Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Wild Costa Brava
In Spanish, Costa Brava literally means wild coast. It sure did live up to its name. The first couple of days into our journey along the north coast of Spain, the winds whipped up to around 35 knots and the waves kept growing until the height was somewhere around 6 to 8 feet. While the boat did fine, it gets a bit tiring after a while. These winds are known as Tramontana, which are part of the Mistral winds coming from France. The marina we planned to stay in was a little too far and we ended up taking shelter in the protected bay at Cadequez. As soon as we entered the embrace of the bay, the waves calmed down and the winds, while still strong were tamer. We threw out the anchor and made sure it sunk deep into the sandy bottom. It wasn’t long before some other boats joined us. A couple from Germany anchored right near us and later in the evening a large yacht anchored a little further away. For the next two days the winds continued to howl and we continued to hunker down. We awoke on the third morning with relative quiet winds and from where we were, it looked like the seas had calmed down a bit. So we ventured out. It didn’t take long before once again the winds whipped up and waves began to pound. By then, we were far enough to make the marina at Port de la Selva. So with an E ticket rollercoaster ride on the crest of the deep blue waves, we surged into port. There were just a couple of slots opened, but we managed to wiggle between two boats and finally tie up to the quay. All the people nearby helped us with the lines and welcomed us out of the storm. A couple of hours later, the German couple limped into port as well. I guess they tried sailing with the same optimism that we had.
Three, Two One, Blast Off
It was hard to leave Barcelona. After so many months living there, it feels like my home away from home. I know my way around, and can find the supplies that I need. My Spanish has gotten just to the point where I can express myself well enough to make my point. Just when things are starting to come together language wise, it is time to say goodbye. My friend Steve came the first part of June and we spent the first couple of weeks finishing up things and gathering supplies for our summer journey ahead. It is not that they don’t have food where we are going, it is just the difficulty in finding all the things that we need. So we visited the big grocery store here one more time and carted it back to the boat. It looked like we were setting out for a ocean voyage to far off lands. Had a nice farewell party with my friends that I have made here in the marina and left the middle of June.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Bikes, Bikes Everywhere in Amsterdam
I have had my friend Bob and his friend Dui staying with me for a while. They were here for a week, and then went to Rome for a week. Bob came back here and Dui went on to Morocco. Bob had another week here with me so we decided to take a quick trip to Amsterdam. He has some friends that live right in the historical part of town, so I only had to pay for the airfare. Seemed like a great opportunity.
When you first step onto the streets of Amsterdam you are struck by the incredible number of bikes. Thousands are lined up near the train station. All are very simple one gear or 3 gear bikes. I haven’t seen this many bikes since Beijing. There are really very few cars especially in the old historic part of the city. Built mostly in the 1600’s these mostly brick buildings have a unique architectural style. They are built very narrow, about 4 stories high with tall roofs and lots of detail. The stairwells are too narrow to bring furniture up so each building has a large hook built into the roof so people can hoist their furniture through the windows. Some of the buildings actually tilt forward a couple of degrees to accommodate furniture being moved it. They are all out of square because of all the canals that surround them have caused the structures to settle unevenly. Thank goodness there are no earthquakes there. The whole place would be leveled in about 10 seconds.
More Canals than Venice
When this port city was first laid out, the city planners decided to dig long canals to aid in the trade and mercantile industry that it would become famous for. Even though the streets are quite narrow, the canals running through make the city very open and the water gives it a wonderful tranquil feeling. There are far more canals in Amsterdam than Venice. It certainly is a very livable city. We rented bikes for the time we were there and were able to get everywhere on them. We even rode to the outskirts of town following the Amstel River, which the town is named after. There are still a few windmills standing after 300 years.
One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Amsterdam is to make a pilgrimage to the Van Gough museum. It is the largest collection of his works. What surprised me the most about the exhibit is how many of his works I have already seen from the traveling exhibits of his work over the years. It was still wonderful to see them all collected thanks to his brother Theo’s wife who still believed in Van Gough even after his death.
