TravelStream™ news feed for member kimmieb on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/kimmieb en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:43:05 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216900260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216900260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216900260/tpod.html Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:43:05 -0400 Southeast Asia Trip

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Hanoi, Vietnam

Hey everybody, after some technical difficulties heres the rest of our trip in Vietnam. The drive back from Halong Bay was nice, giving us time to take in the countryside. The landscape right around Halong is similair to the Bay, only with no water. Huge chunks of limestone push skyward out of an otherwise flat landscape. After a few miles the countryside turns mostly flat, with small towns and local waystations dotting the sides of the highway. Due to the steady stream of visitors to Halong Bay, this seemingly remote highway has a constant flow of traffic, so the whole way back to Hanoi is livened up by the Vietnamese specialty of the roads- crazy but competent driving. Our van driver showed great skill as he passed larger trucks, several times forcing oncoming traffic to take to the shoulder. I still can't get over the fact that, other than a few horns honking, no one seems to slow down or lose their cool. One of the many nice features of the drive was the fact that there are no billboards- imagine that! Miles and miles of idyllic scenery and not one McDonald's sign! Also, as we watch the endless checkerboard of rice paddies on each side of the road, many with farmers in straw hats hunched over, tending their crops, it feels like we skipped back a few centuries. With the rice being picked by hand, and the heaviest piece of machinery used being a water buffalo, it was easy to see the inspiration for the stories we had seen reenacted at the water-pupppet theatre in Hanoi. Halfway to Hanoi we stopped for a bathroom and snack break at a place that, among other things, sold some of the most impressive stone carved statues I have ever come across. If I had an extra 38,000 dollars and a yard to put them in I would have bought a pair of the most massive and beautiful stone lions I have ever seen. Maybe next time!
Upon arriving back in Hanoi, we were dropped off at our hotel. After some afternoon excursions around the Old Quarter and some down time in the room(thank goodness for air-conditioning), we prepared to go to dinner at Wild Lotus, a highly recommended, authentic Vietnamese fine-dining restaraunt. The decor was stunning and the food exotic and delicious- a nice ending to another great day in Vietnam.
In the morning, after debating about what to do on our last day in Hanoi, we decided to start by visiting the Ho Chi Minh Masoleum, since it would be open for viewing today. We took a taxi to the site, and as we neared it we could see hundreds of people lined up to view the preserved body of Ho Chi Minh. We got in line and in true Communist fashion there was no admission fee. However, our camera was held(no pictures or video in the masoleum) while we went in. There were definately some tourists in line, but the majority of the people seemed to be Vietnamese, coming to pay their respects to the man who freed them from French occupation. As we neared the impressive granite structure, the crowd's demeanor became somber and respectful. The formally dressed guards stationed in and around the masoleum made sure that proper behavior was followed, and once inside the masoleum no talking is allowed. The scene inside is somewhat strange (it's not everyday you get to view a leader's preserved body who died in 1969), but also oddly moving. Regardless of your political views, the sense of reverence and nationalistic pride exuded by the Vietnamese citizens as they file past Ho Chi Minh cannot be denied. Kim and I were both glad we had the chance to experience it first hand.
After leaving the masoleum, we decided to taxi back to the Hoan Kiem Lake area for lunch at Restaraunt Bobby Chinn, run by local celebrity Bobby Chinn who now has a cooking show on the Discovery channel. The restaraunt was nice and cool and the food was good. Since we were leaving for the airport around 5:00 p.m., we spent the last few hours buying souvenirs and packing up for the long journey home. Hanoi is definately a city that has fascinating discoveries around every corner, and we thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent here.
After loading the taxi and heading to the airport, we soaked in our last mad-dash car ride in Hanoi. Now on to Bangkok...
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Hanoi, Vietnam

Our second day began with breakfast in the hotel. There is no real kitchen here, but a young guy cooks some eggs on a burner and serves them with some toast, fruit, and powdered coffee. Oh, how John yearns for the big country breakfasts of his childhood! (Sorry for such a short entry, but the computers we were using in Hanoi were full of viruses and kept crashing on us. Now that we are back I will update you all on the trip.)

