and I mean everything here is "fake" the ingenuity of these fakers is rather remarkable.

Been enjoying the night markets - it's a nice time to be out and about and mingle with the locals and other farang. Almost time for dinner and then the overnight train.

Ayutthaya

Explored the ancient city of Ayutthaya these past several days. This is a world heritage site, and is simply stunning. Ayutthaya used to be the capital of Siam and a major port for traders from all over the world. Much of the ancient city was razed during various invasions, but what remains is still incredible. Very different wats than those that exist in Bangkok - and like much of the Mayan ruins - there are shops, homes, etc. right beside most of them.

Explored on foot in the day, and took a tuk tuk tour last night and to enjoy the wats by night. The only thing I did not enjoy was a visit to the elephant kraal - if you have never seen an elephant before, it might be interesting - I simply found it depressing.

We head on to Chiang Mail by night train tonight.

Bangkok days

Susan thinks I've lived in Bangkok for months - am such a good guide :-).

2 new places recently visited:

• Jim Thompson's House - yes it seems rather touristy, but it is really incredibly well done. The man loved Thailand and almost single-handedly brought Thai silks to an international markets. His silks were showcased in the original King and I. He bought 6 old Thai teak houses and built this house right on a klong (canal) across from the Muslim silk artisans. The house is now a museum and the grounds are beautifully landscaped. The gift shop is enough to empty your wallet. He disappeared at the age of 61 (a bad age for those of us born in the year of the horse!), and there are various conspiracy theories about what happened to him. Easy to get to - right off the BTS National Stadium stop.

• MBK - Have never seen a mall quite so large and jammed with people and stuff. Really quite an experience - there is even a hotel on location, in case you need a nap in between your shopping sprees. Quite civilized. Did not go in for the stuff. Went in for the food. Yup, you read that right - the international food court on the 5th floor is where you want to go to eat fantastic food in a clean, a/c space. Puts the food courts in the US to shame.

Headed north tomorrow - first stop the UNESCO world heritage site of Ayutthya.

What's for breakfast?

You know that you have arrived at a new way of being when you sit down to breakfast, and feel something crawling up your leg. You look down and it's the biggest cockroach you've ever seen. You calmly swat it way, order and enjoy the food anyway. This was how I started my day today.

Transit Day

Am in Krabi town waiting for the bus to the airport for my flight back to Bangkok.

Took a long boat (150 Baht) from Rai Leh East to the pier in Krabi - about an hour boat ride. Dropped off Saf and Hip at Ao Nam for their travels, so we had the first leg together. The funny thing is that there are no piers in Railay (notice that spellings often change when a Thai word is translated to English), so you gotta walk out (it was low tide) to the long boats. We bumped up (literally) against the pier in Krabi and had to disembark from the front - along the long nose of the boat - makes for interesting connections.

Opted to fly back to BKK - 1.5 hr flight- thus saving a 12 to 15 hour bus or train ride. Sorry to leave these beautiful islands, but plan to be back. Maybe on a boat - that would be the way to explore this part of the world.

Last night in Railay

Spent the past couple of days swimming, hiking, caving, reading, eating, napping, getting a massage ... life is good.

This is my last night in Railay. My parents headed back to India yesterday, and I part company with Saffina and Hip tomorrow. They will head over to the gulf side and spend the next 6 weeks making their way down back to Singapore. I head to Krabi via longboat, and then fly into Bangkok to meet up with Susan. Our plan is to head up north for the next 2 weeks. Cannot wait.

A lovely thing - there are fantastic thunder storms daily - about mid to late afternoon. You can see the storm approach over the water - usually last about 30 to 40 mins and bring heavy rain, ear splitting thunder, incredible ripping, tearing lightening, and a very welcome cooling breeze.

Fantastic Railay

Hard to really decide what I love the most down on the islands. Spent the past couple of days on the various beaches on Railay. We are staying on Railay East - not a good beach - mangroves - but fantastic views and right up against huge limestone cliffs. A good place to watch climbers - they come here from all over the world and I see why. Would love to learn how to climb - maybe will start getting the basics down when I get home. In the meanwhile, my sis and I eat tasty snacks as we watch the action. :-)

Railay West has a great beach, with amazing views. Only problem is that loads of long boats come in to drop and pick up passengers - and they sound like loud lawn mowers - kinda spoils the whole wa in my opinion. They do however make for great photo opps.

