Monthly Archives: November 2015

We are on our way back from our trip to the Himalayas and as always it’s the story of the people we met and the guides we got to know that complete the story of our trip.  We have seen more Buddhas than we can count and visited numerous fascinating temples and stupas  Over time, these places will probably all run together in our mind but the stories of the people on our trip will stick with us for a long time.

Our guide in Bangkok, Sarah, taught us about “sticking together like sticky rice” as we toured the crowded city of Bangkok.  She also conveyed the importance of family and multi-generations caring for one another in her country.  We spent extra time with her and got to know all about her life at home and as a tour guide; how she refused to get married when her father wanted her to put her in an arranged marriage and how she is embarrassed by the color of her skin.  She thinks it is too dark and it makes her look like working-class.  We, of course, tried to tell her that most people around the world would never judge her that way.

Nima was our guide in Bhutan and he exemplified the people of Bhutan with his jovial nature, his devout spiritualism, and his mischievous sense of humor!  He went out of his way to get to know us and was so proud of his country and the democracy that he lives in.  The Bhutanese are extremely devout people and they seem to practice what they believe.  They are kind and loving towards their elders as well as with each other.  Bhutan was such a special place.   Not only was the scenery spectacular but the people and their smiles will be with us forever.

We only had a few hours in Nepal but we had a wonderful encounter with a woman who sold us some singing bowls.  She was very interested in meeting us and talking to us about our life in California and our children.  As we left, she asked us to keep her in our dreams so that one day she could visit the United States.  ( She might also have loved us because Brad is — intentionally — the worst barterer known to man and we probably payed double the price she would have settled for!)

 

 
We felt most like tourists in China and, unfortunately, didn’t get to know our guide very well.  She clearly had a speech that she was supposed to give the tourists and stuck to that.  The other bus, however, had a young woman who told them all kinds of personal stories and she was very open with them.  The most compelling story was about how her parents had to send her sister away for five years when she was born because of the one-child rule.  Her sister has never really been able to assimilate with the family and has had many  mental health issues as she has grown up.  China has just adopted a new law to allow two children in the family as their population is starting to age and decline.  The law should go into effect in January and we heard a lot about what the changes may mean to their country.

We were warned before we went to Tibet that we wouldn’t be allowed to ask any questions to our guide in public about the Chinese and we were strictly forbidden to take pictures of the police and the airport.  We were also told that we wouldn’t be allowed on any social media, Google, or our blog.  Katie said it would be good for us to be off of social media for a while but it is one thing to willingly choose to not go on Facebook or Twitter, it’s quite another thing when it is forbidden.  The Paris Tragedy happened while we were in Tibet and we felt very isolated not being able to read about it or hear the U.S. perspective from the New York Times or Wall Street Journal.  (That was also the day I wanted to hop back on a plane and go home and hug the girls! It’s hard to be that far from home when a tragedy hits.)

Our guide in Tibet had a lovely disposition about him.  He was patient and friendly and told us all about life in Tibet.  His country is slowly being assimilated into the Chinese culture and he says in twenty years there will be no Tibet left.  He did acknowledge that there have been great improvements in their transportation and educational systems under Chinese rule.  Hearing about our guide’s lack of freedoms made us appreciate all of the little things we take for granted in the United States.  From his inability to get a passport to having no say in the political process to having to watch what he says in public, his life has very strict limitations.  The newer Communist part of Tibet is not very attractive with identical, plain buildings and apartment houses lining the streets.  The old Tibet is full of life, culture and interesting shops.  It is sad to think that the real Tibet will slowly disappear.

We were especially taken by the number of pilgrims that filled the streets of Tibet.  The pilgrims make a spiritual journey to the Dali Llama’s palace and to the other temples of Tibet.  They can be seen circum-ambulating (walking clockwise) around the temples chanting and using their prayer beads.  They also do spiritual prostrations in front of the temples and statues.  (It sort of looks like a burpee)  We really felt like we stepped back in time when we witnessed the pilgrims throughout the city of Lhasa.