One night we went to the famous red light district. It is just kind of bizarre. Women dancing in tiny windows waiting for their customers to choose them like chocolate in a candy box. I personally found it more interesting to see the young guys as they reacted and were enticed by what was going on. Much bravado goes on about which one they would pick. The whole area had kind of a frat house feel to it. Some do get picked because the curtains are drawn in some of the windows, but mostly it is young girls of every size and shape in clothes that revealed about as much as what you would see on any beach. Actually the system seems to work better than having the prostitutes wander the streets. They are kept in just one area of town and if you want to see them, you go visit. It is probably much less violence and better city oversight.
Holland has a reputation for being cold and overcast much of the year. Fortunately for us the weather could not have been nicer. It was shirtsleeve weather in the daytime and just a light jacket at night. When the sun comes out, so does everyone else. The parks were packed with sun worshippers getting in their dose of vitamin E. Everyone speaks English as well as Dutch of course. You should not ask people if they speak English. They would take it as an insult that you thought they were not well educated. Bob’s friend that we stayed with is originally from Portland and teaches English to high school students. He has lived there for years and loves it there. I asked him if the students prefer an American accent or a British accent. He said most prefer an American accent. It is because of all the music and movies that are imported. I guess one thing America does well is export it’s pop culture. Well that and fast food restaurants.
When you first step onto the streets of Amsterdam you are struck by the incredible number of bikes. Thousands are lined up near the train station. All are very simple one gear or 3 gear bikes. I haven’t seen this many bikes since Beijing. There are really very few cars especially in the old historic part of the city. Built mostly in the 1600’s these mostly brick buildings have a unique architectural style. They are built very narrow, about 4 stories high with tall roofs and lots of detail. The stairwells are too narrow to bring furniture up so each building has a large hook built into the roof so people can hoist their furniture through the windows. Some of the buildings actually tilt forward a couple of degrees to accommodate furniture being moved it. They are all out of square because of all the canals that surround them have caused the structures to settle unevenly. Thank goodness there are no earthquakes there. The whole place would be leveled in about 10 seconds.
More Canals than Venice
When this port city was first laid out, the city planners decided to dig long canals to aid in the trade and mercantile industry that it would become famous for. Even though the streets are quite narrow, the canals running through make the city very open and the water gives it a wonderful tranquil feeling. There are far more canals in Amsterdam than Venice. It certainly is a very livable city. We rented bikes for the time we were there and were able to get everywhere on them. We even rode to the outskirts of town following the Amstel River, which the town is named after. There are still a few windmills standing after 300 years.
One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Amsterdam is to make a pilgrimage to the Van Gough museum. It is the largest collection of his works. What surprised me the most about the exhibit is how many of his works I have already seen from the traveling exhibits of his work over the years. It was still wonderful to see them all collected thanks to his brother Theo’s wife who still believed in Van Gough even after his death.
One night we went to the famous red light district. It is just kind of bizarre. Women dancing in tiny windows waiting for their customers to choose them like chocolate in a candy box. I personally found it more interesting to see the young guys as they reacted and were enticed by what was going on. Much bravado goes on about which one they would pick. The whole area had kind of a frat house feel to it. Some do get picked because the curtains are drawn in some of the windows, but mostly it is young girls of every size and shape in clothes that revealed about as much as what you would see on any beach. Actually the system seems to work better than having the prostitutes wander the streets. They are kept in just one area of town and if you want to see them, you go visit. It is probably much less violence and better city oversight.
Holland has a reputation for being cold and overcast much of the year. Fortunately for us the weather could not have been nicer. It was shirtsleeve weather in the daytime and just a light jacket at night. When the sun comes out, so does everyone else. The parks were packed with sun worshippers getting in their dose of vitamin E. Everyone speaks English as well as Dutch of course. You should not ask people if they speak English. They would take it as an insult that you thought they were not well educated. Bob’s friend that we stayed with is originally from Portland and teaches English to high school students. He has lived there for years and loves it there. I asked him if the students prefer an American accent or a British accent. He said most prefer an American accent. It is because of all the music and movies that are imported. I guess one thing America does well is export it’s pop culture. Well that and fast food restaurants.
