Little Thanksgiving Trip 2009

 

November 27 – TAKE THE “A” TRAIN

 

My mom and I went on a tour provided by President Tours Center USA.  The bus picked us up from Thailand Plaza at 7:35 AM.  After picking up the last group of people at Wat Thai of Los Angeles, off to Bakersfield we went.

 

Mom and Tassanee

There are two buses on this tour toting 120 people.  I didn’t think there would be this many people going on this particular trip but kudos to President Tours.  Typically these tours consist only of old people.  This time around there was some young people and kids, too.  My guess is the Thanksgiving weekend allowing kids to travel with their folks.  I was glad to not always being one of or the youngest person on the tour.  On board, tour leader Pichian Rojsiriwat handed out little croissants and bottles of water.  Personally I was still sleepy from waking up so early so I drifted in and out of sleep.

 We arrived in Bakersfield at 10 AM.  The buses stopped at Jack in the Box.  There it gave us a chance to see if we knew some people.  We saw my mom’s friends Somjit, Tassanee, her husband George, and Toi and her husband.  We also saw Kim who is the mother of one of my brother’s friends.

 

At 10:45 AM, we arrived at the Bakersfield Amtrak Station.  It was a cool day in the low 60’s.  The trees here are pretty attractive as some have leaves in fall colors.

 

Mom and Somjit

 

Yours truly

At 1:10 PM, we boarded the train and off we go.  Our tour occupied the first two cars.  Train rides are relaxing.  One gets to sit back and check out the scenery.  There were stops at Wasco, Corcoran, Hanford, Fresno, Madera, Merced, and Turlock.  Passing through the heart of California means fields everywhere growing all sorts of things.  It’s a quick reminder that agriculture is California’s number one source of income.  At Fresno, we noticed that it began to rain.  My mom and I started to worry because we did not prepare any rain gear.  In Merced, it did not rain any more.  In Turlock, I noticed that everything was drenched.

All aboard.  Tour leader Pichian Rojsiriwat pictured.

Mom

Spacious skies

We enjoyed our “Dirty” Cracked Pepper and Sea Salt potato chips and Root Beer.  With clouds and impending precipitation, my mom got to take pictures of a rainbow.

Rainbow

At 5:10 pm we arrived in Modesto.  We got off and boarded the buses that dropped us off in Bakersfield.  On the bus, we could hear the rain drops get louder and louder.  The bus dropped us off at Four Seasons Buffet (not THAT Four Seasons).  It’s an Ameri-Chinese buffet.  It was not bad.  There was a chicken that was particularly good.  I enjoyed not one but two frozen yogurt cones.

 

Mom and I at Modesto Amtrak Station

While we were eating, we learned that Bus 2 did not start.  Due to that, Bus 1 had to pick up the people and bring them to the restaurant.  Fortunately the driver eventually was able to get Bus 2 running.

At 7:49 PM we arrived at Clarion Inn, our stop for the night.  After getting ice and water, I noticed that at the Sunset Lounge in the hotel they had karaoke going.  If you know me, it’s one thing that I really enjoy.  I got up and sang the following:

Song                                      Artist

Desperado                           Eagles

Maneater                              Hall & Oates

I Can See Clearly Now      Johnny Nash

There were around 20 people here.  They all sang really well.  I was impressed.  One thing I noticed was that just about all of the songs they sang were country.  If it wasn’t country, it was something by Elvis Presley (4 in fact).  The KJ, Seve, was really cool.  He also sings Elvis songs very well.

November 28 – LAKE TAHOE AND RENO

We left Modesto at 7 AM.  At around 9:45 AM the buses stopped somewhere near Placerville for breakfast.  I couldn’t really tell where we were because I was asleep before the buses stopped.

Our drive took us through the Eldorado National Forest and the Sierra Nevada mountains.  It was a pretty drive as everything was covered with snow.  In fact, there was so much snow that at one point all vehicles at a certain checkpoint were stopped.  Chains needed to be installed before proceeding.  This was a lengthy delay but finally our driver was able to strap them on.  This drive scaled over 5,000 feet.  There were pine trees everywhere in the forest and mountains.  At first they were green but got whiter as we climbed in elevation.

Initial ascent into the Sierra Nevadas via Eldorado National Forest

 

More snow as we kept ascending

 

Time to strap on the chains

 

 

Sierra Nevada Mountains

 At 12:40 PM we arrived in South Lake Tahoe.  Half of this city is in California with the other half in Nevada.  There is a street that represents the state line.  The California portion is filled with little chalets and lodges.  The Nevada half is filled with casinos.  It’s pretty easy to tell which half you are in.  We stopped at Harveys Casino.  I charged the camera battery while my mom tried her luck at a slot machine.  I grabbed a pound cake, banana nut muffin, and hot chocolate from Starbucks and ate them on the bus.

The buses then took us to Lake Tahoe.  This is a scenic mountain lake that spans California and Nevada.  Two-thirds of the lake is in California.  It is about 22 miles long and 16 miles wide.  Despite its location, it never freezes.  We got off and took pictures.  It was cold and blustery as temperatures were in the low 40’s.  Around the lake was sand with remnants of still frozen snow interspersed along with some pine cones and pine needles.  This is not a combination I had seen before.  We walked out onto a pier where the river boat MS Dixie is docked.  Looking around us we could see how clear the water is as we could see the bottom of the lake.  There were quite a few ducks nearby.  In the distance were mountains which are in California.

My mom did not stay as long because she was cold and returned to bus while I walked around to take more pictures.  I was making my way back to the buses when I heard some people shouting in and screaming.  Pichian called for me to quickly come over so I ran.  Once I got there, the right arm of the driver of Bus 2 (Joseph Blades) somehow got pinned by the body of the bus against the right front tire.  All of the men frantically tried to lift the bus to no avail.  Our driver (Martin Edior) then got the jack to lift the bus enough to free the driver’s arm.  Once freed, Joseph got checked out by the paramedics who arrived after our tour called 911.  His arm was numb but fortunately there was no further damage.  After some time he regained feeling and was well enough to drive.  He was trying to patch the leaking hydraulics at the right front wheel when it gave way and came down on his arm.  Martin was able to patch the leaky hydraulics and our tour continued.

We passed through Carson City, Nevada’s capital.  Like most US state capitals, it is a small city.  I think I will always remember Carson City from the movie Shanghai Noon.

 

Carson City

We arrived in Reno at 4:35 PM.  We took pictures of the famed neon sign that says “Reno: The Biggest Little City in the World”.  I took more pictures as my mom once again returned to the bus.  It was too cold and windy for her liking.

Me at the famous Reno sign

George and Tassanee

We stayed at Terrible’s Sands Regency Hotel.  After unloading our things in our room, we had dinner in the hotel at Fuzio Universal Bistro.  It is an Italian restaurant with some fare from other places around the world.  My mom enjoyed her spaghetti and meatballs.  I had surf and turf with pasta and veggies.  The calamari with aioli was also very good.  Our meal was $10 off as we each used our $5 coupon.

 

View of Reno from our room

My mother hit the penny slots as I tried my hand at Three Card Poker.  I always bet the minimum on Ante and Pair Plus (in this case $5 each).  This way I could maximize the amount of playing time for what I exchanged ($150).  After just a couple hands, it was apparent I was on fire.  I hit 5 flushes and several pairs.  I was also making good folds and made $80 profit.  After a while, they changed dealers.  On his second hand, he hit a 3-of-a-kind.  My good luck had disappeared and so did my money.  My mom was finally done with the penny slots.  After losing my $80 profit and an additional $95, I decided it was time to quit.  I just didn’t feel like blowing all of the $150.

Back in our room, I watched one of my favorite movies, The Incredibles.

November 29 – SACRAMENTO

We had breakfast at Mel’s Diner inside the hotel.  I love the nostalgic feel of the place including dropping some quarters to select some classic tunes to listen to.  My mom chose Yesterday by the Beatles.  I later selected Cupid by Sam Cooke.

At 7:45 AM we left Reno.  For this stretch, Pichian rode Bus 2.  His aide, Somsri, rode our bus.  Because it’s a 2 hour 45 minute ride, she chose to keep people entertained by first asking some trivia questions.  Then she asked if anybody wanted sing.  My mom is so willing to volunteer me.  I refused.  However, it was too late.  Somsri remembered my mom and me when we toured together in Japan.  She also recalled my singing so I went up and took the microphone.  Honestly, I typically don’t sing before nightfall but oh well.  I sang the following:

Song                                                         Artist

Your Song                                               Elton John

Take Me Home Country Roads          John Denver

Tequila Sunrise                                      Eagles

Desperado                                              Eagles

Belting out the tunes

At 10:30 AM we arrived at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.  Somsri said that Sacramento is known as the City of Trees.  I did notice that there were lots of trees.  The grounds around the Capitol are full of various trees.

 

 

Trees around the California State Capitol

The temperature was in the mid to high 60’s.  This is a welcome relief from Lake Tahoe and Reno’s chilly air.  We had to pass a metal detector before entering the building.  Once inside, we saw that this building is large and beautiful.  There is a museum that shows how the office of the governor and other officials used to look back then.  There are also paintings of governors past and present.  The stairs are covered by an attractive blue carpet.

The view above

Inside the rotunda in the middle of this building

What the governor's office used to look like back then

 

 

Tassanee and mom

Mom and I with statue of Queen Isabella and Christopher Columbus

The highlight was seeing the state assembly chamber.  This is where the discussions take place.  Each table has a laptop.  There were also the podiums where the bigwigs preside.  This room is grand and artistic.

Assembly Chamber

Since it took a while to get through the metal detector, our time was very limited.  We only saw the half the building and did not get to the Senate half of the building.  Basically this building consists of two halves.  One half is the congregation place for the state senators and the other half the assemblymen.

Outside I snapped several photos of the building’s exterior.  It is white with a dome in the middle which is not different from the US Capitol building in Washington.  There is a big Christmas tree being decorated as we were walking by.

    

We took off from Sacramento at 11:30 AM en route back to Los Angeles.  With every other Tom, Dick, and Harry also returning to Los Angeles, it was a slow, long, arduous journey.  Pichian, who returned to this bus, tried to pass the time by giving out trinkets to people who could answer his riddles or singing a song.  I remembered one riddle so I got one key chain.  I then got another one by singing Elvis Presley’s It’s Now or Never.  Pichian is a big Elvis fan so this fit the bill.  After no more singing volunteers, he popped in the classic cowboy flick The Magnificent Seven.

At 2:15 PM, the bus stopped at a Carl’s Jr. in Santa Nella.  It was great to grab some grub, use the restroom, and just stretch.

The journey continued.  It was still very slow.  We all began to wonder when we will ever get to Los Angeles.  Pichian was hoping to get to Los Angeles at 7 PM but at the rate we were trudging along, it wasn’t going to happen.

At 5:20 PM the bus stopped in Lost Hills for a quick rest break.  My mom and I went to a Pilot Travel Center to use the restroom, pick up some chips, and Gatorade.  At this point, any break from sitting in that bus was a welcome one.  I also knew that it would be the last one before the stretch run back to Los Angeles.

When we passed the Grapevine, the I-5 turned into a parking lot.  We did not move at all for quite a long time.  Bus 2, which had passed us, told us that there was an accident which is causing the delay.

At 9 PM, we finally got to our Hollywood drop off location.  My brother Van and his wife Konie picked us up.  We had dinner and then went home.  I was very happy to get home.  I don’t want to ride another bus for a long time.  It felt great to crash onto my bed.

This trip was overall a relaxing one.  Lake Tahoe was beautiful.  I wished we could have taken a boat out on it and spent the night at South Lake Tahoe.  I also wished we could have spent more time at the California State Assembly.  It was quite a majestic building to behold both inside and out.

 

SOUTH DAKOTA 2009

 

October 10 – SPEARFISH CANYON AND DEADWOOD

 

My father and I went on a tour by President Tours Center, a Thai touring company.  There were 35 of us including our old neighbor Pimol Kusolpaisit.  She had traveled with my mother and me to Europe back in 2007.  25 of us took off on a United Airlines 757 from LAX at 8:26 am.  Earlier in the day another 10 people on this tour took off from LAX.  To curb our hunger we ate one of the sandwiches prepared by my sister-in-law Konie.  They were very good.

 

Two hours later, we arrived in Denver for a layover.  However, our plane sat on the tarmac for 20 minutes waiting for another plane to depart from the gate we’re supposed to exit at.  At 12:31 pm, only 23 of us took off on a SkyWest CRJ200 en route to Rapid City, South Dakota.  A couple did not recall that Denver’s time (Mountain Time) is an hour faster than Los Angeles’ time (Pacific Time).  Instead of having one hour and eleven minutes to get to our gate, in fact we only had eleven minutes.  By not knowing, the husband took the wife shopping within the airport.

 

It took 45 minutes to fly from Denver to Rapid City.  The temperature was in the high 20’s.  As it turned out, we had to wait a bit at Rapid City Regional Airport.  What happened was the earlier flight with 10 people experienced some engine trouble in Denver which delayed them for 2 hours.  Consequently they arrived after us.  We ate the rest of Konie’s sandwiches.

 

Yours truly at Rapid City Regional Airport                                                                        My father

Baggage claims

 
 

Once they arrived, we all boarded a bus.  Our driver/guide is Randy.  During the drive, we could see that it had snowed.  A good deal of the surroundings is still covered with snow.  The skies were blue with clouds floating about.  It looked like the opening to “The Simpsons”.  As expected, it’s rural.  We drove by wide open fields with rolled bales of hay, tractors, cattle, and horses.

  South Dakota skies

Hey, it’s hay!

Yep, it snowed yesterday

Along the drive we also passed by Sturgis.  It is most noted for an annual motorcycle rally where about half a million bikers converge for it.

Sturgis, South Dakota 

An hour and a half later from the time we departed from the airport we finally arrived at Spearfish Canyon.  There is a road that cuts into it.  Randy says that it was voted by some publication as one of the most beautiful drives out there.  I must admit, it was beautiful.  Notably, it was colorful.  It has light brown cliffs covered with dark ponderosa pines.  Interspersed within the pines are birch, aspen, and oak trees which feature multi-colored leaves from light green to orange, red, and yellow.  All of these things on this day were covered or sprinkled with snow.  It made for a most eye-catching combination.  It was an hour or so drive through the canyon but it was truly great while it lasted.  One appreciates the incredible beauty that nature has to offer.

Spearfish Canyon 

Bridal Veil falls at Spearfish Canyon

Spearfish Canyon 

Once we made it through the canyon, we passed by a town called Lead (pronounced Leed).  It is the home to Homestake Gold Mine.  It was active until January 2002.  According to Randy, at the time it was the second largest gold mine in the world.  What is left is a very large pit resulting from the mining.

Homestake Gold Mine in Lead, South Dakota

We arrived at Deadwood.  It’s a small town filled with casinos and gambling halls.  When we passed by one called Midnight Star, Randy told us that it was owned by actor Kevin Costner.  Back then it was one of these towns that embodied the Wild West.  Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are a part of this town’s colorful history.  During the 1870’s gold rush, gamblers and prostitutes converged on Deadwood with hopes to capitalize on the newfound wealth of the prospectors.  We stopped at Four Aces.  Inside my father won $6 from a slot machine.  I, on the other hand, lost $47 playing Three Card Poker.  Oddly, the Three Card Poker table was full whereas the blackjack table had only one player.  I guess folks around here are like me.  I prefer Three Card Poker over blackjack any day.  It’s just that on this day I cannot hit any real profitable hand.  It’s also a killer when they change dealers and he hits a 3-of-a-kind on his first two hands.

Deadwood

We had dinner there.  It was a buffet that featured crab and prime rib.  My dad thought the crab was a bit on the dry side so I didn’t try any.  I did like the prime rib.  The fried chicken was very good and the grilled chicken was not bad.  Also not bad was the tortellini.  My father enjoyed his cheesecake and I liked my carrot cake.

 

We returned to Rapid City.  Randy dropped us off at Quality Inn, our residence for the next three nights.  That couple that missed the flight in Denver managed to get here.  That night I was pleased to learn that the Dodgers had swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS.

Our room at Quality Inn – Mt. Rushmore location in Rapid City 

October 11 – MT. RUSHMORE, 1880 TRAIN, CRAZY HORSE

 

It was a very chilly night in our room despite turning the heater on maximum.  A howling sound kept coming in through our closed door.  We then had our complimentary breakfast at the hotel at 6:30 am.  When we came back to our room for final preparations, we saw that it began snowing.  My father figured out that the sound was from cold air seeping in underneath the door.  Once he placed our shoes at the bottom of the door, the sound was gone.  Consequently our room got warmer.

Left to right: Pichian Rojsiriwat (tour leader), Taveep Vathanasin (my dad), Pimol Kusolpaisit, Manida (don’t know her last name) poolside at the Quality Inn.

At 8:45 am, we boarded the bus and off to Mt. Rushmore National Memorial we went.  It snowed the entire time.  According to Randy, the bus passed by a large hole (technically a natural depression) in the ground (800 ft deep, half a mile in diameter) called the Stratobowl.  In 1934-1935 it was a launch site for stratospheric balloons.  This project was co-sponsored by the National Geographic Society and the US Army Air Corps.

Tidbits about the stratospheric balloon launches at the Stratobowl.  Pictures from The Journey Museum

Once there we got off as I was armed with my digital camera and my father with the camcorder.  The sky was gray all day with snow still falling as we walked along the Avenue of Flags to Grand View Terrace.  The Avenue of Flags feature flags of every state in the Union.  The columns they are extending from also indicate when they became part of the United States.  Once there we gazed up and there were the world-renowned faces of former US Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln carved out of the mountainside.  I said to my dad in Thai, “We made it!”

Mt. Rushmore National Memorial.  Left to right: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln

Dad at Avenue of Flags with Mt. Rushmore in the background

Me at Grand View Terrace

Pimol Kusolpaisit

I felt very satisfied to finally see Mt. Rushmore for myself.  They still showed quite visibly despite the snow.  We then went inside the museum.  It featured accomplishments by the four presidents, tools and equipment used to carve the faces, and background and factoids on how it was done.

Inside Mt. Rushmore museum

My father and I with statue of Gutzon Borglum, Mt. Rushmore’s architect.  Sculpted by his son Lincoln Borglum

We then went down to the nearby town of Keystone.  There we had lunch at Ruby House Restaurant.  My father had turkey and mashed potatoes.  I had a buffalo steak and mashed potatoes.  This place’s décor is pretty fancy in an Old West kind of way.  There are lots of framed pictures hanging on the walls plus some Native American artifacts and some animal heads.

Keystone

My dad at the Ruby House Restaurant

My buffalo steak

At noon we took off for Hill City.  There we boarded the 1880 Train.  It is a train driven by a steam locomotive operating since 1880.  It only goes 10 mph but that’s fine since mainly it’s pretty scenic as the route cuts through its portion of the Black Hills and ended up back at Keystone.  We passed through countless ponderosa forests plus some spruce.  We also saw some turkeys, horses, and deer.  We also saw a flattened region called Battle Creek where in the past it was a battleground between the Sioux, Lakota, and other tribes.  Unfortunately due to all the snow, we could not see Harney Peak, the tallest mountain in the Black Hills.  I could tell that this is an old-fashioned train.  I could hear the wood creak throughout the trip.  Also there was no interior heating so it was as cold as outside.  However it does not take away from it being a nice, scenic ride through the Black Hills.

 

 

1880 Train at Hill City station

All aboard

This train is cold

Deer!

Turkeys!

Old tungsten mine!

Battle Creek 

From Keystone Randy took us to see the Crazy Horse Memorial.  Similar to Mt. Rushmore, it is sculpted from a mountainside.  However it is far from finished and whenever it is, it will be the largest stone carving in the world.  The only part that is finished is the face.  However they still need to do his hair, body, arms, and the horse.

Crazy Horse Monument 

 

What the Crazy Horse Monument is supposed to become in the end

This is supposed to be a sculpture of the legendary Sioux chief Crazy Horse.  It was begun in 1948 by Korczak Ziolkowski, an assistant to Mt. Rushmore’s architect Gutzon Borglum.  Ziolkowski accepted this project after Chief Henry Standingbear asked him.  Standingbear was impressed with Ziolkowski’s sculpture Paderewski.  Though Ziolkowski has passed on, the project continues via his wife and ten children.  There is no set timetable or completion date for the Crazy Horse Memorial.  It is also completely funded privately and through donations.  They turned down two $10,000,000 grants from the US government.  I would love to come back to see it upon completion but considering the massive scale of this project and how much more they have to go, I fear I will not be around when that time comes.

 

In addition to the unfinished monument, this place also houses a large Native American museum.  It is filled with art, crafts, tools, pottery, and much more.

 

Native American museum

 

Shop inside museum.  Pimol Kusolpaisit looking for some new jewelry, perhaps.

We were supposed to go to Custer State Park.  However, the snow made the roads too dangerous to negotiate especially with our tour bus.  Due to this, Custer State Park was lopped off our itinerary.  We returned to Rapid City and it would be the last we would see of Randy.

 

Back at Rapid City, we had dinner at Mongolian Grill.  It was not bad since we paid a bit over $10 per person for all-you-can-eat.  Back at the hotel I learned that the Angels had finally beaten the Boston Red Sox in a postseason series.  Now we’re one step closer to a possible I-5 World Series.

 

I placed a towel at the bottom of our door.  By doing so, there is no more cold air seeping in.  There is no more howling sound.  Lastly, our room is now toasty.

 

I noticed some places one might see on commercials but never see back in Los Angeles.  The notable ones are eateries Hardee’s, Long John Silver’s, and Golden Corral.  Also I saw several branches for First Interstate Bank.  I thought they went under but I guess they just no longer exist out in Los Angeles.

 

October 12 – THE JOURNEY MUSEUM, WALL, BADLANDS

 

We had breakfast again at 6:30 am.  It is not snowing anymore.  However, it is still cold enough where the snow from the night before has not melted.

At 8:30 am we met our new driver/guide.  His name is Dave.  He took us to The Journey Museum.  Normally it opens at 10 am but this time they let us in when we got there (~8:45 am).  The museum depicts the history of the Black Hills starting with its geological and paleontological history.  Then it was its archaeological history and later to the Native Americans and finally the settlers.  My favorite part was seeing the prehistoric fossils on display.  There was a duck-billed dinosaur, an allosaurus, and a tyrannosaurus among others.

The Journey Museum

Edmontosaurus annectens

Allosaurus

Purussaurus brasiliensis

Tyrannosaurus

Tyrannosaurus teeth vs my hand

Claws vs. my hand

Holographic Native American woman telling a tale

In the Old West-looking area there was something on the carpet that said “Step Here”.  My father and I did.  We then heard a gunshot.  Next, the wall of pictures we were looking at became transparent and it showed four guys playing poker but one of them was dead on the floor.  It turns out it was Wild Bill Hickok.  He was shot by Jack McCall while holding a pair of aces and eights.  This became known as the Dead Man’s Hand.

