Hey All, Sorry I am a little late posting this, did not get back until about 11 last night and was just not up to it. So, had a full breakfast this am and getting it done. It was a busy day, decided to do another day trip of River rafting, Elephant riding and walking some more. Spent the last part of the night visiting with a bloke from Australia who lives here, more to come on that later. Picked up in the morning and headed for the river, when we got there we were loaded on these bamboo rafts and went down this muddy river. The scenery was really nice so who paid any attention to the water. The sun came out just as we started and for the first time during this trip it ... read more

Hey All, One thing I forgot to mention yesterday, and this would only interest my RN friends. I was walking past the Overbrook Hospital in Chiang Rai yesterday when a couple of nurses were hurrying into the building. I so wanted to stop them and ask for a picture but they were moving too fast. They had on these very light lavender colored uniforms with the old style Nursing Hat to match. It was like seeing a hospital in the US back 30 years ago. I know you would have loved to see that and I just kick myself for not being able to get a pic. I just tried to picture Christine K in that uniform with her little hat – too funny. Whenever I mention to anyone here I am a nurse, they just ... read more

Hey All, I was up rather early this AM, but gave me time to check emails and such. After breakfast was picked up for my day trip up to the Golden Triangle Area. On they way stopped at a temple, and went to this village area where some of the hilltribe people live. They were relocated here for public display which I was very uncomfortable with. The Karen "Long Necks" are from a very remote area of Myanmar, very difficult to find and visit. These people agreed to be relocated to Thailand where their children get an education, and they have jobs posing for the tourist in their new village. OK, I can see where they would want to come where their kids can get an education, and maybe its worth it to them. I just ... read more

Hey All, I have been tired before, but this is a whole new level. To put it bluntly, I have had 7 hours sleep since I work up last Sunday morning. I got up at 7 am Sunday and worked Sunday night, then slept 3 hours Monday, before working Monday night, then slept 2 ½ hours before working Tuesday night. Ran home Wed. morning and after an 1 ½ sleep was woken up by a call from the hospital about work, and have not slept since then. As I am romping through one airport after another, its all becoming a fog. At this writing I just switched airports in Bangkok and waiting on my Nok Air flight to Chiang Rai. I am working on pure adrenaline here and another cup of strong Thai coffee. Bout time ... read more

Today marks the end of my journey through Cambodia and I can’t even begin to tell you what a fantastic time I have had. What I loved most was getting out of the busy tourist centers of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh and leaving the mega tourist busses behind, getting out into the countryside and seeing the real Cambodia. I have seen some very well to do, with the nice cars and nice houses and witnessed the extreme poverty of one of the poorest countries in SE Asia. But the constant theme was the smiles and “hello” with a big wave. There have been the usual annoyances, but despite my blogging about them, they don’t get under my skin. That what travel is all about, the humidity, the heat, the constant “no thank you’s”, the hard ... read more