Back in Barcelona
It is good to be back in Barcelona after spending the last 6 months in the U.S. Everything looks the same and yet different. Stepping on to my boat once again felt like home. I really missed living on the water. Looks like everything survived just fine without me. That is pretty remarkable since while I was gone, Barcelona had two of the biggest storms in the last 30 years. I have heard from other people that were here during the destruction this storm caused. The big yacht that is moored next to me tore the cleats right out of the dock. They had to throw lines around the piers to keep the boat from crashing into things. The captain told me that I tied my boat up so good it barely moved. That is a nice compliment to hear from a guy that has spent his life at sea. He also told me that there was such destruction going on that everyone was looking for any extra lines they could find to tie their boats up better. Not all boats fared so well. One boat sank and out where the really huge yachts are, the pier totally broke apart and sunk. One of the big yachts headed out to weather the storm in the open sea. They figured there would be fewer things to bang in to. Around the marina there are covered areas for shade. The wind was so strong that it blew one of the heavy metal roofs off of the structure and it sheared two sailboat masts in half. I saw my friend Roland from C dock a couple days later. He told me he was keeping an eye on my boat and it looked like it fared better than most. A couple of days later they had a little welcome back party for me. His wife Mar fixed a bunch of Catalin dishes and some of the people around the marina joined us. We enjoyed catching up on things since I was gone. One of the fun things about living in a marina is people are from all over the place. There were people from Belgium Scotland, England, New Zealand, France and yeah, Spain.
Because of the width of my boat, yachts that are much bigger than me surround me. The one next to me is quite huge. I have gotten friends with Marsella who for the first couple of weeks back was by herself. We traded DVD’s and she gave me a huge bowl of shrimp. She had a famous Spanish pop singer and her boyfriend staying on the boat. Marcella planned a big dinner for them, but they changed their minds and went into town to eat. A couple of days later, I gave her back the bowl filled with chocolate yum yum’s I made for her. After about a week, the captain returned from England. He had been recertifying. Then a couple of days later, the rest of the crew returned. The boat has about 5 people on it most of the time, cleaning, cooking and maintaining the boat. That thing must cost a fortune to maintain. They told me it has a 25,000 liter fuel tank. The irony of it all is the crew enjoys the boat way more than the owner who is only on the boat a couple of weeks a year.
Because of the width of my boat, yachts that are much bigger than me surround me. The one next to me is quite huge. I have gotten friends with Marsella who for the first couple of weeks back was by herself. We traded DVD’s and she gave me a huge bowl of shrimp. She had a famous Spanish pop singer and her boyfriend staying on the boat. Marcella planned a big dinner for them, but they changed their minds and went into town to eat. A couple of days later, I gave her back the bowl filled with chocolate yum yum’s I made for her. After about a week, the captain returned from England. He had been recertifying. Then a couple of days later, the rest of the crew returned. The boat has about 5 people on it most of the time, cleaning, cooking and maintaining the boat. That thing must cost a fortune to maintain. They told me it has a 25,000 liter fuel tank. The irony of it all is the crew enjoys the boat way more than the owner who is only on the boat a couple of weeks a year.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Kingdom of Thailand
My friend Mike Crowell calls me up and tells me he wants to go to Thailand in a week. I guess I was the one friend he knew that would always be up for a little adventure. And he was right. We booked our flight and off we went, to explore another part of the world.
Bangkok
It is a big city choked with traffic and pollution. Cars buses scooters and tutus all crowding the city streets. There is a crescendo of horns honking and police yelling out directions. The people on the streets trip over the constant street vendors selling everything from live eels to temple offerings. It is hard to separate the saturation of color and noise from the waffling of smells that permeate this beautiful city. The fragrances are like individual links of a chain that come one right after another. There is no part of the city that does not have a smell. Frying fish, fragrant flowers, barbeque chicken pungent smells from who knows what are all linked together and mixed with whiffs of incense. Temples dot the city and you first come across them from the smell of incense before you lay eyes on their golden roofs of delicately carved wood. Buddhism is the predominate religion with a sprinkling of Hinduism and just a smidgen of Christianity. The dominance of Buddhism makes the city glimmer in gold. Every temple shimmers in the sunlight. The attendants of these ancient shrines are young boys with shaved heads and wrapped in saffron robes. Every young man is expected to serve the church for a period of time. Most serve 18 months. But if you have a good job and are supporting your family, that time can be cut down to 7 days. Offerings are made with carefully arranged flowers and fruit. Devout worshipers carefully take off their shoes and enter with reverence and bow before the huge golden Buddha statues that dominate each temple. The priest blesses the people with holy water and ties a string on their wrist to bring them luck. It is a very inclusive religion. I was standing back watching the priest bless the followers when he looks at me and motions for me to come over to him. I too receive the holy water and the string around my wrist. The parallels with Christianity are not lost on me. They too have commandments that include no lying, no murder, and no adultery, honor your parents and no alcohol. The last commandment seems to be routinely ignored by at least part of the believers. While they don’t have weekly services they go to temple when they feel the need to connect with Buddha. Scripture study is more an individual thing.