After breakfast we waited around for our guide to come pick us up. Again, there was some confusion with the hotels and since there are about 30 hotels in Hanoi named "Prince", he was waiting at the wrong location for us. We figured it out and our guide, Khun, finally arrived. We headed out to the Dong Da district for our first stop at the Temple of Literature and National University. The temple was built in 1070 to worship Confucius and the Kings and important people in Vietnamese history who supported, or promoted, education there. There was also a university there, and when you walk through the first courtyard you can see the stone diplomas of the students who received their degrees there from the 1400's to the 1700's. In addition the the diplomas there are rows of stone tortoises, which represent longevity, and are one of four sacred animals in Vietnam. The other three being the dragon, unicorn, and phoenix. It is supposed to be good luck to rub the tortoises head, which is done often, and some of the tortoises will soon have no heads at all! The actual university was destroyed by the French, but we were able to see a model of how the complex originally looked. While at the Temple of Literature we met a young man with his mother. He was currently studying to take the entrance exams for university and wanted to practice his English with us. He and his mother were so kind we spent a lot of time talking to them. He was practicing his English, and I had an opportunity to try out some of the Vietnamese I learned.

Next, we stopped by the Ho Chi Minh complex, but since it was Monday the mausoleum was closed. We were disappointed, but decided to stop by on our own on another day.

We moved on to the One Pillar Pagoda, built in 1049. Evidently, King Ly Thai Thong, desperately wanted a son, and had a dream that the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara handed him a lotus flower and promised that he would have a son, which he did. In gratitude, he built the One Pillar Pagoda, which was to represent a lotus flower coming out of a lake. Many people from Vietnam come here to pray for luck and fertility.

After that we went to the West Lake area, where many foreigner business people live. You can tell right away by the new and shiny residences, which stand out against most of Hanoi. There, we stopped by Vietnam's oldest pagoda, Tran Quoc, built in the 6th century. This pagoda was a good example of the Indian Buddhism in Vietnam, which differs from the Chinese Buddhism practiced my many here. We were getting some information overload, so don't ask me what the differences are as I will never remember correctly.

The day was HOT!!! Luckily, the nice mother we met at the Temple of Literature gave me a paper fan, but it didn't help much. John was absolutely soaked. We stopped off at a Vietnamese cafe for lunch, and after one look at John, they brought their fans over to our table and blasted us with air! We gathered that the Vietnamese style of service is to continue to bring you food until you cannot take another bite. We really enjoyed our lunch, and the cook even make a vegetarian pho for me!

Stuffed, we headed back out into the Hanoi heat and humidity. We went to the Hoa Lo Prison (Hilton Hanoi) and walked around for an hour or so. Much of the prison has been torn down and replaced by office towers, but what remains is a gruesome reminder of the Vietnamese occupation by the French. Of course, most of the prison is now a museum honoring the Vietnamese comrades who fought, and sometimes died, fighting the French, but part of the museum deals with the "American" war there. After seeing so many horrifying photographs of Vietnamese prisoners, the guillotine used to execute them, and stories of malnutrition and torture, you are surprised to see photos of American soldiers opening Christmas presents and playing basketball. The Vietnamese curators would have you believe that it was a full blown party for the American POWs housed there, so it is hard to get a clear picture of what it was really like. Overall, it is a place that makes you stop and think about the horrors of all wars and the awful price that the people fighting them pay.

It was getting late in the afternoon, and Khun thought it would be a good idea if we took a break and saw the Old Quarter by cyclo. It is scary enough just crossing the streets in Hanoi, but getting on a cyclo take its to a whole new level. You are in a little metal cab on two wheels, driven by a cyclist on one wheel behind you. All the while, you have the motorbikes, taxi cabs, and cars honking their horns and whizzing all about. You just have to stop thinking about it and enjoy the ride. Once again, John and I were amazed by the Old Quarter. There is a street for purchasing everything you can think of.

After the cyclo tour, we said goodbye to Khun, who dropped us near Lake Hoan Kiem, and handed us tickets to the water puppet show. We stopped for a frozen drink to cool off, before heading over there for the show. Being a big supporter of the Center for Puppetry Arts back in Atlanta, I was excited to check out the show, which originated hundreds of years ago during the flood season, when rice paddy workers would entertain themselves with humorous stories from thier daily lives. We were relieved to find the theater air conditioned, and that we had excellent seats! The puppet show had a live traditional musical group, and the puppeteers stood in the water behind a curtain to operate the puppets. Although the show is in Vietnamese, foreigners have no difficulty understanding the simple stories, such as workers in the rice paddies, and the story of the recovered sword from Lake Hoan Kiem.

