TravelStream™ news feed for member cronkiemonkie on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/cronkiemonkie en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 10 Mar 2008 03:15:28 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1205133180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1205133180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1205133180/tpod.html Mon, 10 Mar 2008 03:15:28 -0400 Back in Bangkok without a Keeper

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Tokyo, Thailand

I woke up at 2:45 am today and got ready for my long journey home. David was kind enough to get up too and took me to the airport. He wanted to make sure I made it there ok. The flight to Japan was fast as I slept most of the way. Unfortunately the plane was full so I didn't get a seat to myself as I had on the way here. Now I am at the airport waiting 5 hours for my connection.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1205049840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1205049840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1205049840/tpod.html Mon, 10 Mar 2008 03:12:42 -0400 Back in Bangkok without a Keeper

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Bangkok, Thailand

Today was a very relaxing day. Since we didn't have time to go to an island or the beach, David and I decided to relax at the hotel. He had been working hard all week and need a break too. Regardless, he still had to work for a few hours. So first thing in the morning he went and got some orange juice from a street vendor and we made Mimosas. The orange juice here is from the green oranges which as a very unique flavor. I wish I could get this stuff in the US. He also stopped at the bakery and picked up crossaints and quiche for breakfast. This is his typical routine when we are traveling as he likes to get up before I do on our relaxing days. While he worked, I caught up on CNN and watched a movie in the room. (Runaway Bride with Julia Roberts!) After he finished we headed to the pool to catch some rays. The pool is quite cold, I experienced the temperature the other day. It's like diving into a pool of popsicles! So when this seven year old English boy went diving it before testing the water I held my breathe as he came up for air. He squealed like a school girl and proclaimed how cold it was! David and I laughed for quite a while. After the sun hid behind the buildings, we headed down for my final Thai massage. For anyone who is counting this is number 6. We went to the same place as the day prior only today we only got an hour massage. David was still a bit achy from the day before's massage. He didn't want to over do it. After the massage we headed to a resturant for my last bowl of green curry. Then it was off to bed to get ready for the early morning start.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1204958220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1204958220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1204958220/tpod.html Sun, 09 Mar 2008 00:58:32 -0500 Back in Bangkok without a Keeper

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Bangkok, Thailand

David was off today, so I figured I should drag him around Bangkok with me. We headed out to JJ Market. We took the SkyTrain to Mo Chit, the very last stop. The market was very large. We walked around for a bit before having a seat and purchasing a smoothie from a street vendor. It was made with fresh strawberries, oranges, and bananas. It was very good. We walked through the market a bit and found all sorts of cloths, jewerly and knicknacks. It was getting very crowded, as is most of Asia, and with the heat, we decided to head out geocaching. Our first cache was near Siam Center. It was an easy find. Good thing because the GPS didn't really work with all the buildings. This was a travel bug motel so we left all the bugs we had brought and took some other ones to bring back with us. We then headed to Lumphini Park. This is the largest park in Bangkok. Amazingly it is quiet peaceful here and very quiet. Also, coming from our snow in Colorado, it was a vibrant green. People sat on the grass with picnics and children played on the playground. We got out GPS working and headed to our first cache. We came during sprinkler time and everywhere we walked was a large sprinkler. We got totally drenched, but we laughed the whole time. It's just a hazard of geocaching. The cache was hidden in a tree. Just as David found it I saw a large monitar lizard. I gave a slight scream and told David to look. He kept saying at what and I couldn't exactly get anything out other than "THAT". It was about 10-15 feet away from us and NOT IN A CAGE! We walked over and took it's picture. I then discovered just how fast the lizard moves. A little scary as it likely eats small children, ok probably not, but it could if it wanted. David and I went back to the tree where we had found the geocache and found we had been surrounded by these lizards the entire time and hadn't even noticed.

We moved on the the next two caches, but were unsuccessful. Our GPS gave us odd readings and we found it a bit difficult with all the muggles (nongeocachers) around. We took a cab back to the hotel. But rather than go back to the room, we decided we needed a massage. We went down to the massage place I had found a few days ago. Since I didn't get one the day before, I signed us up for a two hour massage. We went into a hotel style room. I think it was exactly what David needed because he began sawing logs pretty quickly. At the end of the massage it became apparent David's massage girl was new. So my massage girl started showing her things on me and provided instruction as she did it. She had me in a pretzel and then cracked my entire back. David got to watch and had quite a laugh. Then I told the girl to do it to him and he looked a little scared. He enjoyed the cracking as well. On our way back we stopped at a resturant to have a snack since we hadn't really had anything all day.

