“I” is for Impressive (Thailand)

Posted on March 27, 2026April 8, 2026 by Debbie

I honestly didn’t think that anything could be as impressive as the day we had experienced in Bangkok, but our second day, while docked in Leam Chebang, was equally as enjoyable. The ship had overnighted and we were scheduled to take a private tour to the nearby town of Pattaya. This town has a reputation for beaches and the bawdy, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect today. Most people come to Pattaya for the nightlife and we were due to depart at 4pm, so we would see none of that. With its close proximity to Leam Chebang, it is an easy location to get to, so we were off the ship by 8am. Unfortunately traffic was very congested and the 20 minute journey took about an hour and a half. With our already shortened day in port, we knew it would be a whirlwind of the three activities on the schedule for the day,

Suan Nongnooch Botanical Gardens

We would begin the day at Nong Nooch Botanical Gardens. Anyone who knows me, knows that flowers are my passion (right up there with photography). Combine these two things and it creates a time management problem as I while away the hours! Because we are on tour, I must stay on task.

The Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden (Suan Nong Nooch) is one of the most popular tourist attractions in all of Thailand. It is one of the largest tropical gardens and the world’s largest botanical garden.There are over 20,000 tropical trees, collected from 50 countries around the world. The most distinctive flower collection consists of more than 600 species of orchids.

The land which it occupies was originally bought for the cultivation of an orchard. The initial goal was to grow mangoes, coconuts, oranges and other Thai fruits there. After a trip abroad, the owner of the land, after whom the Nong Nooch Pattaya garden was named, decided to plant a tropical flower garden instead of an orchard.

Later, having realized how attractive this place could become for tourists, it was fully equipped for a variety of interests. The complex is huge, covering over 500 acres! Besides the massive Botanic Gardens, you can find a swimming pool, restaurants, a banquet hall and hotels. There is a zoo of sorts, an elephant arena and a performance hall. There is even a hall featuring a car collection! Each section has its own entrance fee and it is a reasonable day out for families, making the site a popular tourist destination.

The garden was opened to the public in 1980 and is now run by the founder’s son. Each areas is divided into specialized “gardens”. By my count there were at least 14. We were so limited on time, we hopped aboard a shuttle, to be able to see most of what the grounds offered, which meant I couldn’t get up close and personal with the plants. This was probably good since there are 8 of us in the group. It also meant views were limited based on the side of the shuttle you had chosen.

I don’t want to do this beautiful space any disservice by saying it is also an amusement park. There aren’t rides per say (except for the elephant rides) but there are themed areas such as the massive Dinosaur Garden.

Seeking respite from the 90+ degree heat, we moved to a massive, enclosed auditorium, which was blissfully air conditioned. Here, we would be treated to the most spectacular stage presentation of traditional Thai cultural performances. The 45 minute performance included traditional and more modern dances which rivaled Las Vegas. A little Thai martial art was also thrown in for our entertainment and then the elephants were brought in for a reenactment of what is called the elephant fight (the riders battle with long poles). The entire show had me spellbound.

We still weren’t done at Na Nooch. Next we were taken to a big arena to see the elephants perform. This is a circus-like environment where the elephants pose for pictures, can be fed, play basketball, soccer, bowl and paint. They are extremely well trained but I would have preferred time at the floating market, which we then had to cut from our schedule. My fellow passengers might have preferred if I hadn’t smelled like an elephant the rest of the day, after playing with them!

I was holding out hope that we could still have some time at our final destination, the Sanctuary of Truth, which would blow our socks off. I had researched this amazing place but we were only given 30 minutes at the location, which translated to about 15 by the time we actually got to the structure.

Sanctuary of Truth (UNESCO)

The Sanctuary of Truth is another of the most popular places to visit in Pattaya.

While many people refer to it as a temple, it is actually a privately owned museum. The distinctive 105-metre structure, built on the headland near Wongamat Beach, was visuaalized by a businessman to celebrate Thai craftsmanship and it certainly does!