Dead Man’s hand

There was also a saddle exhibit and ones depicting the various animals in the area.  There were lots of stuffed animals here.

Yeehaw!

Me and a replica triceratops fossil

On the way to Wall, we passed by Ellsworth Air Force Base.  It is one of the two places in the county that houses the B1 bomber.  The other is in Texas.  At 11 pm, we arrived in a small town called Wall.  The best known thing here is a drugstore called Wall Drug.  It was the original one ran by the Husteads.  Back then, drugstores would offer ice water to visitors.  Mrs. Hustead suggested putting up signs on the roads leading to wall to advertise about ice water being available at Wall Drug.  Little did she know that the signs would bring hordes of visitors to the little town.  Now Main Street, where Wall Drug is located, has shops, museums, and eateries lining it. 

Wall Drug signs

The Hustead’s Wall Drug Store

Main Street in Wall

My dad did a little shopping.  Inside one of the places there was a little gallery of heads of various antelopes, a stuffed polar bear, fish, birds, and other animals including a wolverine hide.

Where my dad shopped and there’s a wildlife museum, too

The Wild Life Museum

We ate at Cactus Café where we each had a chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes.  Then we had to bolt.

There are two dead deer tied to the ATV in the back of the blue and white pickup.  We ate at Cactus Café.

My chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and garlic bread

Just before the entrance to Badlands National Park, the bus made a quick stop at a place where they have what looks alike a large yard filled with holes.  Living there are prairie dogs.  I couldn’t get a good picture of them.  There were three that showed themselves.

 

At 1 pm we arrived at Badlands National Park.  We stopped at the Window Trail.  All around us we could see these dirt mounds of various shapes and sizes.  Dave said that this whole area was underwater in the distant past until the sea receded.  They were mostly brown and gray but the taller ones still had some snow clinging onto them.  Some of them looked like palaces and pagodas.  All were created from water erosion.

Scenery from the Window Trail, Badlands National Park

Inside we watched a film inside the Ben Reifel Visitor Center describing the park.  There were also some fossils on display (e.g. titanothere horn, archaeoterium fossil).

Fossil of Archaeoterium, an ancient piglike animal                           Depiction of what it should have looked like

Titanothere horn                                                                   Depiction of a titanothere

Me at Visitor Center

Scenery around the Visitor Center

Later we came to a certain viewpoint.  It was the most breathtaking view in the park.  To our right and below us we could how deep these wavy cliffs and canyons went.  Ahead of us were more badlands formations.  It was mesmerizingly majestic.  We even saw a rabbit on the side of the walkway.

Badlands National Park

The yellow mounds in the park were not very discernible because they were snow covered.  Dave had to point them out to us.

Our new friend

More new friends

The Yellow Mounds

The Ancient Hunters viewing spot is the last stop in the park for us.  We saw a deep canyon ahead and to the right.  Snow was still evident everywhere.  This place is slightly like a cross between the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon.  It is large like the Grand Canyon and has hoodoo-like formations like Bryce Canyon.  But all in all, what this park features stands alone as its own formations and its beauty speaks for itself.

Ancient Hunters viewing point, Badland National Park

 On this trip we were expecting Mt. Rushmore to be the highlight but we were more impressed with Badlands National Park.  This is the absolute cannot-miss on this trip.

 

We returned to Rapid City and had dinner at Hong Kong Buffet.  As you can guess, it’s an Ameri-Chinese buffet.

 

Back at the hotel, we watched Huston Street blowing a save and ultimately the Colorado Rockies’ season ended.  It sets up a rematch of the NLCS between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The night concluded with a very exciting Monday Night Football game with the Miami Dolphins defeating the New York Jets 31-27.

 

October 13 – COMING HOME

 

We had breakfast at 8:30 am which is after most people.  We then gathered the last of our stuff.  At 9:30 am we left the Quality Inn.  It was both rainy and windy on this day.

 

In Rapid City we drove along Main St. and St. Joseph St.  On various corners are statues of past US Presidents.  Not all of them are there yet.  About 3 new statues are introduced each year.  Some of the ones that are present include George Washington, John Adams, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, and Dwight Eisenhower.  There are plenty of others I cannot recall.

Our pictures with John Adams in Rapid City

The bus stopped off at a store called Prairie Edge.  Inside they have a wide selection of Native American stuff.  They have hides, beads, clothing, musical instruments, toys, and artwork.  I briefly tried a flute and a gourd piano.

Prairie Edge store

At ~10:30 am we arrived at Rapid City Regional Airport.  The group of ten that arrived after us on Saturday took off on a 1 pm flight.  Our flight is scheduled at 3:55 pm.

 

During the wait, my father and I had lunch at their deli.  He had some tasty chicken tenders.  I had a pretty good bacon cheeseburger.  Tour leader Pichian Rojsiriwat then also had a burger.  He and my dad chatted for a while.  As kids, they were old schoolmates back in Thailand.

 

Come 3:45 pm, we knew that our flight was late.  Pichian frantically communicated with a United Airlines person about our flight being late and the need to connect in Denver.

 

We finally took off around 4:48 pm.  Our SkyWest CRJ200 landed in Denver at ~ 6:01 pm.  Our connecting flight is scheduled to depart at 6:12 pm.  My father and I tried to get there hopefully to get them to wait a bit.  However, it’s a really long walk from Gate B91 to B29.  When we finally got there, the plane just taxied from the gate.

 

Pichian managed to get us another flight at 8:24 pm.  He, along with my father and I, were on standby.  During the wait, my dad and I went to Sara Lee Sandwich Shoppe for some dinner.  I ate a Cuban Style sandwich and he had what they call the Mountain Topper.  They were not bad.

 

Fortunately we were able to board the flight.  It was a pretty turbulent flight for our 757 making me wish we could get there sooner than later.  Playing was “The Brothers Bloom” starring Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, and Mark Ruffalo.  We arrived at LAX at 10:40 pm.  It took a very long time for people to get off.  I didn’t understand the delay.  It was a bit rough because it was the hottest I had ever felt inside an airplane.  I was beginning to sweat quite a bit.

 

Finally they let us out.  I was so relieved to be out of that hot plane.  My brother and mom were there to pick us up.

 

I needed this trip.  It’s the first real trip I had taken since February.  I really enjoyed my time in South Dakota.  Living in Los Angeles, I don’t see snow so this was a welcome change.  It was great to take a trip with my father.  Most of my past adventures were with my mother.  We both had a terrific time.  I had a good time everywhere I went.  Spearfish Canyon was beautiful.  It was neat seeing the little towns of Deadwood and Keystone.  I’m glad to finally see Mt. Rushmore.  It was what I hoped it would be.  I thought this was going to be the highlight of this trip but everything was upstaged by the unique natural beauty of Badlands National Park.  My father agrees.  I would strongly recommend for anyone to come to the Black Hills and see all it has to offer.  Take the drive through Spearfish Canyon.  Of course come see Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial but you must include Badlands National Park as part of the itinerary.

Last look at the Badlands

 

Florida Vacation 2008

 

May 31 – TO THE SOUTH

 

My mother and I arrived at LAX a couple hours before the scheduled takeoff.  We ate some Vietnamese sandwiches one of my mom’s friends brought.  They were good.  For anyone who has never had one, I recommend you give it a try.

 

We took off on Delta Airlines from LAX at 11:40 am.  On this trip, I went with my mother and her friends (Pimpa, Sarita, Surapee, Pramrudee, Rachanee).

 

While on board, I played the trivia game they had throughout the entire flight to Atlanta.  It’s against other people on board and the only free game they had.  I won 5 games, came up second a couple times, and had some forgettable games.  Being so focused on these trivia games really helped me on this flight.  It made me forget how little sleep I actually got last night.  Typically if I don’t get enough sleep before flying, I get nauseous.  However, not this time.

 

We arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta, Georgia at 6:40 pm EDT.  The layover gave us enough time to stretch our legs, go to the restroom, and grab a bite to eat.  We went to the nearby Chili’s mini-shop.  I had me a Cajun chicken sandwich on a pretzel roll.

 

At 8:40 pm, we took off.  Two hours later, we landed at Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.  There, we rented a Toyota Sienna from Alamo.  Sarita drove while Surapee navigated.  At around 11:30 pm, we arrived at the Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort.  This is to be our abode for the majority of this excursion.  It has two bedrooms, a sofa bed, a Murphy bed, and a full kitchen complete with cookware, silverware, cutlery, and refrigerator.  We are located on the 12^th floor giving us a pretty good view of Ft. Lauderdale.  It was humid as expected.  However, I didn’t know it was going to still be 88°F at this hour of night.  That was an omen of things to come.

View from our balcony at the Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort

We boiled some Mama (Thai brand ramen noodles) for a late night dinner.

 

June 1 – EVERGLADES AND MIAMI

 

We returned to our rented Sienna and assumed our positions from the night before.  Sarita drove, Surapee (as navigator and trip planner) sat shotgun, Rachanee, Pramrudee, and I were in the middle, and my mom and Pimpa manned the back.  We took off from Ft. Lauderdale at 9 am.  Around 40 minutes later we arrived at the Bayside Marketplace in Miami.  This place is open air full of shops and restaurants.  As the name suggests, it is seaside where one has a terrific view of the marina and the many boats docked.

Front left to right: Surapee, Pimpa, Prapassa (my mom), Pramrudee.

Back left to right: Rachanee, Warunchai (me)

 

View of marina from Bayside Marketplace

At 10:15 am, we boarded the tour shuttle for Miami Nice Tours.  Our driver/tour guide is Harry.  As he drove us towards the Everglades, he explained to us that all of the water in the Everglades comes from rain.  None of it comes from underground springs or runoffs from mountains or rivers.  He also told us that there are notably two non-native species in the Everglades that are in abundance.  They are the melaleuca trees and the Burmese python.  There were many other factoids Harry threw at us.

Gator Park, Everglades (not real gator seen)

We arrived at Gator Park in the Everglades.  First thing we did was board an airboat.  It’s a boat that moves via a large fan in the back.  These are commonly seen in the movies or TV shows that portray Miami like Miami Vice or CSI: Miami. 

All aboard the airboat at Gator Park, Everglades

First the airboat moved slowly as the driver would point out alligators, iguanas, birds, and certain plants.  It then moved into an area without trees, just grass. 

 

Gators galore

Turtle

Here, we put on the earplugs provided to us and off we went.  The airboat accelerated giving us a more exhilarating ride as it weaved around one grassy island after another.  It was great because on this hot day, any kind of breeze is soothing.  We then stopped.  The driver explained some more stuff about the Everglades.  There, we saw an egret.  Soon after, the driver drove us back and back to the dock we went.

Egret

The Everglades

The seven of us

Then we went to the Alligator Show.  It’s hosted by Sal.  First, Sal grabbed a baby gator and showed it up close to everyone. 

Sal holding baby alligator

Sal said that he needed a volunteer to wrestle with an alligator.  He walked around scoping out the audience and approached a young man and asked him his name (Justin, if I recall).  Sal told him that he has a very important task to perform.  He needs to take photos as his girlfriend will wrestle the gator.  The girlfriend’s name is Pam.  She was surprised at being selected.  Sal told her to come to the front.  We all had a big laugh.  He guaranteed that nothing will become of her.  Sal then went inside the pen and approached a nine-foot gator named Norman.  Norman hissed at Sal.  Sal later dragged Norman by the tail to the middle of the pen.  While Norman’s mouth is open, Sal put his hand inside.  When he pulled his hand out, Norman’s mouth snapped shut but missing Sal’s hand.  That gave Pam goose bumps since Sal told her that she’ll be doing the same thing.  Next Sal stood behind Norman.  He explained to Pam and the rest of us that alligators see from side to side but cannot see in front or behind them; thus, he is invisible to Norman.  Sal told Pam that this gives her the advantage.  Sal then jumped on top of Norman’s back, grabbed the mouth, and pinned it under his chin.  He then got off and told Pam not to worry when she performs this stunt.  Pam closed her mouth with her hands in amazement and fright.  In the end, Sal told Pam that she won’t wrestle Norman…that he was just putting her on.  He wouldn’t let anyone in a pen with an alligator. 

Sal on Norman

Instead Sal reached into a crate and pulled out a smaller 3-foot gator named Larry.  He let Pam hold it.  Larry’s mouth is taped shut.  As she held Larry, her beau snapped the Kodak moment.

 

Every one of us got a chance to hold Larry and have our photo taken.  Our tour guide Harry warned us before arriving here not to squeeze the gator or else we’ll be drenched in Gatorade if you catch my drift.  I took his word to heart and just held Larry.

Me and Larry

Sarita and Larry

We had lunch there.  My mother and her friends ordered the usual stuff like chicken sandwiches, burgers, and hot dogs.  I had me a gator sausage.  It was served on a hot dog bun.  It was a bit tough to bite into at first.  When I bit harder, juices squirted out.  Once I finally took a real bite, it was salty.  However I like salty food so it was good to me.

 

It was nice getting back into the shuttle because of air conditioning.  We returned to Bayside Marketplace to pick up two more guests.  We then went on a driving tour or Miami.

 

We began on Brickell Avenue.  It is named after William Brickell, one of the co-founders of Miami.  This street is a financial one with up to 150 banks.  There are a lot of them from Latin America and Spain e.g. Banco Popular.

 

Then we went to Coconut Grove.  Harry explained that underneath Miami is all coral rock.  He mentioned how coral rock can be found everywhere including various buildings.  As an example, he stopped by Plymouth Congressional Church.  It is an English church built 111 years ago entirely out of coral rock.

 

Left to right: Surapee, Rachanee, Sarita, mom, and Pramrudee at Plymouth Congressional Church

He also mentioned that Miami has a large number of banyan trees.  We passed by a number of them in Coconut Grove.  Each time we passed under one, Harry would ask if we noticed the air from the AC got cooler.  I felt it was.  In Coconut Grove was also one of Miami’s two city halls.  It used to be the Pan Am Clipper Club and served as the country’s first international airport.  In the distant past, Ponce de Leon would stop his boat in the nearby inlet to hunt boar in the Everglades.

 

Next we passed into Coral Gables, another city within Miami.  It was founded by George Merrick.  He hired European architects to build German, Italian, Spanish, and French style houses.

 

  

 Homes in Coral Gables

 

However, these homes didn’t sell well until Merrick decided to dig a canal through the area.  This provided convenient access to Miami.  Nowadays, it is a very nice place to live with beautiful homes including a large one belonging to Philip Michael Thomas (if you don’t recall, he starred as Rico Tubbs in the hit 80’s show Miami Vice).  The lawns are neatly cut, the houses generally unpainted, and for sale signs are only 2”x4”.

Philip Michael Thomas’ mansion

We then stopped in Little Havana.  Harry was hungry so he wanted to grab a Cuban sandwich and that we were welcome to join him so we did at La Lechonera del Sur.  First thing though, he got us samples of Cuban coffee from next door.  I didn’t try it because I don’t drink coffee.  Everyone else did and they all agreed that it was really good if not the best.  They said the flavor and aroma was stronger than the usual coffee.  I was more interested in a hat because it was so hot.  I found a very nice looking Cuban hat.  It was off-white with a dark trim.  However it was over $70 so I declined. 

Entertainment at La Lechonera del Sur

I had a Cuban sandwich.  Inside were typical ingredients like Swiss cheese and ham.  However there was also a slice of Cuban pork (lechón).  It was served inside Cuban bread which is crispy sort of like a baguette to a lesser degree.  The sandwich was then pressed flat so it was only about an inch and a half thick.  I took one bite and heard the crunch.  It tasted so good, I couldn’t stop.  I was happily surprised at how much I enjoyed this sandwich.  Each time I bit into it, I could hear the crunch.  Harry was right as he told us it was really good.  We also had delicious freshly-squeezed orange juice.

A most curious sign                                         Grabbing a bite at La Lechonera del Sur

 

At long last Harry dropped us off at Bayside Marketplace to conclude our tour.  I had a good time and thanked Harry for a fantastic tour.

 

There at Bayside we had dinner at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.  As you may well know, it is themed after the movie Forrest Gump named after Forrest Gump and his friend Bubba.  I had  the Boat Trash (fried shrimp, lobster claws, fish).  Others had other shrimp plates and split the lechón sandwich they got from La Lechonera del Sur.

 

In the early evening, we boarded Island Queen Tours.  It is a boat touring the Miami waters.  We saw the nearby American Airlines Arena, home of the NBA’s Miami Heat. 

American Airlines Arena, home of NBA’s Miami Heat

There were two guides, one spoke English and the other Spanish.  The boat took us near Fisher Island and then came to Star Island.  On this island are mansions belonging to the rich and famous.  We passed by homes belonging to (some of these I’m not entire sure so I’m guessing):

Rosie O’Donnell

Xuxa, I think

Gloria Estefan, I think

Sylvester Stallone

Julio Iglesias

Shaquille O’Neal

Vanilla Ice, I think

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, I think

Former Miami Dolphins great Bob Kuechenberg

Alicia Keys

Sean Combs (a.k.a. Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy)

However the biggest house belonged to Dr. Phillip Frost, the developer of Viagra.

Dr. Phillip Frost

Later we passed by a couple more homes on a separate island.  One belonged to Paulina Rubio and another one formerly owned by Al Capone.  According to the guide, there would always be a bodyguard around to allow Capone to take a comfortable nap.

Al Capone

Madonna and rapper Lil’ John also have pads on Star Island.

 

We returned that evening to Ft. Lauderdale and shopped at a market called Winn Dixie.  That concluded this eventful first day.

Us aboard the Island Queen Tour boat

June 7 – UNDER THE SEA

 

My mom and friends made some chicken and rice for breakfast.  At 11 am, we took off for the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park located in Key Largo.  We had spotty rain but not too much.

 

We got there a little after 2 pm.  It was even hotter than the previous day.  We went to a picnic table and had lunch.  It was all stuff my mom and friends had made plus a few snack items from Winn Dixie.  After lunch, I had just had it with the sun so I got myself an $11 straw hat from the gift shop.  This hat would prove to be my best friend until the end of my trip.  I wouldn’t go anywhere without it.

Me, Pimpa, and Surapee aboard the glass bottom boat

At 3 pm, we boarded a glass bottom boat.  As it departed, both sides of the waterway were lined with mangrove trees. 

            Mangroves                                                      Bird on mangrove

Finally we reached the open water.  We could see coral, plant life, and fish.  Some examples were brain coral, blue tang (what Dory is in Finding Nemo), permit fish, and even some sunken ship wreckage.  I was the only one in our group to see something because everyone else was getting seasick.  Admittedly if this lasted another 30 minutes, I might have hurled.  There was one woman who kept seeing this and that.  I looked and saw nothing.  Either she is seeing things that aren’t really there or her eyesight is a whole lot better than mine.  I’m hedging towards the latter.  The guide is very knowledgeable about sea life.  He pretty much recognizes all the creatures upon just a glimpse.  What I found captivating was his excitement and zeal he displayed as he described the various creatures we saw.  I think he could make a very good announcer for the WWE.  We returned to the park two and a half hours after departure.

Brain Coral

Parts from sunken vessel

Some fish

We headed back to Miami for dinner intending to eat at Royal Thai.  However, they were closed.  My mom and friends then shopped at nearby Bravo Supermarket.  This is a Cuban market.

 

We finally had dinner at Sukhothai back in Ft. Lauderdale.  It’s a Thai restaurant named after the first capital of Thailand.  Bangkok is the fourth.  Some of my mom’s friends were dying to return to eating Thai food.  They seemingly cannot live without it.  My mom also has the syndrome but won’t admit it.

 

June 3 – MORE ASPECTS OF MIAMI

 

At 9 am, we headed for Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.  It was the former residence of one James Deering.  He was a tycoon selling farm machinery worldwide.  As it turned out, he was into the arts and wanted his home to be artistic in every aspect.  Due to that, he would purchase furniture from all over the world (e.g. baroque, rococo, some Chinese).  Every inch from the floors to the ceiling was decorated ornately similar to the Hearst Castle.  However, photography inside the mansion was not allowed so I didn’t have any to show.

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.  Left to right: Pramrudee,Pimpa, mom, Rachanee, Surapee, Sarita

To me, the most visually stunning aspect was the back of the home.  It bordered the water.  In order to prevent waves from hitting the home, there was a breakwater constructed.  However, this breakwater looked like an old Greek or Roman ship.  It was really neat.  The only thing was that the shape at the back of the home trapped water so it smelled pretty bad.

Break water at back of home

There was also a pretty garden with statues, fountains, and carefully aligned plants.  Take away the foul odor of the trapped water and it is a gorgeous sight to see.

Vizcaya’s gardens

Mom at the Orchidarium at Vizcaya

Me at Vizcaya.  They’ll never peg me for a tourist.

Lunch time

After eating at their picnic area, we headed to the Schnebly Redlands Winery.  Before getting there, we stopped at Robert is Here…Fruit Stand.  There, my mom and friends were hoping for more fruits.  I decided to bask in the air conditioning.  I also now rode shotgun since taking over as navigator.  Surapee is still the trip planner.  Anything she says, goes.  I’ll just try to get us there.  I also became the vehicle’s DJ as I flipped through the many songs on Sarita’s iPod.  It turns out Sarita was happy since I cycle through a wide array of songs including a few more modern hits which she is accustomed to.  Incredibly, this is the first time I had ever laid my hands on an iPod.  Sarita had to show me how to use it.  I’m such an anachronism.

 

At last we came to the winery.  There my mom and her friends tasted some wine.  They had mostly fruit wines (guava, passion fruit, carambola, mango, and lychee).  As usual, I didn’t taste any.  Instead, I admired their back area which was attractive with its lawn, bridge, colorful plants, and waterfalls.  My mom and friends bought some wine and got some free wine glasses for coming over and tasting.

Wine tasting

The area behind the wine tasting area

Pimpa heard that there were fresh lychees for sale in the back nearby so we went there.  My mom and her friends are suckers for fruits that are normally found in Thailand.  Surapee and I bought some.  As we were driving along, we spotted a roadside vendor selling more lychees.  We bought some and these were fresher and better tasting than the ones we just bought.

 

Due to how long we took at Vizcaya, we cancelled on going to the Miami Metrozoo.  There was supposed to be a casino cruise for later tonight but it turned out it ended a few days before our arrival to Florida.  As we were on highway 1 en route to Miami, we arrived at the Coral Castle so we checked it out.

 

It was constructed by Ed Leedskalnin as a love shrine in hopes of winning back his ex-wife Agnes who left him for someone younger and richer.  The entire place and all structures within were carved out and erected all by Ed via hand tools and without the aid of machinery or anyone else.  Everything was made of coral rock.  Some of these rock pieces weighed several tons.  It is a wonder and mystery how he did all this since there were no eyewitnesses.  He wouldn’t do anything if there were eyewitnesses.

