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World Tour 2019-2020
  • JohnKim Duncan
  • JohnKim Duncan

World Tour 2019-2020

Starting in Morocco, with stops in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, the Seychelles, the UAE, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, & Hawaii, this is the culmination of 5 years of planning. Read more
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  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler
    1

    Water Puppet Theatre

    January 2, 2020 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    After a nice breakfast at the Babylon Hotel we set out to visit a local family who’ve made a business out of making & performing with water puppets. They’ve traveled a great deal to perform but have a water puppet theatre right in their home. They tell traditional stories with their puppets, but also make up stories to teach children lessons, such as being careful on scooters or risk crashing. Kim got to try to manipulate a puppet underwater, & found it took a lot of forearm strength. The puppets are made of wood & controlled by strings & gears. We traveled to our welcome dinner in a rickshaw through the busy streets. It was a bit scary in the heavy traffic but we made it safely!Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler
    11

    Cemetery & Rice Paper Visit

    January 3, 2020 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today was another busy day. We boarded the bus early and stopped at a North Vietnamese cemetery which had a vet caretaker. One of our group members, Ron, is an American vet who got emotional when he & his former enemy shook hands. We were honoured to be part of this “reunion” of sorts. Both men fought in the Vietnamese War. We moved on to visit a village where they made rice paper. It was very interesting to watch (some of our group participated) them make and put out to dry this very common Vietnamese food. We had to cross a narrow river on a unique ferry boat. We were fortunate to visit the home of another Vet & his family who shared lunch & his musical talents with us. He entertained Vietnamese troops during the “American War” with some very unique instruments.Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler
    1

    Ceramics & Tea at Landlord’s house

    January 4, 2020 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    The highlight today was a visit to a village where most everyone made ceramic pieces for sale. We even got to try our hand(s) at making a bowl or plate ourselves. Our lack of creativity & skill showed today, as our bowls didn’t turn out well. Next we were welcomed into the home of a family who were in the stone business, & made a lot of money before the communist days in Vietnam. They owned, & were landlords for 10 houses. Those houses were taken from them for $100. each, far below market value at the time. The government figured they only needed one house. They lost family heirloom furnishings in that process. They were candid in our discussions & answered many of our questions. Another great OAT experience of learning & discovery that you can’t get from reading a book.Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler
    1

    Ha Long Bay

    January 5, 2020 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Today we took the long bus ride to Ha Long Bay where we boarded a wooden boat called Secret Halong. We enjoyed a nice cruise on the bay, although there were many (most Chinese filled) boats cruising alongside us. We took the small boat we trailed behind to Sung Sot cave. It was pretty spectacular with lots of stalagmites & stalactites. We then got back aboard our tender boat & watched the sunset. Our dinner back aboard the Secret Halong was beautifully presented! We slept on board the boat on our own private cabin. It was quite nice, although the diesel fumes were quite strong with so many boats anchored close by.Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler

    Citadel-Nunery-Ophanage

    January 7, 2020 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Today was a special day. We were very busy, & had experiences that only OAT could provide. We started by visiting the Hue Citadel, which is a historically significant site. It housed the king & his family for many generations & was the site of significant fighting in Vietnam’s tumultuous past. After we toured the site, on the way back to our bus, we stopped along the side of the roadway & Dahn introduced us to a man selling lottery tickets. He was in fact a war veteran who had been protecting the Citadel during the bloodiest battles in the Vietnam war. He pointed out a spot on the stone wall surrounding the fort which had been damaged by cannon/bomb blasts. The vet had scars on his head & arm & he had to pretend he was “mentally” damaged in order to not be silenced by the government after the war. Communism on display there for sure. Our group had some poignant questions for the vet who answered through Dahn. It was an interesting exchange. Following the Citadel visit we enjoyed a vegetarian lunch at the Dieu Thành Buddhist Nunnery. Once again Dahn acted as an interpreter as our hosts only spoke Vietnamese. Our group learned a lot about the Buddhist religion & about one of the nuns in particular. We returned to the hotel to rest for our visit to the Minh Tu Orphanage, run by nuns. We were impressed how happy & healthy these kids were. The orphanage is supported by Grand Circle Foundation, part of OAT. They ranged in age from new borns to around age 18, although the nun who spoke to us said they don’t kick them out until they can make it on their own. Many of the kids left the orphanage to attend school, daily. The day we were there was a “birthday” celebration. Since many of the kids don’t know when their bdays are they all celebrate together . Each child got new shoes & a wrapped gift. We helped serve birthday cake to all of the kids. We returned to our hotel tuckered out but awed by the hardworking nuns, & resilient vets, & other Vietnamese people.Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler

    Thien Mu Pagota, China Beach, Hoi An

    January 8, 2020 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Another busy day started with a scenic boat trip to visit the Thien Mu Pagota. We returned to bus to HoiAn. On the way we stopped to look at a huge Buddha statue in the distance on My Khe beach (China Beach). Kim had to put her feet in the water here. We stopped at a great seafood restaurant right on the water where we each had oysters & mussels for the first time. We both enjoyed them. The restaurant had many types of fish, shellfish & mussels for sale by the kilo. We continued on to HoiAn where we had cooking lessons. We ate what we cooked, so since we survived, I guess we passed the class!Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler

    Hoi An - City of Lanterns

    January 9, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We did a guided walking tour of the old part of the city of Hoi An this morning. Highlights included a stop at a 400+ year old Japanese constructed covered bridge, an ancient house & a Chinese temple. In the pm we travelled by Rickshaw into the countryside. It was lots of fun. We stopped at the home of an 85 year old widow who lived alone. She relied on her neighbours to get some of her groceries but managed to live daily quite fine. Like many of the older women she chewed betalroot leaves. They give you a “high” and are quite addictive. We expect that she’s high most of the time! They also turn your teeth black before they fall out! In the evening we took a woodem boat cruise on the Thu Bon River, & made a wish as we released our boat with a tea light lit. The lanterns glowing & reflecting on the water make Hoi An a special place particularly just before the lunar new year!Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler

    My Son - Ruins of the Champa Kingdom

    January 10, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    Today we visited the ruins of My Son. This is a cluster of partially ruined Hindu temples in central Vietnam, constructed between the 4th and the 14th century by the Kings of Champa, an Indianized kingdom of the Cham people. Upon arriving at this ancient site, we were treated to a cultural show highlighting traditional dance & music.Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler

    Flight Hoi An - Nha Trang

    January 11, 2020 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Today was another travel day, from Hoi An to Nha Tràng. The highlight of the day was going to dinner at a local restaurant which has been owned by a local family for several generations. We had to cook our own meat on the table, hibachi style! Beats cookin’ on an open fire for shore lunch, but it got a little smoky!Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler

    A Day in the Life... Scooters

    January 12, 2020 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Today was another fun day organized by our great OAT leader, Dahn. We were divided into 3 teams after breakfast in order to purchase food items for our lunch at a local market, where no one but us spoke English. Dahn gave us a small amount of Vietnamese Dong and orally told us (in Vietnamese) 4 things that we had to buy. He repeated the name of these items 3 times only. Two ladies in our group wrote down what they thought he said. We ended up the winners, as we were the only group to purchase all of the items correctly & have the correct amount of change left. It was fun! We continued on our way on the scooters to a private home where we helped to prepare our lunch. The man of the house was another Vietnam war vet who shared his story & answered our questions through Dahn. The men mixed the drinks (delicious mojitos) and the ladies peeled, chopped the veges, & prepped the rest of our lunch. The family, with Dahn’s help I’m sure, added in the missing items, and a couple of new ones as well. It was delicious. I tried a Vietnamese delicacy, duck embryo, which is just as it sounds. It was actually quite tasty, although a little chewy. Kim was too “chicken” to try it. We continued on to a Bamboo village where each family makes items for sale from bamboo. It was fun to try making some items ourselves. It gave us a better appreciation for how talented the local people were at what they produced. They made very little money compared to the amount of time & effort they put into their craft.Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler
    Weasel poop!