The intricate structure is built completely out of wood. The pieces are held together using different techniques such as lap joints, dove tails, and large wooden pins. No nails have ever been used.

Each elaborate carving tells the stories of Thai mythology and philosophy. It’s a tribute to traditional craftsmanship and spiritual values. Talented craftsman work daily to repair the building and/or to add to the structure. Since it is a working construction zone, visitors are required to wear hard hats.

We didn’t have enough time to partake but beyond the temple, there are boat rides, cultural shows, and scenic viewpoints of the coastline.

On our last day in Thailand, we reflect on all we have experienced in this country and conclude the memories have been absolutely incredible!

“H” is for Heartland (Thailand)

Posted on March 26, 2026April 8, 2026 by Debbie

The term heartland refers to an area which is “essential to the viability and survival of the whole. By concentrating resources and focusing on economic and political self- sufficiency, the area serves to become impervious to attack.”

For our 5^th and 6^th day we are docked in Leam Chebang overnight. It is nearly 2 hours from the major city of Bangkok. Some people have gone to Bangkok for the two days. The ship tour was mostly focused on food (not our thing), so we are on two, private, day tours instead and as a bonus we get to return to the ship to sleep and eat…no repacking! We have chosen to split our adventures between the cities of Bangkok and Pattaya, to try to experience as much variety as we can. (More on our Pattaya adventure soon). Our guide for the two days is called Pooh. She exudes happiness and it instantly sets the tone for the time our group of 8 people, will spend with her. From the moment we begin our drive to Bangkok she keeps us busy, trying different Thai snacks and pointing out interesting things to see along the way.

We watch in awe as the motorbikes navigate the busy roadways, weaving between busses, nearly disappearing under the wheels., riding knee to knee with other motorbikes and scooters. This is the most common form of transportation and there appear to be few rules of the road., except to read the expressions of the drivers and feel the rhythm of the traffic. There are no horns used in Thailand, it is considered offensive. Traffic is as automatic as a a heartbeat. Sometimes entire families ride on a single motorbike., We saw newborns strapped to their mothers, a child holding her dog, The industrial area seemed to stretch from the port all the way to Bangkok. We passed time by noting the differences between our home and Thailand. We marveled at the massive excess cables coiled on poles, meant to quickly restore electricity to the cities. Not one person asked “Are we there yet” on the two hour journey!

Bangkok is home to 10 million people, the undisputed heartland of Thailand, serving as its primary political, economic and cultural center and it was our destination for this day. The 12 hour experience was a complete sensory thrill and a photographer’s paradise. Everything in Thailand is colorful. As we approached, the city, gleamed with skyscrapers built alongside ancient temples. Everywhere I looked seemed to be either sparkling, white or gold. There are over 30,000 temples throughout Thailand so you never have to look far to find the next one! We would be visiting four locations today and I expected to fall in love with this country even more than I had in 2023.

Our first stop was the Royal Grand Palace. I am going to have to revisit each place on different posts for an in depth explanation of the significance, to do each area justice.

The Royal Grand Palace represents one of the most important places in all of Thailand. Construction began in 1782 under King Rama I. The palace would serve as the official residence of kings until 1925. During this period it was not only an administrative site but also the religious capital of Thailand. Rather than being a single structure, the Grand Palace is comprised of numerous buildings, halls and pavilions set around open lawns, gardens and courtyards.

As we strolled through the site we tried to picture it when it was home to thousands of guards, princesses and servants. There were so many people who called this home, that it was once referred to as a city within a city. Today, over eight million people a year visit to see this spectacular architectural wonder!

By the early 20^th century, more palaces had been built around the country. Although the Kingdom had already started moving away from the Bangkok Palace, the end of the monarchy in 1932 was the last time the Royal Grand Palace was used as a home.