Me on the throne                                                        Florida table

Some sort of shrine                                                      Beds

Sarita on coral chair                                                    Telescope

Ed Leedskalnin’s residence

Cutout of Ed Leedskalnin inside abode at Coral Castle

Sadly, despite his efforts, Agnes wouldn’t come back to him.  Ed has long since passed.  A crew making a documentary about the Coral Castle managed to track down Agnes who is now a widow.  They told her about the castle and wondered if she would like to come see it.  She flatly refused.

 

Since I’m riding with an older crowd, I tried to choose songs that they might know and like (e.g. Beatles/Eagles songs).  For the most part, I think I did all right.  Then Pimpa requested Dean Martin.  My mom was like, “Dean Martin?  That’s TOO old!”  Since Sarita had a wide selection, I put on That’s Amore.

 

My not-so-great navigation made us wind up at Key Biscayne.  We then went to the nearby beach and took some pictures.  There was also a family of ducks that stayed nearby.  I’m guessing they are hoping for some food.

At Biscayne Bay

We then cruised to South Beach.  On Ocean Drive we saw the famed art deco buildings like the Colony Hotel.  They are typically only 3 stories high and adorned with neon.  It looks nice and unmistakably Miami.  The only thing was that it was still late afternoon so there was still ample daylight; thus, no neon was lit.  We then cruised northward to Miami Beach and Hallandale.  This went all the way back to Ft. Lauderdale.  I was having a ball as DJ.  I also learned that if I needed to wake up the masses, You Spin Me by Dead or Alive will do the trick.  Since we were in Miami, I put on a lot of ‘80’s hits.  I guess when I think of Miami, I think of Miami Vice.

 

Near our hotel was a Primanti Bros. Pizza.  We ordered one with pepperoni, sausage, onions, olives, and bell peppers.  It was really good.

 

The downer today was that Pramrudee couldn’t find her cane.  After a fruitless search, she concluded that she left it at the Coral Castle.

 

June 4 – OUR FREE DAY

 

My mother and her friends came to know each other through the Thai temples.  They are avid temple goers.  With that in mind, on our free day, they wanted to visit the Thai temple in Miami…Wat Buddharangsi.

 

This temple is actually located in Homestead which is a little south of Miami.  We arrived at noon.  We would have gotten there earlier but my poor navigation had us veering off until we hit ProPlayers Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins.  My mother was excited because this is where Jason Taylor played football.  She became a huge admirer after his successful stint on Dancing with the Stars. 

 

After lunch, I walked around scoping out the place.  On this 10-acre temple are fruit trees.  Around the main altar are small trees covered with purple, magenta, and pink flowers.  Inside the altar is a beautiful golden Buddha statue similar to the renowned Phra Buddhachinarat statue in Pitsanulok, Thailand.  There is also a bell tower.  It’s a nice looking temple that is still under development.  Once done, it will be quite grand.

Inside altar at Wat Buddharangsi

Window painting

The abbot talked to us.  He explained the history of the temple and the toils and troubles they went through before gaining approval to establish Wat Buddharangsi.  The temple has stood for over two decades to this day.  We made a monetary donation to the temple.

Wat Buddharangsi

On the way back to Miami, we stopped at the Coral Castle.  Pramrudee picked up her cane.  She is now mentally at ease.  We continued.

At La Lechonera del Sur

At Little Havana

I was wondering what everyone wanted for dinner.  As it turned out, we wanted to return to La Lechonera del Sur.  We got there and were tended to by a very friendly waiter.  I had two sandwiches (Cubano and Media Noche).  Others had pork, some had chicken, all had some plantains, and that fresh squeezed orange juice.

 

We then parked at South Beach on Ocean Drive.  We went to the beach.  While my mom and her friends sat on the sand watching the waves, I was trying to snap more photos.  Pramrudee was tired so she went back to the car.  Rachanee accompanied her.

Ocean Drive in the late afternoon

At Miami Beach

When it was close to dark, we returned to the car.  However, I was not ready to go yet.  I wanted to walk along Ocean Drive and admire the art deco buildings.

Ocean Drive at night

Coming along with me were Sarita, Supapee, and Rachanee.  The other three stayed in the car.  Ocean Drive is pretty attractive.  The buildings looked great with the neon lit.  It’s a happening place with clubs, bars, and lots of young people frolicking away.

 

Finally we returned to our place in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

June 5 – FT. LAUDERDALE

 

At 9:30 AM we boarded the Jungle Queen Riverboat Tour.  It’s a boat that looks like a steamboat (like the Mark Twain at Disneyland).  It took us on the New River and other streams as it toured Ft. Lauderdale. 

The Jungle Queen.  Sorry, I couldn’t find a louder shirt.

There are yachts everywhere we turned.  There was a nice large home we passed by belonging to H. Wayne Huizenga.  He owns many companies e.g. Blockbuster Video and the Miami Dolphins.  We passed by many more homes belonging to the well off.  One thing we noticed was that they were generally uninhabited.  Basically they served as vacation homes come the winter time.

Millionaire’s Row in Ft. Lauderdale

The Jungle Queen also passed by many ships including a cruise ship from Nassau, Bahamas.  It then took us to the mouth of the waterway leading to the Atlantic Ocean.  The breeze was so soothing.  Everyone fell asleep at some time on this tour because it was three hours and very relaxing.  Guide was very informative.

Enchantment of the Seas from Nassau, Bahamas

Cargo ship

The Atlantic Ocean

We had lunch at Thai on the Beach.  It is located above the Primanti Bros. Pizzeria.

 

From 3:15 pm until 4 pm, Rachanee, Surapee, Sarita, and I toured the Bonnet House.  It was the former estate of local artist Frederick Bartlett.  All of the structures are painted yellow after the Bonnet Lily which is prevalent in the ponds on the estate.

The Bonnet House Gallery                                            Gift shop

We could not take pictures inside any of the structures.  Everything is adorned by the artwork of Bartlett and his family.

 

What’s nice about the pond is that there is a bridge in the middle which seems like a very nice place to relax.  Also in the pond are swans and cygnets.  Swans are such beautiful birds.  They make any body of water that much more alluring to the eyes.

Bonnet House gallery and pond

Bridge at pond of Bonnet House

Swans and cygnet

The Bonnet House closed at 4 pm.  We returned to our place in Ft. Lauderdale to get ready for dinner.

 

We had dinner at Mai Kai Polynesian restaurant.  First came appetizers – crab/cream cheese won tons, bacon-wrapped chicken bites, crab rolls.  For my main entrée, I had the beef with mushroom, chestnuts, and gravy.  It was pretty good.  I really liked the pineapple sherbet.

Aloha from the Mai Kai Restaurant

Then on the stage was entertainment.  There was a Polynesian band and dancers – two guys and three gals.  There were several dances.  Each was introduced by the emcee who is a Polynesian man who’s quite a smooth talker.  Honestly, by the way he talks; he could be a used car dealer.

There were dances with everyone, ones with only the men, ones with only the women, and ones with just one guy one girl (e.g. the wedding dance).  The men also performed the fire dance.  The women shook their hips so fast and effortlessly.

 

It was a very energetic show.  Everyone showed off their skill and dance prowess.  The percussive beats stuck in my head for hours after the show.

 

The back of the restaurant features a garden adorned with tiki statues here and there.

Mom and I at garden at Mai Kai Restaurant

 

June 6 – PALM BEACH

 

At 9 AM, we departed for Palm Beach.  At 11:45 am, we arrived at The Breakers Hotel.  It is a beautiful hotel designed to be a work of art from the inside and out.  Palm trees align the drive to the hotel.  There are colorful plants carefully placed everywhere to adorn the facilities.

Driveway of The Breakers

Inside, the ceilings are painted with classic European artistry.  There is a great view of the ocean through one of the doorways.

Inside The Breakers

Me and the ocean

Pramrudee and the ocean

Rachanee and the ocean

As it turned out, there was a sale inside the Venetian Ballroom.  My mom and friends took advantage.

Sale inside Venetian Ballroom of The Breakers

We left The Breakers and arrived at CityPlace.  It’s a place full of restaurants and shops.  However we only had 35 minutes before having to board the Diva Duck Tour.  We purchased burgers from a place called Cheeburger Cheeburger.  By the time the food was done, it was time to board.

 

Diva Duck Tour is a tour of Palm Beach aboard an amphibious vehicle.  Our guide, Feliz, is very animated and entertaining.  She provides information, corny jokes and antics, and timely music from her boombox.  Once we got to the water, in we went.

Mom ready to board the Diva Duck Tour

Tour guide Feliz

Mom aboard the Diva Duck

We ate our burgers on board.  It turns out that they were fantastic.  I think what made it taste so good was the bread.  It was very flavorful and really accentuated the patty.

 

The vehicle in water can achieve a maximum speed of 6 knots.  It took us to homes belonging to celebrities like Liberace and Celine Dion.

Liberace’s home

She explained that Palm Beach is to Miami what Beverly Hills is to Los Angeles.  Whereas in Beverly Hills the famed shopping street is Rodeo Drive, in Palm Beach it’s Worth Avenue.

 

Once we returned to CityPlace, we hung out until 4:40 pm.  I did some Christmas shopping (yes, Christmas shopping) at Brookstone.  The others went to a clothing shop called Sigrid Olsen.  Since they were going out of business, everything was 70% off. 

 

At 6:30 pm, we boarded the Palm Beach Princess.  It is a cruise ship that houses a casino.  It is nowhere as large as the ones used by Royal Caribbean or Carnival.  However, it is still the largest ship we would board on this vacation.  On board, I changed out of my T-shirt, sneakers, cargo shorts, and straw hat into a previously unworn dress shirt, slacks, and dress shoes. 

Palm Beach Princess.  Casino plus all-you-can-eat dinner.

Let’s play some cards!

Dinner was all you could eat.  We definitely took advantage of the Alaskan snow crab legs.  There was also prime rib, salmon, Maryland soft shell crab.  I also tried a blackberry cobbler and strawberry shortcake.

 

My mom found a slot machine to try her luck.  Her friends relaxed on patio chairs on the back of the ship.  I tried my luck on No Limit Texas Hold’em.  As it turned out, I played badly, the cards weren’t kind to me, and the guys at the table have done this a whole lot longer than I have.  I lost $400 this night and definitely not proud of it.

Mom and friends chillin’ at the back of the Palm Beach Princess

Afterwards, I walked around the ship to admire different angles and views.  Surapee got seasick.  The others also weren’t feeling too hot.  They mostly just hung around the back of the ship which has lots of patio chairs.  I guess I didn’t notice since I was focused on playing cards and my opponents.

 

On the way out to sea and now approaching the dock, we were entertained by a rock band called The Barnacles.  They played old rock hits like Steppenwolf’s Born to be Wild and The Rolling Stones’ Honky Tonk Women.  Other than slots and the poker room, there was also blackjack, three-card poker, craps, roulette, and other games I don’t recall right now.  There was also bingo, shows, and a dance floor featuring 70’s and 80’s dance hits.

 

I changed back to my usual attire.  I always wanted to dress up for poker.  Since that didn’t work, I’ll stick to my usual beach bum attire.

 

After returning to the port, we drove back to Ft. Lauderdale and arrived at 12:50 AM.  Only now on this day did I notice mosquito bites on me.

 

June 7 – FROM FT. LAUDERDALE TO KEY WEST

 

Everyone woke up SO early despite how late we returned.  I effectively had only 4 hours of sleep.  We checked out of the Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort.  It was a wonderful residence for us.

 

In Miami, we stopped off at Pimpa’s dream shopping Mecca – Ross.  She and the rest shopped while I walked around pointlessly.

 

We had a picnic lunch at a park nearby.  There were a family of ducks that approached us and followed us wherever went.  I’m guessing these ducks are used to being fed or feeding on the scraps left by people.  We had rice with a mixture of crab, ginger, and egg.

Picnic lunch with some ducks expecting to be fed

The drive to Key West is absolutely stunning.  It is via the Overseas Highway which is a series of bridges that connect the many keys, which are little islands.  The waters appear in many shades – turquoise, light green, aqua, deeper green.  The best part of the drive is on the seven mile bridge.  Basically while you are on this bridge, all you see to the left and right is water.  All you see in front or back is the bridge until you finally reach another key.

On Overseas Highway en route to Key West

Seven Mile Bridge

At 5 pm, we arrived at Key West.  We checked into the Parrot Key Resort.  Where we stayed is a 3-story house.  It is stupendous with its scenic balconies, fully equipped kitchen, and widescreen TV’s in every bedroom.  When I saw two gaming chairs and an Xbox in my room, I was stoked.

 

We drove from the resort to an area close to Mallory Square.  There we saw many bars, restaurants, and shops.  There were lots of young people hanging out and getting wasted.  My mom’s friends wanted Thai food so we found a place.  It’s simply called Thai Cuisine.  Our waiter Joe was very polite and helpful.  For dinner we had pad Thai, tom yum goong, duck curry, chicken satay, and sweet and sour fish.  It didn’t live up to my mom and her friends’ expectations.  I actually downgraded my expectations to the floor so it was actually better than I had thought.

 

Rachanee, Sarita, and Surapee were able to catch the sunset.  There is a celebration every time there is a sunset.  I could only imagine how beautiful it was but didn’t get to see it as I waited for my mom to finish her shopping.  She along with Pimpa and Pramrudee then continued shopping at the Duval Village.

Sunset at Key West

Perhaps one day I’ll come back and see the sunset here at Key West.  I’ve seen the sunset on the Irrawaddy River before.  It was pretty.  However there was such a big crowd here in Key West.  It was probably very exciting.

 

Pimpa and Pramrudee returned to the car.  I still wanted to see stuff.  My mom and I went to Mallory Square.  It borders the water and all along you can find various street vendors and entertainers.  I wanted to see much more but my mom has had it.  She wanted to go back to the car, too.  I walked her back.

Mom near Mallory Square

Me at Mallory Square

Everyone wanted to go back.  That was disappointing to me.  I didn’t come all this way to Key West to miss the sunset (which I obviously did) and not see a thing.  I basically was going to tell the rest that I wasn’t going back to the resort with them…that I was going to continue sightseeing on my own and will find my way back.  Surapee then said she would try to arrange a tour of Key West tomorrow morning.  With that glimmer of hope, I went back with everyone.

 

Upon arriving, in the sky we saw stars…an indication to the cleanliness of the air here.  In fact, I saw the Big Dipper.

 

In my room, I was ready for some Xbox action.  However, I couldn’t find any joysticks.  I searched everywhere but it was to no avail.  I was most heartbroken.

 

June 8 – KEY WEST AND THE ROAD TO ORLANDO

 

At 9 am, Pramrudee and Rachanee boarded the Conch Train Tour.  It’s just a tour vehicle shaped to look like a locomotive in front.  Surapee, Sarita, and I boarded the 9:30 am “train”.  Pimpa and my mom deferred the tour and instead went shopping at the Ross nearby.

 

The tour took an hour and a half.  It took us by many homes.  The notable ones were former residences of Ernest Hemingway, Calvin Klein, and what’s called Harry Truman’s Little White House.  Six US Presidents, as recent as Bill Clinton, have graced this house and have conducted some official business.

Harry Truman’s Little White House

Home of Ernest Hemingway

Homes in Key West

What also adorn Key West are the many bougainvillea trees.  They are very beautiful with them being covered in red flowers.

Bougainvillea trees

The tour also passed a red and black buoy-like thing.  It represents the southernmost point of the continental US.  From here it is a mere 90 miles to Cuba.

Southernmost point in the continental US

Beautiful Key West

As the “train” arrived at the starting/ending point, the driver played what he calls the “national anthem of Key West”.  It’s Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville.

 

Upon arriving in Key West, the conch is a very ever-present thing.  Everywhere you look is Conch Republic, conch this, conch that.  Native Key West folks are even referred to as Conchs.  It’s pretty obvious that the conch is in abundance here.  After the tour, I saw a stand that sold conch fritters.  I figure since I’m here, might as well try some.  Looks like the conchs were ground up.  I don’t know if any other ingredients were added to the ground mixture.  Little balls of them were then scooped up and tossed into vats of boiling oil where they are fried.  Once done, the vendor recommended me to try it with the key lime sauce so I did.  It was tangy and good.  The sauce is similar, if not the same, as the one used for the Awesome Blossom at Chili’s or the Bloomin’ Onion at Outback Steakhouse.  I got some for everyone.

 

We had lunch back at our place at the Parrot Key Resort.  At 1 pm, we departed.  Sarita drove until we arrived at Grassy Key.  Since this is Key West, I put on some Jimmy Buffett.  Then my mom took over.  She managed to drive us over the rest of the keys until we reached the Florida mainland and Florida City.  There, she stopped the car as we all took a break at McDonald’s.  Basically had some McNuggets and Southern Style chicken sandwiches (thanks to my free coupons).

On the Overseas Highway

Sarita then resumed being our driver.  It was still a long way to Orlando.  Once we got fairly close to Orlando, I played Disney songs from Sarita’s iPod.  I figure might as well put everyone in the spirit of what’s to come.  How can you resist “Yo ho!  Yo ho!  A pirate’s life for me!” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”?

 

At 8:30 pm, we arrived at an ornate and large Chinese restaurant in Orlando called Ming Court.  The food was tasty.  We had kung pao shrimp, beef with oyster sauce, some very succulent and crispy duck, crispy tofu, pan fried noodle smothered with gravy, and some sashimi for appetizer.  I ended this scrumptious night with cheesecake.  In one of the dining halls, there was a duet playing Chinese music.

Chinese musicians at the Ming Court Restaurant

Pramrudee in front of Ming Court                   Pimpa in front of Ming Court

That evening we checked into the Sheraton Vistana Village.  Our spread had three bedrooms and a full kitchen.  The master bathroom was pretty big.

 

June 9 – DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM

 

At 9 AM, we went to the Westgate Vacation Villas.  Basically, everyone (but me) got Disney World tickets for cheap (2 for $25).  However, in order to get them, they had to attend a sales pitch by these timeshare salespeople.  While my mom and friends ate breakfast, a saleswoman was doing her thing.

 

As for me, I took advantage of breakfast, too.  However, I walked over to another building in this place.  There I purchased my own Disney World ticket for $72.  That’s because they couldn’t get me as part of that deal.  It’s cool.  I’d rather not sit through a sales pitch anyways.

 

After finishing my breakfast and getting my ticket, I returned to the waiting area.  I waited…and waited…and waited.  As the clock dial kept advancing, I grew antsy and angry.  My biggest fear was to not have enough time to tour the park.

 

They finally finished at 12:45 pm.  Finally it’s off to Disney World.  My mom’s friends went to EPCOT. 

Rachanee at Spaceship Earth

Pramrudee, Pimpa, and Rachanee at Mexico

Since my mom and I had both been there before and we figured that the Magic Kingdom was basically Disneyland, we decided on going to the Animal Kingdom.

                 Me at front of Disney’s Animal Kingdom         Mom at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

It was very hot and humid when we got to the gate.  It lush with lots of trees.  Once inside, we saw enclosures housing a rhinoceros iguana, swamp wallabies, and colorful scarlet and hyacinth macaws. 

Scarlet macaw                                                Rhinoceros iguana

Hyacinth macaws

We walked to the central part of the park called Discovery Island.  In the middle of the island is the Tree of Life.  It dominates the landscape here.  It is a massive, manmade tree with many animals carved out of the bark. 

Mom and the Tree of Life.  What animals can you identify on the bark?

On Discovery Island we saw the interactive 3-D show “It’s Tough Being a Bug”.  This is also shown at Disney’s California Adventure.  It’s a fun show and a good way to start the day.  It’s great also to avoid the heat.

 

We crossed a bridge to Asia.  There we had lunch at the Yak and Yeti.  The waiters wore traditional Indian garb.  My mother had dim sum with fried rice.  I had a skirt steak and tempura shrimp.  The steak was wrapped around a cone of rice with the skewered shrimp lying on top of it.  I found this presentation to be quite imaginative.  It was not bad. 

 

We walked to Africa to get a Fast Pass for the Kilimanjaro Safari.  In the meantime, we rode a train from Africa to Conservation Station located in Rafiki’s Planet Watch.  It is an educational place trying to spread awareness of endangered species.  There is also a petting zoo where kids can pet llamas.

Train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch                         Rafiki’s Planet Watch

We then rode the train back to Africa.  It’s still too soon to use the Fast Pass so we decided to split.  My mom hung around Africa to watch Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade.  I, on the other hand, went to Dinoland USA and rode Primeval Whirl.  It’s virtually a clone of California Adventure’s Mulholland Madness but dressed up to match the dinosaur theme.  In the end, the coaster spun like the Disneyland tea cups or Knott’s Berry Farm’s Sierra Sidewinder.  All in all, it’s a small kiddie coaster but still fun.

Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade

I then made my way back to Africa where I reconvened with my mother.  It’s safari time!  We rode an actual driven vehicle that will traverse the trails that cuts through a large enclosure full of real animals (no animatronics).  We saw an okapi, crocodiles, flamingoes, a rhino, giraffes, elephants, and lions, hippos in the water, a warthog, and antelopes.  The large baobab trees really give this place a true African feel.  To me, this is the “can’t miss” attraction in the park.  It’s a shame my photography skills aren’t up to par so many picture came out blurry.  The vehicle never stops and I didn’t expect it to.  My mother and I really enjoyed the safari. 

Kilimanjaro safari

Hippos

Baobab tree

Termite nest

Wildlife

Giraffe

Another baobab tree

Elephants

Flamingos

In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight…

Warthog

Ostrich

We walked back to Asia.  The amount of vegetation makes you feel like walking through a jungle.  I thought to myself, “I got to give Disney credit.  Not only did they bring authentic Asian plants and animals…they brought over the climate, too!”  I was sweating so badly due to the heat and humidity.  It was really beating down on my mom.

I needed to take a restroom break.  My mom waited outside.  She looked so miserable, a woman walking by stopped to ask if she was all right.  My mom basically said that she was overheating. 

 

Seeing this, I figure the best thing was for her to get indoors.  Knowing she likes musicals, I suggested that she go see Finding Nemo: The Musical.  I pointed across the waters to the building across the bridge and told her it was playing there. 

 

As she made her way there, I got in line for Expedition Everest.  It is a roller coaster that zips through and around the Himalayas.  While in line, it looks like we are passing through a real museum of hiking and Sherpa gear.

Me and the “Himalayas” (actually it’s Expedition: Everest) in the background

On the coaster itself, it rose into the Himalayas and then it dropped and swerved and went pretty fast.  Then it stopped as the track was busted.  I thought “Whoa!  That’s different!”  The coaster then slid backward and into a pitch black cave.  There it went pretty fast and it really felt like it did a loop in there.  It then stopped again as we can see an animated silhouette of a yeti.  The yeti then destroyed our track sending us down a high drop which then zoomed back up into the mountains.

