Author: Troy Knight

We are waiting for a trip to the airport and a plane to Houston.  Here are a few pictures around the hotel where we finished up our fabulous trip.

Our last day in China was cold and rainy and not an ideal day for visiting the famous Wall. Our guide threw his weight around and managed to get us fairly close to the entrance and saved us a slippery cold walk. Troy and I went through several levels and turned around because it was so foggy that we could not get any pictures so mainly we can say that we have been on the wall. After a traditional lunch we visited they Tombs of the Ming Dynasty and a long trip back to the city. Beijing is very beautiful this spring. All of the esplanades are covered with roses, inpatients, fox gloves and marigolds. The city is far less austere than I remember it. We will leave China tomorrow with many sweet memories of these beautiful countries and more especially of the beautiful people that we have met along they way. Troy and I will hold both closely for a long time.

Our trip is coming to an end and every day we fall in love with the country we are visiting and our fellow travelers. We forget that we have so much freedom. Google, Facebook and newspapers and magazines are simply not available. We got a few English language stations in our room, but I doubt that these are readily available to the average Chinese citizens. They have some of the some complaints that we have in our own country, but are reluctant to discuss them. Taxes, non citizens who break the law, heavy traffic, over crowded cities are top on their list. They have an ancient wall, but it does not keep everyone out. Around Tiennamen the Chinese wanted to take our picture, wanted to pose with us as we took their picture and proved to be delightful. The Forbidden city was imposing and mysterious, but the greatest part of the day was Japanese food shared with our new friends. Tomorrow we head to the Great Wall and more of this wonderful country.

Our visit to Thailand ended with a visit to Pattaya, a beautiful beach resort founded by GI’s after WWII ended. Our hotel on the Gulf of Thailand gave everyone on the tour a chance to relax after a wonderful, but crowded schedule. First stop was a gorgeous pool with two dolphins caught forever in a diving pose and beautiful Thai ladies and their gentlemen friends posed in tradition costumes around the pool. The best part was adult beverages and a hot oil massage by the beach. We had extra time in this paradise before returning to Bangkok and a long crowded five hour flight to Beijing. Our arrival was not fun. We were told that we did not need a visa to enter China for the brief time we plan to be here. However a rather surly official send about ha of our group to apply from a temporary and unnecessary visa. One young woman was near hysterical imagining her fate at the hands of the Chinese. Troy and I were just perturbed. Very few of us had visas, but the luck of the draw sent us to a narrow minded beaurocrat. This little foray delayed us well over an hour and with was about 4AM before arriving at our hotel. A little rest and we were off to the Forbidden City.

Ayuuthaya has long been the summer home of the King of Thailand. I can imagine His Majesty with his retinue boarding a Royal Barge and setting off from Bangkok for the serenity of what has become a beautiful UNESCO site. This was at one time a golden city until Burmese soldiers in 1767 burned the city and took off with the gold. Now it is a city of temples, temple ruins and Bang Pa the summer palace. Our group what finished most of the tour of the gardens when a summer thunder storm sent us running for shelter under a partially covered gazebo. This storm did not pass over quickly and we sought shelter in the gift shop. A final stop at temple ruins and we checked into out hotel. Outside our window the river tells a story all its one. Royal barges have been replaced with modern ones, pleasure boats and sanpans share the space. Lovely homes back up to it and a modern highway crosses over it bring Thais, tourist and even the King when he comes here for a rest. This evening a tuktuk ride to the night market for a supper for street food and a final visits to Wat Phutthaisawan to listen to the monks chant was the end to a wonderful day.

Our journey today took us from Bangkok to a national park that contains a memorial cemetery to men who gave their lives fighting the Japanese in Thailand. We stopped at this well tended memorial to give honour to these men. British, Australians, and Dutch soldiers and sailors have memorial stones in this place. All American bodies were returned to the USA. Particularly poignant was the stone memorialising a sixteen year old Dutch sailor. Australians left small koalas and Aussie flags. One British stone had a small crocheted poppy. Tiny flags of the three nations waved over a number of the sites. Two twenty year olds in our group had no idea what was significant about this place, while another was moved to tears. I think this is understandable but sad, because the young ones only think of WWII and the Holocaust. Afterward we had the opportunity of walking across the Kwai on the Bridge. It was a solemn experience for all of us much like a visit to Arlington.

This mornings adventure was a bit more subdued that yesterday’s. The group was driving to the country side to see how the people live. Salt is ready for harvest in the marshy waters and coconuts are also ready. We also had a chance to visit an orchid farm. Flowers are very important to Thai culture and they are everywhere. Exotic orchids , Pride of Barbados, Bougainvillea and the ever present marigold, bloom happily along side zinnias and Mexican petunias. We were ferried in a long tailed boat down a series of canals and saw how people really live in this area. Houses sit alongside the canal, laundry hangs in the sun to dry, old men watch the boat traffic and old women sell various goods from their boats. Soft drinks, water, beer, coconut pancakes, coconut ice cream, fried bananas, satay, mangoes, hats and fans are all there to buy. Lunch was an assortment soups, rice, fish, pork and chicken. Fresh pineapple juice decorated with an orchid and the ever present watermelon for desert. Tomorrow we leave for the River Kwai.

Yesterday Troy and I visited the famous Wat Pho Temple which is also home to the world famous Wat Pho Massage School. We booked a massage for eight and two women came to our hotel. We wondered how they were going to fit tables into the room and boy were we surprised. They covered the bed with padding had us remove our clothing and they went to work. They climbed onto the bed with us and we had the massage of a life time. For two hours they worked on feet, legs, back and then turned us over and began with the head and started working down. Forehead, ears, neck and shoulders. Arms and fingers knees and toes as the old story goes. Troy immediately fell asleep and started a gentle snore. The girls giggled. My therapist would tackled a painful spot, I would resist, she would insist and when I obeyed, she would giggle. In fact there were faint giggles from them all of the time. When we had turned to mush, she moved us to a sitting position on the end of the bed gave us one last pounding on the back, collected their $40 and quietly left. Their fee was actually $32 but we were in a generous mood. Breakfast conversation this morning was all about how wonderful the unexpected can be.

PHOTOGRAPHS FOR THIS BLOG HAVE BEEN CENSORED!!!!!