The Magical Kingdom Here On Earth
We went to visit the royal palace and center of religion for the country. Now I have been to some pretty spectacular royal settings: The commanding grounds and palace of Versailles, the royal palaces of Vienna, the Vatican, temples of Bali, the forbidden city of China etc. But nothing is like the magic of Thailand. Its royal grounds literally glitter in the sunlight. Everything is gold and silver. Buildings are covered in mosaic mirrors and porcelain tiles. The wealth is displayed in 24 karat gold leafing. The statues are monumental. The architecture is fanciful and beautifully carved in detail. It is like a movie set for Shangri-La. An image of heaven could not be much different from what was created. To be the king of Thailand meant to be surrounded with opulence and luxury. I almost expected this section of the city to be lifted up to the heavens. It is a site to behold,
There are hundreds if not thousands of statues of Buddha all over the city: the reclining Buddha, the standing Buddha, the emerald Buddha the sitting Buddha. But maybe one of the most amazing is the solid gold Buddha cast in the 13 century. When the Burmese were threatening to invade, they covered it in plaster and there it remained forgotten for centuries. It was thought to be old but of little value. Then in 1957 this statue was moved to a new temple. When they were lowering it in place, one of the ropes broke and as it crashed to the floor, part of the plaster fell off revealing what was hidden for all this time, a solid gold statue of the sitting Buddah. It is the single most valuable piece of religious art in the world at least price on its actual raw worth.
Way Up North to Chiang Mai
After spending several days in Bangkok, we took an overnight bus north to the city of Chiang Mai. It is a very large city with about a million people. The roots of the city go back centuries when it used to be on the trade route that brought silver, handmade goods and jewelry. Remnants of the ancient city walls still wander through the city. Scattered throughout the city is over 300 Buddhist temples. The most famous is Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep. Perched up on the hill overlooking the city. It is another island of glittering gold. We rented scooters for the day and headed up there. Once there you have to climb another 309 steps to the top. On our way up, we took a little detour off the main path and came across our first elephant. It was chained at the foot but immediately started dancing back and forth. A big smile on his face and glint in his eye gave every impression that he was glad to see us. Just like a dog greeting a stranger, this elephant was reacting to us being there. If they weren’t so big, I would love to take one home.
In the afternoon, we rode to the other side of the town where they were having an umbrella festival. Thousands of handmade umbrellas were on display. We visited the factory where women were taking raw bamboo and literally carving each spoke in the umbrella. Each piece was amazingly exactly like the others. They were then all assembled together interlocking each piece with precision until the piece was finished. Then they were all hand painted and laid out to dry in the sun. This factory that produces thousands of umbrellas had absolutely no machinery. All were handcrafted by women who devote their life’s work to producing one part of the whole.
One of the amazing things about Thailand is how cheap everything is. You could get a hotel room for as little as $10 a night and a real nice one for $24. Our cheapest meal was Phat Thai for only 3 cents. And that included the paper plate and fork. Most of the tourist things were free. An hour massage was typically $6.00. You could rent a taxi for the afternoon for a dollar. The only problem is they want to take you to their “special shops” where they get vouchers for gas by bringing in customers. We were not really shopping so asked that they just charge us more.