 

It was a lot of fun.  It’s not as intense as a Six Flags coaster but pretty fun for a Disney coaster.

 

I walked to the theatre where my mom saw the musical.  It turned out that the show was not over yet.  I waited outside nearby.  At that point, I pondered to myself how good a time I was having.  I was having fun and felt some regret that this was the last day I’ll be here for a long time.

 

Finally the show ended.  My mother really liked Finding Nemo: The Musical.  She highly recommends it for anybody.  The fact it’s a pretty long show was great for her.  She got to watch a good show while avoiding the heat.

 

We walked to Dinoland USA where I got on Dinosaur.  The line to it resembled a museum of natural history.  Finally we got to our vehicle.  It looked identical to Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye at Disneyland.  I knew that this was going to be that sort of ride.  The vehicle was a “time machine” that took us to the primordial world where we ran into this dinosaur and that dinosaur.  It was pretty fun.

 

My mom and I were done at the Animal Kingdom.  However the others were awaiting the fireworks show at EPCOT.  My mom and I waited just outside the entrance of EPCOT for them.  We bought bottles of water from the concession booth.  In this heat, it was vital to remain hydrated.  From where we were, it was impossible to see the fireworks.  Spaceship Earth (that gigantic silver golf ball) blocked our view.

Mom at gate outside of EPCOT

Me with Spaceship Earth in background

Finally we all rendezvoused.  Everybody had a terrific time.  Now it’s dinner time.  Surapee figured that since we’re here, let’s go to Downtown Disney.  It was now about 11 pm.  We couldn’t see what was still open.  Also some people didn’t want to walk.  Pimpa wanted to go back to our residence and boil some noodles. 

 

We settled for McDonald’s for our late night dinner.  However Pimpa wouldn’t even come out of the car.  She had enough of the heat and all this walking.  She simply told us what she wanted.  Once we were done eating, we brought her what she wanted.

 

Back at the Sheraton, I basically collapsed onto my bed.  The heat simply sapped my strength.

 

June 10 – SALVATION

 

Surapee, Rachanee, and I dropped Sarita off at the Orlando International Airport for her flight on Air Tran back to Los Angeles.  It took off at 10:40 am.  It was also here we dropped off the Toyota Sienna at Alamo.

 

We rode a shuttle to another rental company where Surapee rented a smaller car seating just four.  That was all they would need because today my mother and I were taking off, too.

 

My mom and I were then dropped off at the airport by Surapee and Rachanee in the afternoon.  Beforehand, we bade Pimpa and Pramrudee farewell as they would stay for another 5 days in Florida along with Surapee and Rachanee.

 

The airport terminal is picturesque as it merged with the Hyatt.  There was a fountain and trees inside.  Since there was basically no real food on domestic flights, we went to the food court and got us some Nathan’s hot dogs which we snuck onto the plane. 

Orlando International Airport

We took off at 3:05 pm.  I ate my hot dogs and they were good.  We arrived in Denver at 5:30 pm mountain time.  It was 93°F there!  Just before landing, it was pretty turbulent.  I was happy to land.

 

At 6 pm, we took off from Denver.  It was pretty turbulent until we got a bit further from Denver.  The skies were pretty clear on this leg en route to Los Angeles.  We got a terrific view of the Rocky Mountains and the Grand Canyon.  The snow on the Rockies makes them majestic and beautiful. 

Rocky Mountains

Grand Canyon

At 7:30 pm, we touched down at LAX.  When I stepped off the plane, the cool, dry 62°F air caressing my face brought instant relief and gratification.  I so missed the cool, dry air of Los Angeles.

 

My sister-in-law Konie picked us up.  We had dinner at Pattaya Bay restaurant with my brother and Konie’s friend Nun.  Besides being really happy to come back to LA, I was also thankful to learn that the Lakers finally won a game against Boston in the NBA Finals.

 

All in all, I had a wonderful time in Florida.  I’m happy to have seen many places, tried some different foods, and ride various boats.  I thought Surapee planned a terrific trip encompassing a wide array of experiences and locations.  It would be great to come back one day but perhaps during cooler times.  Heat and humidity are not a great combination for me.

European Vacation 2007

  

September 13 – 34^th ABOVE THE ATLANTIC

  

On this day I turned 34.  After offering some food to the monks at Wat Thai of Los Angeles for lunch, my father dropped my mother and I at LAX at 2:45 PM.  We checked in our luggage at United Airlines’ self check-in machine which was quite handy.  My brother Van dropped by not too long before we had to depart for our gate.

  

We finally boarded at 5:30 PM.  In-flight movies included Oceans Thirteen and Shrek the Third.  I was unable to sleep at all on this flight.  By the time we land, it’ll be tomorrow.

  

September 14 – TOWER BRIDGE

  

We touch downed at Heathrow Airport in London, England at 12:35 pm London time.  To our surprise, on this tour was our old neighbor Pimol Kusolpaisit.  We were happy to see each other.  We boarded the tour bus along with 26 other people traveling with President Tours.  Our guide in London welcomed us.  His name is Werachai Anuworakarn.  He’s a Thai guy who has lived in England for over 20 years.  As the bus headed towards our hotel he explained to us what we were looking at from architecture (e.g. Victorian, Georgian, Edwardian) to soccer stadiums like Wembley and Stamford Bridge.  He also pointed out obscure things like a site where recently Manchester United manager (it’s the equivalent of coach in the US) Sir Alex Ferguson getting struck by a soccer fan.  At around 3 pm, the bus dropped us off at our hotel, the Jurys Inn Islington.  It’s located in a part of town called Angel.

Yours truly at our hotel in London.                                                                                               My mother.

We wanted to go with the others on the tour group to do whatever it was they were going to do.  However we needed to find ice to keep my mom’s insulin cool.  There was an ice machine.  After pressing on the designated pad for two minutes, it produced one ice cube.  One!  My mom was wondering what was taking so long.  I told her at this rate we’ll never get to do anything.  We then figured lets ask the pub for some ice.  The young man working there was nice enough to give us some.

  

By the time we were ready, everyone else had left.  I figured that the two of us can do our own sightseeing.  We were hungry so we ate at the pub located in the hotel.  It was called Inn Pub (I wonder how long it took for them to name the place).  We had ourselves some fish and chips.  We each got a large piece of fish.  The batter was pretty tasty.

  

After exchanging some dollars for pounds, we caught a bus en route to the Tower Bridge.  Since it wasn’t on the intended travel itinerary for tomorrow, I figured let’s check it out.  Taking the bus was a mistake.  It was rush hour in London on this Friday as everyone was trying to get home.  Although the distance was not that far, it took over two hours to get there.  I came to the realization that we made an error in judgment and should have taken the Underground (it’s what they call their subway).  We would have gotten there a long, long time ago and could have been doing so many other things already.

  

By the time we arrived, it was early evening.  At long last, we arrived at the Tower Bridge.  It spans the Thames River.  Nearby across from us was the Tower of London.  The bridge has two towers with a walkway high above and the bridge itself below.  The lower level is able to raise up to allow ships to pass through.  While raised, pedestrians can scale the tower and traverse the walkway to still cross.  It is also quite attractive as it is cleverly lit in the evening.

 The Tower Bridge.

 

 

 

The Tower Bridge

 

We walked along the Thames until we came across a Thai restaurant called Kwan Thai.  My mother was famished so we ate there.  Usually I would protest since I didn’t come all this way to Europe to have Thai food.  However, I was getting hungry plus I really needed the men’s room so I wholeheartedly agreed.  By this time, I had been awake for over 24 hours.  I am now Jack Bauer…without the stress, adrenaline, and Chloe O’Brian’s assistance.

  

We took the underground back to our hotel.  I was glad to have seen the Tower Bridge.  However I was very miffed at the lost time that we should have had if we only had taken the Underground.  At least my mother enjoyed seeing the bridge and dinner.  Those made me feel a bit better.  I had learned that England got wasted by South Africa in the Rugby World Cup 36-0.  We were both exhausted; thus; collapsed onto our respective beds.

The Underground in London 

The bathroom at our hotel was interesting.  I saw the toilet and immediately I thought to myself “I have seen this kind somewhere before”.  I finally recalled that it was in India.  I also remember that there is some sort of trick to make this puppy work.  It then hit me…it’s what I call a pump toilet.  You have to pump the flusher 3-4 times to get the water to gush out.  Aah, these little differences!

  

September 15 – LONDON HIGHLIGHTS

  

We woke up at 6 PM to a cool morning.  After an uninspiring continental breakfast, we boarded the bus at 9 AM.  We passed by the city’s financial district.  Since it’s a Saturday morning, we were able to move briskly unlike our trek to the Tower Bridge yesterday.

  

Our first stop is St. Paul’s Cathedral.  Many grand ceremonies take place here.  This was where Prince Charles wedded Princess Diana.  It was designed by Christopher Wren.  He modeled it after St. Peter’s in the Vatican.  It was pretty big and majestic.  We took several photos including group shots.

   

  

St. Paul’s Cathedral

As we crossed the Thames, we got a terrific view of the House of Parliament.  Once across, first thing we did was take photos with Big Ben in the background.  It was functional as I checked my watch.  I had heard here and there that it was undergoing renovation or repair but it was working.

London Eye, House of Parliament, Big Ben

  

Left: Mom and I with Big Ben in background.  Right: House of Parliament 

 

We then admired nearby Westminster Abbey.  This 1000-year old historic church houses many of England’s most noted people e.g. Sir Isaac Newton.  It was very large and picturesque.  My mom and I stepped into nearby St. Margaret’s church.  I snapped a shot.

 

Westminster Abbey

  

 

 

 

                           Mom and Westminster Abbey                                                                        Mom inside St. Margaret’s Church 

We then walked to the nearby House of Parliament.   It was artistic with the Victoria Tower to our right and Westminster Hall to our left.  In front of it was a statue of Richard the Lion-Hearted.

 

          Victoria Tower – House of Parliament with my mom.             Westminster Hall – House of Parliament, with Pimol and me.

 

 

Back of Westminster Abbey

 

 

Front of Westminster Abbey.

We then headed to a public toilet before proceeding.  I didn’t use it since I didn’t need it.  While waiting for my mother, I found a sign bragging that this toilet won the “Loo of the Year” award.  I just didn’t think that they handed out awards for such things.  I can only picture the architect’s acceptance speech.  You just can’t help but feel warm and squishy inside.

  

Next, we went to Hyde Park to a monument to Prince Albert.  He was Queen Victoria’s husband.  She erected this monument to him with the statue of Albert completed gilded.  She shone a bright gold in the sun.  Across from the monument is Royal Albert Hall.  This is where many of London’s grandest concerts and performances take place.

   

Royal Albert Hall

 

 

Statue of Prince Albert in Hyde Park

Lastly, we went to Buckingham Palace.  This is the domicile of Queen Elizabeth II.  Pimol, my mom, and I snapped photos here and there.  It was getting a bit warm but tolerable.

           Me at Buckingham Palace                                                       My mother and Pimol at Buckingham Palace

We had lunch at a Chinese place called Crispy Duck.  I had a wonton noodle soup.

  

After a brief stop at our hotel, most of us embarked on a special added tour.  Werachai took us to the Tower of London.  Before entering, in the distance was the Tower Bridge.  Inside the Tower of London, he explained to us the different levels of the inner structure, the White Tower.  Top levels were the living spaces of the royals.  Middle layers were security.  The bottom floor was the dungeon.

Tower of London                                                                    Mom and a couple of new friends

 

  

There were also ravens here.  There is a belief that if the ravens ever left, the White Tower would crumble.  Due to that, there are eight ravens that got impaired so they could not fly away.

 

 The White Tower, Tower of London

Also housed here are the crown jewels of England.  My mother was very excited to see this.  She’s into jewels.  We admired it from both sides of the moving walkways.  However, photography was not allowed.

 

 Home of the Crown Jewels

The guide then took us to an expanse where eight people got executed (like Anne Boleyn, former queen of Henry VIII).

  

He then led us to the Bloody Tower.  It is where Sir Walter Raleigh was wrongfully imprisoned for 14 years.  Also many a bloody tale of death is associated with this place.

 

 

The Bloody Tower, Tower of London

Werachai tried to take us to the National Gallery but it was too late to go inside.  Not to worry, the National Gallery is located at Trafalgar Square.  In the middle is the statue of Horatio Nelson.  This is where London gathers for large events like New Year’s Day or when it was announced that it would host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Statue of Lord Horatio Nelson, Trafalgar Square                                                                 Trafalgar Square

We went to the British Museum but it was closing so we didn’t get to see anything.  What a shame.  It was one of the things I really wanted to see in London.  They even had some of those famed Chinese terra cotta soldiers on display.  Man, oh man!

  

We had dinner at Thai Garden.  I had a forgettable musamun curry.  My mom’s is worlds better.  We took the underground and bus back to our hotel.  We thanked Werachai for showing us around London.

London scenery

That evening, I noticed that I was coming on with the sniffles.  Not good when you have four more countries to visit.

  

September 16 – NOTRE DAME AND THE SEINE

  

We had a 4:15 AM wake up call.  The continental breakfast was again at best uninspiring.  At 4:45 AM, we met our Trafalgar tour director Julie Thistlethwaite.  We disembarked from the Jurys Inn at 5:40 AM.

  

Two hours later the bus arrived at Dover.  It is the closest point in England to France.  Julie pointed out why people refer to the cliffs of Dover as being white.  In fact, they are.  It is due to a high concentration of chalk in the cliffs.  It’s nice to take some snapshots of the famed white cliffs of Dover.

The White Cliffs of Dover

The bus boarded a ferry which crossed the English Channel in an hour.  While aboard, we had some brunch.  This ferry has a lot of amenities – restaurant, arcade, gambling machines, shops, bar and lounge.

 

The ferry landed in Calais, France.  The bus drove four hours until we arrived in a part of Paris called the Porte D’Italie.  We stayed at the Hotel Novotel.  This was a very modern hotel.  The desk has a table that can swing out.  The little bench has a removable level that can serve as a bed table.  We also had a little fridge and safe.  My mom saw only one bed and thought about where I would sleep.  Seeing all the transformable furniture in this room, we were correct to guess that the couch was a sofa bed.

 

After dropping our stuff off at the hotel, we boarded to bus to the famed Cathedral Notre Dame.  This is the site where Quasimodo lurked in Victor Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  It was very big and beautiful.  The front is famous with its two towers and the round stained glass window in the middle.  The back is also nice looking with flying buttresses shooting out of the sides.  We went inside and took some pictures.  I was fortunate to also get a picture of one of the famed stained glass windows.

Me and the Cathedral Notre Dame

 

Looking up at Notre Dame

 

Stained glass at Notre Dame

President Tours founder Pichian Rojsiriwat, Pimol, my mother, and I then had some lunch at Restaurant D’Indochine.  I guess they miss their Asian food so that’s what we ate.  I was hoping to go to a creperie but oh well.  I’ll find some other opportunity.  The waiter really liked us.  He was going to break open a bottle of wine on the house for us.  However, none of us drink.

Pimol, Pichian, and my mom.                                                    Pimol, me, and my mom.

We then went on a bus tour.  As we cruised along, Julie described everything we saw.  We stopped at a place with a terrific view of the Eiffel Tower.  It’s now night time.  The upper half of the tower is lit.  It was very pretty how it shone through the night sky.  We posed and snap pictures but also had to be aware of the pickpockets.  We were warned of them repeatedly by Julie.

 

Next up was a boat tour on the Seine.  The boat first went south.  It passed the eastern side of the Ile de la Cité (it’s an island on the Seine in the middle of Paris).  Once again we came by Notre Dame.  The boat then made a U-turn and now it traveled alongside the western side of the Ile de la Cité.  To our right was one of the world’s most renowned museums, the Louvre.  We also went beneath the Alexander III bridge several times.  It is the most beautiful bridge in Paris, if not France.  It was a gift to France from Russian Tsar Alexander III.  We came by the Eiffel Tower and it glittered with twinkling lights.  Hanging between the legs of the tower is a large oval balloon.  It is supposed to be a giant rugby ball commemorating France playing host to the 2007 Rugby World Cup.  In the middle of the Seine at the tip of the Ile de la Cité was a replica Statue of Liberty.

Eiffel Tower                                                                              Statue of Liberty replica

Alexander III Bridge

Once back on shore, the bus went past the old Opera House.  According to Gaston Leroux’s novel, this was the setting for The Phantom of the Opera. 

 

Back at the hotel, I noticed that the shower was hung tub-side.  I also saw no shower curtain.  It befuddled me until I thought to myself that perhaps with this setup, you are meant to sit and shower.  Sorry folks…ain’t my thing.  So I stood up, cleansed myself, and soaked the entire bathroom.  I also found it a tad odd that the toilet is located in its own separate room apart from the shower.  If you needed the toilet, you had to exit the bathroom into the living room area and enter the door leading to the toilet and vice versa.

 

I spent the rest of the night watching the latter part of the FIBA Europe championship game between Spain and Russia.  It was a very good game with some NBA players I recognized (Pau Gasol, José Calderon, Jorge Garbajosa, Andrei Kirilenko).  Kirilenko was a monster.  However Spain held a one point lead and had possession when Gasol was stripped by Russian point guard John Robert Holden (yes, that’s his name…I’m not kidding).  Holden had the ball and with a couple of seconds left, he broke left, pulled up, and got the shooter’s bounce to give Russia the lead.  Gasol received the inbounds pass.  He pumped faked and then threw up a bank shot from 15 that won’t go down.  Russia has pulled off the upset thanks to the Pittsburgh-born naturalized Russian John Robert Holden!

 

September 17 – EIFFEL TOWER, LOUVRE, CABARET

 

Breakfast here at Hotel Novotel was a lot better than the Jurys Inn.  At least they had some eggs.  I also had some croissants and a baguette.

 

At 7:30 AM, we took off for the Eiffel Tower.  We passed by Napoleon’s tomb, the Place de la Concorde, and drove down the Champs Elysees.  At last we were there and in fact were the first to arrive.  We even beat out the Chinese tours that typically would usually be first.  It was designed by Gustav Eiffel and was erected in 1889, one hundred years after the French Revolution.  We scaled to the second observation level where we got a fantastic view of Paris.  I saw the Arc de Triomphe in the distance.

View of Paris from 2^nd observation level of the Eiffel Tower.

View of Paris including Arc de Triomphe from Eiffel Tower.                 My mom and Pimol.

The Eiffel Tower

At 11:30 AM, we arrived at the Louvre.  After sharing a panini, my mom and I arrived at the meeting point as instructed by our tour guide.  It was at the upside down pyramid which should now be very famous thanks to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. 

Upside down pyramid at The Louvre.

The Louvre is a huge museum with over 400,000 exhibits covering 10 miles.  Obviously there was no way to see everything in the short time we have.  The guide basically took us to see the highlights.  She explained that before it was a museum, it was a palace.  Before it was a palace, it was a dungeon.  Through one of the wings (Sully, I believe), you can see a part of the old Louvre that was the bottom part of an old castle. 

Part of the Louvre during its days as a dungeon.

Next, we saw an old Egyptian sphinx.  We then came to the Venus de Milo.  It’s a statue of a woman found on the Greek island of Milos.  It was found without the arms.  Those who found it believe it could be a statue of the Greek goddess Aphrodite which in Roman is Venus; therefore, the Venus de Milo.

Mom and the Venus de Milo

Next we came to another famed statue – Winged Victory.  This statue is of a woman with wings but the head was not found.  I like the way her clothing was sculpted.  It looks like the cloth is flowing.

Me with Winged Victory

Then we came to a long, ornate room.  The ceiling was also painted.  It was very grand…evidence of it being a former palace.  This room housed jewelry used by Napoleon’s  Josephine.

Jewelry in Louvre

In the paintings gallery, our guide showed us Da Vinci’s Madonna of the Rocks.  In The Da Vinci Code, it’s where Sauniere hid the key eventually recovered by Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu.  I also took note of the parquet floor as noted also in The Da Vinci Code. 

Leonardo Da Vinci’s Madonna of the Rocks

And now we bear witness to arguably the most famous painting in the world.  You guessed it.  It’s Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.  It was protected by a window.  There was a big crowd gathered in front of it.  It was hard to get close.

Mom and the Mona Lisa                                                                          Mona Lisa

Me and the Mona Lisa

Opposite from the Mona Lisa was the largest painting in the Louvre, the Wedding at Cana.

Me and the Wedding at Cana

There were some sculptures we came across.  They were Michelangelo’s handiwork. 

Statues by Michelangelo

The Pyramid at the Louvre

Shortly afterwards, we took off from the Louvre to the old Opera House.  This place is very beautiful on the outside, very artistic.  We didn’t get to go inside.  Pichian, Pimol, my mom, and I had some lunch at L’Entracte Opera.  It was just across the street from the Opera House.  My mom had a jambon baguette.  I had a confiture crepe (crepe with strawberry jam).

The old Paris opera house

That evening we had dinner and cabaret at La Nouvelle Eve.  Dinner began with a choice of salmon paté or goose fois gras.  I went with the salmon.  Main course was either salmon or chateau Brillion.  I chose the chateau Brillion.  Third course was cheese.  I had one of each.  There was Swiss, brie, goat, and I didn’t quite get that fourth one.  Lastly was dessert.

At La Nouvelle Eve

The show has begun.  No photography was allowed.  As for the entertainment, there was a mix of song and dance.  About half of them featured topless cabaret dancers.  There was also an acrobat who performed on the trapeze.  She managed to keep herself on the trapeze via her feet, her heels, and then the back of her neck.  She was also very nimble and overall very good.

 

There was this guy.  He dragged one of the guys on our tour (Frank) onto the stage.  Frank just played along.  Basically he wanted Frank to help him with props as he tried to balance himself on a board atop a cylinder atop a chair.  The antics this guy had in store with Frank on stage was one of the funniest things I had seen.  I haven’t laughed this hard in ages.  Many others on the bus had the same sentiment.  For his efforts, Frank was given a diploma.

 

There was also a strange act with this guy painted white with a floating second head.  The girls performed the can can.  The star of the show, Caroline Collins, hosted a geezer dance-off.  She picked out four old guys from the audience.  First she showed them what moves they needed to do and then it’s their turn one by one.  The one with the loudest applause wins.  This Australian guy won.  For winning, a dancer came out from backstage wearing a wedding dress.  She then removed the dress and was left with nothing on but her panties and stockings.  She dragged the dude backstage.  The dude, moments later, emerged holding a doll baby.  That got a big laugh.  Caroline remarked that he’s a real fast worker.

 

When we left La Nouvelle Eve, it was raining lightly.  As we walked to the bus, in the distance we saw the Moulin Rouge.  Julie says that though the Moulin Rouge is more well-known, the show, service, and food here is better.  Carol, a woman on our tour, concurred for she has been to the Moulin Rouge.