Our most unique memory of Tibet is of hiking down to a nunnery and getting our jendu blessed.  A jendu is a bright, colorful macrame’d object.  We saw them in the market and thought they looked like great Christmas ornaments for the girls.  Little did we know that once we bought them we had to get them blessed by a nun or a monk in order for them to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits.  We got lucky at the convent when the nuns welcomed us in and were willing to bless our jendu.  All of the women were smiling and chanting.  They encouraged us to sit with them and included us in a ritual of holy water and more chanting.  The head nun put barley seeds in a bag to go with our jendu to give us prosperity.  At one point in the ceremony, I closed my eyes and just listened to the sound of 40 nuns chanting and thought to myself I will remember this sound at every yoga and meditation class I go to for the rest of my life.

But the most compelling story of the trip is that of our trip leader, Rakesh.  Rakesh took care of our group’s every need with his attention to detail and compassionate nature.  He is by far the best trip leader we have ever had with our group trips.  Rakesh lives in Khatmandu with his wife and nine month old son. He was born Buddhist, learned Hinduism, and went to a Catholic school.  His parents own a souvenir shop in Khatmandu but he wanted to do more so he trained to be a guide at base camp for Mt. Everest.  He eventually learned the hard way that he didn’t do so well at high altitudes and became a tour leader in Nepal and the other Himalayan countries.  Although Rakesh was looking forward to being reunited with his family when this trip was over, he let us know he was also sad and frustrated with the standard of living in Nepal.  There is currently a gas and oil blockage in Nepal because the Nepal govenment and India cannot come to agreement on the details of the new Nepal constitution.   The blockade has been going on for two months and he will have to wait two days in line in order to get gas for his family.  He is also worried that he won’t have enough heat this winter because of the blockade and because they had a low monsoon season that didn’t create enough hydro-electricity for the country.  He made sure that we noticed how empty the streets were because no one had enough gas to drive their cars or motor scooters.   He also pointed out the tent cities where people are still living after the destruction of the earthquake last spring.  Tourism (his bread and butter) is way down since the earthquake because the country does not have the infrastructure rebuilt for tourists yet.  This fact already hurts a weak economy like Nepal that depends on money from tourism.   Rakesh questioned whether it is better to be free and have to fight for necessities or if it would be better to lose their sovereignty to India or China in exchange for a better standard of living.  We wish the best for our friend Rakesh and hope to keep in touch with him and his family.  We will certainly be paying attention to the news in Nepal and their oil and gas  and earthquake recovery situation when we get back home.  

 
 Before we sign off from this blog, we have to finish with some of the more personal stories of travelling to the Himalayas.  These are in no particular order.

Altitude is real!  Although we had no real issues with living at 12,000 feet we did have the weirdest dreams every night. Also, watch out how much wine you drink on the Farewell Dinner at high altitude…It will catch up with you later.

Yak Meat is Chewy!  Brad tried it in all forms…Steak, hamburger, tongue, possibly ear.  It’s all chewy.

Pushing happens.

Monks carry iphones.  They can download their chants in their native language on them.  Yes, there’s an App for that.  We may have even seen a few of the younger monks texting while chanting.

Western toilets are the best invention ever!  The women in the group were toilet-challenged frequently.  The Western toilets (or the elderly and disabled toilets as they are called in Tibet) were few and far between and we had many interesting experiences waiting in line in the restrooms.  Enough said.

Although Brad didn’t get detained by security for an apple on this trip, he did lose his camera in the back seat of a taxi in Tibet.  This caused quite a stir with our tour guides which led to a brief meeting with Brad and the Tibetan police.  I don’t know if our friends at home had an “over-under” bet going with whether Brad might have an encounter with the police.  Well, it happened and somebody in Tibet is enjoying a really nice camera with all of our pictures on it.

Buddhism is complicated and varied.  Every country observes a different form of Buddhism and their belief systems are complicated. There are some universal truths that will stick with us, however.  Do all things in moderation, show compasssion to all living beings, and make your own way by your actions. ….And you probably don’t want to come back as an insect in your next life.

