MsTsClass
This blog is to share my Grand Adventures this summer with family, friends, and students.MsTsClass
Travel Blog Posts
July 17th 2005
Well, everyone, I made it home safe and sound, and extremely tired. It sure feels good to be home with the dogs (who didn't miss me nearly enough - Kelly and Zach took such good care of them!) I'm all unpacked and it was a blast going through and organizing all my shopping goodies. I got some really cool stuff. I had a couple friends stop by today, and I am struggling mightily with jet lag. I'm trying my best to stay up until 10 p.m. I downloaded all my pictures, so I'm going to browse and add any cool ones I find, in no particular order. This will be my last post, so thanks again for all the time and positive thoughts you sent to me. Talk to you soon!... read more
July 14th 2005
Well, it's about 6:30 p.m. in Bangkok and I arrived back here at noon today. I guess I missed a real flood yesterday, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow morning. It is very monsoonal here and when it rains, it POURS. The roads flood very quickly and I don't need any hangups getting to the airport. Well, when I got here, I hired a car and driver for a couple hours (cost $300 Baht an hour - about $7.89) and went and did a last round of shopping. I needed to pick up some things, like the picture I had made of Mickey and Sophia. The artist did a phenomenal job of capturing Mickey, which is really surprising since he is all black and it can be hard to get details on a picture. ... read more
July 13th 2005
Not much exciting to report - and that isn't a bad thing. I am just hanging out at the resort, having spa treatments and playing in the pool. The pictures from here aren't great, because it is very humid and grey - but I'll post a few so you can get an idea. The resort is amazingly beautiful. Wait till you see the big water slide - I'm going to try it later today. I thought I'd wait until about dinnertime so that if I squeal like a ninny, there will be fewer people to witness my humiliation. From what I've seen, you get airborne on the bumps. Alas, no riding of elephants on the beach here, that is not at Phuket (where the Tsunami hit) I'm desperately disappointed, but what are you going to do. ... read more
July 11th 2005
Hello all, well I have arrived down here in Hua Hin in Southern Thailand. It is a small beach resort/fishing village that is very popular with local Thais and the King even has his summer palace here. This resort is very open air - think kind of Bali - and has a beautiful pool area. It's a little too much for me though in this hot, muggy climate. I'll be going to check out the beach area when the rain showers pass. My hope for these 3 days is a little decompression - spa treatments, perhaps a Thai cooking class, and hopefully a ride at dawn on the beach (elephant). Of course, I need to get in plenty of pool time and reading also - I can't carry those books I brough back with me, I ... read more
Another Couple Great Days in Bangkok
Published: July 7th 2005Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Bangkok
July 8th 2005
Hello everyone. I haven't checked my e-mail in a couple days - the hotel charged for it and I was too cheap. Bangkok is absolutely amazing, in so many ways. It is big, noisy, dirty and yet wonderful. I cannot express how great the Thai people are. I am learning some new words. Boy, this tonal language is really difficult to even hear the subtelties in, much less parrot them back. Ka-wa-dit-ka (spelled phoenetically in english) is hello Kap-kune-ka is thank you dai-po is please. I have changed hotels, because of a change of plans. I am now at the Grand Hyatt in Bangkok for 7/8 7/9 and 7/10. I will still be at the Grand Hyatt at Hua Hin for 7/11, 7/12, 7/13 and then back to the Grand Hyatt in Bangkok for 7/14. I ... read more
July 4th 2005
Today, my guide (Mr. Sam) and I went three hours up into the hills of Thailand - about 2 miles from the Burmese border. The scenery here is some of the most beautiful I have ever seen (rivals Alaska, believe it or not). The jungle is so dense, I don't see how animals move through it. Of course, I kept thinking about how many snakes were out there lurking :-) The purpose for our trip was to visit some of the hilltribe people from Burma. It is a very sad situation for these people. They have fled Burma for personal safety reasons, and the government of Thailand has allowed them to set up villages (two I believe). The government offers them financial support, but they are not at leave to travel around without permission. They support ... read more
July 3rd 2005
Oh my gosh, one of my life-long dreams came true today. I got to ride an elephant for an hour! It was just the mahout (handler) and I in the jungle of Thailand. It was so peaceful, quiet and absolutely beautiful. This will be a day I never forget as long as I live. The mahout lives and works with the elephant for his whole life (both the elephants and mahouts). The mahouts live at the elephant camp and obviously forge very strong bonds with the animals. After my ride, which included going through a wonderful stream, I got to see the baby elephant nursery. They were so cute! I am going to post some pictures of my favorite one - she was being very naughty, which of course I enjoyed. I got to feed the ... read more
July 2nd 2005
I'm actually in Thailand now, but I got a few China pictures uploaded, finally. They are all under the same diary entry. I'm getting better at this! Hope everyone is well. I'll update more about Thailand when I have something to tell - hopefully going to ride an elephant tomorrow! ... read more
July 1st 2005
Well, today, I visited Emperor Qin's Terra Cotta Clay Army. It really was an impressive sight. I hired a guide for the day, Robin, and he was fantastic. I had never realized that the warriors were originally painted with color. In a couple of the pits, they have re-covered the warriors with dirt to protect their color. I was very excited to meet one of the original farmers who found the tomb in the 1970's - he signed my book and also was gracious enough to let me take a picture with him (right in front of the "no pictures" sign). On a funny note, I almost got into a physical altercation in the bathroom at the museum. I was at the front of the line, and the lady (I use that term loosely!) behind me ... read more
June 29th 2005
Well, I made it to Xian tonight, where I will be visiting the Terra Cotta Clay Warrior museum. I made a REALLY good decision and decided to fly instead of taking the night train. My 5 star hotel is right in the middle of a kind of scary slum - I think this will be a good time to catch up on sleep and some reading! Other than a tour to see the clay warriors, I don't know how much I will be leaving the hotel, but it will be nice to take a little bit of a break. On the other hand, I am really looking forward to leaving China and going to Chiang Mai, Thailand on Saturday morning.... read more
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