While we were up north we went on a trek up into the mountains. There are hundreds of mountain tribes that have remained virtually the same for centuries. Some still don’t even have running water. Or trek began with an elephant ride through the jungle. It was really a fun experience riding these mammoth beasts. The one thing that we quickly learned about elephants is that they are constantly eating. They literally never stop, consuming about a quarter ton of food a day. Everywhere we went, they were reaching out with their trunks grabbing half of a bush. It is a good thing things grow quickly in the jungle. From there we hiked up hill for the rest of the afternoon. We finally arrived at a very isolated village that seemed to tolerate tourists like the elephant tolerated the flies that buzz around them, a little annoying, but nothing to get upset about. Our guides fixed us a nice Thai meal and then had us sleep in a one room thatched hut. We slept right on the wood floors with absolutely no padding. That was difficult but the hardest thing was to keep from freezing to death. The sleeping bags were so thin you could see through them. Temperatures dropped to around zero that night. I was curled up in fetal position under my sleeping bag just waiting for morning. Mike finally got up around 3 in the morning and spent the rest of the time waiting for the sun to rise next to the campfire. It was a far different climate from the 80-degree weather in Bangkok.
We took a plane down to Phuket, which is at the south end of Thailand. This town was clearly built for the American GI’s who had their R&R in Thailand during the Vietnam War. There was one bar right after another. And standing in front of each bar were beautiful Thai girls literally trying to drag you into the bar to buy them a drink. When you go to a bar in Thailand, you are customarily given a woman who is your companion for the night. Her job is to try and get you to drink as much as she can and to supply her with as many drinks as you will buy for her though I doubt her drinks have much alcohol. I felt like Pinocchio when he is on the Island of Lost Boys. So much alcohol and so much sex steaming through the streets. It all didn’t do much for me, but there were plenty of guys who loved the attention and who knows what else. We didn’t stay long in Phuket. Instead we headed to one of the hundreds of resort island, Phi Phi.
By this time in our trip, we had seen enough temples and done enough shopping. We were ready to kick back and enjoy a nice week of resort living. Our bungalow was just steps from the beach. We ate our meals with the sound of the surf slapping against the white sand. During the day we would lay around the pool reading books and soaking in the sun. In the evenings there were plenty of fire dances and disco dances to entertain us. It was really just a very relaxing part of the trip. We took day trips on long tail boats, which mean they were regular boats with a car engine mounted on the back. Where the drive shaft is was a very long pole that attached to a propeller. They were fast and cheap and took us to some of the other islands where we fed the monkeys and dove into the crystal clear water. This was one of the islands that got wiped out by the tsunami a couple of years ago. It was a bit unnerving to see tsunami signs scattered throughout the island keeping you always aware of where the highest point of refuge would be in the event of an emergency.
Spending time in the kingdom of Thailand only made me want to come back and spend even more time. I want to explore the surrounding countries of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It is an amazing part of the world that has a history and culture going back for centuries.
Bangkok
It is a big city choked with traffic and pollution. Cars buses scooters and tutus all crowding the city streets. There is a crescendo of horns honking and police yelling out directions. The people on the streets trip over the constant street vendors selling everything from live eels to temple offerings. It is hard to separate the saturation of color and noise from the waffling of smells that permeate this beautiful city. The fragrances are like individual links of a chain that come one right after another. There is no part of the city that does not have a smell. Frying fish, fragrant flowers, barbeque chicken pungent smells from who knows what are all linked together and mixed with whiffs of incense. Temples dot the city and you first come across them from the smell of incense before you lay eyes on their golden roofs of delicately carved wood. Buddhism is the predominate religion with a sprinkling of Hinduism and just a smidgen of Christianity. The dominance of Buddhism makes the city glimmer in gold. Every temple shimmers in the sunlight. The attendants of these ancient shrines are young boys with shaved heads and wrapped in saffron robes. Every young man is expected to serve the church for a period of time. Most serve 18 months. But if you have a good job and are supporting your family, that time can be cut down to 7 days. Offerings are made with carefully arranged flowers and fruit. Devout worshipers carefully take off their shoes and enter with reverence and bow before the huge golden Buddha statues that dominate each temple. The priest blesses the people with holy water and ties a string on their wrist to bring them luck. It is a very inclusive religion. I was standing back watching the priest bless the followers when he looks at me and motions for me to come over to him. I too receive the holy water and the string around my wrist. The parallels with Christianity are not lost on me. They too have commandments that include no lying, no murder, and no adultery, honor your parents and no alcohol. The last commandment seems to be routinely ignored by at least part of the believers. While they don’t have weekly services they go to temple when they feel the need to connect with Buddha. Scripture study is more an individual thing.