Karma is real and leads to a better after-life.  I have become a true believer because my astrologer in Bhutan told me so! (Of course, the fact I was a God at one time means I better work on my Karma so I can get back to that status some day.)

Group travel is so much more fun than going solo.  Our group of seven couples were from all over the U.S. and Canada.  Most were well-traveled and all were up for every adventure. We hit it off from the first day and we would travel with every one of these people again!

Having elections and the freedom to vote and make choices is a good thing even in this crazy election season with twenty-some candidates and sound-bite politics.  We should never take it for granted.

On our Farewell dinner, we went around the table talking about our favorite moments.  We each had some special conversations and memories.  I summed it up by saying that I am a different person than I was two weeks ago; appreciative of our home and freedoms in the U.S., humbled by the belief systems of the Asian people, and grateful to get a chance to experience travel to this beautiful, spiritual part of the world with such a great group of people.  

   
   

The final stop on our Himalayan journey was Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.  Lhasa sits at 12,000 feet above sea level.  While Lisa and I have hiked higher, we have never stayed at this altitude for any length of time. Breathing isn’t an optional activity, so, we were wondering how things would transpire.  As it turned out, we acclimated quickly, so, other than a few strange dreams (sleeping at altitude is an adventure), we had a great time exploring this remote land on the doorstep to the highest mountains in the world.

Tibet was “liberated” by China in 1959.  This forced the Dalai Lama — the governmental and religious leader of Tibet –to flee to India.  He hasn’t been able to return since.  During Mao’s “Cultural Revolution” in the 60’s and 70’s, many of the cultural and religious buildings, monuments, and relics were destroyed. China believes that Tibet is a part of their country, the Tibetans feel very differently, although they are not allowed to express those views.  There is still a clear feeling of Chinese occupation in the region and police and military vehicles are part of the landscape.

The political climate notwithstanding, we were fascinated by the deep history and culture here.  And, while the landscape was far different than we expected (more Southern Utah than Colorado), it was beautiful.

 

 
One of the few historical buildings that wasn’t destroyed during the Cultural Revolution was the Potala Palace — the Dalai Lama’s Winter Palace.  This huge complex was built in 1645 by the Fifth Dalai Lama (the current one is the 14th).  Parts of it, however, are over 1500 years old.  It housed governmental officials, religious leaders, and monks.  This amazing facility was visible out the window of our hotel room.  And, it was our first stop during our tour of Lhasa.

 

  
   
We then visited the Jokhang Monastery in the old town of Lhasa.  Surrounding old town, the Chinese have built scores of poorly designed concrete apartment buildings.  In the old town one can see the way Lhasa used to appear.  The buildings have beautiful windows and form interior courtyards where many apartments form a community. They also share, uh, facilities.  One to a floor.  

When devout Buddhists pilgrims make their way to Tibet, they circumambulate (walk around — always clockwise) the religious buildings.  We saw many people circumambulating the Jokhang monastery.  In addition to walking around, old town was a great place to shop for Tibetan merchandise.  

 

  
 
 
We had the privilege of meeting one of the most prominent Buddhist doctors in Tibet.  He gave us a lecture on Easten medicine.  It was fascinating.  And, while I can’t pretend to understand everything he said, he summed up his thoughts on healthy living like this:  Prevention first.  Take care of yourself, eat right and exercise.  Second, there is a place for both Eastern and Western medicine.  He was not the type that rejected science.  And finally, everything in moderation leads to the best outcome.  I’ve always taught this to our girls.  People who take anything to the extreme generally aren’t very healthy.