 

September 18 – LUCERNE

 

We left Paris at 7:30 AM.  About three hours later we had lunch at some stop called L’arche.  It’s like a roadside stop with eateries and shops.  Had me some rice with sausage and spinach.

 

The rain persisted.  Soon after, we entered Switzerland.  The first city we passed by was Basel.  This is the birthplace of the world’s top tennis player, Roger Federer.  Though Switzerland is a landlocked country, Basel is a port city since the Rhine River passes through it.

 

We arrived in Lucerne at around 5:10 pm.  It was still raining lightly.  We walked from the bus to the Lion Monument.  It is a statue of a lion wounded by a broken spear.  It commemorates the 600 Swiss guards who were slaughtered by the French citizens during the French revolution as they stormed the palace.

The Lion Monument at Lucerne.

We then shopped in a place called Bucherer.  They specialize in watches though they also sell other known Swiss knickknacks like army knives and cuckoo clocks.  All the big names were here e.g. Rolex, Omega, Tag Heuer, etc.  Since today was my mom’s birthday, I told her to pick out something and it’s on me.  She decided on a blue Rado.  We also picked up a B Swiss for my father.

 

We walked along Lake Lucerne and crossed the old chapel bridge.  The rain halted leaving a nice, cool atmosphere.  The view was terrific everywhere.  The buildings were picturesque.  To one side one could see Mt. Pilatus in the background.  In the lake were swans.  The bridge itself is a wooden bridge (about 400 years old, I think) adorned with flowers.

Mom on old Chapel Bridge meets new friend.                        Me on the old Chapel Bridge.

View of Lucerne from the Old Chapel Bridge.

We had dinner at the place we’ll be spending the night, the Hotel Steghof.  It began with a tasty tomato soup with bread.  The main course was rice smothered with gravy consisting of chicken, green beans, peas, and cauliflower.  Dessert was a pink and white ice cream made to look like the Swiss flag.

 

The elevator to our room fits only three people.  There is no inner door so as we went up, we could see the floors flying by downwards.  Once there, we simply push the outer door open.

 

Our room was a throwback to a different decade.  There was an 8” TV with a busted remote.  The room was so small; the two beds were next to each other.  There was barely enough room to walk around the beds.  The lights were dim at best.  There was also no shampoo.  I wanted to do some more sightseeing by my mother was ill and didn’t want to be left alone.  She also was not going to walk anymore so this night is over.

 

9/19/07 – LAKE LUCERNE AND THE STANSERHORN

 

After a continental breakfast, we boarded a boat which crossed Lake Lucerne.  We got a terrific view of Mt. Pilatus.  The driver was also a guide.  He pointed out houses that belonged to composer Richard Wagner, actresses Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn, and where Queen Elizabeth II stayed.  The shore where the latter three had residences was very lush and green.

Lucerne with Mt. Pilatus in the background

We have now reached the base of the Stanserhorn.  It is a peak belonging to the Swiss Alps.  First we rode a funicular (cable train) about halfway or maybe one-third of the way.  Then we connected onto cable car similar to the one in Palms Springs.  It took us to the top of the Stanserhorn (6300 ft) where sits the Rondorama, a rotating restaurant.  Here, one can get a good view of the Alps.  However, it’s hard to see the mountains due to all the clouds.

Atop the Stanserhorn…not Bespin.                                        En route down from Stanserhorn via funicular

Here, we had lunch.  My mother and I also brought some knickknacks and a sweater.  I also bought a 2 GB card for the digital camera.  Now we can take as many photos as our hearts desired.

 

After coming down from the Stanserhorn, we headed for Italy.  Once in Italy, we stopped briefly in Parma for a quick break.  The tour bus will always stop every two hours.  I am so thankful for that.  It allows everyone to stretch their legs, get a quick bite, use the restrooms, etc.

 

That evening we arrived in Florence, Italy.  Our abode for the evening is the Wall Art Hotel.  They treated us dinner.  After the bread was delicious lasagna.  It was so good, I asked for more unknowing that it was only the second of four courses.  They gave it to me anyways.  Third course was beef with some veggies and potatoes.  Dessert was a caramel flan.

 

Our hotel room was fabulous.  It was modern, roomy, and had a fantastic bathroom.  It was much different from the Steghof.  However it had one unsavory quality.  It absolutely reeked of cigarette smoke.  We think it’s in the walls and sheets. 

 

Watched some Champions League soccer that evening as Fenerbahce defeated Inter Milan 1-0.  Fenerbahce deserved the win as they came out with more energy and desire than Inter ever did.

 

9/20/07 – FLORENCE AND MODERN ROME

 

Breakfast was at 7:15 AM.  In the dining room, the walls are adorned with art hence the name Wall Art Hotel.  There were two pieces – Festa Cinese and a colorful recreation of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica.

Recreation of Picasso’s Guernica.  Wall Art Hotel, Florence, Italy

At 8 AM, we left the hotel to view old Florence.  En route, Florence looked like a typical working town – modern, industrial, nothing to suggest it being the center of the Renaissance until we arrived at old Florence.  Remnants of the old city walls still remain.  The Arno River cuts through the city.  The bus took us to a hill where we got a terrific of the city from above.  We had two group pictures.  Nearby was a replica of Michelangelo’s David.

Our tour guide Julie, my mom, and driver Guiseppe.                                              Yours truly at Florence.

Replica of Michelangelo’s David

 

We then went to the Church of Santa Croce.  Inside lie buried tombs of famous Florentines like Michelangelo.  Outside of it was a statue of Dante Alighieri (wrote The Divine Comedy).

Mom & I at Church of Santa Croce                                                          Me & statue of Dante Alighieri

We went inside the biggest leather shop in town – Peruzzi.  There, my mom bought a bag.  I bought nothing which is typical. 

Florence

Later, we along with Pimol and Pichian had lunch at the nearby Trattoria il Trabuscio (I might have misspelled this one).  I had a pizza Fiorentina and spaghetti Bolognese.

 

It was a four hour trek to Rome.  There, we checked into the Ergife Palace Hotel.  It had a fantastic concierge, foyer, and lounge.  The hotel also had a large swimming pool with pool side bar and patio area.  Then we got to our room.  It was as small if not smaller than the Steghof.  There was a small TV six feet above the floor!  The fridge was inside an enclosed cabinet which was very warm to the touch.  Once again, the beds were next to each other.  This is no different than two people on one king sized bed.  Once my mom put her luggage on the one table, the only place for my luggage was either my own bed or the balcony. 

 

Just when I thought I saw it all, then I went to the bathroom.  The hook to hang stuff was directly over the toilet.  The room was so small, there was no need for a bidet but it had one anyways.  I had to squirm onto the toilet between the toilet and very nearby sink.  Once on, my left knee was under the sink as my chin was less than foot away from the sink edge.  The flusher also gets stuck occasionally.

 

My mother was quite ill.  She decided to conserve her strength for tomorrow’s tour of the Vatican so she is foregoing tonight’s walking tour of modern Rome.

 

Our guide took us to the Spanish steps.  There were many people here.  These steps were called that due to their proximity to the Spanish embassy.  We then walked through many shopping streets here.  It was pretty scenic with old world charm.  I learned that modern Rome is built atop ancient Rome.

 Spanish Steps, lower section

 

We then came across the Pantheon.  It was used by the ancient Romans to worship their gods.  It was pretty big and I always had a thing for domes.

The Pantheon

We wound up at the Piazza di Navona.  The buildings around us were built atop what used to be seats.  This piazza was formerly a chariot racing oval.  The expanse now is filled with artists (sketch, caricature, and painters), some street musicians, performers, and toy vendors.  Pimol and I had dinner at Pizzeria Millina.  I had a sausage one.  I also brought a potato and rosemary pizza which I stuck inside my jacket pouch for my mom.

 

En route back to the bus, while crossing the Arno River, we saw St. Peter’s Cathedral.  It was gorgeously lit and shone brightly in the night sky.

 

That night, I purchased some batteries at the Spa Boutique in the hotel.  My worries about the camera dying ended.

 

9/21/07 – VATICAN CITY, COLOSSEUM, DINNER

 

We left the hotel at 7 AM that morning for the Vatican Museum.  While in line before the museum opened, there were several vendors selling books, calendars, postcards, and scarves.

 

Mom and Pimol scaling steps en route to Vatican Museum.                   Outside entrance to Vatican Museum

We finally got in at 8 AM.  Inside the museum is beautiful, especially the ceiling.  There was a portion where it looked like the ceiling had pieces of white wood glued on to form frames or squares around paintings but it actually was paint all along.  The artist who painted this made it look 3-D when it was just 2-D.

Inside Vatican Museum

False 3-D ceiling

The tapestries were very interesting, too.  Things in the tapestries seemingly turned as you walked by.  It’s a strange effect similar to Gainsborough’s Blue Boy constantly looking at you regardless of where you are in the room.  However to see a stone in front of Jesus seemingly turn at a different angle is pretty mesmerizing.

Ornate ceiling

The museum is five miles long.  We did not walk the entire stretch…just looked at highlights.  Some places you may take pictures.  Some places you cannot use flash.

 

We then entered the Sistine Chapel.  No cameras were allowed whatsoever.  It is famous for the ceiling which was painted by Michelangelo.  It was magnificent.  I wished I could have snapped some photos.  In the middle of the ceiling was the famous painting Creation of Adam where God and Adam’s index fingers almost meet.  In Adam’s knee, as the guide pointed out, was a hint of a woman.  On one end of the chapel was another painting done by Michelangelo…The Last Judgment.  It features some going to heaven and others being condemned to hell.  Our guide pointed out that the face on the skin held by St. Bartholomew was actually the face of Michelangelo.  It was his way to expressing how he felt stripped away by the toils of trying to paint this chapel.  She also explained that there was a cardinal was very critical of Michelangelo because he felt that painting nude people was inappropriate in a church.  Due to that, Michelangelo painted everyone covered up, though not by much.  As a form of rebellion, Michelangelo painted a nude man with donkey ears whose private parts were covered by a snake that has wrapped itself around him.  This figure was condemned to hell.  The face of the man was identical to the cardinal.  That had to piss him off bigtime.

 

We then moved on to St. Peter’s Cathedral.  This is the largest church in the world and the center of Roman Catholicism.  It is huge.  Every inch of this structure, inside and outside, is a piece of art fully adorned with statues, artsy patterns, and mosaics.   We could take all the pictures we wanted because there are no paintings here.  Everything that looked like a painting was actually a mosaic.  Inside, we saw Michelangelo’s renowned Pieta.  It is a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the corpse of Jesus.  There was also a statue of St. Peter.  I guess people believed it was good luck to touch the foot of the statue.  Due to that, people have rubbed the foot for all these centuries leaving it smoothed out to where it no longer resembled a foot.  Near the processional area was a large bronze canopy by Bernini.

Michelangelo’s Pieta

 

Outside we saw some very colorfully dressed guards.  They were Swiss guards similar to the ones slaughtered during the French Revolution.  We were told that Michelangelo designed the attire for these guards, too.

    Inside St. Peter’s

                Statue of St. Peter                                                                   Mosaic, not painting

St. Peter’s from outside

 

St. Peter’s

We had some lasagna for lunch.  Due to the size of St. Peter’s and the Vatican Museum, we were all weary in the lower extremities.  That was a lot of walking.

Tired mom

We then boarded our bus which took us past some ancient ruins and finally to the Colosseum.  This was the grand arena to stage events such as gladiator and recreated sea battles during the days of the Roman Empire.  My mother was too tired after the Vatican sightseeing so she declined to see the Colosseum.  Coming to Italy, I definitely wanted to see this.  It’s amazing that after 1900 years the majority of it still stands.  It’s a testament to the builders and architects back then.  One thing we noticed was the many holes in the walls.  It turns out that during the world wars, the soldiers needed metal for ammunition.  Since the blocks of the Colosseum were held together via metal spikes, they drilled holes to get the metal spikes.  Despite my weariness from the Vatican, I told myself that I might not ever see this again so if we need to climb more stairs then I’ll do it.  Fortunately, there was an elevator!  We jokingly asked the guide if this was also part of the original architecture.  Ah yes, a good old-fashioned Roman elevator.

Pictures from the Colosseum

We went back to the hotel where we slept for two hours.  Afterwards, it was off to dinner at Mangrovia Restaurant.  We had a four course meal.  First was bruschetta.  Next were spinach and meat ravioli and tortellini.  Then we had beef medallions.  Finally it ended with ice cream and fruit.  The waiter was quite amusing.  He would give us the pasta dish one by one, one table at a time.  However the last person he gave a dish to he would kiss them on the cheek.  Usually it would be the prettiest girl at each table.  During the evening there was also musical entertainment via two men.  One played the guitar and sang.  The other played the flute.  I requested Besame Mucho. 

Dinner entertainment at Mangrovia Restaurant

Afterwards we went to the Trevi Fountain.  It was very beautiful and awfully crowded.  Like tradition, I tossed two coins into the fountain.  Even though there is a song that mentions three coins, our guide said that two is sufficient.  First coin was for good luck.  The second was so that one day I would return to Rome.

Mom at Trevi Fountain                                                             Throwing coins into Trevi Fountain

Back at the hotel, we bade farewell to our guide Julie and driver Guiseppe.  Both did a fantastic job and made our trip truly wonderful and unforgettable.

 

9/22/07 – HOMEWARD BOUND

 

A shuttle picked us up at 6 AM.  Others who were picked up were Frank, Josie, Carol, and Emma.  It took us to Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (a.k.a. Fiumicino).  My mother and I had some breakfast.  I then did some shopping for some stuff to bring back to people.  We departed via Lufthansa from Rome at 9 AM. 

 

We were supposed to land in Munich and take off 30 minutes later en route for Los Angeles.  However the flight was 35 minutes late so once we landed, we had to haul our butts over STAT.  Wouldn’t you know it that the gate we needed to get to was all the way on the other side of the building?  I walked carrying both carry-ons.  My mom had the rest of the stuff.  We were just 150 yards away when we heard “Last call”.  Finally we were there.

 

The flight from Munich to Los Angeles took 12 hours.  I must say, the lavatories were pretty nice.  To go, you literally had to walk down a flight of stairs to an area where there was nothing but lavatories.  Ten people could wait down there.  Because of the usual discomfort I get from flying economy, sitting on the lavatory toilet was relief.  At least I could stretch my legs.  Back at my seat, I even fell asleep for about five hours which really shortened my flight.  Perhaps it was from trying to get to the gate in time.

 

We landed at LAX at 2:25 pm.  It was nice to be home.  One thing I found interesting was how movies generally premiere in Europe months after the US premiere.  Throughout my trip, there were ads for Grindhouse and 28 Weeks Later.  On TV, Quentin Tarantino did an interview promoting Grindhouse.  I think in America these are already out on DVD.

 

I enjoyed every place we went to equally; therefore, did not have a favorite.  Each place had similarities yet differences which made them unique.  They all have long histories which add to their charm. 

 

Other than when we were in Switzerland, I was wary of pickpockets in all the other places we went to.  We were warned repeatedly by friends and family before landed in Europe.  Even the guide kept reminding us to be alert.  It made me wary when I was taking pictures or posing for them.  To my good fortune, I did not lose anything.

 

I had a most stupendous first time in Europe.  One of these days I’ll go back. 

 Pacific Northwest 2007

 

3/24/07 – SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE

 

My father dropped me, my brother Van, his girlfriend Konie, and her friend Aom at LAX at 3:40 AM.  I felt crappy with only two hours of sleep.   Van and Konie were trying to land standby tickets.  They succeeded with Alaska Airlines and took off at 6:15 AM.  Aom and I took off via Southwest at 7 AM.

 

On the flight, I had a cold sweat and felt nauseous.  I thought I was going to have a relapse of my flight to Thailand back in late October 2006.  However I managed to relax and all was well for what it’s worth.

 

Aom and I arrived at Seattle at 10:50 AM.  We rendezvoused with Van and Konie and rented a Mitsubishi Endeavor.  We drove through the rain from the airport to the home of Delma and Danny Cueto.  They’re parents of one of Konie’s friends.  We dropped off our baggage there.  Delma was expecting our arrival as she made pork chops, rice, and lumpia.  It was good.

 

First place we went to was the original REI.  Van is an outdoors enthusiast so he is a regular at REI.  It is bigger than any REI I had ever been to.  The building was three stories high with a waterfall flowing off the side.  I purchased some waterproof shoes by North Face.

 

Inside REI in Seattle                                                              Van and I near waterfall outside REI in Seattle.

 

I got to test it out while admiring the famed Space Needle.  The rain and wind persisted.  The Space Needle, as I discovered, is located within a plaza or something like that called the Seattle Center.  Around it are some carnival rides (e.g. Ferris wheel, roller coaster), Key Arena (home of the NBA’s Supersonics), monorail, and something called the Experience Music Project.  The architecture of this building is like a multicolored version of downtown LA’s Walt Disney Concert Hall or the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

 

  

Space Needle from below and on the observation deck

 

The Space Needle is 605 feet high.  The ride up the elevator is pretty neat and yet freaky.  As you go up, you see Seattle shrinking downwards.  It’s like you are soaring up into the sky.  From the observation level, one gets a terrific view of Seattle.  We saw Qwest Field and Safeco Field in the distance (respective home stadiums of the NFL’s Seahawks and MLB’s Mariners).  We also saw downtown Seattle from another angle.  One gets a great view of Seattle and Puget Sound.  It was very blustery up there.

 

We had dinner in Chinatown at a place called Homemade Hong Kong Cuisine.  I had a shrimp won ton soup.  Afterwards, we drove around sightseeing.  We went to Qwest Field, Safeco Field, Krispy Kreme and stopped by Wal-Mart for snacks and toiletries.  Due to current airline security restrictions on liquids, we did not bring things like toothpaste, shampoo, soap, or hair gel so we had to purchase them here.

 

 

Safeco Field.  Home of the Seattle Mariners.

 

Qwest Field.  Home of the Seattle Seahawks.

 

We returned to the Cueto residence.  I was happy to learn that UCLA had advanced to the Final Four.

 

3/25/07 – THE VANCOUVER WALKING TOUR

 

We woke up to cooked hot dog wieners, eggs, and leftover pork chops for breakfast.  Around 9 AM we took off en route for Vancouver, Canada.

 

It was raining until we crossed the Skagit River.  Suddenly there was blue sky and sunshine.  It was still cool but the sun was a welcome sight. 

 

We stopped at REI in Bellingham, WA.  Van got himself some waterproof shoes.  Not long afterwards, we arrived at the US/Canada border.  It looks very nice with nice green grass, a park called Peace Park, and the Pacific Ocean to our left.  The line going to Canada was significantly shorter than the line coming to the US.  We had to stop for a short while.  Canadian border officials wanted to make sure that Aom is here strictly to visit and will not defect.

 

After all is clear, we proceeded.  This is my first time in Canada.  I’m always excited to go somewhere I haven’t been before.  There are trees everywhere.  The surroundings are lush and green.

 

We arrived at Vancouver at 1:30 PM.  We checked into the Marriott Pinnacle.  It is a very nice hotel as we stayed on the 30^th floor.  We had a decent view.

 

Pan Pacific Hotel                                                                                 Convention and Exhibition Center

 

 Aom and the Pan Pacific Hotel and Convention and Exhibition Center from afar

 

After a little rest, the four of us began on a walking tour of downtown Vancouver.  Van and I each exchanged $100 US dollars and got $110 Canadian dollars.  First we walked to Canada Place.  This place consists of a convention and exhibition center and the Pan Pacific Hotel.  The distinctive architectural feature of this structure is the roof that resembles five white sails.

We then walked past historic Gastown towards Chinatown.  That’s when we realized that West Hastings Avenue and East Hastings Avenue are very different.  Our hotel is on West Hastings.  It’s a terrific place to be.  East Hastings is dreary, more run down, and has potheads lingering about.  There are several hemp stores here selling “medicinal” marijuana.  One surly character was verbally abusing Konie for a stretch.  We just kept walking and ignored him.  I think he had been sucking on the weed for a while.

 

East Hastings.

In Chinatown, we had lunch at 4 PM at a place called New Town.  We had some siu mai, beef fried rice, fried noodles, fish congee, and rice noodles stuffed with beef. 

 

That was fuel for the walking to come.  We went to the nearby Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden but it was closed.  We then walked to the China Gate.  You can say it’s the doorway leading into (or out of) Chinatown.  Chinatown is definitely not the best part of town here in Vancouver.  However, it is big.  I believe it’s the second biggest Chinatown in North America behind San Francisco. 

Snapshot of Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden.

 

We then walked from Chinatown to BC Place Stadium (home of CFL’s BC Lions) and GM Place (home of the NHL’s Canucks).  We then walked to a section called Yaletown.  Despite the old-looking buildings, there are many trendy shops and stores.  I had me a black forest gelato.  People here dressed really trendy and chic.  It appears to be the trendy part of town.  Case and point, I had to relieve myself so I used the washroom (that’s what they call restrooms in this country) inside the club Opus.  Above each urinal is a small video screen with a view of the lounge, the bar, or some other section of the club.  I was like “Whoa!”  Then again, some may say I’m just not with it.

 

BC Place Stadium.  Home of the BC Lions                                   General Motors Place.  Home of the Vancouver Canucks.

 

We walked on and onto a street called Davie.  First of all, upon approaching Davie, I saw an advertisement for Odyssey.  It calls itself the hottest gay bar in Vancouver.  Then all over Davie Street were lots of rainbow-colored banners.  I guess I’m in a different part of town.

 

At 7 PM, we returned to our hotel.  After an hour’s rest, we walked to nearby Robson Street.  This street is a walking street filled with eateries, clubs, and shops.  We stopped by at a pharmacy called London Drugs.  Aom bought postcards.  Konie got some medicine for her back pain.  We then walked around looking for a place to eat.  We settled on Bento Express.

 

We then returned to our hotel for a well-deserved night of sleep.  I learned via the boob tube that Ohio State and Georgetown had made the Final Four thus ending any hope I had at the NCAA Pool at work.

 

Buildings in downtown Vancouver

 

Observations: the buildings look nice.  Most seem to have similar architecture with square or equal-sized rectangular windows with black or white borders.

 

3/26/07 – OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS

 

On this cool sunny day, we had some breakfast at a Café Crépe.  As expected, they made French crepes.  I had mine with Swiss cheese, Europa ham, and egg.

 

We went to Stanley Park which borders downtown Vancouver to the northwest.  First thing we visited within the park was the Vancouver Aquarium.  Besides fish, the aquarium also had sea lions, harbor seals, dolphins, and belugas.  The tropical area was hot and humid.  In there were caimans, amphibians, birds, and a couple of arapaima.  They were very big.

 

Konie and I.                                                                                       Caiman.  I think I’ll name him Chris.