Our next stop was the Royal Temple , which is actually a chapel, within the Royal Grand Palace. It has all the features of a temple, except for living quarters for the monks. This sacred space holds the Emerald Buddha, which has been located here since 1784 but it is much older than that and traveled around the country for years, working miracles. When the Royal Grand Palace was built, King Rama I created a special temple to house it. With the reverence given to this Buddha I expected a massive figure. The green colored statue is only 26 inches tall but sits atop a 29.5 foot high pedestal! He is not emerald in color at all, but rather a deep green, likely carved from jade or jasper. He has 3 outfits, made of gold, which are changed seasonally by the current King, The Emerald Buddha is one of the few Buddha’s in the country which may not be photographed, except from the doorway of the temple. In the Thai culture, bowing is a customary way of showing respect. I had a very special experience as my tour guide showed me how to correctly bow and accept Buddha’s positive energy. The Thai people believe the figure brings prosperity to their nation. It was very moving to partake in a ritual so personal to the Thai people.

After a couple of hours, we made our way to Wat Phra Chetuphon (Wat Pho) to see the Reclining Buddha. It was very similar to the one we had seen in Phuket. The massive Buddha is housed inside one of the buildings as part of a whole temple complex. Wat Pho is actually the oldest temple complex in all of Bangkok. In fact, it was here before Bangkok itself! After the old capital was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767, King Rama I would expand the temple to add artifacts moved from Ayutthaya (the former capital).

In the early 19^th century, Rama III would again expand the temple to help grow Thailand’s first university. The Reclining Buddha now lies in a building that was constructed around the same time.

The image of Buddha lying down is meant to represent his final moments on earth, when he enters the state of nirvana.

As we were immersing deeper into the cultural side of the city. the morning slipped slipped into afternoon . Next we stepped onto a long tail boat…another new mode of transportation to add to our ever-growing list of ways to travel. A long tailed boat is basically a canoe with a roof and powered by a common automotive engine. They are steered with a long paddle.

Canals (khlongs) were originally established to transport goods. These busy waterways are still used today. The first canals were dug in the late 18^th century when Rattanakosin (now Bangkok) became the capital of Thailand. The canals were created by digging a wide trench, which linked to the Chao Phraya River. More canals followed and became important, not just for the defense purposes but also for irrigation, drainage, trade and transportation. By the 19^th century, Bangkok had developed a big canal network with hundreds of kilometers of waterways. It is during this period that the canals became known as the Venice of the East.

During the 20^th century, the city expanded but shifted its focus to building new roads, rather than canals. They are still used, they just hold less importance now that there are roadways.

The canal trip was a perfect juxtaposition to the busy city and temples. The water was filthy and life was happening all around us. Giant monitor lizards basked in the sun and egrets stood motionless waiting for a fish to happen by. Houses built on stilts were often seen crumbling alongside ornate properties built of teak. Along the canal, vendors hawked food and goods from passing boats and my camera simply couldn’t take it all in. Our tour guide passed out what appeared to be brightly colored Cheeto’s, which we fed to the thousands of catfish occupying the murky waters. The gaping mouths and thrashing bodies startled many of the guests., causing them to lean to one side of the longboat, which in turn shifted the balance. For so many reasons, this was not a waterway I wanted to be dumped into!

Our last stop for today would be in the Flower Market. It was super hot and half of our group chose to stay in the van, missing one of the most beautiful parts of the tour. We had arrived here at the end of the day, so the stalls were less full and the market was less busy. Still, the market was very impressive. As we watch a weathered garland maker ply her wares outside a five star hotel, I am once again struck at how past, present and future blend harmoniously, It is thought that the flower markets evolved from the fish industry. The flowers were brought in to cover the strong odors. Eventually the flowers came to become their own market, providing service to the temples and villagers alike, so now instead of fish, there are garlands on ice and it seems every color of flower on earth was represented. Many of the elaborate flower arrangements are created as alter pieces and sold to the wholesale market. As our guide walked us through the market, jasmine infused the air, creating a complete sensory experience to our day.

Our guide taught the 4 of us braving the heat, how to fold a lotus to reveal the flower. I purchased a small bouquet to bring back to our cabin. As is the Thai way, our guide was secretly purchasing jasmine garlands for all of us, a blessing of sorts and a special treat for the others in our group who had sat out the flower market.

