We are happy we connected with our Whidbey Island friend, Todd, in Ayuthaya. As we are nearing the end of our journey, he was beginning his. It was lovely to have this intersection for an afternoon, after which we boarded a night bus for Chiang Mai in North Central Thailand. Though we were on a […]
David
Ayuthaya
Ayuthaya is a city about 45 minutes north of Bangkok. It was the royal capital of Siam from 1350 to 1767, before Thailand was established with its capital at Bangkok. We spent three days there visiting some of the sights, including ruins of temples (called Wats) and monuments. Most of these were built in 14th […]
My Fears
Coming into the last week of our 18-week journey gives me an opportunity to reflect on the various fears I’ve harbored along the way, how I’ve tried to deal with them, and what’s actually come about. Even before we left our home on Whidbey Island, I had plenty of time to imagine all manner of […]
Sea and Jungle of southern Thailand
I had heard that southern Thailand had some nice beaches and good snorkeling sites, so we decided to catch a flight to Phuket. From there we took a taxi north to Khao Lak, a popular takeoff point for trips to the Similan Islands Marine National Park. The Similan Islands are 60 km west of Khao […]
Time for a Vacation
This week in southern Thailand has really felt like rest and relaxation. It seems we needed a break from our pilgrimage. David found a somewhat isolated place, Poseiden Bungalows, which also runs three day live-aboard snorkeling trips out to the Similan Islands which are about four hours off the coast of Thailand (60 km). After […]
Cambodia slideshows
I’ve uploaded some photos of Cambodia to our flickr site: Angkor Temples http://www.flickr.com/photos/11790404@N02/sets/72157622575042357/show/ Silk Production http://www.flickr.com/photos/11790404@N02/sets/72157622575139807/show/ Siem Reap http://www.flickr.com/photos/11790404@N02/sets/72157622699498698/show/ Butterflies http://www.flickr.com/photos/11790404@N02/sets/72157622699521532/show/
Temples of Angkor
The stone ruins surrounding the city of Siem Reap, Cambodia testify to an empire that dominated southeast Asia for over 600 years, from 802 to 1432 CE. At its zenith, the Khmer empire had over a million inhabitants. Angkor Wat was the world’s largest temple and Angkor Thom a nearby walled city. The Angkorian period […]
Cambodian Silk Production
I’ve always wanted to know how silk is made and at the Artisans of Angkor Silk Factory in Siem Reap, Cambodia, I got my chance to find out. The factory is surrounded by fields of mulberry bushes, which are harvested to feed the silk worms. The building in which the silk worms are kept stands […]
Landmines in Cambodia
One thing we noticed right away in Cambodia is the large number of amputees and blind people; many lost their feet or legs or eyes after stepping on landmines — farmers working in the rice fields, children playing, ordinary people going about their business. Cambodia has one of the highest concentrations of landmines in the […]
From Nepal to Cambodia
The morning we left Nepal we had quite a number of people seeing us off, including Sumita’s family and friends who stopped the bus and climbed aboard for one last photo opportunity. It was a very touching farewell after our time in Nepal. A couple hours on a very crowded bus brought us to a border […]