Wednesday, December 09, 2009
The Indian Connection in Thailand
Many of the temples show a strong Indian influence. Even the Thai language and its written form are borrowed from the Indian Sanskrit.
If You Meet the Buddha Along the Way...
If you meet the Buddha along the way, you are probably in Thailand. There are 20,000 Buddhist temples in the country and 300 in Bangkok alone. No matter where you are in the city, you can look up at the horizon and see a temple nearby. The city is 95 % Buddhist and 4 % Muslim
, but you can still find Christmas decrations throughout the city. Max explained that the King was very accepting of all religions.
, but you can still find Christmas decrations throughout the city. Max explained that the King was very accepting of all religions.Bangkok:The Venice of the Orient
Bangkok is all river and canals and my first day here was spent hopping from ferry to ferry to follow my guide, Mr. Max through the city. It was the perfect way to meet this vibrant city for the first time.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Greetings From Seoul Korea
Still trying to get to Bangkok and the journey has been interesting. The time thing is very difficult for me. Here it is 8:00 am Monday morning but according to my computer it is 4 PM Sunday afternoon - a 16 hour difference with the loss of one day. The 12 1/2 hour trip from Los Angeles to Seoul adds to the disorientation. Plenty of time to regroup with a 10 hour layover here in Korea. This is one of the newest and most beautiful airports in the world but I still feel trapped in designer store heaven. I thought about going out and actually seeing some of Seoul. I've been through this airport 5 times and I've never left it to see this country.
It may not be the best time to try this. There is some huge quarentine process that anyone officially entering the counry has to go through. On top of that, it's 20 degrees F outside and I'm dressed for hot and humid Bangkok.
I guess the most important thing for me is to see if this blog entry actually goes through. It took almost 2 hours just to get to AOL from here. I've actually downloaded an entire Korean interpreter program just to get this entry out. Fingers crossed and hopefully the next check in will be in Bangkok Thailand, (where my new Korean interpreter program will be of absolutely no help). Cheers from Finally Ramblin!
It may not be the best time to try this. There is some huge quarentine process that anyone officially entering the counry has to go through. On top of that, it's 20 degrees F outside and I'm dressed for hot and humid Bangkok.I guess the most important thing for me is to see if this blog entry actually goes through. It took almost 2 hours just to get to AOL from here. I've actually downloaded an entire Korean interpreter program just to get this entry out. Fingers crossed and hopefully the next check in will be in Bangkok Thailand, (where my new Korean interpreter program will be of absolutely no help). Cheers from Finally Ramblin!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
The Countdown Begins
As of today I have 8/13 before the big trip - 8 days in this house until the movers arrive and 13 days in Santa Fe before flying to Bangkok
. At this point the house looks like a terrorist group has come in and destroyed the place. I have to keep reminding myself that I did that! It's all part of packing up everything to put into storage.
Packing for the trip is difficult in another way. With snow still on the ground, trying to pack for very hot and very humid requires a lot of imagination. All I can think of is my warm hoodie and ski jacket. My guide book recommends that I not bring any clothes and just buy everything there. After all, Thailand makes many of the clothes that we wear, so why not buy it there and cheaper? This is really tempting as I try to pack 8 months worth of clothes in one suitcase.
To date, the most difficult part of the trip is leaving Kitty behind. She has moved to her new temporary home with a wonderful couple and seems to be settling in. I visit to see how the transition is going, but I think the visits are more about me getting used to leaving her behind.
It's all coming together and soon I'll be ramblin again and hopefully, sending you photos and updates along the way.
. At this point the house looks like a terrorist group has come in and destroyed the place. I have to keep reminding myself that I did that! It's all part of packing up everything to put into storage.Packing for the trip is difficult in another way. With snow still on the ground, trying to pack for very hot and very humid requires a lot of imagination. All I can think of is my warm hoodie and ski jacket. My guide book recommends that I not bring any clothes and just buy everything there. After all, Thailand makes many of the clothes that we wear, so why not buy it there and cheaper? This is really tempting as I try to pack 8 months worth of clothes in one suitcase.
To date, the most difficult part of the trip is leaving Kitty behind. She has moved to her new temporary home with a wonderful couple and seems to be settling in. I visit to see how the transition is going, but I think the visits are more about me getting used to leaving her behind.
It's all coming together and soon I'll be ramblin again and hopefully, sending you photos and updates along the way.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
On The Road Again
All the stars have aligned so that the next world trip will begin in a few weeks in Bangkok (Dec 7 - Jan 11), Dubai (Jan 11-Jan 26), Cairo (Jan 27-Feb 24), Johannesburg (Feb 25-April 26), Prague (April 27-June 26), and Oslo (June 26-July 17). My hope is to be settled back into Santa Fe around Aug 1. In the meantime, stay tuned as we travel the world together. Maybe we'll run into Anthony Bourdain while we're out there.
Monday, October 26, 2009
It Takes a Village...
Travelling for any amount of time takes home support. Teddie from AAA was a great help in arranging the world trip.