It was nearly 7pm by the time we were back on board the ship. Bangkok had been a photographers playground with robed monks, tuk tuks, sparking temples, colorful boats and flower markets.

It had been a perfect day and I had a new bouquet of flowers to go in our room! I had even brought a collapsible vase specifically for this moment. The garland gift was hung on our wall and would grace our cabin for many days, the scents and beauty reminding us of the lovely Thai people we had met, beckoning us to return to the heartland for more.

CruiseTip:

You can bring fresh flowers on to the ship, you just can’t take any agricultural products off the ship.

“G” is for Gorgeous (Thailand)

Posted on March 25, 2026March 28, 2026 by Debbie

“Good Morning World’, I think, as I stepped onto our balcony at 6am this morning. I have come out to watch the sun rise over the Gulf of Thailand, I am once again filled with gratitude at being in this place, at this moment, with the man I love. I am not a morning person but Pacific sunrises (and sunsets) are simply gorgeous and shouldn’t be missed.

Our first stop on the cruise was in Koh Samui, Thailand. While this large island might have been interesting to explore, we knew we needed nature following our five city days in Singapore. We have been at sea for the past two days, which has begun to relax us. Our ship is anchored off shore today, which means we need to take a “tender” to go ashore. Most of the time tenders are the lifeboats. Today we are on beautiful double decker, wooden boats. Of course I forgot to take a picture!

Tip:

One of our die hard, self imposed rules for tender ports, is to only take shore excursions offered by the ship. Sometimes it takes a while to get everyone transferred to shore, this can delay tours unexpectedly. We were once two hours late to a private tour, due to tender malfunctions. Having a ship sponsored tour, guarantees the ship will wait for our return, even if we get held up. The ship doesn’t wait for those passengers delayed on private tours.

One would think that Alan and I would be ready to set foot on land for a while, but oh no, we stepped off our cruise ship directly on to a high speed boat with 3 noisy outboard engines! For the next hour we would move rapidly toward our destination, which was Angthong Bay Marine Park. Thankfully I had done my research and brought earplugs for both of us. The windows were too high to watch out of and the boat was too fast to stand, so mostly we just watched people for an hour. We had chosen the back of the boat so we could take pictures as we passed interesting formations. I saw a few fish leaping out of the water and a beautiful junk boat but that was it until we arrived at the islands.

I never really understand the value of hair and makeup, when we are doing water activities. Old habits die hard and even though it made no sense, I went to the effort, Alan had started my day with a simple word as he proclaimed my efforts gorgeous. The light must be shining in his eyes again but I am grateful for his encouragement. We decided to make this our “G” word for the day. How many things could we find that were simply gorgeous?

By 10:30 am, I was over the side of the boat and under water, hair, makeup and aging body be damned! As I age, I am becoming more aware of the value of time and opportunities and worry less about societal rules of perfection. No one on this excursion would remember what I looked like by tomorrow but I would carry the memories of this day for a lifetime. Tiny treasures to tuck away in my memories. I am always in my most perfect element when I am looking for marine life, so I quickly focused on enjoying the experience. For the next 30 minutes I happily searched for the bright blue Parrotfish and other aquatic life which had the potential to live here but like many of the places overrun by tourism, the marine life was less than interesting. The coral reefs had little to offer as more than 100 people jumped into the water and the hopeful experience of seeing a sea turtle quickly faded. Still I find it impossible to find anything bad about any time spent in tropical waters. So I gave my gratitude for being here at all. I think I indeed whispered “Gorgeous” to the few colorful fish who did make their appearance. Alan prefers his feet on land, so he took a quick dip to cool off, then watched me from the boat. We had about 45 minutes at this location. This was the first time I needed a life jacket. Somewhere between last year and this, I have lost my strength. There was a current which was quickly tiring me out but it was another reminder to do this stuff while we are “younger”.