 

 
We finished our first evening with a traditional meal cooked in a Tibetan hot pot. It is a little like fondue cooked in broth — except you cook yak.  Delicious — but chewy.  I learned, through experience, that all yak is chewy.  I even had a yak burger for lunch one day. Have you ever had a chewy burger?  I have. Afterwards, Lisa and I decided we had to have hot pots for home. The next day we searched old town for them and finally found them on a side street (thanks, Bryan, for your eagle shopping eye). We bought two beautiful hand made copper pots.  They are  crudely crafted by the store owner, which makes them very endearing to us.  Come over some time and we’ll cook a delicious hot pot meal for you. But, we probably won’t include yak on the menu. If I haven’t mentioned yet, it’s chewy.

 

 
The new hot pots, however, turned out to be a very expensive purchase.  You see, I seemed to have left our camera in the cab. Rats.  That is why the photos you see in this blog edition are credited to others — mostly Bryan Pearson who graciously downloaded his photo card to my iPad.

The next morning we hiked up to a monastery in the mountains.  What a beautiful hike.  By now we were well acclimated and didn’t have any trouble getting to the 13,200 feet-above-sea-level landmark.  I even did burpees at the top on a dare from my friend Mark Schratz.  The guides thought I was a bit strange.  So did my traveling companions, I think.  But, a dare is a dare. We also saw yaks. The guides fed them our underripe bananas.  I wonder if that will tenderize them a bit.

 

 
  
  

Lisa wrote up some final thoughts on our trip.  Take a look at the next entry for our complete perspective on this adventure.  I’ll just add one brief thought:  Sarah, our Bangkok guide, advised us as we went to the royal palace grounds, to stay together like sticky rice.  She wanted to make sure we didn’t get lost.  I think, however, she meant more than that.  You see, one of the primary reasons we love the Exclusive Resorts journeys is because of the people we meet and travel with.  They are always interesting, down to earth, caring people.  As this trip progressed, our group grew closer to one another. We laughed together, helped each other and truly enjoyed each others’ company.  At the farewell dinner on the final night, no one wanted to leave.  Long after the last dish was served (which was a relief as the food at the hotel wasn’t so good), we all lingered at the dinner table.  We talked about what we learned; we laughed about our mishaps; we reflected on our experiences.  We all agreed with Lisa’s comment that we are different people than we were two weeks ago when the trip began.  This experience has become a bond — like sticky rice — that we will share for the rest of our lives.  As we said goodbye, we all promised that we will see each other again.  And, I believe we will.

Today was a travel day from Bhutan through Khatmandu to Chengdu, China.  Not only have we lost all track of  dates and days of the week by this time in our travels, today really did a number on our sense of the concept of time.  When we landed in Nepal the time was 15 minutes behind Bhutan and when we landed in China we were two hours and 15 minutes ahead of Nepal and when we texted the girls upon our arrival at 7:00 pm in China, it was something like 2:00 am in the morning in California.

  Mount Everest taken from the window of our airplane as we flew from Bhutan to Kathmandu.

Not only did we struggle with the concept of time today, we also experienced three immensely different cultures.  We left our friendly, happy, peaceful community of Bhutan and flew to Khatmandu where we had a four hour layover. (Many of you may recall that our trip was originally scheduled to go to Nepal and Mt. Everest for three days.  Because of the earthquake, this part of the trip was cancelled due to infrastructure issues) Our fantastic trip leader Rakesh made it possible for us to leave the airport, visit the largest Stupa in Nepal and get in a little shopping.  What a shock to the senses this two hour trip was!  The area around the Stupa was crawling with Tibetan refugees and Nepalese.  Large groups were singing songs and chanting.  The streets were streaming with beggars.  The entire pulse of Khatmandu was high energy and a very different contrast to Bhutan.  After our “Chevy Chase does Khatmandu” tour, we were back on a plane to Chengdu, China.

  The Stupa in Kathmandu.  It was felled by the earthquake. You can see what it used to look like in the foreground. It is currently being rebuilt.

   
    
   
Chengdu, China is also a very different shock to our senses.  It is an ultra-modern metropolis with 14 million residents.   Brad said it felt like we were dropped into a movie set of a futuristic city with flying cars.  We are staying in a hotel on the 41st floor looking out at high-rise upon high-rise.  We were certainly not expecting a city this modern or a hotel room that sported the world’s coolest toilet ever!

