Final Florida Post

I wasn't great with doing my blog on my short one week trip to Florida and I am home now. Just wanted to finish things off properly and post a few pictures from my last few days there. We went on a great little river tour where I was able to get some good pics of some alligators and some other wildlife.

We also finally made it out to the open ocean for some sailing on Saturday. Winds were light but it was great just to be our on the ocean on Grey Haven!

Heading out to the open ocean!

So, yes, I am now a fan of Florida...Of course what place in the world am I NOT a fan of? So it was silly of me not to think Florida would have it's charms! Signing off til the next adventure!

Warm and Happy in Florida!

Monday we picked Michael up from the airport in Palm Beach and transported him to his other home, Grey Haven. He still has a bit of work to complete before leaving Fort Pierce : solar panel installation and bimini cover installed, among other things. Great to see Grey Haven looking no worse for wear after her journey!

In the meantime I am enjoying the great warm weather and lots of beach walks. Every evening there seems to be a beautiful sunset. This was taken Monday evening. Yes, I'm a Florida convert, I think! This isn't adventure travel, but it's a very relaxing vacation!

On the Road Again!

Well it's not as far flung as Thailand, but thought I would write a note to keep everyone up to date on my wanderings. I was able to book a time share (I own one in Canada and trade for various other destinations) for Jensen Beach Florida which is very close to where my good friend Michael is on his journey from Lake Ontario to the Caribbean. Mark and I have been wanting to do some sailing with him on this journey and have not had the opportunity earlier with Thailand plans and then being away. We arrived in West Palm Beach from Toronto today and I must say I am impressed with everything I have seen here in Florida so far! Some of you may know, I have not been a fan of Florida, as I have been equating it with theme parks and rampant tacky-tourist over-development. This was probably an unfair judgement as I have not actually spent more than a few hours here at Miami airport on my way to various Caribbean islands since my last week long trip here in the early 80's! Palm Beach is very tasteful and there is certainly some good shopping to be had! After we arrived we had lunch at the Surf Side Diner in the center of Palm Beach near Worth Avenue among the exclusive boutiques.Beautiful area. Our time share is called Visana's Beach Club and is located on a barrier island called Hutchinson Island. We have a two bedroom condo with full kitchen and all the amenities. We have an ocean view and as I type, I hear the waves breaking on the shore...pure contentment for me! I LOVE the ocean.....I feel like it's where I belong.... Tomorrow it's back to Palm Beach to pick up Michael from the airport as he actually returned home for a few days to attend a funeral of a mentor and good friend of his from RMC, Danny McLeod. ( 92 years old and a life well lived, but that's another story!) I can't wait to see Grey Haven, Micheal's boat, here in the ocean water, it seems amazing she has traveled all this way.

Worth Avenue area, Palm Springs... Very Chic!

On our huge balcony with a restful and beautiful ocean view

Last Day

I can't believe three weeks has passed and now it's time to go home. It has been an amazing journey and I am not through with Thailand! I will be back! Our last morning was spent touring some of the the canals of Bangkok on our own rented longtail boat (with a driver!) It was so worthwhile to see another side of this great city. Loved it:

We had drinks just an hour or so ago at a rooftop bar near our hotel with a great view of Wat Arun lit up for the night. An excellent way to end the day...

About halfway through the day, I looked around me at the chaos of Bangkok and started to feel nostalgic, as if I were already looking back on my time here. Everything took on a heightened sense and I was able to really sear sights and smells and sounds into my memory. (And no, I was not smoking anything funny either!) I hope I can carry this memory of Bangkok with me always.... the street stalls, the smiling people, the golden temples, the friendly stray cats, the music, the flowers everywhere.... In my travel journal there is a quote that I will end with: "Free is the deer in the wood, and the fish where the river flows. Free is the bird in the sky, and the gypsy wherever she goes." That's me! I could do this forever!

Back in Bangkok

Well we are back in Bangkok after 6 days in Chang Mai. Unfortunately we were not able to get to an elephant camp as the better ones that do not treat the elephants like circus animals allow only a very limited number of visitors per day. (one per elephant basically) and the camp I wanted to go to has 6 elephants but two just had babies so they are not interacting with visitors at this time. Oh, well, another reason to come back again! I really think it would be cool to spend the day one on one with an elephant, learning to communicate with it and care for it. If anyone is interested in learning more, google Patara Elephant Farm. Sounds like a great place....next time I will book ahead! Anyway Chang Mai has many charms so I was not at a loss for what to do. The hill tribe people from the surrounding countryside sell their wares in many markets around the city and the whole area is kind of art and craft central for Thailand, so you can bet I spent lots of time shopping!! Yesterday Mark and I had a spa day and indulged in very fancy Thai massages at our hotel and mostly just hung out for the day enjoying the ambiance of the place which was nice for a change as we mostly were just running out every morning and not coming back until late at night. I was re-energized for another run at the night market for some serious hill tribe financial transactions. A whole village is probably celebrating today after the cash infusion they got from me! Just kidding... but wow, I love their handicrafts and fabrics! Below is a shot from one of the many Wats (temples) in the area. This one was in a scenic wooded area a bit out of town. Very restful exploring around there.

More Loi Krathong pics

I have been having lots of trouble uploading my pictures so am doing it while eating breakfast here at my hotel in Chang Mai. Things have quieted down now that Loi Krathong is over. Chang Mai is a beautiful city to explore and has over 300 Wats (temples) and every one is different. For the past couple of nights we have had extremely heavy rains but it's mostly overcast and not TOO hot during the day. Good for walking around exploring.

One of the giant lanterns in the procession at Loi Krathong.

Loy Krathong lanterns. They were everywhere!

Male and Female procession participants.

Amazing Loi Krathong!

We finally made it to Chang Mai and just in time for the first day of Loi Krathong. Wow, what an amazing past three days! Loi Krathong in Chang Mai should be on everyone's bucket list. What a spectacle! Pictures will not accurately show the kaleidoscope of colour,sights, sounds and smells of what it was like to be here.... I have some video footage that comes closer, but really, you have to be here! Loi Krathong is a festival held at the time of the full moon in November, for three days: the day before, the day of and the day after the full moon. It's origins possibly date back to the 15th century and people release floats made of banana plant leaves and flowers with incense and a lit candle (usually) into the waterways to bring good luck and give thanks to the water and celebrate the end of the rainy season. In Chang Mai they also release individual hot air balloons into the night and literally thousands of them can be seen rising into the night sky from all over the city, especially the river banks. There are coloured lanterns everywhere and processions through the streets each night as well and much merriment with costumes, music and dancing. Our hotel is right on the river so last night, the night of the full moon, we had a dinner, traditional dancing and music and of course our own floats and hot air balloons to release. It was something else to hang our on the dock at the riverside and watch the hundreds of handmade works of art float by from previous releases up river. I will post a few pictures:

Releasing our hot air balloon.

Release of floats on the river.

Dancers at the riverside.