Lizzie's Next Adventure

Started the day at 2am (or 3 am… we had a time zone change… but not to worry in 1 day we will change back 😓) Went back to sleep and then had a nice leisurely day…  Spa treatments…. and decided to break out one of the bottles of Champagne … that I have yet to open… nothing wrong with a little day drinking on vacation. And look at the art on the Riviera…   Dinner at Toscana… where the bread basket is ‘art’  

  Thai food cooking class… and more elephant pants :) This was a lot of fun… Did a market and then to a resort to cook three dishes Deep Fried Stuffed Crabmeat in Crab Shell Chicken Soup in Coconut Pad Thai The live market (frogs, chickens, guinea pigs, etc…)  Some very cool street art…. The resort where the cooking class was held Chef Nancy and Liz at work… we received our certificates… opening up restaurant soon…. Very fun day !!!

Early am… Bright eyed… Today we were on an organized tour ‘Bangkok in a Day’.  Quite the day…. First the 2.5 hour drive Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha Canal  and Chao Phraya River Wat Arun Lovely catered lunch at the Royal Orchid Sheraton… a little shopping and then the LONG ride home… (can’t lie I think we all nodded off) The trip was not without its excitement!! The Grand Palace was CRAZY busy… lots of folks… we had to stop on the way in to buy the ubiqutous elephant pants… since a bunch of folks didn’t read the ‘Currents’ regarding covering you knees… and they weren’t all women. Liz’s Family (and maybe Nancy’s too) don’t be surprised if elephant pants are in your future. Here are some photos of the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha (truth in advertising he is made of jade… not emeralds). Here are some photos of the Grand Palace… etc. Mural wraps outer walls Ramakien Emerald Buddha from Doorway Guide showing Buddha Outfits A close up… but go to the link above   While we were ad

Embarkation day for Nancy… and a mystery… Finished the report for NEI in the morning and sent to the client, Nancy and I had a lovely breakfast at the Waldorf… Went up to the pool deck to see the view   And then we set out to visit Jim Thompson’s House .   But best laid plans… Not unlike Dug in the Pixar movie Up… Squirrel… we were easily distracted…  7-eleven in search of an plug adapter (found!!) Apple Store… why not… new watch bands and some tech advice for Nancy’s watch… Public Art….  As my sister Jeanne told me… we should all stand next to Elephants… it makes my ass look smaller… so we stood next to 3!!! The just roamed through the myriad of malls and elevated walkways…. Finally made it to the  Jim Thompson’s House … but we didn’t have enough time to visit… so go to the web site to indoor photos. Nancy did do some shopping… and we used our Grab App for the first time (Uber/Lyft of Asia)  Jim Thompson, American businessman and architect, started the Thai Silk Company in 1948.  In 1

Spent most of the day traveling to the port… then from the port to Bangkok… but it was all worth it… Beautiful hotel, Waldorf Bangkok… lovely time.  Here are Nancy and I enjoying the first of many cocktails…. And here are videos from the FABULOUS room

Early departure today for the Ream National Park by Boat tour…. And double bonus Conny, Josef, Anke and Klaus were on the same tour!!! So no trip would be complete without one or two Buddha’s, a temple and a monument… So this one is no exemption! Before we get to the sights… a little about our guide… He spent some time explaining his culture… how you can’t have babies if you’re not married- they are illegal, that you can’t marry if your ‘animal year’ signs aren’t compatible, and the woman stays home (does the shopping, cooking and taking care of the house) and the man goes out and works… Anke believes he got jilted or some other bad experience First stop was to a statue (completed in 2022)  Preah Thong (Kaundinya I) and Neang Neak (Queen Soma) along Sihanoukville beach to display Khmer culture and attract tourists .  It’s made of 60 tonnes of copper and is 21 meters tall. It really is beautiful… but i kept hearing in my head…. If you build it they will come… They are really trying to s

Nothing much to report… except mani, pedi, hair cut and color… and of course eating and walking!!!! Cut and color turned out great… Except this guy couldn’t dry my hair either… very Kenny-esque (hair dresser is Carmel) Dinner with Conny and Joseph at Polo Grill. Prime Rib, creamed spinach and horseradish!!!! Oh and a Negroni… and some wine :) The next stop Sihanoukville, Cambodia

So went on a tour… that was for ‘old people’… you know the kind where you go from ‘photo spot’ to ‘phot spot’…. And not everyone gets off the bus for the photos…. Because it is just TOO much work…. So the good news is I got the lay of the land, so that when Nancy and I get back… I know what to do :).  So here are the places we visited: Independence Palace Notre Dame Saigon The Old Post Office So Independence Palace, also known as the Reunification Convention Hall, was  designed in the 1960s by architect  Ngô Viết Thụ  and was the home and workplace of the president of the  Republic of Vietnam . It was the site of the  Fall of Saigon  on 30 April 1975 that ended the Vietnam War, when a  North Vietnamese Army  tank crashed through its gates. Next stop was t he cathedral which was constructed between 1863 and 1880, from materials imported from France…  The outside wall of the cathedral was built with bricks from  Toulouse .   And right across the street was the old post office… T he build