Beluga                                                                                               Blue frog

Arapaima                                                                                         Piranhas

 

Next, we went to Prospect Point.  From here one had a terrific view of North Vancouver, the Lions Gate Bridge (links North Vancouver and downtown), and the Burrard Inlet.  In the distance, some mountains still had snow atop.

 

Lions Gate Bridge

 

Then, we went to the totem poles.  From here one has a good view of downtown across the water.  We also saw our hotel.  All in all, my take on Stanley Park is that it is like LA’s Griffith Park surrounded by water and full of sequoias.

 

Me and the Stanley Park totem poles.

 

We then crossed the Lions Gate Bridge to Capilano.  The main attraction is the suspension bridge that spans the Capilano canyon.  70 meters below is the Capilano river.  Konie and Aom had their apprehensions about crossing it.  Van and I were stoked.  I tried to take Van’s picture while on the bridge but it was hard since there are always people crossing it and it shakes ever so.  The bridge is only wide enough for two people to walk pass one another.

 

View of Capilano River from suspension bridge.                 View of suspension bridge from elsewhere.

Capilano suspension bridge

 

Once across, we walked along the treetop adventure.  In this forest of Douglas firs and giant hemlocks, they made walkways near the forest canopy from tree to tree to tree.  I don’t recall how many trees we walked to and from.  It reminds me of the Ewok village in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.  It gave us an interesting vantage point of the forest.  Konie and Aom were still uncomfortable with how high above the ground we were.

 

My brother Van on the treetop adventure walkway.

Konie walking on treetop adventure.                                     Walkways between trees.

Once we returned to the ground, we then walked along what’s called the Cliffhanger Boardwalk.  It is a walkway along the cliffs of the canyon.  Finally, it ended at a platform that overhangs over the river.  From there we got a good view of the suspension bridge and the river gushing below.

 

Van, Konie, and Aom with the Capilano suspension bridge in background.

Konie’s new friend                                            Van and Konie getting a brief rest

 

After a stop at the store in the park, we then took off for the nearby salmon hatchery.  We saw countless little salmon.  However, there weren’t any grown ones we could see.  Perhaps it’s not the season for it.  From there was a wonderful view of the Capilano River.  In the distance, it flowed between two cliffs.  For me, the cliffs are reminiscent of the Argonath in Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring.

 

Little salmon.                                                                                    Aom just chilling.

Van and Konie at Capilano River

 

We had lunch at The Cheshire Cheese Inn.  This place serves English food.  I had my first Shepard’s pie.  It’s basically ground beef and gravy covered by mashed potatoes.  It was not bad.

 

We then walked around a marketplace called Lonsdale Quay.    We soon returned to the hotel.  After a little break, we returned to Robson Street.  For dinner, Van and I had Mexican food at Steamrollers.  We didn’t like it.  My burrito had carrots in it.  Yuck!

 

3/27/07 – MALL, MARKET, AND RESTAURANT

 

I was awoken by a pillow thrown at my face.  We had breakfast in Chinatown at the Park Lock Restaurant.  It was so good to get inside.  The weather was very chilly today with little sunshine (around 9˚C).  There we had some dim sum.  It was pretty good.  Afterwards, we walked around Chinatown.  Konie was very happy to find some longans and bought some.  Van finally found the Sam Kee Building.  In our earlier visit to Chinatown, we were trying to find this building because it once made the Guinness Book of World Records as the narrowest corporate office building in the world.  We couldn’t see it.  Now we found it.  The reason we did not see it was because we thought it would be a building standing alone; not connected to another larger structure.  Looking inside it, it is only two meters wide.  It currently serves as the home of Jack Chow Insurance.

  

Next, we took the SkyTrain to MetroPark Mall.  Van tells me that it’s Canada’s second largest mall.  I must say, it was big.  Konie and Aom went to some sort of Canadian superstore.  Van and I checked out some outdoor store.  As usual, I bought nothing.

 

Van at SkyTrain station.

 

We then ventured to a section of town called the Punjabi Market.  It is a small section of town that contains many Indian stores.  They sold things like sweets, spices, saris, music, and other goodies.  We did not stay here long.  We took a bus to Burrard Street.

 

Me at the Punjabi Market.

 

From here, we walked towards downtown Vancouver.  We walked past the Molson brewery.  We then crossed the Burrard Bridge.  From here one had a fabulous view of the buildings of downtown Vancouver, Granville Island, Granville Bridge, and many boats in the marina below.  We then caught a bus back to the hotel.

 

After watching “Goonies” on TV, we walked again back to Robson Street.  Van knew that all the girls would do here is shop so he encouraged me to just go off on my own and see whatever I can.  I took his advice and separated from the three.

 

View of downtown Vancouver, Granville Bridge, Granville Island, and Marina from Burrard Bridge

 

I walked to the Steam Clock.  It claims to be the first clock in the world that is powered by steam.  It’s not everyday one sees mist spewing out of the top of a clock.  I figure that since it’s an attraction on the map, I’ll just check it out.

 

I then took a sea bus to Lonsdale Quay.  It took 30 minutes to come here via the Lions Gate Bridge.  The sea bus took only 10 minutes.  It is such a convenient, quick, and scenic mode of public transportation.  From there, as the light of day was about to disappear, downtown Vancouver was really pretty as the lights shone brightly against the darkened sky.  The Shaw building was distinctive with a blue light streaking alongside the entire length of the building from top to bottom.

 

Vancouver at night.  View from Lonsdale Quay.

 

After killing time reading Mad Magazine, I took the sea bus back to downtown and walked to the hotel.  Van, Konie, and Aom had some Italian food for dinner.  I haven’t eaten yet.  I went to the concierge and asked them for a recommendation.  The first place they mentioned was Cardero’s.  I figure that I would check it out.  It’s great that it’s casual since I didn’t bring any super-nice clothing.

 

Cardero’s has a terrific view of the water with North Vancouver in the distance.  I believe it’s the most attractive feature of the restaurant.  I had salmon with rice and veggies.  It was not bad.  The salmon was sweet, lightly salty, and sour but not overpowering.  This dish was $24.  I finished my dinner with a pecan tart.  It was beautifully presented with streaks of molasses and cream tattered about and finalized by a poof of powdered sugar.  If I would have brought my camera, I would have photographed it.  It was almost too pretty to eat.  The operative word is “almost”.  It was $7.95.  What got my wallet complaining was the Coke.  It was almost $3.  I’m glad to have sunk my teeth into some salmon.  It was one of my goals coming to the Pacific Northwest.

 

Tomorrow, we will be heading back to Seattle.  My overall impression of Vancouver was a positive one.  The weather was cool to chilly.  We were fortunately it did not rain.  Architecture is distinctive here.  Demographically, everyone is either Caucasian or Asian.  Main thing is also to avoid East Hastings.  There are too many potheads and pot for sale for my liking.  Next time I come back to Vancouver, perhaps I’ll check out Grouse Mountain and Victoria.  I had a great time and highly recommend it.

 

3/28/07 – BACK IN THE USA

 

We went to the Granville Island Marketplace.  Van bought an umbrella.  Konie was very happy to find some good mangosteens.  We had breakfast there.  I had an apple cinnamon crepe.  It’s not bad but all in all I prefer savory crepes over sweet ones.  Character-wise, does that mean I’m savory but not sweet?

 

Under the Granville Bridge                                            Granville Island Marketplace

 

Once we arrived at the USA/Canada border, it took an hour before we got through.  As we waited in the line of cars, several cars let the kids out to play on the grassy island between the roads to and from the border.  To our surprise, it was less hassle returning to the US as opposed to coming to Canada.

 

 

We went to Costco in Kirkland, WA.  It’s the original Costco.  I finally realized why Costco has so many products from Kirkland Signature.  Is it just me or does Kirkland Signature make EVERYTHING?  As usual, I bought nothing. 

 

We had lunch at Konie’s favorite Mexican fast food place – Taco Time.  We went to the one near Everett.  She loves those crispy rolled tacos.  They’re like big chimichangas.  The side orders are what they call Mexi fries.  Actually they’re just tater tots or home fries.  Regardless, it’s still sustenance.

 

While driving on the freeways in Seattle, in the distance we saw Mt. Rainier.  In the horizon it just dominates the scenery.  The last time I saw a mountain dominate its surroundings as Rainier was Mount Fuji in Japan.  Both peaks are similar in appearance. 

Photos of Mt. Rainier from our vehicle.

 

We then went to an Asian market called Great Wall Shopping Mall.  Van and I thought about going to Mount Rainier National Park since it is only 50 miles away.  However, it was closed due to flood damage.  Here, Konie picked up ingredients to make dinner for us all.  She began putting it all together back at the Cuetos home.

 

While she was cooking, Danny Cueto told me I could go ahead and take advantage of their karaoke machine.  I was tempted the first time around but didn’t want to infringe.  Since he gave me the OK, here are the ditties I busted out:

 

Song                                                                Artist

Imagine                                                  John Lennon

Black Magic Woman                             Santana

Under the Boardwalk                            Drifters

Born to be Wild                                       Steppenwolf

Take me Home Country Roads            John Denver

Bridge Over Troubled Water                 Simon & Garfunkel

Killing Me Softly                                      Roberta Flack

Abracadabra                                        Steve Miller Band

 

Aom thought I sang well.  I wasn’t at my best.  Normally I need to warm up first.  However the machine thought I was good enough by awarding good scores for my singing.  I posted a 98 for Killing Me Softly (How?  Beats me).

 

Konie made noodles smothered with gravy.  It was delicious.  Delma was impressed and asked her for the recipe.  There’s nothing like a good meal before bedtime.

 

3/29/07 – SNOQUALMIE FALLS AND PIKE PLACE MARKET

 

Both Delma and my friend Taro Kusunose recommended that we visit Snoqualmie Falls.  We took their advice and went to see it.  The falls generate a lot of mist.  The observation area was drenched by mist.  It felt like a rainstorm.  Van and I donned our raingear.  All this mist also resulted in a nice visible rainbow.

 

Snoqualmie Falls.                                                  Me at Snoqualmie Falls observation area.

 

We returned to Seattle’s Chinatown for lunch.  We ate at Hong Kong Noodle House.  We then took a bus to the famed Pike Place Market.  There was lots of fish, crab, oysters, lobsters, and clams on display as fish were being thrown around.  I liked how one fish was thrown at onlookers startling them.  It turned out to be a doll.  Besides seafood, this market has plenty of shops that sold flowers, fresh produce, clothing, and knick knacks.

 

Seafood at Pike Place Market.                                                  Van and I at Pike Place Market.

Fresh fish!                                                                                            Produce

 

Van, Konie, and Aom went to Ross.  Van told me that this could take a while so I should do whatever I want but keep the cell phone on.  I went to Sharper Image and fiddled with Star Wars lightsabers and an educational game with a globe.  It was fun trying to locate various cities around the world.  I then went to Borders and read Entertainment Weekly’s article on the upcoming movie Grindhouse. 

 

We had dinner at a place Delma recommended called Bahama Breeze.  It’s a Caribbean eatery.  I had seafood paella.  It’s my first paella ever.  It was yellow rice with peas, tomatoes, fish, scallops, mussels, shrimp, and chicken.  Aom treated.

 

I learned this day that while it was dry here, it rained in Vancouver.  Our timing could not be more immaculate.

 

3/30/07 – OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

 

With Mt. Rainier out of commission, we decided to instead visit Olympic National Park.  To get there, we took a ferry to Bainbridge Island.  It’s my first time on a ferry.

 

Aboard the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island.

Van inside our rented Mitsubishi Endeavor aboard the ferry en route to Bainbridge Island.

Once across, we had breakfast at Big Star Diner.  It’s like those old-fashioned diners that somewhat resembles a train car.  The young woman who is cooking is working very hard.  I think she might be the dishwasher, too.  Either she needs to find a way to be more efficient or she needs some help.

 

We arrived at Olympic National Park visitor center at 11 AM.  Due to time constraints, we decided to drive up to Hurricane Ridge.  Hurricane Ridge is 5198 m in elevation.  It still has 10 feet snow.  As we got close, we started to see the ground become more snow-covered.  It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  Once there, it was a winter wonderland.  In the distance were the Olympic Mountains.  It is a majestic view from here.  Among the peaks is Mt. Olympus.

 

Hurricane Ridge.

The Olympic Mountains.  View from Hurricane Ridge.

Van and Konie

The Olympic Mountains

 

After lunch at Taco Time, we headed back to Seattle.  Luckily we were able to drive onto the ferry upon arrival.  Once the ferry docked at Seattle, it finally rained since our arrival.

 

Back at the Cueto residence, both Danny and Delma had things to do away from home.  Van, Konie, and Aom went shopping.  I was at home waiting for my friend Taro to pick me up.  I killed time with more karaoke.  Just for kicks, I tried various, different songs I ordinarily wouldn’t do (scored 95 for Stand by Your Man!).  However I could not match Danny’s 99 for his rendition of My Heart Will Go On.

 

Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics.                                                   I Just Called to Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder.

 

Finally Taro came.  Taro and I met while we were students at UC San Diego.  I had not seen him since we graduated.  That was eleven years ago.  However he does send pictures of him and his family every Christmas so I do know what he looks like.  At least he got to see me on TV when I was on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?  There are also pictures of me on my blog site at xanga.com.  We caught up on old times and we had a lot of catching up to do.  We had dinner at Burger Master.  It’s one of those old-style joints where you eat in your car and they’ll hang the tray of food on your window a la The Flintstones.  I like the nostalgia.  Burger wasn’t bad either.

 

My friend Taro Kusunose, wife Nami, son Miki, and daughter Emi

 

Taro took me to his home.  It’s a cabin with tall trees in the background.  It has a nice, rustic feel to it.  The home is also very comfy and suitable for his wife and kids.  I am very happy to see Taro after all these years.

 

He dropped me off at the Cueto residence.  The others had already returned.  They had dinner at Ivar’s.  I believe it’s a fish and chips chain.  I know they advertise about their oysters.  They bought luggage for the stuff that was purchased on this trip.

 

3/31/07 – PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES

 

We bade Delma and Danny farewell and thanked them for having us and being such gracious hosts.  They told Konie that I should come back so we all can have more karaoke fun some day.  If I get a chance to come back to Seattle, I must pay them a visit.

 

Aom and I took off on Southwest at 8 AM and arrived at LAX at 12 PM.  We then took the shuttle to the Metro Green Line, connected onto the Blue Line, bused from one station to the next due to track maintenance, and the Red Line to Sunset and Vermont from where we hoofed it home.  It took a lot longer than I expected to get home via this method.

 

After some rest, Aom and I got dinner as we waited and prayed that Van and Konie would be successful in finding a flight back to LA.  I dropped Aom off at Wat Thai of Los Angeles where she would be staying. 

 

Van and Konie managed to catch a flight at 7 PM.  They landed in Long Beach International Airport.  My mother and I picked them up.  Finally everybody is home.

 

I want to thank Van and Konie for inviting me to come along for this Pacific Northwest excursion.  I had a terrific time.  This is my first time to the Emerald City and Canada.  What can I say?  I had a ball.

 

From left to right:  Aom, (me), Danny Cueto, Delma Cueto, Konie

From left to right:  Aom, Van, Danny Cueto, Delma Cueto, Konie

The Little Presidents’ Day Weekend Trip 2007

 

February 18 – LAKE HAVASU AND LAS VEGAS

 

A tour bus chartered by President Tours picked my mom and me (along with others) up in Hollywood at 6:45 AM.  The bus then picked up someone else on this excursion at the Sears on Santa Monica nearby.  It then headed out to Wat Thai of Los Angeles to pick up the last of the people on this trip.

 

The tour guide, Pichian Rojsiriwat, passed out water and croissants.  They were small, light, and buttery…quite good.  After a couple of hours we arrived at Barstow so people can use the restrooms and perhaps pick up some things to snack on.

 

After taking off, the tour guide offered the microphone to anyone who wanted to sing or tell stories or jokes.  Like all trips, my mom wanted me to get up and sing.  I didn’t feel like it because I did not sleep enough nor does my voice sound so good before nightfall.  I usually have to chat it up or warm up first.  Anyhow, after some people sang this and that (including of all things “Don’t be Cruel” by Elvis Presley), I then got up.  Actually my mom told the guide that I can bust it.  Since the previous woman was the first ever on President Tours to sing an Elvis song, I followed it with “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”  I then told a humorous story in Thai which the folks on the bus liked.  I finally ended with the Eagles’ “Desperado”.

 

The guide explained that he has known me since birth and that my father and he are very good friends.  He also likes telling people that I was once on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” so he asked me to tell the folks about that.  I basically told them about how I tried out, the trip to New York, Regis Philbin practicing my name, and finally what I did with my winnings.  It’s a story that just never gets old for me.

 

We arrived at Lake Havasu in Arizona.  First we ate at China Buffet.  It’s Ameri-Chinese though one of the better ones I have had.  My mom’s friend Napá ate with us.

 

We then went to see London Bridge which spans Lake Havasu.  This is the third time my mother and I had come here.  I told her that next time she should book a trip to somewhere we haven’t gone to.  I personally like variety.  For those who don’t know, this was the original London Bridge in England.  It was sold to the US for $2.5 million.  Each and every stone that comprises of this bridge was shipped over and reassembled here.  Now it’s Lake Havasu’s landmark which attracts a ton of tourists annually.  The bridge isn’t very big or long but the history makes it appealing.

 

London Bridge, Lake Havasu, Arizona.

 

While on the bridge, the cool breeze made this day terrific.  The sun would have been hot but the clouds kept the stinging rays out.  It was so relaxing on the bridge; I could have stayed there for hours.  Ordinarily, it’s very hot here.  It’s evident by the number of shops that sell ice cream, Hawaiian shaved ice, and beachwear.  I got me a green apple shaved ice.

 

Left to right: my mother, I don’t know, and my mom’s friend Napá.  To the left of my mom is London Bridge.

 

We then took off on a two and a half hour trek to Las Vegas, NV.  The on board movie was “March of the Penguins”.  In the dark of the desert night sky, Las Vegas shines like a flaming jewel.  I assumed that the city would be packed not only because of the Presidents’ Day weekend and Chinese New Year but especially because as we arrived, the city is hosting the NBA All-Star Game.

 

We arrived at the Casino Royale.  It’s where we’ll be staying for the night.  I turned on the TV to see if I could catch some of the All-Star Game.  It turns out I couldn’t get TNT.  Unbelievable!  The game is in Vegas…I’m in Vegas…and I can’t watch it?  I had to call my friend Prapan and tell him about this travesty.  He put it best “So close but yet so far.”

 

We met up with Napá and we set out on foot for the Bellagio.  We wanted to see the renowned fountain show.  It occurs nightly from 8 PM until midnight every fifteen minutes.  We actually caught two shows in succession.  Both were beautiful and elegant.

 

We then went inside to see the garden.  The Bellagio is also known for a beautiful indoor garden.  Since this day is Chinese New Year, the garden took on a Chinese theme.  There were Chinese children statues dressed in flora.  There was also a big animatronics pig that can wiggle its ears and snout.  This is to signify the Year of the Boar.  Also there was a pagoda, a waterfall, and flowers all around in a clever artistic arrangement.

 

My mother got hungry so she wanted to find something simple to eat, not a buffet.  We walked around for a while until Napá saw an ad for Starbucks located in the food court at Monte Carlo.  We then entered the Monte Carlo to find the food court.  My mom and Napá ate pizza at Sbarro.  I had hot dogs from Nathan’s.  I haven’t the foggiest how Takeru Kobayashi downs all those hot dogs.  He’s unreal!

 

My mother and Napá then played some slots while I tried my luck at the poker room.  My mother lost about $20.  Napá won over $34.  I on the other hand blew $200.  I knew I should have gone all in with my pair of 7’s but no…I tried to get cute which is so not my style.  I should have known better.  Next time, my limit is going to be $100.  I didn’t feel that great losing $200.

 

We then made our way back towards the Casino Royale.  There were so many people tonight on the streets.  My mother said that in all the years she had come to Las Vegas she had never seen this many people before.  I believe it had to be the All-Star Game.  Many were decked out in basketball jerseys.  I even saw someone in a Washington Bullets’ Wes Unseld and a BYU Danny Ainge jersey. 

 

My mom got tired and wanted to rest and so we did.  Consequently were at the Bellagio’s lake where the fountain show takes place.  I looked at my watch and it was two minutes to 11 PM.  I asked them if they were up for another show.  They were so we watched it and this time the show was less beauty more bravado and grandiose since the music was Lee Greenwood’s “I’m Proud to be an American”.

 

We finally got to our room where I watched a couple episodes of “Man vs. Wild” on the Discovery Channel before calling it a night.  Ordinarily walking isn’t a problem for me.  However, I played basketball with my co-workers the night before.  In fact, it was more than I should have played.  I was so tired and my legs got sore.  It was nice to just lie down.  I know it’s going to take a few more days for me to fully recover.

 

February 19 – LAUGHLIN AND OATMAN

 

At 7 AM, we had breakfast at Denny’s inside Casino Royale.  Afterwards, the bus took off around 8 AM.  We finished watching “New Police Story” starring Jackie Chan on board.

 

At 10 AM, we arrived at Laughlin, NV.  We were dropped off at the Aquarius Hotel and Casino.  This used to be the Flamingo Hilton.  Everyone hurried inside as the weather got a bit nippy.  My mom and Napá were on the slots again.  I had only $55 left after my poker debacle.  I risked it all on Three Card Poker.  In the end, at least I made a $20 profit after cashing in my three $25 chips.  I tried a little roulette, too but to no avail.  I have never ever hit anything on the roulette wheel even when betting something as simple as red or black.  I’m something like 0-10 or else I would have more than $75.

 

We had lunch at Panda Express.  The buffet line was way too long for the amount of time we had allotted here.  Some people on our tour bus decided to cross the street to visit the outlet mall.

 

At 12:15 PM, we took off for Oatman, AZ.  We arrived at 1 PM.  It is a small town founded in 1906 in conjunction with the gold mine here.  It once mined 1.8 million ounces of gold back in 1931.  However in the mid-1940’s, the gold ran dry so the mine closed.  However the town still retained its old west architecture and ways.  It has become a popular tourist attraction evidenced by the tour bus parking lot.

 

Oatman, Arizona.

 

I walked around and it’s like being back in the Wild West during the days of cowboys.  There are saloons here and there.  I was tempted to play some pool in Judy’s Saloon and Pool Hall.  I also thought about buying me a cowboy hat but the store was closed.  The weather was pretty cool and that’s good.  The tour guide said that in the summer there is an egg frying contest but you can’t use an oven or stove.  Yep, just the frying pan alone.  It gets that hot here. 

 

Oatman, Arizona.

 

The main attraction here is the gunfight show.  However with the threat of rain, the show was canceled.  I was like “Cowboys afraid of the rain?  Get out of here!”  That was a jip.  The tour guide also said there were burros that mosey about.  We didn’t see any of those either.

