Thailand - first visit for me!
Cathy and I got back from Thailand last week. "Flying visit" for a week, which Jetstar shortened a bit for us (more on this later). As Nick has been there for about 13 or 14 years (or is that 3 or 4 Nick?), a visit was well overdue and reflecting on the trip now another one should follow as soon as it can be arranged. We had a great time and kept up a reasonably vigorous pace to see as much as we could in the short time available.
Martin and Ly timed a visit to coincide with us for a couple of days which was fabulous for us and probably a nice break for them. We managed some nice meals with them and Nick and a day out and about seeing some sights in Bangkok. (I will post some photos soon - when my camera arrives back in Australia as it decided to travel independently!) Here's one from Cathy's camera
Cathy Nick and I flew to Chiang Rai and went driving around in the area near the Golden Triangle (Thailand/Burma/Laos) which was very different to the hustle and bustle of Bkk. We went to Doi Tung where the kings mother had built herself a little weekender and also to Doi MaeSolong, the home of tea and coffee growing in Thailand.
Then back to Bangkok for the last few days - some (!!) shopping and some more sightseeing. A lovely lunch with Suphorn (spelling?) Nick's landlord and the joys of Bkk traffic. A visit to Chulalongkorn University, the home of Focus on the Global South, and I even managed to fit in a couple of one hour Thai massages. (Highly recommended - especially at $10!)
I was there on a Monday and I wore my yellow shirt! the Thais loved it.
Special thanks to Nick for being such a good host. It is such a different experience to go to another city/country to visit someone, compared to lobbing as a tourist on your own. As you will see from what we managed to fit in our limited time was very well spent under Nick's guidance and in her company.
And our time was a bit more limited than originally planned because our Jetstar flight took 81/2 hours to finally take off. The plane had a fault and we got out to the runway then went back to the terminal and cooled our heels there for the afternoon and evening. I'm glad they fixed it before they took off!
Photos will follow.