We went back to the hotel for a quick shower and then met Todd at a resturant called Brown Sugar. The jazz music was loud, but good. Most of you probably don't know this, but Ham and Cheese sandwiches are my favorite. When I have traveled with my dad in the past, it's pretty much all I eat. I decided to try a Thai Ham in Cheese just to say I had. It was different, but quite good. Dad - I got a picture just for you! We said goodbye to Todd and headed back to the hotel. Before heading back to the room we went up to the 31st floor for a cocktail. We sat by the window that over looked Sukumvit. It was fun watching all the traffic and people below. There was oddly a crack in the window more like a bullet hole. David and I played guessing games on how it got there. Tomorrow we plan to have a relaxing day at the pool since David has a bit of computer work to do.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1204939500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1204939500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1204939500/tpod.html Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:31:20 -0500 Back in Bangkok without a Keeper

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Bangkok, Thailand

I was a bit tired from my adventures the past two days. So I decided to relax a bit today. I again took the two Skytrains to the ferry and then the ferry to a pier. I got off and found the flower market. I actually walked behind it first where all the people were loading up trucks and tuk tuks with produce. It was pretty cool watching them. Then I walked up front to the street and found the market. The best way I can describe it is like a warehouse that has a farmer's market. There was produce, food vendors, and flower makers. The flowers weren't just bunched up flowers, they were transformed into pieces of art. I was able to stand and watch them make these beautiful center pieces. I walked along for a while before I decided to head back.

I was a bit thristy with the heat and found a street vendor selling orange drink. Similar to orange pop but better. For 10 baht I bought a bottle. She opened it, put a straw inside, and made me sit on her stool to drink it. She saves the glass bottles, so she did not want me to take it with me. I took her photo and then showed her how to use the camera to take mine. It was pretty cool. I headed back to the ferry, back to the skytrain, and back to the hotel. I had expected David to come back a little earlier today, but he ended up working for a long time. I went and sat at the pool for the afternoon and read a book. It was nice to just sit and relax without all the walking and hussle and bussle. Tomorrow will be a big day with David.....geocaching!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1204850760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1204850760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1204850760/tpod.html Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:24:37 -0500 Back in Bangkok without a Keeper

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Bangkok, Thailand

Today was going to be a big day of sight seeing. I took the Skytrain to the ferry and then the ferry to the pier. I have done this before so today was done with ease. I decided to walk to the National Museum which was a bit far, but I assumed I would enjoy the walk. I got off at the same pier where the Grand Palace is located. There was a small market attempting to get all the tourist attention. I walked away from the Grand Palace in the direction of the museum. First lesson of the day, crossing the street. Where I was headed there weren't any crosswalks or lights. I stood on the corner for a LONG time just waiting for there to be an opening to go. It never came. I watched the thai's cross the street and decided to go for it. Rule 1. Once you have started there is no turning back. Taking a step backwards will likely get you hit. Rule 2. Act like you know what you are doing. Rule 3. Have confidence...or at least appear to have it. It worked. I had to cross many streets during the day. The hardest part is looking the opposite direction you would in the US since they drive on different sides of the road. Looking left first does you NO GOOD!

I made it to the musuem and bought my entry ticket for 20 baht...that's less than a dollar. I used the timer on the camera a few times to take my picture around the museum. I met a few other female travelers from the US and Canada who were nice. I spent a few hours inside looking at various articfacts. Many were as old as the 6th century.

I headed out to the National Gallery. I walked there because it didn't look to far. But I ran into a major highway with 8-12 lanes of traffic. I decided it was best not to attempt to cross as my new skills really didn't mean much in this situation. Just then a tuk tuk pulled up. I had the location written in thai and showed him. I knew where I was going, but as I drove with him, I realized he was not taking me to where I was going. I felt like a contestant on Amazing Race who should have just figured it out for themselves. During the ride he asked me again where I wanted to go. I almost just got out then, but I had hoped he just had a bad memory. He ended up dropping me off at the Queens Gallery at least a mile away from where I wanted to go. So far away it wasn't even on my little map I was using. I went in and asked for directions. I was pointed in the right direction and began to walk. I walked for a bit and then sat down with my map to see if I could get me location again. After a few minutes I figured it out. It wwas just then the same tuk tuk driver drove by and looked at me with confusion! I walked and walked and walked. Finally I found it. I was thrilled. The gallery had paintings and sculptures. It was small, but it only cost 30 baht or so, a dollar, to get in.

I walked back to the pier. On the long walk back I walked through one of the universities here. There weren't too many people walking around but I did stop in a park and watch for a bit. As I approached the pier there were many street vendors. I found the sweet pancakes I had before on my last trip. I bought a bag to bring back to the hotel. I found the pier and waited for the boat.

