Bangkok Trip report...finally!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Bangkok Trip report...finally!!
12
Sun, 12-07-2008 - 1:13am


Sorry it has taken me this long to post a trip report. Coming back to the USA just as the holidays begin is always a challenge, but it is our favorite time to go, just after the monsoon season ends, and the weather is most like our own.

Anyway, strangely it was the best trip in years. I am sure that not jumping from country to country each week helped, and also that we had done all major sightseeing on past trips. So that allowed us to just super-relax for four weeks, days to ourselves and weeknights and weekends with our sweet friends.

On the weekdays, we’d get up at 7:30 and languish at the big buffet(included daily), then maybe by 9:30 we decided where we were going for the day. LOTS of malls and shopping were right outside of our hotel so some days it was what direction to go shopping in. We bought mostly for the family, since last year I bought mostly for me LOL!
Well, I did buy cute clothes for me, and how could I resist cute sandals for $3 each pair-—same as the ones you see at American malls for $25 and up.

Ed Hardy designer tees…okay that is where we went absolutely nutso. The real deal that you see in mall stores for $80 to $200, hubby bought the same tees for $15 to $18 each. Also, he bought the plainer Ed Hardy tees for $4 a tee, so we bought for the entire family. And of course for us LOL.
Then, I went craaaazzzy at Naraya, a store that had purses, totes, wallets, and about 50 other items that women love...all made from silky fabrics and other fabrics. The prices were very low, the quality very good and so they made up by selling volume;
my husband got dizzy from watching all the other ladies zip around the aisles.
I am sure some ladies needed a whole new suitcase for their Naraya purchases alone, if not two LOL! They were such a hit when I got home, that it looks like I will need to reserve two empty suitcases just for that LOL!!

Restaurants: I think we ate 6 times a day LOL! Food was so cheap and hubby could not resist, and I would scold him for being full before meeting our friends for dinners and going out afterward. Amazing that we didn’t gain an ounce. Nor lose hehehe. We usually ate internationally...Bangkok has amazing Italian and Japanese restaurants.

BUT, I have to tell you about my new favorite fruit: custard apple, also known as sugar apple. It does not look or taste like the apples we know. It has a lumpy green exterior with black dots. Fully ripe, you break the fruit apart easily and just eat the juicy white meat, very sweet and sort of reminds you of custard.
I’m told that the only place we can get it in Hawaii is in Chinatown , but that it is not the same.
Like, they pick them too early, therefore it is hard and awful. Too bad it is illegal to bring back seeds from other countries!

WEEKends, we spent the entire weekends with our friends. They took us out of the city, into the provinces to temples and sites that were off the beaten track, that the usual visitor to Thailand does not see. Stayed overnight at resorts.
Once place we went to was a village with recent archeological digs…the pits had skeletons etc, dating a few thousand years old. Very interesting!

Then we went to a village known for its fancy pottery and teak furnishings. Now I know I saw those things in the fancy American home furnishing catalogs!
The items themselves were cheap at the village, but shipping to USA is a whole other story. That is what you pay for mostly. Good thing I really don’t need anything else for my condo, but we helped our friends pick items for their homes and gardens.

As I mentioned in an interim post, we also went to the Kanchanaburi area, where over 15,000 British and American and Aussie Prisoners of War died, in slave-labor while building the “railroad” for the Japanese Army in World War II. (over 100,000 other slavelaborers also died at that time, same reason).

It made us all reflect, but we talked about everything that happened, sure let our tears out, and in the end we were so happy that we went to remember and respect.
At the Bridge on the River Kwai, at the Hellfire Pass, at the tracks still standing.
And we also went to the cemetaries.

Til today, I still think about that beautiful area and its River Kwai and River Kwai Noi rivers—how could all that have happened? Then I saw some Japanese families paying respects.

Anyway, before we knew it our month of fun and frolic were over…sniff, sniff…. Hubby said we have to go back next November. Our friends are making plans for us to stay in their homes, but I’d rather stay in our own one-bedroom suite, like we have been.
Or two-bedroom if others from Hawaii come with us.