The Magical Kingdom Here On Earth
We went to visit the royal palace and center of religion for the country. Now I have been to some pretty spectacular royal settings: The commanding grounds and palace of Versailles, the royal palaces of Vienna, the Vatican, temples of Bali, the forbidden city of China etc. But nothing is like the magic of Thailand. Its royal grounds literally glitter in the sunlight. Everything is gold and silver. Buildings are covered in mosaic mirrors and porcelain tiles. The wealth is displayed in 24 karat gold leafing. The statues are monumental. The architecture is fanciful and beautifully carved in detail. It is like a movie set for Shangri-La. An image of heaven could not be much different from what was created. To be the king of Thailand meant to be surrounded with opulence and luxury. I almost expected this section of the city to be lifted up to the heavens. It is a site to behold,
There are hundreds if not thousands of statues of Buddha all over the city: the reclining Buddha, the standing Buddha, the emerald Buddha the sitting Buddha. But maybe one of the most amazing is the solid gold Buddha cast in the 13 century. When the Burmese were threatening to invade, they covered it in plaster and there it remained forgotten for centuries. It was thought to be old but of little value. Then in 1957 this statue was moved to a new temple. When they were lowering it in place, one of the ropes broke and as it crashed to the floor, part of the plaster fell off revealing what was hidden for all this time, a solid gold statue of the sitting Buddah. It is the single most valuable piece of religious art in the world at least price on its actual raw worth.
Way Up North to Chiang Mai
After spending several days in Bangkok, we took an overnight bus north to the city of Chiang Mai. It is a very large city with about a million people. The roots of the city go back centuries when it used to be on the trade route that brought silver, handmade goods and jewelry. Remnants of the ancient city walls still wander through the city. Scattered throughout the city is over 300 Buddhist temples. The most famous is Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep. Perched up on the hill overlooking the city. It is another island of glittering gold. We rented scooters for the day and headed up there. Once there you have to climb another 309 steps to the top. On our way up, we took a little detour off the main path and came across our first elephant. It was chained at the foot but immediately started dancing back and forth. A big smile on his face and glint in his eye gave every impression that he was glad to see us. Just like a dog greeting a stranger, this elephant was reacting to us being there. If they weren’t so big, I would love to take one home.
In the afternoon, we rode to the other side of the town where they were having an umbrella festival. Thousands of handmade umbrellas were on display. We visited the factory where women were taking raw bamboo and literally carving each spoke in the umbrella. Each piece was amazingly exactly like the others. They were then all assembled together interlocking each piece with precision until the piece was finished. Then they were all hand painted and laid out to dry in the sun. This factory that produces thousands of umbrellas had absolutely no machinery. All were handcrafted by women who devote their life’s work to producing one part of the whole.
One of the amazing things about Thailand is how cheap everything is. You could get a hotel room for as little as $10 a night and a real nice one for $24. Our cheapest meal was Phat Thai for only 3 cents. And that included the paper plate and fork. Most of the tourist things were free. An hour massage was typically $6.00. You could rent a taxi for the afternoon for a dollar. The only problem is they want to take you to their “special shops” where they get vouchers for gas by bringing in customers. We were not really shopping so asked that they just charge us more.
While we were up north we went on a trek up into the mountains. There are hundreds of mountain tribes that have remained virtually the same for centuries. Some still don’t even have running water. Or trek began with an elephant ride through the jungle. It was really a fun experience riding these mammoth beasts. The one thing that we quickly learned about elephants is that they are constantly eating. They literally never stop, consuming about a quarter ton of food a day. Everywhere we went, they were reaching out with their trunks grabbing half of a bush. It is a good thing things grow quickly in the jungle. From there we hiked up hill for the rest of the afternoon. We finally arrived at a very isolated village that seemed to tolerate tourists like the elephant tolerated the flies that buzz around them, a little annoying, but nothing to get upset about. Our guides fixed us a nice Thai meal and then had us sleep in a one room thatched hut. We slept right on the wood floors with absolutely no padding. That was difficult but the hardest thing was to keep from freezing to death. The sleeping bags were so thin you could see through them. Temperatures dropped to around zero that night. I was curled up in fetal position under my sleeping bag just waiting for morning. Mike finally got up around 3 in the morning and spent the rest of the time waiting for the sun to rise next to the campfire. It was a far different climate from the 80-degree weather in Bangkok.