On my way back to the hotel I stopped at Siam Center where I had been yesterday. I went to the Food Court in hopes of finding David a treat. I was able to find eclairs at one little stand and bought him a few before I went back to the room.

David was working late, so I decided to go get a massage. I walked to a nearby place and signed up for an hour traditional thai massage. Afterwards I met David at the hotel and we headed out to meet Todd for dinner. We went to the puppet theatre and hung out with Todd for a few hours. It was good to talk with him about his experiences. David then treated us for a foot massage. If you are counting this is four massages for me in two days. Unfortunately this one was painful. All of us had painful massages. But they were good. Some how David and I were able to fall asleep during them. I woke up and my arms itched. Just the backs of them where they touched the chair. Guess what...another rash. I have officially decided that if I were to live here mom would have to send me allergy medicine routinely just to keep up with all my rashes. It's becoming entertaining rather than worrysome.

We said good bye to Todd and headed back to the hotel. It had been a long day.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1204740960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1204740960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1204740960/tpod.html Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:39:18 -0500 Back in Bangkok without a Keeper

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Bangkok, Thailand

I actually slept last night which was suprising since I slept so much on the plane. David had to work this morning so I wasted no time getting ready for the day. He even commented that this was the first time I was ready to leave before him. We were able to have breakfast together before he headed out. I decided I didn't want any help from taxi's or tuk tuks today. I took the train to Siam Station. It is an area on Sukumvit that has all kinds of interesting shopping. Of course there is the typical Asian shopping that is too expensive for me (Gucci, L. Vuitton, etc) This is the really stuff...no fake purses there. Both of the two buildings here are seven floors and are huge. I walked around most of the floors. I found an interesting craft and oddity store. I found an airfreshner that was quite interesting.... George W. I apologize for those reading this now that are Republician...you know who you are. It is one of those air freshners you hang in your car. It has George W.'s head on it. It then says, "dumbass head on a string" They have the most interesting things.

I was going to go to Ocean World. It appears they have many different sea animals here for exhibit. But it appeared they also let you swim with the sharks. I decided this might be something David would like to do so I thought I would wait. On the top floor was a movie theatre (IMAX) a bowling alley and karakoe. My favorite floor was filled with art stores.

I walked between the two towers and found a large gathering of people. There was a stage and it appeared people were waiting for a performance. This Thai male walked out of a tent and all the girls went screaming up to him. It was like they were getting to see the Beatles. He stood there with his "people" for a few minutes so the girls could snap photos. He then retreated back into the tent. A few minutes later he came out and filmed what appeared to be a "TRL" type of show. For those without television (dana) this is like an MTV music type show. The girls went crazy right on cue for all the cameras.

I walked a few blocks (thai blocks) and found Jim Thompson's house. It was back in an alley, and is a hot tourist spot. Jim Thompson was born in the US, but fell in love with Thailand after World War II. He brought back the silk industry here. Anyways, he went missing some years ago in Malaysia and now people get to tour his house. He built it traditional Thai style, which is on stilts. I sat in the cafe afterwards and had my first Thai Ice Tea.

I took the train back to the hotel. I was about to go back to the room, when I realized I hadn't had my first Thai massage for this trip. I found a place nearby and got my first one. I hope I am not too sore from it as I hope to get one tomorrow too.

I went and sat at the pool while I waited for David. When he returned we had a nap and then went out to get dinner. He needed a haircut, so he went to a place Todd had taken him before. Apparently it was not proper for me to just sit and wait without getting service of my own. Not really, but the girls kept asking me if I wanted something done. I thought I would play it safe and get a manicure. Who knows what my hair would look like if I had them cut it. I don't really recommend Thai manicures. I don't think you should let people use sharp objects on you when you can't communicate with them. They didn't soak my hands to loosen and soften my skin before they started cutting away. A few times she could tell it hurt me, but she kept on going. It was fun though and my nails look great.

