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Published: September 3rd 2013
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Patara Elephant Farm
One of the highlights of our trip We've been home for a couple of days, and just about got over the jet lag. Things are gradually reverting to normal, but I don't think any of us will quickly forget the time we spent in Asia. It was the trip of a lifetime. I loved every moment of it (except perhaps the 3 hour plane delay in Bangkok), and am so glad we made it happen. And the kids and I owe an especially big thank you to Sandra who actually made it happen....she chose the route, the hotels, and booked the whole thing. Thank you! You're our star!
Looking back, the range of things we saw and did on this trip was huge - we climbed on the Great Wall of China; dodged a million mopeds while crossing roads in Hanoi; saw beautiful temples of all descriptions and religions; went indoor skydiving in Singapore; spent a day as elephant keepers in Chiang Mai; visited the infamous Hanoi Hilton prison; lazed by a pool in Bali and crossed the world's busiest pedestrian crossing in Tokyo.
Since we got home, we've talked a lot about our favorite memories. We did so much and saw so many different things that we have very varied thoughts on highlights, but there are some things that we agree upon. We all thought that the Great Wall of China was the most memorable sight, and we all loved the day at the Patara elephant farm. We met a lot of great people on the trip - two that particularly stand out are An at the Hanoi Moment hotel, and our Chinese tour guide, Alice. Most of the food and restaurant highlights were in Thailand - my hottest curry ever at the hotel in Bangkok, and Ben's pork dish at Face which was also our favorite restaurant of the trip.
Several people have asked us which city was our favorite, and interestingly we each have a different answer. Ben chose Beijing, Carys chose Bali, I chose Chiang Mai and Sandra chose Hanoi. But we all had a great time at every one of the seven places we visited so none of us found this question easy to answer. We also feel that even though we were in Asia for a month and saw a lot of places, we barely scratched the surface. There are so many other places that we want to see.
Finally, some funny memories. We loved the evening when Sandra instructed the kids to eat every ice cream flavor at the overpriced all-you-can-eat buffet in Tokyo. That moment made the bill easier to swallow! Another favorite was when our Bangkok taxi driver offered to show us a place where James Bond was filmed. At least that's what we thought he said. We realized the mistake when he pulled into the parking lot of a gem store that was clearly aimed at tourists. "Gems" and "James" sound remarkably similar in a thick Thai accent. And then there was the moment that I thought to myself that I should put away the subway map while we were navigating around Tokyo as it might make it obvious that we were tourists....I suspect that the facts that we were white people, with children, wearing shorts and sneakers, might also have blown our cover!
The kids start the new school year tomorrow. When contemplating this trip we were a little hesitant about spending one third of their summer holiday in Asia. But in hindsight it was a great decision. I think there is no doubt that they learned a lot about the world and maybe a bit about themselves too. And besides, it was a ton of fun!!
Right....where are we going next year?
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