We took a plane down to Phuket, which is at the south end of Thailand. This town was clearly built for the American GI’s who had their R&R in Thailand during the Vietnam War. There was one bar right after another. And standing in front of each bar were beautiful Thai girls literally trying to drag you into the bar to buy them a drink. When you go to a bar in Thailand, you are customarily given a woman who is your companion for the night. Her job is to try and get you to drink as much as she can and to supply her with as many drinks as you will buy for her though I doubt her drinks have much alcohol. I felt like Pinocchio when he is on the Island of Lost Boys. So much alcohol and so much sex steaming through the streets. It all didn’t do much for me, but there were plenty of guys who loved the attention and who knows what else. We didn’t stay long in Phuket. Instead we headed to one of the hundreds of resort island, Phi Phi.
By this time in our trip, we had seen enough temples and done enough shopping. We were ready to kick back and enjoy a nice week of resort living. Our bungalow was just steps from the beach. We ate our meals with the sound of the surf slapping against the white sand. During the day we would lay around the pool reading books and soaking in the sun. In the evenings there were plenty of fire dances and disco dances to entertain us. It was really just a very relaxing part of the trip. We took day trips on long tail boats, which mean they were regular boats with a car engine mounted on the back. Where the drive shaft is was a very long pole that attached to a propeller. They were fast and cheap and took us to some of the other islands where we fed the monkeys and dove into the crystal clear water. This was one of the islands that got wiped out by the tsunami a couple of years ago. It was a bit unnerving to see tsunami signs scattered throughout the island keeping you always aware of where the highest point of refuge would be in the event of an emergency.
Spending time in the kingdom of Thailand only made me want to come back and spend even more time. I want to explore the surrounding countries of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It is an amazing part of the world that has a history and culture going back for centuries.
A Night in Venice With Elton John
We took a little trip to Venice with Mike, Jose and David. It is the magic of those cheap air flights from Barcelona. I always thought Venice had a web of cannels running like streets everywhere throughout the city. In reality there is one main cannel running through the middle of the city with some waterways connecting to it. When we took the water taxi to where we were staying, I was amazed at how familiar the buildings looked along the shore. It is because virtually every movie, every documentary, every travel journal I have seen on Venice has been shot along the one Grand Cannel. The other waterways are much more narrow and more like alleys than waterfronts.
We stayed at a nice hotel right near the Rialto Bridge. This city that started simply as a large market expanded its wealth into a thriving center of commerce that used its revenue to embrace art and architecture. The merchants built ornate homes to show off their success and social standing. The church built opulent churches to show off its divinity. And the government built monumental offices to show off its power. At the center of the city is San Marcos Piazza where the most important government buildings and churches all come together in carved marble and gold leafing.
We took in the sights and sounds of the city, explored the churches and the great works of art and listened to string quartets and Venetian operas. We heard rumors that Elton John was going to give a concert at the Piazza de San Marcos. Of course we did not have tickets. But we decided to choose a nice restaurant on the plaza and have dinner. It turned out to be a wonderful evening. While we dined on seafood and pasta, at the other end of the piazza Elton John sang the songs that all the world knows and loves. The waiter brought us more courses and Elton John brought us more memories of his great music under the stars of this magical city.
We stayed at a nice hotel right near the Rialto Bridge. This city that started simply as a large market expanded its wealth into a thriving center of commerce that used its revenue to embrace art and architecture. The merchants built ornate homes to show off their success and social standing. The church built opulent churches to show off its divinity. And the government built monumental offices to show off its power. At the center of the city is San Marcos Piazza where the most important government buildings and churches all come together in carved marble and gold leafing.
We took in the sights and sounds of the city, explored the churches and the great works of art and listened to string quartets and Venetian operas. We heard rumors that Elton John was going to give a concert at the Piazza de San Marcos. Of course we did not have tickets. But we decided to choose a nice restaurant on the plaza and have dinner. It turned out to be a wonderful evening. While we dined on seafood and pasta, at the other end of the piazza Elton John sang the songs that all the world knows and loves. The waiter brought us more courses and Elton John brought us more memories of his great music under the stars of this magical city.
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