The beach on the southern tip - name escapes me at the moment - is my fave on this peninsula. White beaches, huge cliffs, islands near and far dot the horizon. When I explored this morning, I was the only one on the beach - the hordes descended as the sun got higher. There are a couple of altars to an Indian goddess - to ask for a good catch, fishermen of all religions bring phallus - big and small; ornate and simple to leave as offerings. Makes quite an interesting shrine.

Getting to Railay is an adventure. We were on the fast speed boat from Ko Lanta, and then had to transfer to a long boat as we neared the beaches. Quite tricky and certainly not OSHA approved. Love it here. And to top it all off, the food is simply divine.

Snorkeling Heaven

The more I see of Thailand, the more I love it. Have been down in the islands in the Andaman this past week or so, and it is stunningly lovely. Have explored the local reefs twice:

1. Took a full day snorkel trip around Ko Phi Phi. Visited portions of the reef around Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Ley and Bamboo Island. Wow!
   
2. Yesterday took a day tour of 4 islands around Ko Lanta. The coral and fishes are much better in the Ko Phi Phi area, but it was a fun day swimming, snorkeling and eating (!) none-the-less. There is something wonderful about floating in azure seas with white beaches and having the horizon ringed by islands that look like huge shark teeth.

Compared to Phuket and Phi Phi, Ko Lanta is much more mellow. When my sis told the barrista that we were headed here, he asked her if she was into meditation. No. Why? That is about all there is to do in Lanta. I love the slower pace, lack of tourists and feel though. A piece of paradise.

Headed today to Railay - which has even more superlatives in the guide books.

So many islands, so little time

Yesterday was spent on a full day boat and snorkeling trip around Phi-Phi and nearby islands. Simply incredible. Too bad did not have a underwater camera to capture all the majesty of the coral reefs. Even got alarming close to a large barracuda. If you get out to these parts, you gotta snorkel. I could have really used a fish/coral guide - are there any underwater ones I wonder? All I kept saying were things like, ooh, pretty blue fish; ooh, pretty red striped fish, ooh ... well you get the picture. Loved every moment of it - other than the lunch served on board - a veggie sandwich which consisted on bread (man do they love their white bread in Asia) and a couple of cucumber and tomato slices.

Took the ferry over this morning to Ko Lanta. Another fabulous spot where I hope to hang and catch up on my reading. Have yet to get through one book since I started the trip - that has to be a record for me.

Here is something I heard on a podcast on the ride over:
He never loved his wife
His children were fools
He had no friends
- from a book called "In other rooms, other views(?). Gotta get that book.

Monkey Island

Today was spent kayaking to Monkey Island - lovely spot. The monkeys are quite ferocious - they attack anyone with food (or if they think you have food). That is what happens when people feed the wildlife, and the are surprised when animals behave in this manner. Some people never learn - they were out there feeding them. Lovely way to spend the day - a shady white sandy beach with turquoise waters and fishes. What more can one really ask for.

It is really hot during the day - am taking about 3 showers to keep myself cool. On the positive side, this intense heat generates huge thunder and lightening shows. Swung in my hammock on the little porch of my bungalow last night and enjoyed the show.

The Phi Phi islands are chock full of tourists. Many of the backpacker crowd moved on today to celebrate the full moon party elsewhere. Food is delish. I have found a little joint that makes the best pad thai I've had in Thailand so far. It is all the kitchen makes - there is a lot to be said for limiting your menu and doing something really well.

Another island down

Phi Phi Don is stunning - huge cliffs rise out of turquoise waters. Took the ferry over from Phuket town yesterday - a fun ride (never mind the rain) - so many islands, so little time. Would love to explore this region by boat. Maybe my next trip out to these parts.

I've been perplexed by many of the signs here - there must be something lost in translation. For example: "Please keep Phi Phi clean. No speedos."