As you can see we had a really full day and were exhausted after the show. We went back to our hotel to enjoy the AC and process all we had seen.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216816680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216816680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216816680/tpod.html Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:50:28 -0400 Southeast Asia Trip

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Halong Bay, Vietnam

We woke up early and packed our backpacks for our overnight trip to Halong Bay. The van arrived at 8:45 a.m. and we began the 3 1/2 hour drive to the Bay. In addition to us, there was a mother and daughter from Australia, an Indian couple from Singapore, a couple from Norway/Scotland, and a father and son from England. A pretty eclectic bunch!

Poor John had been sick the night before, and the long car ride did not agree with him. By the time we got to the boat he was positively green! We piled out of the van and onto a busy pier that was teeming with tourists. I had imagined that there were maybe 5 - 10 junk boats operating on the Bay, but boy was I wrong. There seemed to be hundreds of boats, and thousands of tourists! Maybe I exaggerate a little, but it was a bit overwhelming. We made our way to the Jewel of the Bay and got on board the boat. After a quick run down of the itinerary, we received the keys to our cabin. We dropped our bags, and John dropped into bed. I began to worry that the boat may not be such a good idea.

Quickly after we began sailing the bay, lunch was served. The food was delicious, course after course of fresh seafood and vegetables. After sailing for about 1 1/2 hours, we dropped anchor and started kayaking over to a nearby beach. John was still in the cabin and I was just heading out in the kayak by myself, when he called from the deck to tell me to come back for him I was so excited. What a trooper!! John jumped into the double person kayak and we headed to the beach together. After swimming around the Bay for a bit, we climbed up the 500+ steps to the top of the limestone cliff for a spectacular view of the bay and limestone cliffs jutting out everywhere! We left the beach and kayaked through a limestone overhang to a small lagoon of emerald green water. We were the only people in sight and the calm was infectious (just as good as a thai massage).

After getting back on the boat, we took showers and got ready for dinner, which was another all out feast! After dinner we all went up to the lounge chairs on the top deck and talked for a couple of hours about every subject you can imagine. It was a really nice opportunity to get to know our fellow travelers, and the fresh air was good for John.

The next morning we woke up for breakfast and were once again astounded by the view of the Bay. This must be one of the most beautiful places on earth! After breakfast we sailed over to Surprise Cave. There had been much speculation over what the "surprise" would be, but we were certainly not prepared for what we saw. The surprise for most of us was the enormity of the grotto! There are three large chambers in the cave and you could spend hours finding the "tortoises" "penguins" and "people" that the water has carved out of the limestone. After exploring the cave we went back to the boat and got ready for lunch. I took a shower and reluctantly packed up to leave. One of our fellow passengers, who wasn't much of a swimmer, decided that she was determined to jump off of the top deck of the boat, which was pretty high for even a great swimmer. John was so impressed with her bravery that he decided to join her and soon everyone was jumping in! On John's third go-around, he was stung by a big jellyfish on his leg. Poor John! After lunch, we sailed back to the pier for the long ride back to Hanoi.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216595820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216595820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216595820/tpod.html Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:53:22 -0400 Southeast Asia Trip

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Hanoi, Vietnam

Greetings friends and family. This is Captian John coming to you from the bustling and steamy city of Hanoi. Yesterday (Sat.) was a travel day, bginning with a 6:00 a.m. wake up call. Kim and I had to pack up our gear, take some last minute photos, and try to confrim our hotel reservation in Hanoi and our junk cruise in Halong Bay. The internet service in Railay has been sporadic, so Kim has been playing email tag with our travel company in Hanoi.
Our stress levels began to rise as again no official confirmation could be made and we had to leave to make our 12:00 p.m. to Bangkok to connect with our flight to Vietnam. Not a big deal, except we had to take another longboat from Railay (which didn't leave until after 9 a.m.) to Krabi, and then a cab to the Krabi airport. Fortunately, each leg went smoothly and everyone involved was very helpful. I have to say that, unlike in America, where most of the airport staff seems determined to do everything in thier power to make your air travel as difficult as possible, the Asian airlines staff have been helpful to a fault, explaining all options, facilitating connections, and in several instances when they could tell we were confused they personally walked us to where we needed to go. Very comforting when you're tired and confused.