  Chengdu skyline from our hotel room. Chengdu has a population of 14 million people.

   
 The toilet and its control panel.  It does just about everything for you!

Before we conclude this post, we would be remiss to leave out the efforts of our trip leader Rakesh.  Rakesh is with us 24 hours a day and takes care of our every need.  Our group was a little disappointed about the fact that our time in Nepal was cancelled.  Rakesh made sure that, if possible, he would get us into the city.  We were whisked through customs, into a bus, dropped off at the Stupa, given time to shop, picked back up by the bus, visited a beautiful hotel, and were dropped off at the airport where our luggage was all checked in for us and taken care of.  The timing was impeccable and Rakesh keeps saying it is because our group has good karma.  We may have a little of that but what we really have is Rakesh working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure every detail is taken care of!  What he did for us today was a bit of a miracle that we won’t soon forget!

 
 

Happiness.

As we flew alongside the Himalayan Mountains and descended into Paro International Airport, happiness wasn’t our first thought.  Fear might be the better word.   Out my window seat I could see the wing of the plane get unusually close to the mountainside.  Then the plane made a sharp bank to the right in order to   follow the Paro Valley’s topography.

There is a reason why they call this the world’s most dangerous landing.

As you might guess, we survived.  But, we find ourselves leaving Bhutan just a little richer than when we arrived.  This small country of 700,000 people has spectacular terrain, rich traditions, and beautiful, intelligent, loving people. It also has a unique view on what is important in life. Getting to know this land has left an impression that will stay with us the rest of our lives.

Bhutan was unified from a number of fiefdoms in 1907. King Ugyen Wnagchuck was popularly chosen to lead this new country.  He is referred to as K-1.   In 2006, K-4 abdicated the throne to his son, now known as K-5 and announced that the country would be holding parlimentary elections in 2008.  This wasn’t, however, your usual case of popular uprising to take power from a ruling dictator.  The people didn’t want to lose their beloved king.  They didn’t see a need for a larger voice in the direction of their country.   But, the King knew that in order to modernize Bhutan and to ensure its long-term viability the people needed to have control.

This wasn’t a King that lavished riches on himself in ornate palaces and luxury automobiles.  His “palace” is a modest home in the woods. And, to convince the people that they should vote for the democracy, he walked to the most remote corners of the country where automobiles couldn’t go to speak about his vision for the country. He is also a cycling enthusiast who often goes out for rides by himself.

The Butanese people hold tight to their traditions.  The men all wear the traditional garb called a gho (pronounced “go”), and the women wear a kira.  The dominant religion is Buddhism and they hold to the ancient rituals and practices.  There are many temples throughout the country.  The economy is largely agricultural (rice and buckwheat are their major crops). Tourism is tightly controlled to keep the country from being overrun with tourists. And, like many Asian countries, extended families live together. 

  Rice fields in the Paro Valley.  The rice was harvested a few weeks ago.

Where Bhutan diverges from many traditional small countries is in the way it holds to these traditions while taking a progressive approach to their future.  As they develop their country, they focus on improving their primary metric, the GNH — Gross National Happiness.  This metric considers health, employment, income, education, the environment, and the overall well-being of its citizens.  GNH is given priority over everything else when leaders establish policy.

Women have the same educational and employment opportunities as men, and, interestingly, when it is time for an inheritance, the parents pass their estates to their daughters.  The men must move in to their wives homes when they get married.  Think about that boys!

Our tour guide, Nima, led us on our four-day visit to Bhutan.  We hiked to the Tigers Nest Monastery; Mountain-biked through farmlands in the valley (although there is no such thing as flat terrain in Bhutan so Lisa finally had to learn how to shift gears on a bike!); visited Dzongs, which were fortresses designed to protect the town citizens from invaders; and ate traditional Bhutanese cuisine.

  Lisa on her mountain bike!

  The Rimpung Dzong in Paro.

 Bhutanese flag 

  Bhutanese women separating rice from the stalk. 

