Sandeebeee Guest Stars Again (due to popular demand)

Melanie's dad gets to write again.
Sue and I got home today. Cold feels good after sweating so much. House was 49 degrees F.
I last wrote about Singapore. This will be about our travels since then: Thailand's north, a southern island, and then Bangkok. Mel and Matt met us in Siem Reap.

It's very nice to be welcomed at a strange airport with your name on a sign. We landed in Chiang Mai for a 3 day trekking adventure which was to start the next day. The person picking us up offered to arrange, and we took him up a 6 hour tour of city and temples. Amazing. $60 for guide and car. Overdosed on Buddhism. One temple not to me missed (there are 700 in this city of 250,000 ) is Doi Southep.

We got picked up early the next morning. We were in a group of seven. You've probably heard the story about how if you're in a room full of people that includes Bill Gates, the average person is millionaire? Well, the average age in our group was forties, but the other five people were in their twenties and young thirties. This amazingly interesting adventure was one of the hardest of anything we've done in our lives--yet still recommended. I don't know how the 4 French trekkers and 1 Spaniard could understand the English speaking guide. Sue did some translating.
Day 1: long drive in back of small truck (see photo). Stop at waterfall.
Ninety minute uphill hike by geysers, through bamboo forests, bananas on trees to isolated Karn (spelling?) village. We could see the distant border mountains of Myanmar (Burma). Karn people speak a different language, not that it mattered to us, but our guides were Karn. (I think I read someplace some of these villages were so isolated that they were stuck in the sixth through eleventh centuries.) We climbed up the rickety steps of an old bamboo hut that accommodated our party and could have held twice as many. The floor was woven and moved anytime anyone in our group moved. Like being in bed with 7 people. Village had one solar-powered light. Guide cooked excellent meal. We loved watching the stars, people, chickens, pigs, dogs, rice field. Our guide warned us that roosters would start at 4:20 for twenty minutes. Actually they started at 4:00 and continued for an hour. Day 2: Had filling breakfast that prepared us for five strenuous hours of hiking on wet trails. Mostly uphill. Or so it seemed.
Lunched at another Karn village, replenishing water.
Then elephants met us for our last 90 minutes of travel (see photo in Mel's last posting). We were in seats with our backpacks also strapped to the animals. Trying to hold on when going downhill was a challenge. Two per elephant.
The next morning we left on our newly made bamboo raft for a 4 hour adventure through class I and II rapids. I was dreading the length of time, but ended up enjoying it all. I'll try to put the video on YOUTUBE. . Our journey back to the hotel included a stop at an Orchid Garden/Butterfly Farm. The night bazaar back in town was fun.

You can eat very cheaply here. I don't know what our hotel cost because it was included in our 3 day trek. (3 days trekking and 2 nights in very nice hotel cost $500 for two people). Intrepid Tours contracted with UPT Travel & Transport.

Left early the next morning for island of Ko Samui.
KOH Samuii. “Koh” means “island.” 80 minute flight was ontime.
This time there wasn’t anyone holding a sign with my name. We called to remind him. Entire island is only about 90 square miles. Coral Bay resort was a luxurious treat for these 2 worn out trekkers. Flower petals on our bed and shelves with a waterfall style shower. Each hut has its own porch with an ocean view. Splendid.
Sue had read about a more isolated beach with friendlier snorkeling water at the south end. We planned on and did move there for 2 days. I think we were the only people staying in the 28 room hotel.
Its origins go back to hippie times and it had a Michigania style manual and flavor. This place was in need of fixing up, but was clean still ended up being heavenly. The hotel next door had lots of people so we ate there.
We arranged for a 6 a.m. ride to airport. Our driver spoke no english. He started on the main road we were familiar with, but then took a turn through isolated streets. Then we continued through secluded palm/bamboo forests. For many miles we (okay, I) wondered if we were going to get to the airport.
He didn’t answer my questions. Then we saw the back of the runway. Never mind.

In Bangkok the sign with our name was a warming sight. (Though I think it ends up meaning we pay twice the going rate.) Sue had found a fabulous guest house for us. (baanchantra.com) The owner was most helpful.
We sampled the various neighborhoods & temples (crowded and interesting), tasted the foods (not as good as Singapore), rode the taxis and water taxi’s, but were told to avoid the Tuk-Tuk’s here. We didn’t love it.
The city has ten million of Thailand’s 65 million. After 2 nights we rode to the airport for our early flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

After arriving at the airport we found out our flight was canceled. The people ahead of us got rebooked on a flight 30 minutes later. WE weren’t so lucky and had to wait 5 hours. But, it took half that time to make a call to Cambodia to tell the kids about our delay.

The sign with our name also missed us in Cambodia; we taxied on our own.
We met up with Matt and Mel and had 3 days of guided temple ruins, a boat trip to a floating village and people-watching. 50 cent beers while playing Euchre at an outdoor table of a restaurant will be memorable for me. Melanie will write more (I hope) about Angkor Wat and Beng Mealea (she already did!! YEAH!!!! (okay - this is Melanie editing...). I’m tired. My impression: extreme poverty, yet smiles by all. Aggressive tourist hunters (though not nearly as scummy as the Bangkok tourist sharks). Poor begging children rips at your heart. So many men without limbs from the mines.

I asked Sue if she wanted to add anything. She said Siem Reap was amazing and that the people are resilient. As to Bangkok, she said, “oy, big. Didn’t love.” She said Koh Samuii was now the way Acapulco looked many years ago.

In all the places we visited there were some Israeli’s, lots of Europeans, some Aussies, but very few Americans.

All in all, a memorable trip.

Back to Singapore for one night, more Laksa , more sweating.
6 hours to Tokyo (Sue got to order Starbucks during plane change and loved to hear her order in Japanese). 11 hours back to DTW. Sue did great job getting seats (bulkhead and expanded room seats on the other flight).
Back in Detroit...no one waiting with a sign with our name.
We didn’t need it.