We arrived in Hanoi around 8:30 p.m. and took a taxi to our hotel. On the 45 minute ride we got our first glimpse of the insanity which is Hanoi traffice. Thousands of motorbikes weaving in and out of trucks and cars, people riding bikes anywhere - on the shoulders, in the lanes , and sometimes the wrong way, and everyone continuously honking thier horns. Somehow, despite the chaos, it all kept flowing at a steady pace and no one seemed to succumb to road rage. Kim and I were thankful we weren't driving. Upon arrival at our hotel we were dismayed to find that they did not have our reservation. Not to worry - not only did the pleasant woman behind the counter help us in finding another hotel with a room, she personally walked us the three blocks in the rain to find it! The Prince Hotel is relatively no-frills, but the room was very clean, the staff freindly, and we were very tired at this point, and it looked like heaven. We booked the room and collapsed into bed.

In the morning we awoke with our batteries recharged, eager to explor Hanoi. Our hotel is in the heart of the Old Quarter of Hanoi, which dates back to the 13th century. Using our trusty guidebook, we decided to do a walking tour of the quarter as outlined by the author. The quarter was started with different specialized trade guilds operating on each street and it is very much the same today. One street has all the shoe stores, oneall the laquer wares, one has bizarre herbs and traditional medicines (dried seahorses, starfish, cobra wine?) and on and on. We started our tour at lake Hoan Kiem, a small lake that has an important pagoda called the Ngoc Son pagoda in the middle of the lake, reached by crossing the red Bridge of the Rising Son. Oops, I forgot to mention that on our way to the Hoan Kiem, as we were getting used to the frenetic activity of the streets, a tiny woman carrying two baskets of fruit suspended form a bamboo pole, approached us with a winning smile and the offer to let us pose for photos holding her wares, and wearing her hat....we thought "how quaint" and agreed. She then offered to sell us some pineapple for 60 Dong ($1 = 17,000 Dong). The smallest note I had was 100,000 dong, which upon seeing she said "yes, you give me two!". I said no, realizing that was absurd, at which point she grabbed the 100,000dong note and scurried off! We had just been robbed by an 80lb fruit peddler! Oh well, welcome to Hanoi, round eyes! We put on our game faces and vowed to be more vigilant. Back at the temple, tickets had to be purchased before crossing the red bridge at a cost of 6000 dong. I gave the woman in the ticket booth a 50,000 dong note, and she handed back my tickets and change. Upon counting my change, I discovered she has shorted me 10,000 Dong. When I confronted her, she didn't bat an eye and handed me the correct change. We were incredulous and I wondered if Buddha would have approved of such behaviour at one of his temples. Anyway, Kim and I crossed the bridge and entered the temple, which was a bit grungy (hey, it is 800 years old) but still fascinating and beautiful in its own way.

After leaving the temple we crossed the sqaure and saw a large monuement which looked much different than most of the other statues we had seen, and it reminded me of USSR propoganda posters. the reason for this being that it memorialized the nationalist movement of the eary 1900's that would eventually give rise to communisim in Vietnam. From here we pretty much just wandered the old quarter, our senses completely bombarded from all sides by the sounds, sights, and smells of Hanoi. We saw many interesting shops and walked through a large open-air market which sold a myriad of strange fruits, vegetables, and every kind of seafood imaginable, most of it still swimming in tubs of water. Wriggling eels, all types of fish, crabs, prawns, and several things we had never seen- all fresh and ready to be eaten. We plan on going back with our guide and I at least would like to try some of the local market fare, since many of the vendors will prepare you a meal right on the spot. Few of these people spoke any English at all, so I want someone in the know to steer us in the right direction. A footnote about navigating the streets in Hanoi's Old Quarter- since there are no traffic signals, stop signs, or traffic cops, and the sidewalks are used for vendors wares, scooter parking, and cafe seating, pedestrians walk along the sides of the streets. When crossing a street you don't wait for a clear shot across(there will never be one) you simply walk steadily across and the swarms of scooters and taxis swerve around you. this arrangement definately takes some getting used to(!!!) but it works because all of the drivers seem to know the deal. Judging from the fact that I saw a man on a scooter, his young daughter on the seat in front of him, his wife holding on behind him, and he's swerving in and out of traffic, driving with one hand and talking on a cell phone with the other, Hanoi drivers are adaptive and have great reflexes.
After a mid-afternoon cool-down and siesta at the hotel( the humidity and heat hear puts even Atlant to shame), Kim and I had a delicious Italian dinner at a guidebook recommended spot called Mediteraneo-we needed a break from Asian food, even though it has all been delicious. After dinner we strolled through the Quarter back to the hotel, pickeing up some exotic souvenirs along the way. Tomorrow we have a guide to give us a tour of the city, so I'm sure there are more unique experiences on the way. 'Til then, this is Team Bookout signing off.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216516500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216516500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216516500/tpod.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:06:27 -0400 Southeast Asia Trip

