vacation brain

Saturday, March 26
11:30p
Marriott Resort and Spa
Bangkok City, Thailand.



Damn. Saturday night already. This week has flown by and I've totally forgotten about blogging. I try to maintain some type of blog while I'm gone so

A) my family knows where I am
and
B) I can remember all of the details.

I'm failing on this trip for sure.

We had such a good time in Koh Chang. Tuesday we had Thai massage on the beach (Fabulous) and pretty much just hung around the pool and relaxed. On Wednesday we went to the other side of the island to meet the elephants. We were recommended to the Ban Kwan Chang camp because they do the most to keep the elephants safe and healthy. The camp is very basic and looked a little sketch, but overall, they did a great job. We started with a short hike down to the river and had a swim with two of the elephants. it was pretty wild, i have to say. never in my life did i ever expect to have an experience like that. after the swimming we trekked through the jungle for about an hour. Michael and I were on the lead elephant and it was really tense at times when the path was a straight up or down hill climb. I hope our girl got extra cookies that night, as she well earned them.

Afterwards we made the most of our last night in Koh Chang, had a super yum dinner, swam and then watched the thunderstorm over the bay. Thursday morning we flew to Cambodia to start the next leg of our trip.

more on cambodia later. Im still processing most of it and really, really need sleep.

welcome to paradise.

Wednesday, March 23
5am
Amber Sands resort, Koh Chang Island
Thailand.


blogger is wonky here, so i havent been able to post. there is a fabulous storm over the island right now, and its totally cooled the air. i have the curtains open and have been enjoying the light show for the past couple of hours.

this hotel is paradise. 7 older glass and wood bungalows overlooking the bay of thailand. we're on the quiet side of the island, so there is very little noise from the road and no foot traffic across the beach. we take up three of the rooms, and there are two extended dutch families staying in the two larger "house" rooms. And although I could do without seeing the kids pool toys everywhere, the children havent been intolerable.

the past two days here have been spent lounging and eating and swimming and sunning. lots of laughs. we had a masseuse come yesterday to give us proper thai massages on the beach. 350 baht (about 12 usd) for 90 minutes. amazing. after that and a good lunch, i retired for a good long nap. finally i'm starting to sleep, just not on the right schedule. baby steps.

Getting here we had to take a 40 minute flight from bangkok city to trat. the airport is small, two or three small buildings put together. with a brightly painted "zoo train" shuttle that carries you from the plane to the airport itself. the overall feel is like arriving in disneyland. a tiny, tropical version of disney, anyway.

20 minute van ride to the ferry boats, where they precariously fit as many vehicles in as they can, then its another 20ish minutes across the bay. Amber Sands is the first resort stop so we arrived within just a few minutes after reaching the island. and life has been oh so good since then. 90 degrees and sunny, with just a little rain. I'm hoping this storm stops in time for breakfast today, as we're scheduled to go meet the elephants this morning. Can't wait!

more later

one night in bangkok........

The Cottage Suvarnabhumi hotel
bangkok
Sunday - 1:30a


after 24+ hours of airports and flying, we're finally in Bangkok. My concerns about flying into Narita (Tokyo) were totally unfounded. It was a long, but quiet flight. Met up with Michael in the lounge and an hour later we were boarding for BKK. No muss, no fuss. 7.5 hrs later - we're here.

This hotel is only 5 minutes from the airport, but far from the city center. We're using it as a temporary stop for tonight/tomorrow (whatever day this is). Jason arrives about 7p Sunday and then Monday morning we leave for Koh Chang.

tonight is all about sleep.

goodnight friends, and thanks for all of your good wishes.

-R

last night in St Petersburg.....

Bierstube - 9pm

Today is Defender's Day, similar to the US Veterans day - a holiday celebrating those serving, or who have served, in the Military.
Most people have the day off - so the traffic was much lighter than normal. We had a late start today- no pickup until 11:30. We should have used that extra time to sleep late, but no - wide awake at 7a. effing jet lag is still kicking hard.