  Downtown Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan.

Nima fancies himself a cook and showed us how to make emadatshi, a chile cheese dish.  Bhutanese eat this dish with most every meal.  It is made with red or green chiles, water, and an easily meltable white cheese. You serve it over rice.  The dish is not for the faint of heart as it is very spicy.  These chiles are grown throughout Bhutan and the farmers dry them on the roofs of their homes. We’ll make some for you when you come to visit us. We had an opportunity to visit a real farmhouse with a lunch cooked by the family. Sitting on the floor, we had red rice (the most common rice of Bhutan. It’s delicious), potatoes with cheese, beef with rice noodles, spinach in broth, and of course, emadatashi. We drank butter tea and had a bit of their home made grain alcohol.  All of the produce, rice, chiles, etc., were grown on their farm.  A delicious way to experience the culture.

  Lunch in the farmhouse.

  The farmhouse kitchen cupboard.  

  The farmhouse where we ate lunch.  A fallow rice field is in the foreground.
  Red chiles drying on the roof of the farmhouse.

We also had a chance to visit a park frequented by the elders.  Their children drop them off in the morning before they head to work.  The elders visit with their friends, pray or meditate, and enjoy the day.  When the workday is over, their children pick them up and take them home.  We went to this park, anchored with a Stupa, a building that serves as a center for Buddhists. On the day of our visit there was a ceremony taking place to kick off K-4’s 60th birthday celebration.  The entire country is preparing for the event of the week culminating on November 11th.  So, there were many more people there than normal.

  The Stupa in the park.

   
 As we became familiar with the history and the people and the beauty of the country, we gained an appreciation for the way the people are guiding its development.  Responsible economic growth, environmentalism, education, and health care are carefully balanced with the rich traditions that have been crafted over centuries. The mountains here — among the highest in the world seem to have influenced its people to reach for the sky while staying grounded in the land they have grown to love. 

As we said goodbye to Nima at the airport, we couldn’t help but feel a bit sad to leave what now felt like an old friend.

  Nidup, left and Nima right.  Saying goodbye to them was hard.

When Pharell Williams wrote the song “Happy”, he must have just been returning from a trip to Bhutan.  This country takes the term happiness to a whole new level.   Since 1971, the country has rejected GDP as the only way to measure progress.  In its place, it has a much better approach called the Gross National Happiness (GNH) that is measured by the spirtual, physical, social, and environmental health of the people in Bhutan.

And these people truly are examples of a healthy GNH!  Everywhere you go you meet people who are genuinely happy and extremely calm and helpful. There is no real crime or poverty to speak of in this country.  Every home is well taken care of and full of artistic touches. Today we went on a mountain bike ride in the country side and every where we went the children and adults came running out of their homes with big smiles on their faces to come and greet us and wish us Hello!

 

 

 

Buddhism is practiced by 80% of the people here and it is truly a way of life.  Almost every home has a shrine in it that is used for spiritual purposes. The sharing of this non-violent, non-materialistic faith communes the people in a special way that is not seen in most cultures.  Astrology plays a major role in all Bhutanese affairs.   Days are deemed to be “auspicious” or “inauspicious” and they follow them closely.  We were lucky enough to get the opportunity to meet with a Bhutanese astrologer.  He was an elderly gentleman with ancient scrolls in front of him that he consulted.  Since Buddhists also believe in reincarnation,  Brad and I both found out about our past lives.  (Turns out I was a God and Brad just a Demi-God!)  We also found out our best and worse days for making major life decisions and best colors.  Most interestingly, we found out some of our personality traits and ways to improve upon our nature.  The good news is that we were told that we are good together as a couple and will be together for a long time!  Not sure what we would have done if we would have found out otherwise.