A day in the life

1. Up around 8, shower (cold!), breakfast
2. Take local songthaew (local bus) to Phuket town
3. Explore Phuket town
4. Take songthaew back to Kata beach
5. Read a chapter (Blind Assassins)
6. Nap
7. Late afternoon swim in Kata beach
8. Another cold shower - not sure I can really get used to this, and how is this possible in this heat anyway?
9. Dinner at a local joint - tasty, tasty, tasty
10. Online - email, skype, blog updates, etc
11. Time for banana, chocolate, coconut pancake
12. Time for ZZZZZs

Another island down

Am on Phuket - another island I can cross of my list of world islands. Decided to fly down from Bangkok - faster than the train/bus combo and cost about $60 on Air Asia.

I was expecting lovely beaches - what I was not expecting were the rolling hills and all the greenery. This is quite a lovely island - can see why it is a destination for travelers from around the world. Picked Kata Beach as our home base on the island - some say that it's the best beach in Thailand. Spent the day in the water - fantastic - other than the jelly fish (?) stings. Whatever was causing the stings was cleared out as the tide went out - so quite fun splashing around this afternoon.

The more I see of Thailand, the more I like it.

Life is good

Treated myself to a massage yesterday - about $6 for one hour! Why have I not been doing this everyday since I got here? Plan to remedy that situation pronto.

Fun day exploring Chinatown and eating. Yup, eating does seem to the main aspect of every day - hard not to be when there is so much delish food around. Continues to be hot in the 90s, and this is considered the "cool" season here. What must the hot season be like? Glad that I have wicking stuff - cotton feels like wearing a wet towel - not very comfy.

On tap for today is a visit to Wat Arun. A massage to recover from the sightseeing, and then tasty food. Life is good.

Eating my way through Bangkok

Thailand has definitely made it onto my top 5 foodie destinations. (Others are: India, Korea, Malaysia and US). I cannot recall the last time in recent travels that almost every meal was a delight.

Had my first ever papaya salad today - OMG! My mouth is watering just writing about it. What an incredible combination of flavours in that one dish. Am having a ball exploring what is available at different stalls on the street and in the markets. My only food disappointment so far has been the Pad Thai - have had it twice and was not impressed. So am in search of the best Pad Thai - now that is quest my tummy can get into.

Today headed out to the big weekend market (Chatuchak) - I have never seen an market on this scale before - it is huge. And one can buy almost anything, albeit mostly "fake" goods - but the variety includes clothing, luggage, furniture, pets (as least I hope the dogs will be pets and not dinner), etc. I know most people go there for the shopping. in my opinion, they can have the shopping, I went for the food. And was not disappointed. A fave item (other than the papaya salad) was a durian popsicle. Awesome.

Foodie Heaven

The interesting thing is that the quality of food is inversely proportional to the how fancy the joint is - guess the idea is that if you get tableclothes and a/c you don't need good food. The best food is found on sidewalks on local alleys. So today was not a sightseeing day as such, it was more a moveable feast kinda day. And how tasty (and dirt cheap) it is.

The other adventure of the day was in the form of transportation. First there was a fun ride on a river taxi. Then on the way back from the Indian markets, took a tuk tuk - talk about living on a prayer.

Jet lag continues its grip

Still having a hard time with the 12 hour time zone shift. Just cannot seem to go to sleep at night - and when I do, I nap - am up in a couple of hours. Yeesh.

Met up with Saf and Hip yesterday - friendly faces in the crowd. Fun time catching up. The adventure of the day was finding a new hotel. There are so many and all the ones I looked into last night were full. Found one that I like on my morning exploration, so set for now. It is just around the corner from my last one, so I decided to walk it. Crossing the roads here is kinda like a game of chicken/dodge ball combo. And it was even more exciting with luggage - good thing I travel light. And oh, just when I think I travel light, my sister has me beat by about 50%. For a 5 month trip - now that is impressive.

Explored more parts of Ko Ratanakosin - wats (so many wats, so little time!) and the amulet market. Also got my first glimpse of the mighty river - cannot wait to take the boat taxis. Off for more exploration.

Jet lag

Did really well yesterday and then jet lag caught up with me. Was up at 1am and could not get back to sleep. Groggy today.