By noon we were back on board for another high speed trip, as we were transported to Ko Mae Ko Island. The 15 minute boat ride did little to let my aging body recover in preparation for short hike (1000 feet straight up) to see the islands main attraction, also known as Blue Lagoon. Beauty was everywhere as we made the 1000 foot hike , straight up, through the verdant green rainforest, to discover that Blue Lagoon was really emerald green, a result of the limestone leaching into the water. The hidden lagoon seemed like something from a picture book. Was I overusing the term gorgeous today? Perhaps, but it had seemed like the perfect word choice for all which we were experiencing and the breathtaking beauty of it all left few better words to describe it.

This is what we had come for. We chose this 7 hour excursion for these amazing views. From this elevated vantage, we could now see many of the 42 islands of the Angthong Bay Marine Park. I thought the day couldn’t get any better. Surely we had reached the pinnacle of this excursion. Just as my makeup and hair had been washed away to reveal my raw self, today we had pushed our bodies and peeled back the layers of endurance to find raw beauty in this natural unspoiled place. Unfortunately we also only had 30 minutes here before we had to be back on the speedboat. There had been enough time for an ice cream to help us cool down from the extreme heat and humidity.

Our physical efforts of the morning were rewarded with a more gentle ride to Phaluai Island for a Thai style lunch. Of course I had packed snacks for Alan and I because some things are best being just the way they are and food preference was something I had learned to quit fighting him on years ago! I also didn’t trust the hygiene of this remote place. Lunch looked very good but Alan and I chose to go for a long walk instead. We were able to see many flowers and fruits such as Mango, jack fruit and bananas growing naturally.

Soon our adventure came to an end. We were back on board our speedboat where we had another 30 minutes of taking in the amazing limestone formations before heading back to our ship. I was afraid we weren’t going to make it. There were problems with all 3 engines, which kept skipping and stalling the entire hour of the journey. Due to the current disruptions with Iran, there are major fuel shortages in this part of the world. We couldn’t tell if it was bad gas or a fuel line problem, or both. We eventually arrived back at the tender port in Koh Samui where we again boarded the wooden boat for another 20 minute ride back to the ship.

Back on board the Princess Coral, we finished our evening with dinner at the buffet as we took in another stunning sunset. The day had been flawless. I looked across at my amazing husband. We’ve been married for 43 years, it is not uncommon for us to think with one brain and speak with one voice. “Gorgeous” we proclaim at the same time. as we read each others minds We begin to laugh at our spontaneous message of gratitude for this place, this moment and this time in our lives. Sometimes one word is all it takes to set the tone for the entire day.

“A” is for Asia

Posted on March 16, 2026March 23, 2026 by Debbie

After over a year of planning, we are off! Today we set the course for our next adventure. We are embarking on a 25 day cruise, with 10 additional days of land travel. We will have 5 days in Singapore before the cruise and 5 days after, in Tokyo. In between we will visit Thailand, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.

When Alan retired, we made a commitment to see all 7 of the continents before he turned 70 . Asia was the fourth continent on our bucket list. We still have South America and Antarctica to do. Technically Alan had fulfilled the Asia goal the year before he met me. In 1980, he took a 6 week training course in Japan. I too have fulfilled my Asia continent goal, while traveling on a portion of the World Cruise in 2023.

On that trip we met so many widows who hadn’t made it to their 50^th Anniversary, with their spouses. We also met many people who had become infirmed by illness or injury before they turned 70. We decided to do our long distance traveling with as much speed as financial resources and health would allow.

Just six weeks ago we returned home from a trip to England. The known stressors that we would be facing on that journey, had made us move up to business class. If you know anything about us, it is that we are very frugal. Business class is not a luxury we have never indulged in, until recently. As soon as we completed that flight to England, we instantly began to search if we could upgrade for the Asia trip (our longest flight yet). Alan realized we had some unused mileage points and combined with a good flight sale, it made the tickets attainable. These two bodies are not as young as they once were and this extra space and the ability to lay down means that we will hopefully arrive to our destination refreshed and ready to start our vacation.

