Our time in Bangkok has been good, Pat got in lots of nights at the blues club and dental work, I got Thai massages and acupuncture. Of course we ate lots of good Thai food for pennies everyday. The streets are so alive here with adhock food booths and carts filling the sidewalks and alleys. Every meal is a taste treat.
We took several trips out of town in the last 2 weeks. Visiting Phetchaburi by a 4 hour train ride, we were exposed to a much more relaxed pace of life. Old shophouses and wats (Buddhist temples where monks live), built in the 1700’s, dot the small town and as sweets are the town specialty every other food stand had tempting brightly colored rice treats with various forms of sugar liberally applied.
Next we visited Hua Hin, a beach resort with nearby coastal birding and kiteboarding. Pat was interested in checking out the kiting and found it a happening spot. With wind most of the year, warm water and smaller waves this could prove to be a good place to spend time. There were lots of Thais on the beach as this is a popular weekend
getaway from Bangkok.
After a few days back in Bangkok for some crown replacements we headed north 2 hrs by train to visit Ayutthaya, a former Khmer stronghold built in the 1400’s then sacked by Burmese invaders in 1767. Most of the buildings have been reconstructed by foreign groups, so we could see the temples and stupas from this old island capital of Thailand ( Siam). Riding bikes around to the various sites and taking a river cruise to see some of the out of the way sites was really nice. Every thing was so green this time of year with lots of rain it made for cooler weather and a beautiful 2 days
After 25 hours of travel from Denver (20 degrees) to Thailand (85 degrees) we arrived fairly rested. Pat started on his dental work the next day and we got down to the business of eating great Thai food. Having aThai massage everyday ($15/ 1 1/2 hr treatment) is a real treat too. The rainy season is ending but there has still been lots of rain here. The 2ed day’s rain fall broke all records for the last 30 years. The rains keep the temperature down thankfully. Lots of flooding of the streets too. Thailand is preparing for the cremation ceremony for their king ( who died 1 year ago). This is a major 2 day event with lots of pomp and ceremony. Traveling around by water taxi, sky train and subway gets better every time we are here. A new project that is underway is a refurbishing of the small canals ( klongs). Moving around with mass transit is so pleasant on the water. While Pat is at the dentist I’ve been taking Thai cooking classes. I’ve really enjoyed these forays into Thai food. 
Are plans include basing ourselves in Thailand and then visiting India, Vietnam, and Indonesia. We may go other places if the urge strikes. We leave a bag in Bangkok and return periodically to get different types of gear. Most guesthouses have a stored luggage room. I will try to post every 2 weeks. You can check in whenever you want to see if I may have posted more. Have a great winter whatever you do.
Adventure Traveling with Janet and Pat 