As we were walking back to the hotel, David decided we needed foot massages. We both got one before heading back. Two massages in one day!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1204593780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1204593780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/2/1204593780/tpod.html Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:33:44 -0500 Back in Bangkok without a Keeper

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Denver, Colorado, United States

I headed to the airport today at 3:30 am. It was nice to see my flight was on time. I made it to San Francisco with no problem. I had a three hour lay over so I was able to make a few last calls saying I was headed out. Being spontaneous didn't allow me time to tell everyone I was headed out. The flight to Japan was LONG! I thought ten hours wouldn't be bad since I had already done a 17 hour flight before. But it just never seemed to end. Maybe sitting economy makes a difference! The nice thing was I didn't have anyone next to me. When I got to Japan I had another 3.5 hour lay over. I walked around alot just to get the blood circulating again. I figured all the airport workers assumed I was lost because I kept walking by. I sat and watched CNN so I could catch up on the election news. I was very tired and found myself regularly falling asleep. A little scary when you first wake up and forget where you are....but entertaining when you realize your in Japan. The last flight went quickly. No matter what I did, I couldn't stay awake. I missed meals and drinks, which really didn't matter since plane food isn't that good.
The best part was getting through the airport and being greeted by David. He had hugs and kiss o'plenty. He had been having dinner with Todd earlier in the evening. Those two have been able to spend alot of time with each other over here which has been nice.
So I successfully made it ALL BY MYSELF. Let the adventures in Bangkok begin!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/thailand/1188669960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/thailand/1188669960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/thailand/1188669960/tpod.html Sun, 02 Sep 2007 14:14:25 -0400 Buddhas and Beaches

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Phi Phi Island, Thailand

This is going to be the longest day. The day started at 5:30 am. We took a long boat to the ferry and then the ferry to the pier. We got there about 3 hours after we left the hotel. Then we took a 30 minute shuttle ride to the airport and then waited for a few hours. They didn't have any places to sit so we sat on our bags. Then we got a foot massage (my eighth and David's sixth massage of the trip). We took an hour flight back to Bangkok and then waited some more. We forgot what Dave's new bag looked like and thought it didn't arrive. But then we saw it coming around and it was the last bag on the carosel. We laughed because you could tell we were both thinking..."here we go again." We waited in the Bangkok airport and after about 5 security check points we boarded our plane. The 17 hour flight seemed short to me, but Dave said I slept about 13 of those hours. I thought he was wrong, but then discovered I had only watched two movies. He stayed awake for most of the flight but also watched quite a few "My Name is Earl" shows. This is his new favorite show he downloaded to the IPOD. He occasionally woke me up with his laughing. We got to LAX and took yet another shuttle to the hotel. We grabbed some dinner in the hotel and both got about 2 hours sleep and then went back to the airport. We landed in DIA on September 2nd and made is safely home. We hope you enjoyed our blog. We will do it again next time!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/thailand/1188583080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/thailand/1188583080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/thailand/1188583080/tpod.html Sun, 02 Sep 2007 14:06:16 -0400 Buddhas and Beaches

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Phi Phi Island, Thailand

Today we rented a long boat and headed out to Monkey Beach. We bought a large watermelon to feed the monkeys. When we got there we were the only ones on the beach. We jumped out of the long boat and before we could even get to shore, the monkeys ran towards Dave who was carrying the fruit. Dave fed them by tossing it to them. Each one ran up to him and held their hands out. Some of them got within inches of him. he was all smiles and having a blast. I had to remind him I was there to and would like to try. It reminded me of Halloween and how he always seems to enjoy handing out candy to the kids and I have to ask for my turn. There were so many of them, and even some babies. The watermelon went fast so we grabbed our snorkel gear and snorkeled for an hour. It was wonderful and so clear. Afterwards, we returned to the hotel and snorkeled some more. Then we headed to the pool and had lunch. We got some more sun...just what we needed by after an hour or two we both found ourselves to be exhausted. We headed to the room and took naps. We got up and had dinner and headed to bed as we had a long day ahead of us.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/thailand/1188483000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/thailand/1188483000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cronkiemonkie/thailand/1188483000/tpod.html Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:17:33 -0400 Buddhas and Beaches

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Phi Phi, Thailand

Last night it continued to rain which was absolutely beautiful. We slept well and I woke up to birds chirping. No rain today. But what we discovered today was we truely are on a deserted island. As I wrote before there are no modes of transportation other than boats. No bikes, no cars, and definately no roads. There are plenty of toads and geckos though; howver, we haven't seen any cockroaches here. We took showers and brushed our teeth only to discover the water is actually salt water, straight from the ocean below our room. We rented a sea kayak today and headed out on our own. We found a little cove and snorkeled. It was really interesting to see all the fish. David did most of the paddling back while I enjoyed the sun rays. I apologized, but some how I think he knew this is what would happen when we rented the boat in the first place. While we were in the middle of the ocean...no where near the beach, David had a small gecko land on his knee and hang out for a while. I think wild life is just attracted to him. We got thai massages by the pool and swam in the pool afterwards. In case you were wondering....it to is full of salt water from the ocean. We had a great dinner on the beach. No we are headed to bed. Hope you all are well. One more day to go....and we will head to monkey island for the finale.
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