Explored Wat Po this morning - the home of the reclining Buddha. Do think that this is my favorite wat so far. It has the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand and the stupas! Wow! Have popped into various wats as well, and they are all an oasis of calm and peace in the midst of the city. Lovely.

Bangkok Days

Love this city. Love the grittiness. Love the juxtaposition of beauty and ugliness, noise and calm.

Got in yesterday - talk about a long flight, and crashed. Today I explored Ko Ratanokosin with the Emerald Buddha wat and the Grand Palace - words and photos cannot capture the incredible architecture. Have never seen anything like it before and will probably go back a couple of times to let it all soak in. Walked around exploring neighborhoods, and am currently on crazy Khao San road.

• Monks in saffron robes in hot pink taxis
• Monks collecting alms early morning
• Spirit houses on every corner
• I have seen more Buddha statues today than in my entire life so far
  

I can see how people either love it or hate it (India gets the same reaction). Love it.

Preparing for lift off ....

• Met up with some new friends for a tea tasting Friday night. So many teas, so little time. While there, I had my leaves read by a leaf reader - what exactly do you call the woman who reads your leaves? Very interesting session. She was quiet for a long time before she started talking - started getting nervous. I have homework from the session!
• Members of my book group gathered at home for brunch today - good discussion of the book "The brief and wondrous life of Oscar Wao". And we had yummy treats to munch on.
• Am packed and ready for my flight to Thailand - leaves tomorrow morning. Am so excited - stay tuned for updates.
  

Framed

The theme of the month for Feb is "FRAMED". Here are my interpretations on the theme.

Recent Reads

My recent reads have been heavily focused on Thailand - not a surprise as I'm headed there in 5 days. The tough part is deciding which books to take along with me on my trip.

1. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
My book club read for this month. I loved it. First work I've read by the author, who has a wonderful writing style. Learned a little about the DR - and realize how little I know about the history of the land and its people. The book has some tough subject matter, but is written in a conversational style that I really enjoyed. If you are a Lord of the Rings fan, this book is especially delightful.

2. Life is a Verb
I follow the authors blog, and loved this book. Nothing you have not heard before, but a good reminder to live life with intention.

3. Lonely Planet - Thailand
This is the book I bought to take along with me on my trip. It's hard to pick one travel guide - they each have their strengths and weaknesses.

4. Frommer's - Thailand
The other book that I read and almost bought.

5. Borderlines
Am currently in the last chapter, and enjoying the read. The author has a funny way of telling his story about travels in Thailand and Burma.

6. The Pleasures and Treasures of Thailand and Myanmar
An especially fun read if you are into shopping. Gives a good overview of what to buy where - the deals you can get, and the scams to watch out for. My first time reading one in this series.

7. Travellers Thailand
An excellent overview of the country. A really good place to start if you are thinking about visiting Thailand.

Let Them Eat Cake!

They give this expression a whole new meaning at Jean-Philippe. These are examples of custom cakes - they can create anything you desire. If in Vegas, you gotta stop by for some sampling.

500th Post

In celebration of my 500th post to this blog, here are some delicious treats from this store located in the Bellagio(with the largest chocolate fountain in the world!). My sweet tooth just aches looking at these. Yummy.

The real reason I go to Vegas

I do have the cutest nieces in the universe. They have grown so much since I last saw them - Bella is 6, and Sophia and Maya are 5. A fantastic age to hang out with them.

Year of the Ox

One of my fave things to do in Las Vegas is check out the Bellagio atrium - they change the display each season. When I was there in January the theme was a celebration of the Chinese New Year - The Year of the Ox. Most of the decorations are made with live plants - the pandas were incredible.

Random Musings

• Ooh, the new Kindle has been announced. Would love one, but cannot quite justify it
• Getting excited about my trip to Thailand - 10 day count down
• Spent the past 4 days cleaning and purging junk from my study. It looks and feels great - so worth the effort - really amazing how much junk accumulates over time
• We've had several days above freezing - it is starting to feel like Spring!

Visual Journal

The first of these pages shows a fun thing to do with all the scraps collected during ones travels.