Had a great visit with baby soup - he's so cuddly and affectionate and CALM. hopefully it lasts. after the baby home our driver was kind enough to take us the the shopping center so we could buy pressies. Its been a running joke since the first trip to Vladivostok that I was going to buy a furry russian hat. Finally, three trips later, we found a hat store! They were fun to play around with, but I just couldn't purchase. Too many dollars for something I know I'd never wear in the real world. It made for a good photo op though.


Tonight we strolled over to the liquor store. You know the one, on the corner just past the men PEEING on the side of the building. Had an okay dinner at STREET pub and now back having beers and pretzels in the Bierstube. The wi-fi is free down here and that means we can both be online. Very important when its too cold to be outside and there's only one internet connection in the hotel room.

Tomorrow its up early for our flights home. We have a stopover in Paris, so i'm hoping for quality airport shopping.

St Petersburg - day 2. City tour/picture post

Had a free day Tuesday, so I was able to hire a private guide for a city tour. I had every intention of taking good notes so I could remember the details - but there was so much information my brain was overloaded within the first 20 minutes. From there it was all listening and pictures. I had made the tough decision to leave my good camera at home and travel with only my g12. Poor choice this time. This city deserves a wide angle lens. I missed great shots because of the limits of my camera. Next time I'll know better.

St Petersburg - Day 1

Monday -11p
St Petersburg


had a long, jet lagged inspired post for today - but somehow it was lost before it got published. not really a bad thing as it probably didnt make much sense anyway. the past few hours i've been lost in a fog of tired. forgetting numbers and conversations and little details.... bed is not far in my future.


we were up early today and had a fabulous breakfast downstairs. good meats and fruits and mushrooms. and poached pears with cinnamon and cloves. so so so good.

after breakfast it was off to paperwork and the baby home. Unfortunately for me we landed there at lunch time and the smell as we walked past the kitchen area almost brought me to my knees. I'm not sure what they are feeding these little humans, but the smell was unreal. Luckily the awfulness was contained to the first floor and had pretty much faded away by the time we got upstairs to the tiny visiting room. I can't say much (and its really Amy's story to tell) but the visit was perfect. Baby soup is
perfect. We spent about 2.5 hrs with him and he never cried or fussed. He's a very calm, smart, and engaged little man. He's going to make the perfect little brother for Tatiana.

After the baby home we took a walk around the neighborhood that we're staying in. Stopped in the pharmacy and a couple of small markets. Nothing outstanding, but nice to see inside the doors. Had soup and pasta at the STREET bar. a weird little place with a fabulously translated menu.

Tomorrow is a free day for me, as Amy has her medical tests. I'm hoping to fall into a city tour.

back in the USSR

Monday - 9a- St Petersburg

we landed in St Petersburg about 6p local time ( i think...the details are quite sketch). in true soviet fashion the crush of people on the plane and in the customs line was ridiculous and at the point I was emotionally I could have easily caused an international incident. fortunately my mouth stayed shut long enough to get through the luggage pickup and out the doors of the airport.

First impression... Its fucking COLD here. -6 (-22c) upon arrival. I took a couple of quick pictures of us in front of the airport and my hands were numb through my gloves.

Straight to the hotel - check in was easy and the hotel itself is quite lovely. Its a new Marriott near the Hermitage, complete with a German Bierstube on the first level. Yummy potato and mushroom soup (and beer!) for dinner.


after the sleep of the dead we're up and showering and ready to start this day. Its starting to brighten up outside, but still looks REALLY cold. Lots of paperwork today and then off to the baby home to meet Soup.

more later...
xoxo

in transit

sitting in Schiphol after a nice, uneventful flight. I have such good memories from my prior trips to Amsterdam, and I didnt realize how much I missed this city until we started walking through the airport. Unfortunately we're only here on a short layover - so no time to leave the airport and wander (not to mention is brutally cold outside). I really need a long weekend here sometime soon, its way overdue.


will check in again when we get to St Petersburg (late Sunday night Detroit

catching up

its been forever since I've been here. with FB and Flickr, its easier to post up with a few quick words than spending time
creating a blog post, but this is going to be a full travel year so it wont be long before new words fill these pages.

little bits of where I've been since my last post.
New Orleans for Voodoofest and Monday night Football
Disney with Tati and her Mama
Trans-Allegheny lunatic asylum - Weston Virgina.
Curacao - June 2010