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Krabi, Thailand

I have read all of your comments and I gather that everyone would prefer it if John wrote all of the blog entries from now on. I agree, but he is sleeping in our Hanoi hotel roôm right now so you will have to settle fỏr me, and I will try to be mỏre descriptive.

Our lást full day in Railay didn't start out that great. We woke to lots of rain and found out that our boat trip to the Phi Phi islands had been canceled. John and I had both been looking forward to checking out the coral reefs located thểre, and it was in Phi Phi that the movie "The Beach" was shot. The only good thing about the rain storm was that it brought in some waves to the tranquil bay and John and I body surfed them all morning. The rain also brought in stonés, shells, and othẻr dangẻrously hard objects, so we were pretty banged up by the time we were done.

John stopped by the local dive shop and inquired about any other boat trips that may still be on for the day. They booked us on a snorkel cruise that left at 2 pm. We raced back to our room and gathered our stuff for the day. When we got ỏut to the sea we realized we would be on another long boat. These are basically long canoes powered by car enginés, and not nêcessaraliy fit for the open sea.

The weather was not great, but we set out anyway. Oủr first stop was Poda Island. It was pretty, but we only stayed there long enough for the crew to pick up some gear. Next, they anchored near another small, uninhảbitated island for us to snorkel. The coral and marine life was beàutiful, but the tide was very low, and people were getting smashed âgainst the coral, so we moved on âgain. There was much talk about whether it was safe to continue at all, because the pôor wêảther had really roughed up the séa. Of course, this being Thailand (litigation what?), we moved on. This was the first time that I was truly scared on a boat . The boat was crashing thrọugh the rain, wind and rain. Tilting far right, then far left. There were 9 on the boat, including crew, but only two life preservers. John and I agreed that we would have no trouble swimming to shore, and I tried to oriente myself so that when the boat capsized, I would remember which direction to start swimming. Fortunately, that wasn't nêcessary and we made our way tởwards the coral off Chicken islands. When we anchored somebody on the boat saw a shark in the waters. My nerves were shot, and I was glad I ðid not see it myself. We snorkeled there for about 45 minutes, and after viewing the pềaceful undẻrwater world, I soon calmed down.

We then môtored over to yet another island to explore on foot while the longboats went back for food. By now, the weather had cleared and the sun was beginning to set. It was gorgeous. An older lady came back from her explorations with a long, thick, Bamboo pole. Limbo ensueded, and even the crew got in on it.

Our boat came back and set up torches on the sand and layed out huge pots of rice, curries, and vegetables. John and I sat on our towel and ate the delicious foods.

After dinner, we piled back on the boat to head back to the hotel. We stopped along the way to take a late night dip in the ocean with phosporescent plankton. Every move you made excited the plankton to sparkle âgainst your skin like underwater fireflys.