She is originally from Bulgaria, one of the countries that I hope to visit.
She is originally from Bulgaria, one of the countries that I hope to visit.5am Surprise
I woke up this morning to a blanket of snow covering the neighborhood. Ski season isn't far away.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Trip Change
The only thing predictable about traveling is that unexpected things will happen - and - the longer and more complicated the trip - the more things will happen. The trip around the world has been delayed a month and plans now are to leave Santa Fe on Dec 5 for the flight to Bangkok. From that point the trip will go as originally planned, except that now, another country can be added on to the end. One rule for using frequent flyer miles for their round the world trip is that you have to keep going in one direction. No backtracking is allowed. Also, you get to stop and be picked up in 6 different locations. Now that I have one extra stop, I can add it to the end of the trip
. This means that I can pick a country somewhere between Santa Fe and Prague for the last leg of the trip. Cuba??Greenland??? There are some interesting possibilities, so stay tuned.
On another note, I received some feedback that having photos in an album would be helpful. If you would like to see the photos from the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in a slideshow format, go to
http://picasaweb.google.com/ramblinme
Click on the picture of a balloon and then click on the slideshow button.
Enjoy!
. This means that I can pick a country somewhere between Santa Fe and Prague for the last leg of the trip. Cuba??Greenland??? There are some interesting possibilities, so stay tuned.On another note, I received some feedback that having photos in an album would be helpful. If you would like to see the photos from the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in a slideshow format, go to
http://picasaweb.google.com/ramblinme
Click on the picture of a balloon and then click on the slideshow button.
Enjoy!
Sunday, October 04, 2009
The Gas Balloon Launch
The Gas Balloons are all white (except for the one rebel yellow balloon) and they compete against each other by traveling the longest distance. Dennis remembers reading that one year a balloon went as far as Maine.
Unfortunately, the balloonist's worst fear happened - the winds picked up and it was too windy to take off.
We waited around until fairly late in the day, but the winds continued to blow and we finally called it a day around 8 pm.
This morning there was a 3 hour recap of the Balloon Fiesta on TV and I learned that the evening's activities had been cancelled, but this morning the balloons did take off. Also, this evening (Sunday evening), is usually the second most poular part of the fiesta so it will be interesting to see if the winds die down in time.
If I could sum up my first time experience at the fiesta I would describe it as enchanting. As we watched the balloons emerge from the darkness and into the air, we were all like little kids looking on in wonderment. How many times in your life do you have the chance to recapture that sense of awe you experienced as a little kid looking at all the unwrapped presents under the tree? That's what it felt like watching the balloons slowly come to life and rise into the air. It was like being with two football fields full of excited little kids on Christmas morning and you are one of them.
I highly recommend it.
Unfortunately, the balloonist's worst fear happened - the winds picked up and it was too windy to take off.
We waited around until fairly late in the day, but the winds continued to blow and we finally called it a day around 8 pm.
This morning there was a 3 hour recap of the Balloon Fiesta on TV and I learned that the evening's activities had been cancelled, but this morning the balloons did take off. Also, this evening (Sunday evening), is usually the second most poular part of the fiesta so it will be interesting to see if the winds die down in time.
If I could sum up my first time experience at the fiesta I would describe it as enchanting. As we watched the balloons emerge from the darkness and into the air, we were all like little kids looking on in wonderment. How many times in your life do you have the chance to recapture that sense of awe you experienced as a little kid looking at all the unwrapped presents under the tree? That's what it felt like watching the balloons slowly come to life and rise into the air. It was like being with two football fields full of excited little kids on Christmas morning and you are one of them.
I highly recommend it.
Chainsaw Carving Competition
When I first read that a chainsaw carving competition wou
ld be held at the Balloon Fiesta, I could only imagine a group of lumberjacks competing to see how fast they could cut up a pile of logs. Also, I couldn't imagine why it would be held at the balloon fiesta.
It turns out that the competition is about ctreating works of art out of wood and the finished products are lovely.
I still can't figure out the connection to ballooning, but it was entertaining.
ld be held at the Balloon Fiesta, I could only imagine a group of lumberjacks competing to see how fast they could cut up a pile of logs. Also, I couldn't imagine why it would be held at the balloon fiesta.It turns out that the competition is about ctreating works of art out of wood and the finished products are lovely.
I still can't figure out the connection to ballooning, but it was entertaining.
Midday Lull
The middle of the day brought a lull and lots of warm sunshine. After all the excitement of the launches, it was a good time to stroll almost a half mile of tents with food and every kind of balloon related item. As to the food - you can't imagine how many types of food can be served on a stick. A popular item was turkey legs
, perhaps because you can eat and point with the same hand.
, perhaps because you can eat and point with the same hand.
The Bees From Brazil
These two bee balloons rose holding hands - and they did come from Brazil. Entries were from all voer the world, but were heavily represented by entries from the Southwest - where there is a lot of empty space to land a balloon.
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