First Impressions of Asia Part One: Singapore and Thailand

---

We have been having an absolutely wonderful time. Thailand is certainly beautiful - the beaches in the south are second to none, and the north where we are now, although completely different, has its own charm. We spent four hours this morning on a winding road heading to this funky little village high in the mountains. Scooters abound here, and Stan is out at this moment practising with his new wheels. We shall be here for a couple of days before heading back to Chiang Mai and then off to Laos by boat on Tuesday.

Everything so far has been excellent - Singapore was squeaky clean and very expensive, great place to visit, wonderful people, very high standard of living - however, just a lttle too perfect - makes you wonder. . . and the most amazing zoo we have ever visited. We saw cheetahs, lions, white bengal tigers, zebras, rhinos, giraffes - to name just a few. The best part was that none were in encaged, but rather lived in very natural, extensive habitats with vegetation, shade, and privacy from onlookers on the other side of a created gorge. It was so impressive we visited a second time for the Night Safari.

Bangkok was completely different than Singapore- much more alive - both good and bad laundry evident, more real. ln the end, liked it more than Singapore.

Chiang Mai in northern Thailand the best yet, and this little town of Pai where we are in now is a hoot. I feel like we're in the interior of BC - stopped counting dread locks a while ago, just too many. Fun. Something good about everywhere, but without a doubt the best part of Thailand is its people and its philosophy - smiling faces and helpful attitudes everywhere, always. We have not felt unsafe anywhere, at any time, during this trip . . . and that includes cruising around Bangkok, which someone said is "New York City times 5" in population and size. We love it here,



It is exactly one month today that we have been on the road. lt's been awesome. And we have only just begun.

---

Photos

Rai Lai Beach, Southern Thailand
This photo was taken from a cave we took a significant hike to, involving much climbing and some ladder work. Upon arrival at the mouth of the cave, we were greeted by two women practicing their cave jumping skills. Impressive.

Young Monks Watching the Train Go By
What a beautiful sight to see on our train ride north from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.

Singapore Sling
Here we are enjoying a ridiculously expensive Singapore Sling in the very hotel where it was created, the decadent Raffles.

Singapore Subway Culture
There is a reason Singapore is renowned to be the cleanest city. Hmmm.

Condom Flower Bouquet, Cabbages & Condoms Restaurant, Bangkok
The Cabbages and Condoms Restaurant raises funds and awareness about contraceptives in a very creative way. This is but one example of many on display in this high end restaurant located in prestigious and trendy Sukhamvit area of Bangkok.

Waiting for the Cocoanuts to Fall
I cannot believe this cocoanut tree was part of the poolside landscape at our Rai Lay Beach hotel. Each of those babies would destroy anyone unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity when they fell.

Blissing Out @ Mai Thai Beach, Southern Thailand
I believe this was the film site for Leonardo DeCaprio's shooting of "The Beach".

Night Market Photo Taken in Chiang May
We later had a drawing made of this photo by a street artist in Chiang Mai. His work was so impeccable that it was very difficult to discern the drawing from the photo when it was done.