Before I forget, THE MASSAGES! Yup, we had almost nightly massages. After the day and night with friends, we went to the massage center of our hotel as they opened until 2:00 in the morn. 2-hour massages each time, and I fell asleep sometimes LOL. The cost was not much since we were repeat hotel guests.

We did so much more on our relaxing trip, but I’ll save that for another post.
Now, can someone tell me how to put pictures in posts…I forgot how.
Heck, I forgot how to do everything in Hawaii LOL!

Hugs,


~*~ ... ~*~


               


                                                           of  Hawaii


~*~ Aloha to all .... ~*~

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sun, 12-07-2008 - 12:14pm

Hi Cindy


Sounds like a wonderful time. So how many suitcases did you take over empty and bring back full?? LOL


You can use the attachement link when you post at the bottom of the compose your message screen. Would love to see some pictures.


Love ya


                          &n
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 12-08-2008 - 4:05am

LOL, Mare! We went over with a half-packed suitcase each,
since we are good at not overpacking.
Coming back,...uh...five stuffed-to-the-max big ones LOL LOL!!
It's a good thing Japan Airlines did not charge us a penny
for all the luggage we made them lug.


~*~ ... ~*~



~*~ Aloha to all .... ~*~

Avatar for cl_campmum_of3
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Mon, 12-08-2008 - 1:13pm

Welcome back CIndy!

     

 

          

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-28-2006
Mon, 12-08-2008 - 2:37pm

So you wanna some seeds eh!


Here's how you do it.Swollow a few of each plant you want...


Now it's just a thought!Heck I'd give it a try


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Mon, 12-08-2008 - 7:17pm
It all sounds wonderful but the best is the massages....OMG!

       


 


                              &n

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 12-09-2008 - 3:53am

Thanks, Lore!

Besides international cuisine, we did eat Thai food
when we were with our friends, but we let them choose
the dishes because I was afraid I might pick ones that
were TOO spicy, LOL!
And, we had burgers made from the best Australian beef;
a big no-no as we cut back on beef, but heck we were on
holiday so did not care lol.
And then there were the steaks from Chokchai Farms...to die
for when you have not had beef in awhile LOL!

The 8-day shutdown of the airport just after we left,
was very peaceful and not as bad as the media made it out to be.
But it was a financial loss for some businesses, but they will
bounce back eventually. I was keeping daily tabs on the situation
with my friends.

Thanks again, Lor!


~*~

~*~ Aloha to all .... ~*~

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 12-09-2008 - 3:55am

Doreen, good idea on the seeds LOL LOL!!
Actually, on last year's trip we forgot about
flower seed packets that were in pants pockets.
They never found out about that LOL!


~*~ r

~*~ Aloha to all .... ~*~

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 12-09-2008 - 4:06am

Gabby, yeah!, taking you with me next year LOL!

Yes, the $15 Ed Hardy tees were real as can get; I checked them
out from neckline to bottom, glitters, rhinestones and design
features and all. LOL!
AND, today I was in the Ed Hardy shop near my place and OMgosh
I could have been drooling; the place was wall to wall and floor to
ceiling Ed Hardy tees, jackets, shoes, bags, you name it.
But...you know I would never pay those prices.

Wait, I might just buy ONE. for me. hehehe.....

Now the "plain" Ed Hardy tees for $4 each, those had no shiny
stuff on them, but are EH and I've been seeing them on eBay
and elsewhere for $15 to $20. Dang, I did buy more of them
but I should have bought extra to sell, huh!


~*~

~*~ Aloha to all .... ~*~

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Tue, 12-09-2008 - 8:27pm
You could have sold them, sure, but just having them for yourself is good enough!! YES, Thailand!!!!



       


 


                              &n

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-01-2006
Thu, 12-11-2008 - 3:36pm

Cin


thanks for the vicarious trip! Loved reading about it...always learn something!!


sounds like you had a great time in so many respects: food, fun, friends, shopping, sightseeing!!


Happy Holidays now that you are home!


hugs

Dutch


Dutch

 

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