 

No description of Bhutan would be complete without talking about the importance of phallic symbols in their culture.  Brad said he would prefer I discuss this topic so here goes!  Phallic paintings, statues, and symbols are everywhere in Bhutan.  Homes are routinely painted with phalluses and carved wooden phalluses hang on the eves of new homes at the four corners. (Bring new meaning to the term being well hung!) The Bhutanese believe that these symbols bring good luck and drive away evil spirits.  All I know is that it brought lots of entertainment to our group and I am certain that it has something to do with why the Bhutanese are so happy!  Enough said on this topic but here are a few pictures so you can get the idea.

 

 

This is our last night in Bhutan and I am sorry to leave.  The scenery is breathtaking, the people are caring and gentle, the food is delicious, and the spiritual nature of the land is intrinsic.  Right now, the only way to get in to Bhutan is through a travel agent or tour and each person must spend $250 a person per night.  There are two large hotels going up soon; a Four Seasons and a Meridian, and things are changing in Bhutan that could make this place a lot more crowded with tourists.  My advise to all of you is if you are thinking of coming to Bhutan, come within the next five years before it gets crowded and touristy!  Without a doubt, it is one of the most authentic, magical places we have ever visited!

A couple of Bhutanese proverbs before I sign off:

“If you search for happiness, you will not find it.  If happiness searches for you, it will always find you.”

“Life is like footprints in the snow.  Every step will show.”

 

P.S.  We are no longer in the land of social media so if anyone would like to share this on Facebook for us, feel free!  Thanks!

 

 

 

 

“Our king has served longer than Queen Elizabeth of England,” said Sarah, our guide for the time we spent in Bangkok, — “Sixty-eight years.”  The King of Thailand is Rama 9 — number nine in the longest running monarchy in the world.  You probably know of Rama 4.  He is the one who brought Anna to Siam from England to teach his children, inspiring the book Anna and the King of Siam which led to the musical, The King and I. More on that from Lisa below.

The forward-thinking nature of these monarchs meant that Siam was never subjuct to colonization by France or England.  It remained free.  The word Thai means free, which inspired Rama 5 to change the name of the country to Thailand — land of the free — in 1939.

Bangkok, on the Chao Phraya river, is home to 12 million residents. It has a canal system that runs throughout the city, leading some to call it the Venice of Southeast Asia.  Despite this fact, there are over 8 million cars and countless motorcycles in Bangkok with too few roads to hold them.  So getting around can be time consuming. Many residents have long commutes from the suburbs to work each day.

Nevertheless, we ventured out by riverboat, van, and tuk tuk to see the sights of this beautiful metropolis. Since 95% of Thais are Buddhist, there are many temples to see. And, the deep-seated monarchy meant many palaces to view as well. From the 150-foot reclining Buddha plated in gold to the former residences of Kings Rama 4 and 5, we went on a whirlwind tour to take them all in during our short 48-hour stay.

   
 The Reclining Buddha is 150 feet long by 30 feet tall. It is made of stucco and plated in 24-karat gold.

  Wat Pho Temple grounds.

   
    
 Temples on the Grand Palace grounds

  Siem Reap Cambodia used to be part of Siam, so the King had a replica of Angkor Wat built as a reminder.

  King Rama 4 went to school in England. Note the British architecture combined with the Thai roofline.

  The Grand Palace grounds seen from the Chao Phraya river at night.

But, as usual when visiting a new land, it is the people and the culture that provide the most interesting and educational experiences for Lisa and me. The Thai people are friendly, respectful, and proud of their country.  Over 99% of Thais are employed, but, wages today remain low (Sarah says about $10 per day), so all must work to sustain themselves.  It is customary for extended families to live under one roof, and it isn’t unusual for three or four generations to live together.  The kids never move out and often you’re destined to live with your mother-in-law the rest of your life!  When the girls marry, they generally go live with the husband’s family.  So, Lisa and I would still end up empty-nesters in Thailand.  

There are three seasons in Thailand — the rainy season, summer, and winter.  But, Bangkok is on the southern end of the country.  So, Sarah tells us their three season are hot, hotter, and hottest.  We visited between hotter and hottest.  Whew!