Oatman parking area                                                                           Abandoned pueblos

 

Yeehaw!

 

 

We then took off from Oatman at 2 PM.  Just as we left Oatman, our bus had to stop because some burros were blocking the street.  At least we got to see some.  Hurray!

 

Burros.

 

We arrived at Barstow at around 5:30 PM where we used the restroom facilities and got some McDonald’s.  I got a Filet-O-Fish and gave the fries to my mom.  We then forged on.  Movies on board were Mission: Impossible III and some old Sean Connery movie about him being a mountain climber.  At 8:30 PM we finally arrived in Hollywood where shortly my dad picked us up and finally we were home.

 

My legs were killing me.  I normally would want to rest up my legs after a hard day of basketball on Saturday.  Now I’ll need to do so while working.  At least I got some exercise and some time away from work.  I had a good time like I normally do after any trip.  It was nice to see Oatman.  The other places I have seen several times already but not Oatman.  It was the reason I agreed to this trip.  I’m usually up for checking out something new.  I enjoy the trips offered by President Tours.  I hope to go somewhere new next time.

Two-Week Thailand Trip 2006

 

October 28 – THAT WRETCHED FLIGHT

 

The main objective of this trip is to attend a Buddhist ritual called Kathina at a temple called Wat Pa Tam Wua.  We are traveling as a group of about 30 people.  My mom organized this trip for the last two years.  Most of the people are her circle of friends.  Even though the flight is scheduled to leave a little after 5 PM, the travel agent told us to arrive by 1 PM to allow for lots of time to check everyone in.  Most people actually arrived in a timely manner. 

 

During the 13-hour ordeal known as the flight from Los Angeles to Taiwan, movies that were shown were Click, Hoot, Peaceful Warrior, and X-Men 3: The Last Stand.  I could barely sleep, ate two disagreeable meals, and could not stand the smell of the airplane food.  It was disgusting to me.  Combined with a turbulent flight, it spelled trouble.  I felt nauseous.  Suddenly I my head was covered by a cold sweat.  It actually felt good as it evaporated and cooled my head.  I was telling myself to keep hanging on.  Finally we landed.  As we tried to exit the plane, the combination of walking, bumping into people and my own bag bumping into me was just too much.  I whipped out the air sick bag so fast and out it came.  My mom’s friend Jutaporn gave me a bigger bag.  I used it and kept filling it up again and again and again. 

 

Due to this flight being delayed, we were rushed onto the connecting flight immediately.  I really wanted that time in between flights to relax and recover but that wasn’t going to happen.  So we took off from Taiwan en route to Bangkok, Thailand.  In the lavatory, I knew the worst was yet to come.  That awful airplane food smell seeped through the door.  I thought to myself, “They’re serving food again!?!?”  I stayed a bit in the lavatory intending to come out once all food has been collected.  Sensing that the odors were seeping in anyways, it was futile.  I returned to my seat and tried hard to withstand the aromatic horror.  I tried to play crossword puzzles, mah jong (taught to me by pooling tech Ken Doan), and listen to music.  However it was too much.  I snatched the air sick bag and kersplat!

 

I decided to make my way back to the lavatory.  I just told myself, “If there is absolutely anything left in me, let it all out right now.”  After vomiting four more times, all of it was out of my system.  I inched back to my seat.  My mom and her friends were concerned for me.  I told them I was fine now.  I watched The Da Vinci Code the rest of the way until we landed in Bangkok.

 

October 30 – THINGS TO DO, PEOPLE TO SEE

 

Due to crossing the International Date Line, we lost a day; thus, there was no October the 29^th.  My aunt Ting has a friend.  He has a personal driver named Wanlop.  My aunt asked him to pick us up at the airport.  At 2:20 AM, we landed at Bangkok’s brand new Suvarnabhumi Airport (pronounced su-“One”-a-poom).  I was astounded by the modern architecture and beauty.  The walls were all window.  The structure was unpainted metal beams, large gray sheets on the ceiling to match the beams, and white and purple lights.  I was truly impressed.  What’s really great is that it’s only a 15-minute drive to my aunt’s place.

 

At 3:30 AM, we arrived at my Aunt Ting’s place.  She has a guesthouse and beds were already prepared for us along with a mosquito net covering both.  I never so looked forward to brushing my teeth.  You got to love it when your stomach acids seep into your cavities.  Isn’t that lovely?  Initially I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep once in Thailand because 4 AM here is 1 PM in Los Angeles.  However, after what I went through on the planes, I was exhausted thus virtually collapsed on the bed and was out like a log.

 

On this day, my mother and I just took care of some Kathina matters, we visited my Aunt Tik in the hospital, and ate with Uncle Singto at an eatery called Took Lae Dee.  It’s inside Foodland supermarket.

 

Uncle Singto dropped us off at Aunt Ting’s place.  I felt real sleepy.  I figured a brief nap from 6 PM for an hour or two should be refreshing.  When I woke up, I thought it was the beginning of dinner time.  I then came to the startling realization that it was 11:30 PM.  I still ate dinner and then returned to the guesthouse to sleep some more.

 

October 31 – THE ONCE AND FUTURE “KING”

 

It turned out I could not fall asleep again.  The sun came up and once again we had to prepare to see people.

 

Wanlop came by at 10 AM.  He drove us to Vejthani Hospital.  There we visited aunt Tik.  She was in much better spirits than the day before.  She spoke to us, and well wishes, and had a sense of humor.  It was good to see and hear.

 

We then went to the Bank of Tokyo where Aunt Tim worked.  We met up with her and had lunch across the street at a Japanese restaurant called Kikusui.  My mother and Aunt Tim discussed further Kathina plans since Aunt Tim and Uncle Singto are also bringing up a contingent for Kathina.

 

We then asked Wanlop to drive us to Chachoengsao (pronounced Cha-cherng-“sow”) to a temple called Wat Sotawn.  That is where we rendezvoused with my mom’s friends who rented a nine-seater van.  Wat Sotawn is a famous temple noted for its Buddha statue.  We did not stay long when Venerable Phra Pairoh said we had to take off.

 

We went to my mom’s friend Pimpa’s gas station.  There my mom and her friends sat at a round outdoor table to eat and kill time.  Pimpa wanted to show the place to Phra Pairoh.  She was considering donating the place to him as a potential temple or meditation retreat.  We waited…and waited…and waited.  Finally the truck carrying Pimpa and Phra Pairoh arrived. 

 

Pimpa then directed the van to a paint factory.  The area was dusty and reeked of paint.  It turns out that it belonged to her friend Somboon.  Her house is also where the paint factory is.  She had a nice home.  Initially I couldn’t remember who she was though the name sounded familiar.  As Somboon spoke to my mom and her friends, it then hit me.

 

A few years ago, Pimpa invited Somboon to Los Angeles.  My mom and I, along with my mom’s friend Toom, took Somboon to Disneyland.  Somboon did not enjoy her stay at all.  She hated standing in lines, didn’t like the rides, and couldn’t stand the food.  Despite my shelling out for her chicken tenders, she couldn’t even at least TRY it before proclaiming that she can’t eat it.  We had to call Pimpa’s son Todd to take Somboon home.  Once she was gone, I had my usual fabulous time at the Magic Kingdom.

 

Somboon however is a very gracious host.  She treated us to a terrific meal heavy on seafood.  The patongo (Chinese donut) there is the best I had ever eaten.

 

Afterwards we took off.  We thanked Somboon for her hospitality.  We then needed to make our way back to Bangkok. 

 

My mother and I were dropped off around Wat Phra Kaew.  The van then took everyone else to Wat Nakprok.  I then hailed a cab to take us home to Aunt Ting’s.  During the ride, my mom woke me up every time I fell asleep.  She wants me alert in fear that the driver might be up to no good.  He turns out to be an honest cabby.  I did not appreciate my sleep being disrupted one bit.  I was still jetlagged, too.  It was close to impossible for me to stay completely awake.

 

And to think…a year ago, I went to work dressed as Elvis!  If I weren’t in Thailand, I’d be at work dressed as either of the following – a hobo, the Phantom of the Opera, Stevie Wonder, Blade, or Darth Maul.

 

November 1 – WAT NAKPROK

 

Wanlop dropped my mother and me off at Wat Nakprok.  We offered food for the monks for lunch.  Afterwards, a bus took us to the Priest Hospital.  It is in Bangkok close to the Royal Palace.  It is a hospital that tends to ailing monks.  We offered 200 bahts and new robes to all the ailing monks (over 200) in the hospital. 

 

We left the hospital at around 4:30 PM.  It took almost four hours to return to Wat Nakprok though the distance is not far.  Uncle Singto took 2 hours to get here despite being only 10 km away.  It’s all due to that infamous Bangkok traffic.

 

Once there, we waited a bit before food came.  It was provided by On.  He is the brother of my uncle Ton’s beloved Joon.  Jutaporn’s husband Pradit also came.  Both are also primary contributors to the Kathina to come at Wat Pa Tum Wua.

 

We then made an offering of robes and money to the abbot Venerable Settakit and the other monks at Wat Nakprok.  There are many places in the temple carved out as 7-headed serpents (“payanak” in Thai).

 

That evening we slept at temple.  Due to a lack of toilet paper, shampoo, and soap, I had to improvise.  I snatched a roll of TP that I found.  I then took hand cleaner and used it as my soap and shampoo. 

 

It is nice that they have air conditioners.  In the large room where the men slept in, the AC’s were set at 25˚C (77˚F).  I thought to myself, “Ain’t no way in hell I’m sleeping at that temp!”  I adjusted mine to 20˚C (68˚F).  After completing a sudoku puzzle, I went to sleep on the hard tiled floor which was uncomfortable.  I guess my body got spoiled by my comfy bed.  When on my side, I used a pillow to cushion my ribs for some relief.

 

November 2 – SUPANBURI

 

I woke up at 5 AM.  Knowing we were scheduled leave at 7 AM, I decided to complete another sudoku puzzle to kill more time. 

 

After breakfast, we all took some photos of Wat Nakprok at different locations.  Once my mom’s friend Busaba and her husband Suwit arrived, they joined the bus and off we went at 7 AM.

 

Phra Pairoh is taking us traveling to Supanburi, his home town.  Though it was mentioned that over 40 provinces in Thailand was flooded, I didn’t really notice while in Bangkok.  However on this bus ride to Supanburi, I saw the clear evidence of the floods.  On both sides of the road, there were stretches where you didn’t see the base of trees.  They seemed to just shoot straight out of the water.  Other places, you only saw leaves but the trunk was completely submerged.  Only roofs of some huts remained dry.  Supposedly it hasn’t rained this heavy in Thailand in 11 years.

 

It’s a two-hour bus ride to Supanburi.  In the meantime, the microphone was passed to different people to kill time.  While someone was singing, I made a crack about her to my mom’s friend Rachanee.  Rachanee then volunteered me to sing a couple diddies.  I was really out of it so I limited it to just the Eagles’ Tequila Sunrise and Elvis Presley’s Are You Lonesome Tonight?  I was going to throw in Michelle by the Beatles but I forgot the lyrics.  I just didn’t feel like singing this time.  Maybe it’s waking up at 5 AM, the jetlag, or my shoulders and thighs being sore from the hard floor.  I don’t know.  I guess the monks still thought I was good.  I know I could have been better.

 

Sitting Buddha at Wat Parelai                                                     Flooding between Bangkok and Supanburi

First we stopped at Wat Parelai.  There is a very large Buddha statue here.  It is in a sitting position (like on a chair) and covered in gold.

 

Next, we went to Wat Mongkol.  The large altar is shaped like a boat.  The corpse of the former abbot, Luang Paw Sangwan is preserved here.

 

Phra Pairoh then directed the bus to the home where he grew up before being a monk.  Lunch was offered to the monks.  We also enjoyed a terrific feast including the best coconut ice cream I ever had.  Inside, the monks (about 9) chanted and spread holy water.  One of them is Phra Pairoh’s brother and it was his birthday.  He passed out monies and other trinkets to the attendees.  There were about 60 people present.

 

When then went to the Buffalo Village.  The path to the arena for the buffalo show is adorned with beautifully-pruned flora.  In the show, many buffaloes were brought out to show the different varieties.  First there was the difference between an African and Asian water buffaloes.  Then they showed the different Asian buffaloes – black, white, and pink though what is called white is basically brown.  There is also a dwarf buffalo.  Traditionally Thais consider buffaloes dumb animals.  If you called another Thai a buffalo (kwai), it’s the equivalent of calling him an idiot and dem’s fightin’ words.  It’s like in English saying someone was dumb as an ox.  However this show demonstrates that buffaloes can be taught to understand human commands.  When the narrator told one to lift its left front leg, it did.  They did anything he told them to do – lift a leg, lie down, play dead, and even smile!  When he said smile, they would lift up their upper lips and reveal those pearly whites to us.  The narrator also stated that buffaloes are normally afraid of heights.  However, these have been conditioned enough to navigate up and down a flight of stairs of about 8 steps.  Lastly, a bunch of bananas were given to us to feed the buffaloes.  I tried to feed every different kind I could and had my mom take pictures.

                           

                                                         Buffaloes at the Buffalo Village in Supanburi, Thailand

                           

                                                                                   Dwarf trainer and dwarf buffalo.

                           

                                                    Feeding bananas to buffalo.

It was a lengthy bus ride back to Bangkok passing through Ayutthaya.  We arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 7:30 PM.  With the flight departing at 10:20 PM, we had plenty of time. 

 

Jutaporn and her husband Pradit invited me to have dinner with them.  I originally refused but my mom told me that she’ll be OK waiting and told me to go.

 

We ate at an eatery within the airport called Tate Café.  I had the worst pork fried rice and chicken wings ever.  If you blindfolded me and told me to guess what I was eating, I would NEVER have guessed chicken.  Each wing was as small as my pinky.  It made me wonder if they killed a quail, pigeon, or even a sparrow.  The rice portion was so small; it’s like a rice pilaf side dish you find in the States.

 

We took off for the northern city of Chiangmai.  Once there, that night we stayed at some rich person’s two-story abode.  Once again, it was sheets laid out upon a hard floor.  While the women clamored to find their sleeping space, Suwit and I found our own space.  It was spacey and with our own personal bathroom. 

 

November 3 – CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN…

 

We were up at around 5:15 AM.  We had a breakfast of glutinous rice and fried pork.  I then walked around to admire this estate and chewed the fat with some of the men.

 

At 8 AM, five 10-seater vans arrived.  Riding in our van were monks Phra Vuttichai (Woody) and Phra Umporn, and laypeople Sarita, her Vietnamese friend Michelle, Tirada, and her teenage son Ping Pong.  I’m glad our van was not packed like sardines.  Sarita noticed the stress and wear that shown on my mother’s face.  She is a masseuse so gave my mom a massage trying to relax her.

 

First we dropped off the monks at some temple to take part in its Kathina.  After they were done, we then headed for another nearby temple called Wat Pawangsakang.   My initial reaction was “What are we doing here?”  It turns out my mom’s friend Pimpa is the main sponsor of Kathina here. 

 

First thing I needed to do was use the john.  That’s where it’s advantageous to be male.  I did #1 and out I came.  As for Michelle, she went in and ran out as soon as she went in.  I guess the big bad spider scared her off. 

 

 

As for Kathina here, first was the ceremonial parading around the altar for three loops.  Then everyone entered temple where monks preached and chanted.  Offerings were made followed by chants of blessing and spreading of holy water.  I actually wasn’t inside the temple.  I chose to use this opportunity to snap some photos.  However, I knew what was going on.  I could hear it.

                           

                                                  Left to right: Busaba, Suwit, and my mother.  Wat Pa Wangsakang

 

After the ritual was over, the locals were very thankful and appreciative of Pimpa and her contingent which is us folks from LA.  Pimpa told us if she ran for mayor right now she’d probably win.  Seeing the love they showered her with, I would have to agree.

 

At 10:45AM, it’s lunch time.  We went to a local eatery called Krua Tangmiang.  They had a big sign with Thai writing advertising about their “special menu”.  It translates to ostrich, crocodile, rabbit, frog, and boar.  I thought to myself, “I’ll stick to the not-so-special menu.”  And that was what we did.

 

At noon, we headed out for Mae Hong Son.  This is a trek through a mountainous jungle of over 250 km.  The road turned left and right and it went up and down and left and right and left again and…well, you get the point.  Fresh from the memory of my flight, my mom urged me to take a motion sickness pill.  I did and it was good.  It made me partially drowsy.   After about five hours of swerving and hair pinning, our caravan stopped as one person begged to get out of the car.  Yep, she lost her lunch. 

 

Once she got back in, we chugged on.  An hour and a half later, with the pill completely wearing off, I began to struggle.  I got to the point where I grasped a plastic bag in preparation.  I struggled for 30 minutes where I felt the airline moment was going to come when we suddenly stopped.

 

At 7 PM, we stopped at Wat GongGaw for dinner.  I was so thankful to walk out of the van but still felt nauseous.  I found a place to sit.  Suwit came over to say “how you are doing?” and nudged me on the tummy.  I quickly told him something on the lines of “Oh, please don’t do that!”  Fortunately I didn’t hurl but I needed to sit still for awhile.

 

While the others ate away, I stayed away in my own quiet corner, away from the smell of food.  I then walked here and there.  I thought I wouldn’t eat at all this night.  Phra Woody then came over and asked how I was doing.  I told him that I felt nauseous.  Phra Woody responded that since nothing came out, go ahead and chow down!  I took his advice and it was a good one.  They were serving what was told to me was a Burmese noodle called Kao Soy.  It is flat yellow noodles smothered by a meaty broth.  This place is so close to the Burmese border, it is no surprise that this delicacy would be present here.  It was my first time having it and I must say I liked it.  

 

After offerings made to the abbot of this temple, we headed for our destination, Wat PaTumWua.  We arrived there at 8:30 PM.  Unlike the other vans, our van’s left front wheel fell off the narrow bridge that spanned the small brook that runs across the front of the temple.  We got out and removed the entire luggage.  The drivers got together and finally came up with a plan and managed to get the van up and out.

 

The men and women stayed in separate lodging.  Most of the people on our contingent were women.  There were only about 12 men with five of us being the drivers of the vans.  The others soon discovered that for a forest temple in the mountains, it had electricity, sitting toilets, and showers.  They all commended how excellent their situation was.  I already knew from my previous trip to Thailand.  However we couldn’t get the hot water to work.  Oh well, we had to settle for doing it Paul Newman style.  You know…a cold shower! 

 

November 4 – MAE HONG SON

 

Ordinarily, the diet at Wat PaTumWua is vegan.  However the cooking staff was kind enough to fry us some eggs and I was ever so thankful.  I also saw a couple armed soldiers at the temple.  It reminded me that Thailand is currently under military control.

 

This is a day for sightseeing.  It was pretty cool as usual here in the mornings.  At 8:20 AM the monks showed took us to the ox cave.  We walked across a wooden bridge that spans a trickling stream and came across a hill.  There are stairs leading up this peak to the ox cave.  The rails are sculpted into two serpents.  We finally came across a level area where at the base of the peak were a statue of Buddha and images depicting various stages of Siddhartha’s life before becoming the Buddha.  The monks explained that back then in these jungles were lots of wild oxen.  They would come to the ox cave in order to safely give birth to their young.  That was because the jungle was also full of tigers.  There is also a stalagmite growing here.  We could still see the water dripping onto it which created the stalagmite.

 

We walked along the path which snaked alongside the contours of the peak and came across a smaller area.  There is a Buddhist shrine with a handful of Buddha statues.  Nearby, venerable Umporn called me to see something.  There was a small cave he found.  Due to my portly self, I struggled to get inside.  Once inside, it was pitch black.  The monk said there are wonderful cave formations.  When I used the flash from my camera, I was able to get a glimpse of it.  I then took a picture.  I hope it came out good. 

 

One could see classic cave formations like stalactites and stalagmites.  Getting out was tougher than getting in.  After contorting myself into an uncomfortable position, I was finally able to exit the cave.

This photo was taken inside a small cave.  Ordinarily in here is pitch black.  However I managed to get my rotund self in here and used my flash to capture this hidden gem.

 We all then moseyed onto a third cave.  24 years ago, a well-renowned monk named Yantra came across this place.  He suspected something in this locale so he asked some locals to have the wall of this mountain dug out.  It revealed this particular cave.  The monks went inside to light the candles present within.  There was another Buddha statue and deep inside looked like an open area that could serve as a dwelling.  This was where Venerable Yantra practiced meditation for quite some time.  Though he is no longer here at this temple, he asked Venerable Saiyud to look after this place; thus, Venerable Saiyud became abbot.

 

We came back down and waited for lunch.  My mom’s friend Toom didn’t come with us originally and wanted to check out the caves so I took her back up there.  Good thing that I am still relatively strong enough to keep going up and down and about.  It was a decent workout.  Some people remained up there to meditate.  This place is quite ideal.  It is quiet and far, far away from the hustle and bustle of urban life or civilization for that matter.

 

It is now 1 PM.  The weather had gotten pretty hot but thank goodness it lacks the humidity of Bangkok.  We boarded our vans as the monks took us sightseeing around the area.  First we came to Fish Cave.  In the cave is a subterranean river that eventually flows out into a river.  There are lots of pluang hin fish that inhabit this particular area.  They are fairly big.

 

                          

                                            The pluang hin fish at the Fish Cave.

 

Nobody eats these fish.  Legend has it that a long time ago a man caught a fish here and brought it back home to feed his wife, kids, and himself.  All died.

 

Another legend has it that before the man catching the fish, a monk once ventured to this area.  He explored the cave here and discovered a crystallized skeleton of someone still in a sitting meditation position.  Buddhists believe that when an arahanta (one bound for Nirvana) passes away, their bones become a crystalline thing called dhatu.  Due to this, the cave is believed to be sacred thus folks believe the man and his family perished because they ate the sacred fish.

 

Next up we went to what is called Pu Clone.  This area is known for their mud.  Many believe this mud is absolutely wonder for skin.  The women took advantage of this and had their face and/or their body covered by this mud all in hopes of beauty and that sort of thing.  The men and I waited as we got ourselves a Coke and just chatted away.  Honestly if I knew how long the women would take, I should have went to the nearby driving range.  I’m no golfer but at least whacking some balls would be a terrific time killer.  Finally the women were done.  Most of their faces appeared whiter.  One person looked ruddy (yes, I know what this word means now!).  The thing is that this is not permanent.  I guess it’s like for a few moments they feel all pretty and what not.

