Chiang Mai Monday

Thai elephants show their happiness by swinging their trunks and dancing back and forth. It was a happy, but bumpy, ride through the jungle to the hill tribe village. Followed by the chance to get up close and personal with Bengal tigers and little flesh-eating fish.

Deep fried Chicken Ankles

I'll have a double order, please!

And a scoop of those day-glo cherries, "Mock Ruby" leechees, some peanuts, green papaya and kiwi on my "young" coconut ice cream. Just bat away the flies and mosquitoes.
Off to cooking class in Chiang Mai!!

Scarpers

When carpet scraps meet foot scrapers.  1 pieces for 100 BTH.
Don't mind the price, but
WHERE, oh where, in the world is Mr.Webster???

We love the King Part 2

We love the king: Part 1

The Thais LOVE their King. And is his It was his birthday last week and I've been told there will be some other celebration on Monday - we are advised to wear yellow all day in his honor. So, forget Baby Jesus, and start preparing the way for HRH. Every store, little corner shop, major building, hotel has a shrine. More photos to follow. My hotel is on the corner of "We Love the King Road" and Avenue 24. I've been reminded to be prepared to sing the national anthem before the movie starts at the cinema. Hope i get lyrics with my ticket.

Big smiles, big hearts, small bones

In this land of plastic-bags-are-more-fun-to-drink-from-than-a-can-or-bottle people are very, very friendly and very, very tiny. The charming woman on the left made the blouse from a toddler's jacket for the elegant lady on the right. Speaking of toddlers, I saw a mango at the fruit market that was the size of a two year old.

Lottery, lice and little balls

Right next to the little lady frying little bananas, the lottery seller was looking for lice in her hair. Another vendor was grinding relishes for soup as a selection of various satay were being readied - chicken testicles are the second skewer from right. Personally, I preferred a "hot dog" rolled in a sugared, chili-peppered crispy french crepe right off the grill for 10BTH - about 30 cents and no BHT.

Universal symbols

Guys and "Lady Boys"

The little "handicapped guy" I remember from ADA signage keeps getting transformed here in Thailand. Seems like transgender "Lady Boys" are having a great time, while inner transformation can get you a seat on the crowded SkyTrain.

Real Estate in Bangkok

Staging everywhere includes stapling plastic flowers to the high, thick walls (to prevent burglaries, hide a pool and buffer the constant noise), installing a required "spirit house" in the perfect position ( not under the shadow if the main building) to trap the evil spirits, making daily offerings and accepting only ALL CASH ( there are signs everywhere that say "Fake Drugs Kill") starting in the double-digit millions if baht - one baht is 3.1 cents.
No sign of St. Anthony (or much of anything Christian or Christmas kitsch) anywhere in Bangkok: way too hot for snowmen, ice skating, muffs, hot cider or cocoa.

Thai food

Today I walked zillions of miles so treated myself to salted threadfin perch with ginger and mango wrapped in betel leaves, crayfish with smoked pork and Asian pennywort, duck soup with young coconut, blue swimmer crab with pickled garlic on minuscule rice cakes, peanut tapioca dumplings, prawn and coconut wafers, and (the King and Queen of Thai dessert cuisine) durian with mangosteen. All this followed sunset and a jaw dropping view from the Vertigo Bar and Grill high atop the roof of the Banyon Tree Hotel.
Tomorrow, I hope on the Skytrain to go to the Chatuchuk Weekend Market. There are SIX thousand vendors. The train stop is "Mo Chit." Resist the pun.

Snake farm residents

Ant Farms in Bangkok?

Nope. Snake Farms RIGHT in the center of the city. Just wandering around in the mesmerizing chaos and sweltering heat all day, I sought quiet and sanctuary in the historic Jim Thompson House and gardens. I then went went looking for a bit more green. I discovered that the Thais have an entire block dedicated to cobras, vipers, pythons and the 17 other species if water snakes that call this country their home. Twice a day any one can watch them "milk" the venom so the Red Cross can continue to do research on how to handle bites and spits (one cobra species is known for hurling his poisonous spittle long distances). This whole operation is in memory of the Queen. You have to wonder how she died.

Arrived in Bangkok

After 30 hours on a plane and two hours in customs (wallpapered with "Fake Drugs can Kill" posters and ads for HUGE shopping centers), it was great to be greeted by my favorite doormen. They have been waiting six years for my return.
It's more than refreshing NOT to have Santas, elves, trees, glitter, jazzy carols and shreeking sales people and harried parents with impatient children. I'll take humidity, massages, friendliness and flip flops over the American ramp up to Christmas anyday.
Off to catch a tuk-tuk and pay my respects to Jim Thompson.
Meeting Lee Ann Sunday to fly to Chiang Mai - cooking, hiking, rafting, elephants and orchids then off to the Astonishing Angkor Wat.

Flight

Good sign: lots of room
Not good sign: 10 hour flight
Worse sign: unclear on concept of time

TIE-Land

From lovable Lisa Cralle

Blogpost: BART to Bangkok

So far, it's been a magical trip with wonderful bon voyage wishes: last night in SF we celebrated Chuck's favorite Scala Server passing the Sommelier Exam, fabulous dinner, every last-minute item I needed was half price and I caught the BART train one minute before departure. It's a 30 hour flight with a 3 hour stretch in Paris (what??!). Arrive Friday at 6:30 a.m. And then unfold for a four hour taxi ride to downtown. Bangkok is 15 hours ahead and, right now, 42 degrees hotter than San Francisco. Exchange rate has A LOT of zeros. The math is boggling. And I promise to be blogging as mush as possible.
travel2art.blogspot.com

Glorious Morning! Wonderful day!!

Thanks for all your good wishes.

Final images of Sun Valley

As the fire came dangerously close to the house, Chuck was down on the river bank furiously capturing years of our hosts memories of  campfires, sunset BBQ's, sleeping in a teepee or renovated Sheepherder's wagon. I am sure that the  design and building of the house was a monumental project - filling it with life, delightful conversation, extraordinary food and creativity seemed effortless. 

We will never forget this magical place.

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Smoke (formerly Sun) valley

We helped our hosts gather their prized possessions and got to safety. These photos were taken 10 seconds apart from their driveway and the last one one was taken the way to dinner at an elegant club. A sort of surreal evening with the hum of C-131s and bombers attacking the ridge in the backgroud. A time to appreciate the unrelenting and fierce beauty of mature -if one could only stop coughing.

Brokeback Painter

Or was it that 1970's ad for Levi's???