Geo: 28.5377, -81.3774In order to make the most of EPCOT on one day, I suggested to the ladies that we needed an early departure (7:10) from the Sheraton in order to get to Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village, check in, check our luggage and get to EPCOT by 9 am when it opened. Amazingly, we did depart from the Sheraton at 7:10; equally amazing it took us 90 minutes to check in. Mainly because I had made the arrangements for one villa that sleeps eight; but I wanted all to share in the cost and to have separate accounts on their Magic Bands.Magic Bands: See detailed information on Day 4 (March 25). We left our luggage at the bell stand, signed up to be texted when our room was ready and headed off to EPCOT by ... read more

Geo: 38.6276, -90.199I have completed my digital scrapbook on our trip. Here's a link if you care to check it out: My digital scrapbook:http://app.picaboo.com/WebView/Project.aspx?clientID=bd285531d9ee1f470cd27fbbd77125a0&version=309967&siteID=ViaPreview Tommye... read more

Geo: 41.8861, -87.6364DAY TWENTY-FOUR (1/26/13) —Tokyo to Chicago on Japan Air (JAL), then American Airlines to St. LouisHomeward BoundWe have a beautiful sunrise as we land in Japan … one of those colorful straight lines you are sometimes lucky enough to see from the air. We pass through Immigration and head to another Sakura Lounge. I occupy myself cleaning up my blog; Patrick is reading his seventh book of the trip.We board our flight, scheduled to depart at 11 am. We settle in to our business class seats but struggle with getting our electronics to work. The adaptors we have used the last three weeks are delivering no power to my PC or his iPad. The flight attendance brings us JAL's adaptors and that solves the problem. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.Lunch is an odd ... read more

Geo: 13.7308, 100.521DAY TWENTY-TWO (1/24/13) — Bangkok, The PeninsulaAncient CapitalToday we travel into the countryside of Thailand. Our first stop is the Summer Palace. Bang Pa-In is a complex formerly used by Thai kings, located on the Chao Phraya River bank on the way to Ayutthaya, Thailand's second capital.Originally constructed in 1632, it lay empty for many years until restored in the mid-19th century. The complex includes vast gardens, a Chinese-style royal palace and throne room; a royal residence and a pavilion constructed in the middle of a pond. Women visitors must wear skirts covering their knees but these can be borrowed. As always, shoes must be removed.On to Ayutthaya (Ah-YOU-tea-ahh), the capital of the Siamese kingdom from 1350 to 1767. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including surrounding neighbors and later the ... read more

Geo: 13.7308, 100.521DAY TWENTY (1/22/13) — Bangkok, The PeninsulaThai-ing One On!We depart early from Hanoi and manage to check in, get our luggage checked and pass through security and immigration without Larry's help. We are sure missing Tauck's luggage assistance and having someone who speaks the language. But we prevail.We board a Vietnam Air flight to Bangkok and arrive uneventfully. I now have a bout of stomach upset; it's odd that I've made it three weeks only to have it show up now. Oh well.We are met by May, our young and enthusiastic guide, for our stay here in Bangkok. We have a traditional Thai greeting from a young lass who puts a variation of a floral lei around our necks.Traffic in Bangkok is abominable. There are 65 million people in Thailand and 13 of them ... read more