The Thai language has 46 letters with 24 vowels.  The nuance in pronunciation is so subtle that our American ears were unable to discern the difference in many of the words.  For example, Sarah says her nickname is Jim.  I said, “Jim?”  She said, “No, Jim.”  “You see,” she said, “There are five ways to say Jim — Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim, and Jim.”  Now, I have to say, they all sounded the same to me.  The conversation from there got very funny as I kept saying, “Jim” and she’d say, “No, Jim.”  I finally got it right once and quit right there as I couldn’t tell why the last time was right and the others weren’t.

Speaking of Jim, there is a famous American named Jim Thompson who had quite an impact on Thailand.  He was an Army officer, some say a CIA agent, an architect and a, yes, a fashion designer.  Jim Thompson seemingly single-handedly revived the silk industry in Thailand. He provided the silk costumes used in the filming of The King and I.  We visited his home, called reverently, by the locals, the Jim Thompson house (what else?).  Mr. Thompson took several small 100-year-old homes from the countryside and relocated them to Bangkok, then assembled them together into one large home.  It is fascinating in that it retains the traditional Thai archetecture, and contains Jim’s collection of artifacts that qualify the place as a museum.

Lisa, of course, supported the Thai economy by picking up several of Mr. Thompson’s wares.  I’ll report that she looks quite good in those silk shirts.

Finally,  given the perfect growing climate, flowers are plentiful in Thailand.  The Thai people bring home fresh flowers daily.  Sarah took us to the flower market, which is several blocks long.  Flower vendors sold flowers of every type.  We found vendors that sell beautiful orchids.  So, I offered to get some for Lisa since I know she loves orchids.  We found a large bunch that comprised about 50 stems of orchids and paid the princely sum for them of 50 baht. Uh, that translates to $1.40.  Sarah told me that when a boy in Thailand gives a girl orchids she turns up her nose.  Too cheap.  Well, I tried.

Our visit to Thailand was far too short.  It was only meant as a staging area to kick off our visit to the Himalayas.  I am certain we will return to spend more time seeing the country some day. We’re now off with our new companions — seven other couples — to see Bhutan.  More on that visit soon.

SHALL WE DANCE? by Lisa

I have always been fascinated with the country of Thailand and the story of Anna and the King. I think it all started when I was eight years old and got the chance to play one of the King’s children in summer stock theater at the Wagon Wheel playhouse in Winona Lake, IN in their production of the King and I.  I read every book I could about Anna and the King when I was growing up, learned all of the music on the piano, and saw countless productions of the musical.  In fact, we just saw the play on Broadway in September.  Naturally, I wanted to know all about this king and the “facts” surrounding the show.  I imagined there would be “King and I” tours and all kinds of memorabilia surrounding the book and movies.  Boy, was I wrong!  The government has banned all versions of the “King and I” including any books, plays, or movies about the subject.   A  public viewing of the play is seen as a treasonous offense and can include jail time.  Although Hollywood tried to appease the government by changing parts of the script, they still didn’t feel that they paid the proper respect to the monarchy and King Rama 4.  

Hollywood filmed The King and I and the 90’s movie Anna and the King in nearby Indonesia because the government refused to let them film in Thailand.  Our guide also burst my bubble by letting us know that the famous “Shall We Dance” scene would never have happened between the King and a commoner.  He would have never danced with Anna  much less let her look him in the eyes or even stand at his level during the time of his reign.  We did get to see the grounds where Anna lived and taught the King’s children and found out it was because of her that the King’s son went on to Oxford in England to study and further advance the Thai people in their efforts to educate and modernize the country.  History and Hollywood once again don’t always agree with one another but I like the “Rogers and Hammerstein” version better than reality so I’ll go back to “Whistling My Happy Tune” and believing in “Something Wonderful” . . . etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

 Our Tuk Tuk adventure.

   
    
 The flower market, including Lisa’s orchids.
   
     

  Our evening puppet show required three puppeteers per puppet in an amazingly choreographed dance.  After the show the puppets hammed it up with us.

  Our sad goodbye to Sarah as she saw us off at the Bangkok airport.