Koh Samui, "Our Final Resting Place"

Koh Samui (Pronounced "ah..sa..mu..ee"), was simply beautiful if we could overlook the two, 187,000 pound excavators ("track hoes" or "360's" as they are named in the business of heavy earth moving) on the beachfront. While we could appreciate that the resort needed the beach improvements, we weren't expecting to be awakened before dawn the next morning to the sound of heavy machinery. Our beach front villa was in a construction zone!!



Isn't it Ironic?
Open link to view Excavator Slideshow

We composed ourselves before we talked with the general manager, Jeremie de Fombelle . It was a cordial conversation but the obvious problem was huge!  Jeremie  arranged for us to move down the beach, away from the construction work, into an ocean-front pool residence.  We couldn't have been more pleased than when they introduced us to Residence Villa #11. We could hear palm branches rustling in the wind, birds chirping, and in the same moment, swim in a private pool overlooking the Bay of Thailand.

Refuge from the Excavator

Residence Villa #11 had 112 steps...




Sure Feels Like Home
Open link to view 112 Steps Slideshow

and was surrounded by lotus, lily pads, palms, plumeria, ginger flower, bougainvillea, orchid, bird of paradise, protea flowers, hibiscus, giant philodendron, and ferns.

Lotus Flower.

The lotus plays a very important part in Thai

life. It is the country's most common flower and 

can be found in ponds, swamps, small canals,

 even in jars and on top of pillars in temples.

Open link to view  Flora of Our Paradise Slideshow 

We ate rambutan, mango, papaya, Kaow Phad Goong ( fried rice)  with pork,  Phad Thai Goong (Thai fried noodle with Tiger prawns) and enjoyed many sunrise and sunset moments, complimented by a few do-it-yourself sundowners. 





Just Another Ole Fashion Sunset
Open link to view Sunsets of Koh Samui Slideshow

Two happy people, with easy reading books. . . No schedule . . . No shoes . . .

Lounging on the Bay of Thailand
Open link to view Relaxing, Relaxing, Relaxed Slideshow

 Just ocean, sky, and the breeze off the bay.

Signing Off

Bangkok an Enigmatic City

While Bangkok may be perplexing and mysterious a few things are clear:

• its seemingly unplanned clusters of high-rise buildings, heavy traffic congestion, obnoxious heat and humidity, and "naughty old men with young, Thai girls" did not give us a great first impression; however,
• it is one of Asia's most cosmopolitan cities with delicious food, magnificent temples and palaces, a beautiful river, and bustling markets.

We chose to let our first impression slip away while we ate, enjoyed the sights, marveled at the views, and browsed the markets. Our base for experiencing Bangkok was lebua at State Tower. The view from our room was truly awesome yet, from the height of the 52nd floor, was potentially a bit vertiginous.

Afternoon View of the Chao Phraya River from Room 5205

Evening View of the Chao Phraya River from Room 5205

Next Stop... Kyoto

After exciting and stylish Tokyo, we were whisked to Kyoto City on high-speed rail.

Aerodynamic Nose of the Fabled
Shinkansen, or "Bullet Train"

Made in Japan

The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, also known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, occurred at 2:46 pm on Friday, 11 March 2011. The earthquake triggered extremely destructive tsunami waves of up to 128 feet that struck Japan, in some cases traveling up to 6 miles inland. In addition to loss of life and destruction of infrastructure, the tsunami caused a number of nuclear accidents, primarily the ongoing meltdowns at three reactors in the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant complex, and the associated evacuation zones affecting hundreds of thousands of residents. All of Japan, its people, its economy, its political system is recovering from the disasters... it is heartbreaking. PBS Newshour Initial Report.

The very best future to the wonderful people of Japan...

I (We) Love(d) Tokyo

One Last Look at Bombay

Our trip to Kathmandu, Nepal was unavoidably canceled because of weather and redirected back to Bombay. While we were disappointed, our disappointment was soothed as we once again stayed at the Oberoi Mumbai (and we were fortuitously upgraded to a wonderful suite). Here are some great clicks from our living room... no captions required...

Shimla in the Himalayas

Situated at 8,250 feet in the magnificent Himalayas, Wildflower Hall is a fairytale luxury resort set in 22 acres of virgin woods of pine and cedar. The former summer residence of Lord Kitchener, Commander-in-Chief of the British army in India. His passion for gardening and especially the cultivation of wildflowers lead to the name Wildflower Hall.

Getting to Wildflower Hall was no small feat. We flew into Shimla airport, which is known to be one of the World's Most Dangerous Airports. This is due to its short runway atop a mountain with a man-made flat top.

Amazing .. Beautiful .. Surprising .. Sari

India has generously given us many memories, lessons and alternate points of view. But one of the most unforgettable and ubiquitous images we will take home is that of the ever-beautiful sari. The sari is as old as the civilization of India and records of it's use go back to before the time of Christ.

Resting at the Amber Palace

Garland Making at Hindu Temple in Udaipur

Saris are unstitched and uncut rectangular pieces of cotton, silk or even synthetic fabrics. They come in a variety of lengths, designs and colors with fabrics that are handwoven, embroidered or block printed.

Street Scene in Jaipur