When going on a long cruise, we don’t travel light, we pack for comfort and convenience, which means we likely bring too many things. On this trip, we have 4 suitcases (2 large and 2 medium) and our carry-ons. For clothing, I have my list pretty well established and I could probably get by with a single suitcase. It is the room organization, which takes up so much space in our luggage (as I said, comfort and convenience). You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you I am carrying laundry pods, paper plates, snacks and a full service first aid and medical kit, but I am! I will share more about our packing lists on another post. Normally we buy these things at our starting port when flying, but they will be a little more difficult to source in Singapore, so we have them in the luggage.

The other benefits to flying business class, are that we are able to take 70lbs per suitcase. I don’t recommend this, as ultimately it will be us who is lugging the cases around. For the benefit of others, we still try to stick to the 50 lb rule. My cases for this trip have all come in around 40-45 pounds and we will be shedding many consumable items as we travel.

We had been so incredibly prepared for this trip. I began packing about six weeks ago, just after we returned from England. Weeding out the things we didn’t need and adding in a few new things we did, such as a snorkel and mask. What I hadn’t counted on was a freak snowstorm to disrupt our plans. When we saw the storm was expected to dump 2-3 feet of snow, Alan changed our flight plan to leave a day early (Sunday). The airline cancelled those plans on Saturday morning and re-booked us on the original Monday flight from Traverse City to Chicago. By then it looked like travel would be impossible, the airline just hadn’t realized it yet. With about 15 minutes notice, Alan decided to hire a rental car in Traverse City and gave me 2 hours to be ready to go. It was the last car available! This was Saturday night, just hours before the storm was due to begin but still nearly forty hours before our connecting flight in Chicago. I’m pleased to say that I had the car loaded in record time! My organization had really paid off. We closed down the house and set off for our six hour commute to Chicago.

In the interest of time, I will detail our journey to Chicago in a different post but needless to say we made our flight bound for Tokyo, roughly on time (Monday morning). We were delayed an hour as they de-iced the plane, twice. It is a 13 hour flight with a 3 hour layover, then we will travel another 7 hours on to Singapore.

The meal on the flight was a choice of Asian or Western cuisine which on All Nippon Air means we still only had a choice of a variety of fish based items. Knowing how fussy we are for “basic” foods, we had stocked up on Subway Sandwiches! Our hope was that we could eat these for our dinner. I think it will be terribly amusing when we pull these out, in Business Class. It gave my mother a chuckle to hear we have a cooler with us. This too is part of our cruise supplies. We love creating impromptu picnics in port (or on a plane).

At 4:30pm local time, we landed at Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan. We were now officially in ASIA!

We will have just a two hour layover, since we are a little late. Once again we will be taking advantage of the International Lounge. While sitting in the lounge, we spent some time dreaming about the countries we would see on this trip…Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.

We keep pinching ourselves that we are actually here and beginning this Asia adventure.

By the time we set off for Singapore, our old butts were really beginning to drag. While only 6:30 pm local time, it was now 4:30 am our time. We still had a 7 1/2 hour flight to our final destination. Our only goal on this last leg was to sleep.

We arrived in Singapore at 1am local time. With the 12 hour time difference we were now pushing our 27 hour window. With the stress of the additional travel days, we were ready for our hotel.

When we travel, we take each section in bite size chunks. We still had Customs and Immigration to clear and our past experience with Singapore had not been pleasant, they are notorious for long lines. Three days before we set off, we were required to complete our visa online. With the significant time change this meant we did it in the hotel before setting off for the flight. The new digital entry has now made the whole process relatively stress free and fast.

After picking up our bags (which thankfully had all made it), we were met by our pre-arranged taxi driver and whisked away to our hotel. In 20 minutes we were there. In 45 minutes we were checked into our room and in bed. The time is now nearing 3 a.m., which was 3 p.m. at home. We have a full day of adventures planned “today”, so we need to get a few more hours of sleep before we set off. Goodnight or good morning, depending on where you are in the world! Welcome to our Asian Adventure!