1 June (Monday) - I got up early to sort through our laundry and set it outside the room to have it washed. Then I had breakfast while Will slept in, and who should show up but my cousin Larry who had taken the night train from Chiang Mai where he and his wife Nancy live. She is also a Facebook friend, and had casually mentioned to him as he got on the train that we might be here. So we had a great day talking to him about his projects. He recently completed his PhD with a disseration on Thai "Face." By 9 AM I had to head to the hospital for my root canal. Mom decided to tag along; perhaps to see more changes in the many years since she had been here. The ... read more

28 May (Thursday) - We planned for an early start so that we would beat the crowds at the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum, so after breakfast and checking out of the Ibis Hotel, we met with Jack our driver/guide. He dropped our luggage off at the Mercure Hotel, and we proceeded to Bang Po Village, the remains of a 6000 year old village (on the way to the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum). By now my foot was really painful...a reoccurence of the gout. They didn't have a functioning wheelchair so I hobbled around leaning on Will's shoulder. The museum was interesting; more for the age and skeletal remains than for anything else. Our next stop was a terra cotta factory where they make reproductions of the warriors. Of course, there was also the obligatory souvenir shop, ... read more

Reviewing my lat blog on my time in Shanghai I realize that I didn't add many pictures. I tend to look for the better pictures, and due to the flat light and smog, I didn't find many I liked. But perhaps these pictures will tell this story; that not all travel can produce beautiful pictures. So enjoy...... read more