At 4 PM we arrived at Wat Phrataddoigongmu.  This temple houses a Buddha relic (piece of Buddha’s dhatu).  The architectural design is distinctly Burmese which is no surprise since we are quite close to the Burmese border.  I know it’s called Myanmar these days but I’m used to saying Burma.  Myanmarese isn’t a word is it?  Or is it Myanmarian?  Whatever.  Around the main stupa are Buddha statues for each day of the week placed in indentations in the stupa.  One would traditionally sprinkle fragrance and/or affix gold leaf onto the day of the week which one was born.  As for me, that would be a Thursday.  The stupa is all white and fairly tall; thus, to photograph it I had to stand quite away from it.  Nearby was a little marketplace.  While others were browsing and shopping, I went to the hillside to see the view of the valley and town below.  It’s a nice view and I had Busaba take some photos.

                           

                                                   View of valley below from Wat Phrataddoigongmu.

                    

Burmese architecture.  Wat Phrataddoigongmu                                     Stupa at Wat Phrataddoigongmu

 

We returned to the temple at 6 PM.  During dinner, a woman in the group traveling with us snuck some barbecued chicken into the temple and asked if any of us wanted any.  Chicken never looked so sexy!  Hey, I’m a carnivore at a vegan place.  Any kind of meat brings joy and happiness. 

 

That evening was the usual evening prayer.  During a sermon by Venerable Saiyud, there was a blackout.  The Karens (an indigenous people of this region) who inhabit the temple lit torches in the meantime for lighting.  The sermon began before the blackout, lasted through the blackout, and continued since the blackout until I blacked out into slumber.  Suddenly my mother’s friend Pramrudee (a.k.a. Pat) woke me up and said “Let’s go.”  I heard that and back to the men’s quarters I went.

 

November 5 – KATHINA AND LOI KRATHONG

 

Today is the day why we came to Thailand this time.  Today is Kathina at this temple.  Today I finally get to wear the Thai formal shirt custom made for me for just this occasion since January of this year.  It is Dodger blue in color which I will wear with my navy blue pants.  The other men said I looked like someone important.

 

Most were dressed in their colorful Thai outfits worn on special occasions and this is most definitely one of them.  There were hundreds of people who converged at the temple.  There were also many Karens who opened up shops selling various items from clothing to food to useful items like bags.  I didn’t see any of the renowned long-necked variety.  At the main altar the monks and my mom’s friends were looking for her since she is the primary sponsor.  I walked around looking for her.  First, the ladies’ quarters but she was not there.  I walked here and there and everywhere.  Finally, knowing my mother, I went to the Karens vending area and there she was…shopping as usual.

 

Upper left: dancing children.  Upper right: the band.  Lower left: two men dressed as a deer.  Lower right: boy performing a dance with two swords

Later my Aunt Tim and her husband Uncle Singto arrived with their contingent.  I went out and greeted them.  I took them to see my mother.  Both agreed that my mother’s faced aged much between January of this year till this day.  It is obvious how much stress she was under during this time.

 

After lunch, there was entertainment by nearby schoolchildren.  They performed various dances accompanied by a band consisting of Thai musical instruments.  Some wore costumes resembling animals like birds and fish.  There was a boy who performed a dance with two swords.  He was quite impressive.

 

The ritual then began.  Kathina is the offering of new robes to monks.  This takes place within a one-month period after the Asian monsoon.  This venture turned out to be a tremendous success as the temple took in over one million bahts’ in donations.  Our contingent alone accounted for 700,000 bahts.  I was very happy for several reasons.  I am happy to see this temple getting this money.  It can be used for a great many things.  It’s great to see how many people came out for this event.  I am especially happy for my mother that all her planning and work over these two years were not in vain.

 

Right after the ritual, I changed out of my blue formal shirt to a traditional northern Thai shirt.  I then bade farewell to the contingent because I was leaving them.  I took off with Aunt Tim and Uncle Singto’s group.                     

Left: Me with my tailor-made shirt.  Right: Me in my traditional northern Thai shirt.

 

It is once again the long winding trek through the mountains and jungles between Mae Hong Son and Chiangmai.  We stopped a couple of times so that the driver, of all people, could relax and not lose his lunch.  Later we stopped at a military-guarded checkpoint.  There was a little shop there where we drank some water.  A van of this contingent also stopped.  One guy said that he looked at the signs and determined that we are moving at around only 5 km per 20 minutes!  I thought “Egad!  When will we EVER reach Chiangmai?”  This trek is over 200 km long. 

 

We stopped at a temple called Wat Namhu located in a region called Pai.  It is renowned because of holy water.  There is a Buddha statue here called Phra Un Mueang.  One day the abbot found that top of the head was removable.  Inside was water.  The abbot didn’t think much of it figuring that it could have been from ceremonies like Songkran (Thai New Year) where water is traditionally poured onto it.  He removed the water and replaced the top.  Later (I believe the next day) the monk came back to remove to top and to his surprise it was once again filled with water.  It turns out that everyday the head will fill with water.  There are no hoses leading into the statue.  It is said that to see if water will still appear, the statue was moved to a different location.  However the location it was moved to crumbled down.  The locals saw this as an omen that the statue had to be placed back to where it originally came from.  Since then, the monk everyday would remove the water from the statue’s head and place it in a large urn where it would be filled with tap water.  And that is the renowned holy water from this temple.

                       

              Me and Phra Un Mueang.  It’s the small, orange clad Buddha statue seen here between the men in white and blue.

  

Because of my ailing aunt, I figured that I will get a bottle for her.  Whether or not one wants to believe this water to be holy or not, I took the mindset that it couldn’t hurt and if it actually helps, then wonderful.  I boarded back into the car.  For those riding in the van, one person was passing out motion sickness pills.

 

Come nightfall, we arrived in Chiangmai.  There we ate at Gang Ron Bahn Suan which translates to Hot Curry Garden House.  The food is good.  I even tried the fried larva.  I was apprehensive at first.  Once I took a bite of one, I found it to be crispy and it practically disintegrated upon chewing.  It was also lightly salty in flavor.  I think it’s a larva of some insect that lives inside of bamboo.

 

This day also corresponds to a Thai holiday called Loi Krathong.  Normally Thai’s would light a candle and float it on a little floating thing on some body of water as means to thank the water goddess.  In speaking to my mother via phone, that’s what she and her friends did at the temple that night.  We on the other hand lit candles attached to something resembling a white plastic bag or lamp cover.  Once sufficiently lit, we would release it and up, up and away it went.  In the sky that night were many of these floating candles.  Mine at first was stuck in a tree at the restaurant.  Fortunately we were able to shake it loose before it burned it.

Lighting a kom loi.                                                                                Up, up, and away!

 

That night everywhere you can see fireworks and hear firecrackers being set off.  There is also the Miss Nopramat pageant held every Loi Krathong.  I caught that on TV in my room at the Chiangmai Garden hotel.  The women went shopping.  The men played cards.  I just chilled and talked to my mom on the phone.

 

November 6 – TEMPLE FUGIT

 

At 8 AM, we had breakfast at Garden View restaurant in the hotel.  After all were done eating, we took off for a region called Lampang.  There we visited Wat Phratartlampangluang.  It is a large, old temple housing another Buddha relic.  The structure and walls are made of bricks.  It is said that it is good luck especially for those born in the oriental zodiac year of the ox to do merit.  Hey, that’s me!  Inside I prayed and lit incense and candles, sprinkled fragrance, and affixed gold. 

                            

                                                       Wat Phratardlampangluang – in front of the main entranceway.

 

 There is a dark room housing a Buddha statue with a small slit facing the large stupa here.  When you pull a white cloth where the light is shining onto, you will see an image of the stupa itself.  There is another small room on top of some large steps where only men are allowed to enter (I am uncertain why).  I wondered what it was.  It turns to be a representation of Buddha’s footprint.  When we pull a white curtain in front of the footprint and close the door, shone upon it is the stupa image but this time upside down.

Uncle Singto, me, and Aunt Tim.  Wat Phratartlampangluang.

 

We then took off and headed for a region called Prae.  Here we had a fantastic lunch at an eatery called Patama.  It was next to what I presume to be a manmade lake.  I ate like there was no tomorrow.

 

In Prae, we went to visit a temple called Wat Phratartchawhae.  This temple also houses a Buddha relic.  This temple is white and newer looking compared to Wat Phratartlampangluang.  I did the same things here as I did at Wat Phratartlampangluang.

Wat Phratartchawhae.

 

Next we went to the city of Pitsanulok.  There is a lot of history here due to the past wars between Burma and Siam.  The city also houses a Buddha statue which is a national treasure – the renowned Phra Buddhachinarat.  This statue was conceived when the city was founded many hundreds of years ago.  I have heard of this Buddha statue but have never seen it.  We made it just in time before visiting hours concluded.  Upon beholding Phra Buddhachinarat, I found it to be the most beautiful gilded Buddha statue I had ever seen.  It is a sitting Buddha about four to five times taller than me.  This is the shiniest, brightest gold I had ever seen.  It looks brand spanking new but we all know that it is old.  I regret however that the pictures taken of it by my camera does not do it any justice whatsoever.  You’ll just have to take my word for it if you choose.

 

Still in Pitsanulok we visited a Chinese shrine called Hengjiu.  Legend has it that two very large incense sticks (perhaps baseball bat-sized) were ceremonially lit.  Once all was burned off, it left ashes that resembled two dragons.  Believing this was a good omen, the Chinese around here erected this shrine.  It is full of statues of arahantas and Chinese deities.

 

After dinner at Bahnmai (circa 8:30 PM), we had a very long road back to Bangkok.  At last, Aunt Tim and Uncle Singto dropped me off at Aunt Ting’s at 1:40 AM

Phra Buddhachinarat.  I wished the photo could                                                                   have come out better.

November 7 – BEING THERE

 

This day was used to rest up from all the sightseeing I did.  I decided to do it at my Aunt Taew and Tik’s place.  I took a cab and got there at 1:45 PM.  I spent time talking to them since I only get to see them when I am in Thailand and told them of my travels up north and how the family is in Los Angeles.  I finally left at 6 PM and returned to Aunt Ting’s place.  There I had dinner and just relaxed the rest of the evening.

 

November 8 – TOURIST BY DAY, ROCK STAR BY NIGHT

 

Wanlop came over once again to be our driver.  I chose to do some sightseeing today.  Also accompanying me is the maid, Top.  It’s basically whatever I wanted to see.

 

The first place we came to see is Wat Arun a.k.a. Temple of Dawn.  It lies on the banks of the Chao Phraya River which cuts through Bangkok.  I had always wanted to come here.  It is well known and I had seen it from a distance when I was a kid.  That sparked my curiosity of wanting to see it up close.  From afar, it is already quite a spectacle.  There are four stupas on each side of the main central stupa in the middle.  All temples in Thailand have stupas but the architecture of the ones here are unique.  The architecture is similar to Angkor Wat in Cambodia so I believe the style is Cambodian (I know it’s called Kampuchea these days but what I am going to say?  Kampuchean?  Is that even a word?).  We got to scale a quarter of the way up.  Up close it is very beautiful.  It is covered with colored tiles.  There are also statues of giants surrounding the main stupa.  The four surrounding ones each house a Buddha statue.  At first Wanlop was going to stay in the car but the beauty of the stupas drew him to join us.  He became the primary photographer.  The central stupa was difficult to snap a photo of due to its sheer height.  I felt that this day has kicked off to a rousing start.  It was also wise of us to come here first because of the number of times we went up and down the stairs there.  At least we still had bundles of energy.

                 

                           View of main stupa at Wat Arun from below.                  Corner stupa surrounding main stupa at Wat Arun.

                                

                                                                                          Me and Top at Wat Arun.

                                                                

                                                                                                         Wat Arun

                                              Wat Arun

 

Next up was nearby Wat Rakang.  This temple is not picturesque as Wat Arun or Wat Phrakaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha).  People do not come here for the architecture.  They come to pray to Luang Paw To.  Luang Paw To was a Buddhist monk who resided here.  After his passing, many Thais believed that he was an arahanta.  Due to that, he was and still is highly revered.  That is why we came to Wat Rakang.  Here are statues of Luang Paw To.  We prayed, chanted the Chinabanchawn (authored by Luang Paw To), affixed gold leaf and sprinkled fragrances to his statue.

 

Then we went to Wat Po, the largest and oldest temple in Bangkok.  There are colorful stupas here at Wat Po.  They also come in various sizes.  The main attraction here is the reclining Buddha statue.  It is a humungous statue covered in gold and 46 meters long.  I had only heard of the statue but to see it in person was like “Wow!”  Due to the confined space housing this massive statue, it was difficult to get a good picture.  Also present were signs warning us to beware of pickpockets.  I guess when one is holding a camera one tends to susceptible to these cads.  The feet of the statue is adorned with mother-of-pearl into various Buddhist images.  Each gate here at Wat Po is guarded by two giant statues.  The giants here look Chinese, much different than the traditional Thai giants at Wat Phrakaew.

                           

Reclining Buddha statue at Wat Po, Bangkok, Thailand.  Don’t you love that blue sign (Please be careful of pickpocket)?

 

Some stupas at Wat Po.

                              

                                                    Guardian Giants at Wat Po.

We had lunch at an eatery that is next to the Chao Phraya River.  It was called Bai Po (meaning Bodhi leaf).  We ordered seafood and it was good.  As we ate, we saw ferries pick up tourists and take them up or down the river or to cross it.

 

Afterwards we went to Wat In (short for Wat Intharavihara).  This temple is known for a very large standing Buddha statue.  One can clearly see it from afar.  To take a picture of it and me, Wanlop stood far away.  My head only went up to the statue’s ankles.  This statue was the brainchild of Luang Paw To.  However Luang Paw To passed away before completion.  It was finished after his passing.  However there are numerous references to Luang Paw To here.  There was also a holy water dispenser here so we each took a sip.  We then came home.  It was a terrific day of sightseeing.  Top also had a fantastic time.  Her daughter Wanjan kept calling inquiring where her mom had been.

Left: Me in front of Buddha at Wat In.  Right: Me at foot of Buddha at Wat In 

 

That night, we had dinner at a Japanese place called Akiyoshi.  It’s a shabu shabu place where I ate with Aunt Ting, her three kids (Paega, Kongpat, and Songfang).  Later, Paega’s boyfriend Dr. Adisorn (Dr. Uan) joined us.  It was very tasty especially the one cooked in sauce as opposed to the simmering broth.

 

Afterwards, Kongpat and Songfang went home.  The rest of us continued for an evening of my usual Thailand favorite – karaoke!  We returned to the Major Bowl.  It turns out that as an added feature, the machine will rate your singing maxing out at 100.  Because this is Thailand, the number of English language songs is somewhat limited.  I went with whatever I recognized and knew (mostly stuff before 1990).  Here were the ditties I busted my chops at:

 

Song                                                                    Artist

Tequila Sunrise                                                 Eagles

Desperado                                                          Eagles

Hotel California                                                Eagles

With or Without You                                      U2

Memory                                                             Barbra Streisand

Hey Jude                                                            Beatles

Yesterday                                                           Beatles

House of the Rising Sun                                  Animals

Bridge over Troubled Water                           Simon & Garfunkel

Top of the World                                              Carpenters

Under the Boardwalk                                       Drifters

Uptown Girl                                                      Billy Joel

Lady                                                                    Kenny Rogers

Your Song                                                          Elton John

Pretty Woman                                                   Roy Orbison

Hello                                                                   Lionel Richie

Runaway                                                            Del Shannon

Dream Lover                                                     Bobby Darin

Take Me Home Country Roads                     John Denver

Take a Look at Me Now                                 Phil Collins

 

I scored a whopping 97 as my top score on House of the Rising Sun.  That intimidated Dr. Uan though in honesty, he needn’t worry.  He is a very good singer.  We got home pretty late that night. 

 

What a good day this was.

 

November 9 – PORT AND L’OPERA

 

Wanlop came over again to drive me around for another day of sightseeing.  Since Top went with me yesterday, today the other maid, Pom, was to accompany me.  However she wasn’t feeling well so Top went again. 

 

Though the distance was not far, the traffic was bad.  It took two hours to drive to our destination which was the longest, largest bridge in all of Thailand.  It is located at Samut Prakarn near the port.  It features four spires each topped with a gold conical top.  From these four supports are yellow cables coming down each side for suspension.  People are still waiting for the King to give this bridge a name.  There are already bridges called Rama VIII and Rama IX.  Due to that, the locals are currently dubbing this the Rama X Bridge.  Wanlop explained that back then people from this part of town who needed to get to central Bangkok had to take an indirect route which took a very long time.  Now with this bridge, the path is much more direct saving people lots of time.  To view this bridge, we parked inside a temple called Wat Lam.  Wat Lam had a nice looking stupa so we took pictures of it and the bridge.

The longest bridge in Thailand.

 

Wanlop told me of a fort only 10 km from here.  It didn’t sound too far so I agreed to it.  Due to road construction, bottlenecks, and flooding, it took an hour just to move 10 km.  Finally we arrived at Phra Chulachomklao Fort.  Completed in 1893, it was in preparation to thwart off European colonization.  The fort was named after King Rama V (King Chulalongkorn).

 

At this fort is a ship called the HTMS Mae Klong.  It was used by past kings for travels to foreign lands.  It also saw military action against invading French battleships along with World War II.  Now it is decommissioned allowing visitors to climb aboard and look around.  So we did.  We checked out the kitchen, living quarters, laundry, cannons, and telescope.  Since this is at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, there is a nice cool breeze that made this otherwise hot day so pleasant.

 

Top: Mae Klong ship.  Left: Cannons aboard Mae Klong  Right: Yours truly at the helm

 

Also at the fort are the bunkers leading to the cannons.  There are seven cannons here that normally are subterranean but can be raised when needed.  We looked at the cannons, walked though the bunker and saw where they would have stored shells and other supplies and artillery.

                        

                                          Who wants some of this?

Lastly at the fort is a large statue of King Rama V.  It is pretty large and black atop a white and grey pedestal.  Due to time, we decided to have lunch here.

                           

                            King Rama V

I told Wanlop and Top that in not too long I would return to Los Angeles.  The one thing I have not done at all is shop.  Specifically I was looking for trinkets I can give to people as a souvenir from Thailand.  I also wanted to purchase the Thai movie Bangrajan.  Also someone wanted a copy of The Protector in dubbed in English.  Wanlop suggested a shopping area called Chatuchak.

 

Despite clever alternative routes by Wanlop, it still took an hour and a half to get to Chatuchak.  This place was a large expanse of shops.  However all were closed except those selling plants.  Top inquired that found out that all the shops would be open on the weekend and that today was strictly plant day.  However all was not a total loss.  I did find a shop selling little dolls.  Each doll is made from supposed a long string that is wound and wound so many times that it eventually shaped into a doll.  I figured they would be great to give to girls so I got me a couple packs.  Only as I left did I notice the name of the shop – Voodoo Doli.  Hopefully whomever I had given these to don’t have any funny ideas.

Me at Victory Monument in Bangkok

So the girls are covered.  I still needed to find stuff for guys plus the two movies.  Top said that there were lots of shops at the Victory Monument.  Wanlop dropped us off there.  We scoured all this shops that encircled the Victory Monument.  It honors those who have died in service of the nation.  I did get a picture taken with it.  I managed to find a bootleg VCD of Bangrajan.  The shops around didn’t have anything else.  Nearby were also two malls.  Top and I tore through both malls to no avail.  Since most of the clientele in malls and shops are women, things sold here tend to gear towards them.  I evaluated my situation and realized I had one last ace up my sleeve when it comes to guy stuff.  It is already 6 PM.  Aunt Ting and the family were going to have dinner at a restaurant booked for 7 PM.  I decided that it is best to be heading back.

 

At 7 PM, I just got back to Aunt Ting’s place.  Everybody was already at the restaurant.  I ran upstairs and did my darnedest to change into suitable attire since this place has a dress code.  Also since this day was very hot, I had sweated up a storm sightseeing and shopping.  Wanlop rushed me as fast as Bangkok traffic would allow to the restaurant.  Finally I was here.

 

The place is L’Opera, the finest Italian restaurant in all of Thailand.  Nobody gets in without a collar, nice shoes, and long pants (not jeans).  I finally located my aunt and her kids and Dr. Uan.  Present were her sisters-in-law Suchada (visiting from Rancho Cucamonga) and Chai and her friend.  Also there were Dr. Yuthapong, his lady friend, and his son Art.  Art and I had met only once when we were both a lot younger but we remembered each other.  We got to talk quite extensively.  In a separate room was Uncle Lek with some people who look like bigwigs.

 

I needed to pick up my mom at the airport so Songfang took me home.  Kongpat stayed to draw people pictures.  He’s blossoming as an artist let alone a sketch artist.  Painting is his primary hobby.

 

At 11 PM, Wanlop took me to Suvarnabhumi Airport.  Along the way I took several pictures.  On this night, my mother and the rest of the contingent return to Bangkok.  We took a couple of photos of the airport. 

 

It’s so nice that the airport is only 15 minutes away from Aunt Ting’s place.  That night, we began packing for my trip back to Los Angeles.

 

November 10 – THE JOURNEY HOME

 

The flight back to Los Angeles leaves at 12:35 PM.  However I wanted to visit my friend Todd Nontavarnit.  In the morning, my mother and I caught a taxi and went to Todd’s coffee shop, the Brooklyn Bridge Café.  Our moms are best friends.  Due to heavy traffic, it took like over an hour to get there.  Due to the unfortunate time constraint, I was only there for all of ten minutes.  I got me a hot chocolate.  The place is pretty quaint.  He says he’s had it for three months.  I hope it’s successful.  I wished I could stay longer since it’s not often he and I get to see one another these days.

                          

                                             My friend Todd Nontavarnit and his coffee shop, Brooklyn Bridge Café.

 

We then had the taxi take us to Aunt Taew an Aunt Tik.  I bade them farewell.  Like Todd, I wished I could have spent more time with them.

 

Back at Aunt Ting’s, I had pictures taken with Uncle Lek and the maids.  Then it’s time to go.  Wanlop dropped us of at Suvarnabhumi Airport.  There I purchased a bunch of key chains.  I finally got the guy stuff I was looking for.  My mother and I also enjoyed a relaxing meal together.  She wishes that I could be with her for the rest of her Thailand stay.  I did not want to go back yet.

 

Wanlop took my mother back to Aunt Ting’s.  I took off on EVA Air at 12:35 PM en route to Taiwan.  In-flight movie was You, Me, and Dupree.  Then it was 11 hours to Los Angeles.  Due to my terrible experience flying here, I decided not to eat the airplane food.  Instead I was armed with can of Pringles.  On this leg they showed Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, The Break Up, and Cars.  When I landed at LAX, it was 2:05 PM and it was still 11/10/06.  For me, this day just seemingly wouldn’t end.

 

Normally I’m always glad to come back to Los Angeles.  This time however I really would have liked to have spent more time there.  Just another week would have done it.  As you can see, Kathina and jetlag consumed most of my trip.  It was still rewarding to be able to see all that I have.  However next time I would like a greater balance between sightseeing/traveling and time with family and friends.  A shortage of the latter left this trip feeling somewhat unfulfilled.