Feb 14, Last Days in Thailand

Tom and Tae take us to BKK where the new airport
was efficient, friendly (absent of protesters) and our
flight to Siem Reap went very smoothly.

Tom was a gracious and informative tour guide of
this Heritage Park "Ancient Siam" which featured
ALL of Thailand's history and then some. Very well
done and HUGE! She had also arranged a very
convenient hotel for us afterward and called for us
the next day to enjoy the cinema before the ride to
the airport. We certainly hope she can visit us in the
US some day so we can return the favor.

Waiting outside Yupadee's shop house and keeping company
with the newspaper lady while waiting for the pick up
from Tom and Tae. We're down to four bags. Wishing
Rotraud was around to give us a bad time about it tho.

The BanPong ferry is still running and an early morning
stroll allowed us to catch the photo on the nice still
river. A dinner conversation with Yupadee about possible
strategies to help clean up some of the litter on the river
bank led to her calling her brother, the mayor, which in
turn resulted in an effort of a pick up crew while we were
gone. It looked better.

During the two months we had been gone, Chinese
New Year happened and this festive decorating
of the town clock tower was a distinctive improvement.
We quite liked it in red and gold.

Feb 6. 2009 Last Days in Chiang Mai

Hey Dottie! I finally got the photo of the inside of
the 2nd class sleeper train between Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
This one is going to Bangkok. The smoothest one yet. (Until
we got there to learn our connecting train to BanPong was
not running due to a closure of the line because of a derailing.
We ended up taking a taxi which while a bit pricey was probably
the most efficient.

This, our floating sky lantern, was sent up from the balcony of
our upstairs neighbor in a small ceremony with our sincere
wish for returning next fall.

The lovely pla mauk at the Sunday Night Walking Market!!
Yum!


We visit the new aquarium with a walk thru tunnel
and a shark stops by for a tummy scritch. We hardly
need to fit in a snorkeling trip, this seems so "in the water."

Chiang Mai University senior English students presented
their senior projects to which the public was invited. We
were privileged to see both a Pocahontas production as
well as Phantom of the Opera. Amazing!

Jan 31 An English Teacher in Her Element

I decided to attend a locally held production of
Romeo and Juliet. Thai students have a happy habit
of engaging farang with "Hello, where you come from?"
It turned out these were freshmen from Chiang
Mai University also interested in Shakespeare.

This was a musical performance with some very
serious and compelling choreography. Here Father
Laurence counsels Romeo while school children
look on. It was in Thai of course, which gave it all
a remarkable flavor for my Thai-challenged ears.

Mercutio dies an elegant death. The staging was
masterfully done in this rather elegant theater.

Curtain calls, since there was no curtain, were quite
fun.

This budding actress was enjoying being photographed
by an appreciative farang. (foreigner)