And now, the rest of the story...

This was our shower at one guesthouse which shared a wall with the street and sidewalk. While it looks like some serious personal space invasion, it was situated such that people really couldn't see you.  We thought it was quite funny.

This container full of chopsticks sat on a restaurant table in Laos. I partook and used a pair, but was instantly troubled by the "tips up or tips down" issue.  Think about it, if they were placed tips up, then everyone is touching the part of the stick that you will put in the food and in your mouth. If they are placed tips down, then you have to wonder just what all is at the bottom of this container where the tips are resting.

 To combat issues like those raised in the previous picture, you can see Tom's solution.  He embraces World War II 5 Star General Hap Arnold's approach who drank whiskey as a kind of cure all (kill all?) when he had suspicions about cleanliness or food safety.

I wasn't drinking whiskey for any such purpose so I just crossed my fingers, eyes, and toes that I wouldn't get sick. It pretty much worked!

Peking-style roasted duck. The Thais ordered this for us on the last night of our trip.  I'm not a big duck fan but must admit that it was quite good!

The market in Laos was memorable on so many fronts.  No refrigeration, just hope that they sell all of the meat on market day (and don't ask what happens to the unsold meat if it doesn't).

Birds

Ahh, back to an upscale gourmet grocery store in Bangkok where they sell decorative fruit cups.

Ant eggs

Back to the Laos market for a hunk of snake meat.

Tom and the girls on Cowboy Soi

Angkor Wat, Cambodia - setting up to watch the sun rise over the temple ruins.

This lady was bugging me. She stood right behind me and kept coughing on my neck while waiting for the sun to rise, so I snapped her picture.

Tom and I had the time of our lives. Nune, Panpim, P Daow, and Malin were wonderful hosts!  Thank you for such a memorable and enjoyable experience!

Signs of SE Asia

Durian is a fruit that smells so bad many hotels forbid it being brought anywhere near the property.

 This sign was on the Thai side of the Thai-Laos border.

 Sign in Laos

Mini Mart spelled Mini Mark

 Appetizers - called Early Temptation.  And the choices look pretty tasty!

This advertisement, targeted to "boys and girls" was in the Bangkok newspaper on Valentine's Day.

Cambodia and Bangkok, wrapping it up!

 Seim Reap, Cambodia.  Vanny Momm, our hotel contact, met us at the airport with a driver.  He asked if we wanted a beer for the ride into town.

Walking around the unlighted streets of Siem Reap at night we observed that lights are optional on bicycles, tuk-tuks, motobikes, and even cars. Intersections are handled by pedestrians and drivers like a graceful dance, especially when there are no traffic lights!

At the Golden Temple Hotel, we checked in by sipping cold drinks and eating sticky rice, banana chips and fruit.  What a display!  We were asked to enter our personal data (passport #, name, address, etc.) onto iPads while seated with our cold drinks.

 Our room had fresh flower petals on the bed.

 I arranged a 20-24 km bicycle ride through Angkor Wat. The day began when we were picked up at 4:40 am in order to see the sunrise over the Wat.  Between 5000 and 10,000 people visit during the high season (Nov-March) and here they all are.

 

Once we climbed on the bikes (with 4 others and 2 guides), the crowds diminished considerably.  We rode narrow paths through the jungle to remote wats.  

This wat is in competition with the trees and their root systems.

While the ancient history of Cambodia is fascinating, you should take the time to watch "The Killing Fields" which documents the disastrous years of the Khmer Rouge of the late 1970s - early 1980s. In talking to our bicycle guide, he confirmed much of what we saw in the movie as having been experienced by his parents.  Incredibly sad. Fortunately, Cambodia seems to be much better today.

Here we are finishing up the bike ride. We were served a grand lunch of spicy Cambodian dishes, one of which was a delicious fish stew.

 Back in Bangkok we had dinner at the Hilton Millennium Bangkok. The Thais have great professional connections all over the country (not to mention France, UK, and Laos!) so there's always a good deal to enjoy. After our riverside dinner we had a complimentary beverage on the top floor with an impressive 360 degree view of Bangkok.

 Traffic continues to amaze.  While traveling with P Daow and Nan in the car, we observed a near accident between a Mercedes and a motobike right in front of us.  Rather than slamming on the horn and yelling obscenities, the 2 just waved to each other to acknowledge the close call and kept on going.  As Tom noted, aggressive but polite.

The Sheraton is in the background across the river.  We can't thank Panpim, Nune, P Daow, and Malin enough for all they've done for us.  It has been a visit of a lifetime.  I'm so thankful Tom Terrific could join me!

Happy Valentine's Day from SE Asia!

We flew to northern Thailand to visit Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and the Golden Triangle (where Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet).

Tom was curious to see these areas again. His last visit was in 2003 when Abby was volunteering near Chiang Rai as an English language teacher.  This trip was very different - the once-sleepy laid back towns were now bustling cities with lots of foreign tourists, tasty restaurants, and fine accommodations.

Our Thai friends arranged for us to rent a car. Tom was psyched to drive on the left.  He loves how the Thais drive - aggressive but always polite. He didn't get any tickets (like in Paraguay which required a bribe). So while there were no international incidents, there may have been several domestic incidents where my knuckles turned white while Tom snaked around the windy and crowded roads.

Our neat hotel in Chiang Mai was tucked away on a narrow quiet street. In a town where there are few street signs, you just hope you remember the way back especially after dark!

As a mother, I feel I have a lot in common with this dragon lady.

Occasionally your only option is one of these.

Our Thai friends fixed us up with the nicest room at Le Meridian Resort in Chiang Rai on the Kok River. It was quite lovely.

Golden Triangle. Looking across the Mekong River to Laos.

Opium Museum in the Golden Triangle.

We walked across the Thai-Myanmar border just because we could. This was taken at the Good View Restaurant. We ordered up some fried chicken tendons with hot sauce and beer (of course).

Here is the river that separates Thailand from Myanmar! 

Fried pork knuckle with fries at Steve's Cafe in Bangkok.  Panpim and Nune ordered up all kinds of yummy, spicy food. 

You wrap up the fried coconut, peanuts, lime, ginger, dried shrimp in a leaf, add a dollop of hot sauce and down the hatch!

After dinner along the Chao Pyraya River