It was just the best day.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216386660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216386660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216386660/tpod.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:47:26 -0400 Southeast Asia Trip

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Krabi, Thailand

Hello everyone, this is Captain John reporting to you from the most beautiful place I have ever been. Kim and I continued our adeventure in Railay by renting an ocean kayak and hitting the high seas! Words can scarcely describe the natural beauty here. We took our snorkeling gear and paddled out of the bay in front of the resort into the open water. Our first stop was at a little island that had a tiny deserted beach, perfect for docking our launch and putting on our gear. Although the coral in this area is limited, we were still able to observe several different kinds and of course lots of fish! The visibilty in the water was good and we saw several species we had never seen before. One of the more bizarre organisms that seem to be everywhere in these waters is some sort of sea slug that is about a foot long, black, with a weird amoeba-like appendage on one end (a mouth?) and a hole (an anus?) on the other. These things moved when you touched them but otherwise just lay on the bottom. Also lots of sea urchins. After leaving this island we paddled across the way to another island which had no shore, it was just an enormous mass of rock that apppears to be floating on the sea. There are hundreds of thes little islands, with sheer cliffs and thick tropical foliage on the tops. Kayaking around the base was fascinating, going in small caves and under overhangs carved out by the steady force of the tides. We continued on, exploring several other islands before heading back to home base. Oh, I almost forgot, on one of the islands we pulled up onto a sandy spot inside a shallow cave to escape the sun for a moment. Suddenly, Kim yelped and started dancing around saying something had bitten her and things were crawling on her. Then they started in on me. Turns out the culprits were these weird translucent little critters that apparantly liked to bite silly Americans! Needless to say we got out of there rather quickly.
Back at the resort we spent the rest of the day swimming in the pool and ocean and relaxing. That evening, Kim and I went to the resort spa for authentic Thai massages. I was not enthused at first (something about strangers rubbing me) but Kim insisted. It turned out to be very relaxing and really worked out the kinks from paddling all morning. All in all, it was a perfect day and Kim and I feel very fortunate to be experiencing it together.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216179000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216179000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216179000/tpod.html Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:38:14 -0400 Southeast Asia Trip

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Krabi, Thailand

We were sorry to leave Bangkok, but looking forward to laying on the beach in Railay. We arrive at the Krabi airport, and take a taxi to the Ao Nang pier, which is a bit of a misnomer as there is no actual pier there, but that is besides the point. We arrive at Ao Nang and try to hire a boat to take us to Railay. We are informed that we will have to wait until more people arrive so they can fill up the long boat. We order some squid salad and fried shrimp and wait for the people. After a bit, a bus load of tourist pull up, and we are now ready to board the boat. We pay the check and line up for the boat. To John's dismay, we are told that there are now too many people on the boat and we will have to wait 30 minutes for the next one! So we wait...

As we wait the tide gets lower and lower. The boat cannot pull in towards the sand, so we are told we must wade out into the ocean to board the boat. We put the packs on our back, roll up our clothing, put our passports in plastic bags and prepare to swim out to the boat. John proves his strength to me and everyone else on the beach by carrying our 60 lbs HUGE suitcase over his head, while wading in waist deep water, and navigating the crashing waves. This was an experience to say the least.

When we finally got to Railay we realized why they make it so difficult to get here. It is simply a paradise and they don't want tourists messing it up.

Today we are going kyaking around the island and will write more later.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1215774000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1215774000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1215774000/tpod.html Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:00:14 -0400 Southeast Asia Trip

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Atlanta, Georgia, United States

So we are up early finalizing our packing and checking our passports. We start saying our goodbyes to our little pups, Paddy & Lexy. In the morning we fly to LA and have enough of a layover to hook up with our good friend Tory, who we haven't seen since the wedding.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216039380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216039380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1216039380/tpod.html Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:56:03 -0400 Southeast Asia Trip

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Bangkok, Thailand

John and I were up early and ready to see the city. We took a boat down the river and got a spectacular view of the riverside residences. We stopped off at a snake show, where John held this ENORMOUS snake. I know Julie would have freaked out, and I was thinking of her the whole time.

After that we were driven around the city on a tuk tuk (sp?). We made our way to the Grand Palace, and got a wonderful tour of the complex from a tour guide named Tong.

I am really rushing through our day, because we are getting ready to run out the door to eat our final dinner with Jacques during our stay in Bangkok. Tomorrow we leave for Krabi, and I hope to have the time to update the blog with more details.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1215953040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1215953040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kimmieb/1/1215953040/tpod.html Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:52:16 -0400 Southeast Asia Trip

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Bangkok, Thailand

Finally! We arrive in Bangkok a little later than expected, and we were exhausted! After checking in with our friend, Jacques, we stretched out in our swank bed and took a 3 hour nap. After waking, we went to the top of a beautiful hotel for a great dinner with Jacques.
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