    Agricultural Village Tour

    January 14, 2020 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Today we went by bus to visit the Montagnard Agricultural village, & Buon Chioa, a charming mountain village a half hour outside of Dalat. We stopped along the road at a military controlled Flower nursery, the sight of a US airport during the war. There were numerous greenhouses growing roses, daisies, & lilies. We learned the proper way to pick a daisy from our local guide Liem. He told us that there are 40000 greenhouses in the Dalat area, & the owners can make $30K US a year or more if they time the blooms correctly. Our next stop was to try Weasel coffee, which is made from coffee beans pooped out by weasels. They only eat the ripest beans so the coffee is the best quality. Regular pickers must pick some green beans too, lessening the quality. They had some beautiful hand made scarves at this stop & Kim bought one which took locals a month to make. It has hand embroidered flowers on it. Our last stop was Buon Chuoi village which only OAT can visit. The locals are called the K’Ho Chil people. OAT has built a school, play structure & a well on this site. The kids were from 4-7 or so in the school. We toured the Catholic Church & the village leader’s house. He was 90, his wife nearly 87. Electricity has only been in village for 7 years. We travelled by tractor & cart, on a very dusty, red soiled road. We returned to have lunch in Dalat. Kim went to the Crazy House after lunch. We visited Dalat University & enjoyed a tour of the campus by current students. We ate at another Vietnamese family owned restaurant to end our day.Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler

    Dalat to Saigon

    January 15, 2020 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We got to sleep in a bit this morning. After breakfast we boarded our bus to the railway station where we got on a train to Linh Phuoc pagoda. On the way we visited a flower market. This is truly Vietnam’s city of flowers! We travelled in First Class, & had a train car to ourselves, all for about US$5 each. We stopped at a bakery for a “fast food” lunch. After lunch we got back on our bus heading towards the airport. Our short flight to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) landed in time for us to visit Pho Hung for Vietnamese noodles for dinner. The traffic in this city is like nothing we’ve ever seen!Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler

    Saigon to Mekong Delta

    January 16, 2020 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We left the hotel early passed the Saigon River the biggest & busiest River in Vietnam. Lots of trash. 90 000 people work at clothing factories here in Saigon. North Face, Nike, Under Armour, etc. We went to the Mekong Delta, My Tho city. It is very important rice growing area in Vietnam. #5 rice exporting country in the world. We walked in the village, and went on the Mekong River on a wooden boat called a Sampan boat. No motor. A lady rowed us. Then we boarded a 3 wheeled Lambro to go to a great seafood restaurant for lunch. We ate prawns & tilapia from the river, among other things. We reconvened at 6 pm to walk around a bit in the hustle & bustle of Saigon!Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler

    Cu Chi Tunnels & Farewell Dinner

    January 17, 2020 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Today we visit the world famous Cu Chi tunnels which extend for nearly 250 kms underground just in the Ho Chi Minh area alone. The tunnels were originally built by the Viat Cong in the 1940s as protection from French air raids. Later they became vital access to rural areas during the Vietnam war. The tunnels housed hospitals, storage areas, living quarters & booby traps and were very narrow. Today two areas are open to the public to show the hardships of war. Ben Dinh is the most popular but it is the busiest and loudest since it’s located near a shooting range. Ben Duoc is 30 mins outside the city, although it took us considerably longer in heavy traffic both ways, we visited this one. The tunnels have been enlarged a bit for tourists but remain quite narrow. As usual, with OAT, we got to interact with two VC veterans, then have lunch at a local home. We returned to the hotel to rest & repack for Cambodia. We said goodbye to our new friends, who aren’t joining us on the post trip at a farewell dinner. We also say goodbye to Dahn, our awesome Vietnam guide.Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler
    1The Courtyard inside the hotelGoodbye scooter traffic!$2.06 US for 2 draft beers!!The remaining group

    Siem Riep Cambodia

    January 18, 2020 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We left a bag behind at the hotel, as we’re coming back here for one night after the post trip. We arrived at Ho Chi Minh airport just after 9 am. Inexplicably, our flight was delayed nearly two hours so our schedule changed a bit for today. We settled into the Treasure Oasis Hotel for the next four nights. Kim is excited as it has a nice pool. Our new guide, Jack, seems very nice, & is a 39 yr old bachelor who is enthusiastic about teaching us about his country! We met at 5:30 pm to do an orientation walk, and get some dinner. It’s going to be hard to get used to bowing & being bowed to here...Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler

    Killing Fields - Angkor Museum

    January 19, 2020 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We toured Killing Field at Wat Kessaram monastery where thousands of people were killed by the Khamir Rouge between 1975 & 1979 in a Genocide that was condemned worldwide. Notice the real skulls & bones inside the shrine. We were amazed when our guide told us that the locals prefer to forgive & forget, rather than dwell in the past. Jack said that those that were perceived to be the most likely to speak out against the Khamir Rouge were executed most often. These were the educated - teachers, doctors, etc, so that’s why it took the country so long to recover. Next we visited the Angkor National Museum where we learned about the cultural heritage of the Khmer Kingdom. We saw the largest collection of Buddhist statues in the world, & learned about 4 important kings. Our guide, Jack, told us many interesting things about Cambodia as we travelled by bus. 80% of people are farmers, most grow rice, vegetables. Minimum wage is $150 US a month. Teachers make around $300 US depending on their seniority. Tourism is still relatively new. 400+ hotels in Siem Reap area. Population around 1 million. Gas is 90 cents a litre. In the pm we joined the optional tour to Babteay Srei temple grounds, originally built in 967 AD. The intricate carvings in sandstone are still quite amazing to see in person. They are completely exposed to the elements. We stopped along the road to watch a local family make rice noodles. They make them for a lot of their neighbours who drop in daily, mostly for lunch. We got to sample fresh noddles in homemade broth. On the way back to Siem Reap we drove by a night market. Many locals including this family of 5 travelling on a small scooter! We ate at a local restaurant for dinner.Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler
    1

    Angkor Wat - Home Hosted Lunch- Ta Prohm

    January 20, 2020 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Bus & walking tour of Angkor Wat National Park covering 250 square miles. It’s a UNESCO heritage site. Highlights include temples & monuments built between AD 800-1200 motivated by Hindu & Buddhist beliefs. Angkor Wat means city temple. This large pyramid temple was built between 1113 & 1150 & is surrounded by a moat 570 feet wide & 5 miles long. Angkor Wat covers 500 acres. We spent 3 hours walking around this impressive site. 1000 year old stone carvings are magnificent & remarkably well preserved. Some restoration was done by the French in the 1930s & 40s using more modern technology but now they try to keep to the old materials & techniques as much as possible. We enjoyed a home-hosted lunch & learned about Cambodian life Khmer style. The 3 generational family were subsistence farmers, although the mother spoke English because she sold cheap clothes to tourists at Angkor Wat. In fact Kim remembers her trying to sell her a scarf & she just ignored her... In the pm we visited the Ta Prohm temple. This temple was originally built as a Buddhist temple, then changed to Hinduism. The Hindus destroyed 300 Buddhist statues. Lots of spung trees. They are very soft trees. About 60% of the temple has deteriorated from so much vegetation & heavy rainfall. The trees growing on top of the walls with roots spreading down made for some great photo ops. The pano setting on our I-Phones is great for these pics. Laura Croft Tomb Raider had scenes shot here. Just Google it! Very cheap food & drinks here. Many restaurants offer 50 cent drafts & its actually good beer. We had beer at happy hour at the hotel yesterday. Regular price was $1.69 US - happy hour was half off!Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler

    Floating Village & Bayon Temple

    January 21, 2020 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Today we cruised Tonle Sap Lake, in a wooden boat powered by a loud diesel mud motor, which means “Great Freshwater Lake” as it’s the largest freshwater lake in SE Asia. It’s world renowned habitat for shorebirds. We visited the Mechrey Floating Village. The locals literally live on the lake & women sell fruits & veggies from Sampon boats. The village has 284 families, just over 1000 people. We stopped at a local’s home/dock, got out & visited with her (Jack acted as an interpreter). She talked about the challenges of living on the water, including depleted fish stocks, from overfishing - which, along with rice, & chicken (housed in small cages in barges beside their houses) make up their primary diet, & less water in the system, which is the result of hydroelectric dams upstream on the Mekong River. The water level fluctuates 12-15 feet from the dry to the rainy season, so they have to move their entire village 3 or 4 times a year. It was a fascinating visit. We went to yet another ancient Temple called Bayon in the pm. Built in the late 12th or early 13th century it is located in Angkor Thom. It has many faces carved into the sandstone walls. We finished our day at a Dinner theatre set up at a local restaurant. We enjoyed a performance of Apsara dancers.Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler
    1Live silkworms

    Last Day of OAT Vietnam/Cambodia trip

    January 22, 2020 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We eventually fly back to Ho Chi Minh City to stay one more night, then continue on our adventure on our own. We’ll miss Joanie & Ron, Fred & Elsa, Nancy & our new Cambodian friend, Jack. Safe travels everyone. Our first stop was the Royal Gardens, including a holy shrine, & flying foxes. Our next stop was a school for local craftspeople to teach them how to do wood & stone carvings. After lunch we had some free time so Kim had a fish spa. Then we visited a silk farm to learn how they make silk. Our flight back to Ho Chi Minh was delayed an hour and 20 mins.Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler

    Flight to Chiang Mia, Thailand

    January 23, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We flew from Ho Chi Minh to Bangkok Thailand, then on to Chiang Mai. They’re all in the same time zone. The news last night reported that all of the public schools in Bangkok were closed yesterday because of smog. Hopefully the air quality improves before we go there for a week. The airport is extremely busy, so our take off time was delayed again. Jack told us that the lunar new year (24th) is a very busy travel time. Vietnamese & Cambodians travel home for a week long celebration. He said often 40 people wait at arrivals for just one traveller. We saw that last night. There were long lines everywhere this morning at the airport. When we finally arrived at the Chiangmai airport Kim finally got an email that our driver had the wrong flight info. We flagged a local who called since the Home Stay owners don’t use What’s App. After a lengthy wait, we were on our way to our Home Stay... May not have WiFi for a few days... not sure! Update - we do have WiFi. We knew this place would be rustic @ $15 Cdn a night. We had a great Thai dinner at our place tonight for about 50 Thai Baht or about $2.15 Cdn a plate, bottled water included. Tomorrow we may splurge on a couple of local beers for 35 Baht or $1.50 Cdn. We love listening to the crickets, & the farm animals at night here. Outside pics of this place tomorrow in daylight.Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler
    Grandpa told him to fold his hands & he did
    1

    Chiangmi Homestay Day 1

    January 24, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We’ve settled into our homestay cabin (Ban Chunsongsang Homestay - Garden Hut) and are about to take a bicycle ride around the nearest village. We’re going to stop at the pond to check out the fishing. Should be interesting. You can rent a “simple fishing pole” with a single hook, then buy bait by the kg. I assume that the bait is some type of worm, although I have no idea. I see that to the south of us there is a “fishing competition” offering “big prizes” on weekends. Sounds like my kind of village... ha ha. I tried to do a quick video of the wood work shop this am at breakfast since the woodworker had his radio tuned to the Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” I wasn’t fast enough because as soon as that song came on he shut off his transistor radio. I guess some things are universal! 😀 Fishin’ was a bust. Check out the no fishing sign. Who knew they had to divert all the pond water to the nearby rice fields? This is planting season. Our first bike trip was fascinating. We both thought of one of our new friends, Fred, from our last OAT trip. He was always asking our guides if he could rent a bike everywhere we went. It was always too busy. This is a perfect place to cycle, buddy.... A quiet paved road... Lots of variation in the houses. Some small shacks, some very nice homes. A few shops along the road. Yang Thong Temple is quite spectacular. We rode 3.3 kms each way to go to a local market in the pm. The highlight for Kim was stopping this grandpa & grandson (neither spoke English) to take their photo. Very cute!Read more

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  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler
    1

    Baan Tong Luang to Waterfall

    January 25, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Today the owners of the Homestay drove us an hour north to visit Baan Tong Luang village. They told us that the village is made up of 8 distinct tribes who came to Thailand as refugees, often escaping war in Tibet, Mongolia, or China. They were given the land to use, not own, & the original refugees are not allowed to move away from there. Their children, if they were born in Thailand, are allowed to be educated in other places & can leave or stay. The most famous of these groups is the Kayan, the so-called long necked people. The women stretch their necks & lower legs with brass coiled rings. We saw how they made these coils. They never take them off, except only to put on longer ones as they grow. The women start wearing them at about 4 yrs of age. We saw a 6 year old girl wearing a neck ring. We bought a couple of things to support their community. We started back down the mountain & stopped at a National Park where we hiked in to a waterfall called Mae Sa. It is a popular spot for tourists & locals who brought in food & bamboo mats to sit on. We had planned to swim until we put our feet in the mountain runoff water.... We then stopped at an Orchid farm which grows orchids hydroponically. They were quite stunning. On the way back to the Homestay our host surprised us with stops at a Silk factory & 2 silver factories. It was a full day.Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler
    The artist painting Kim's phone case freehand.

    Chiangmai Tour

    January 26, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Our hosts are driving us back into Chiangmai to do a city tour. When we asked Nong what there was to see/do in Chiangmai, she said Temples, & markets. This reminds me of what Jack, our Cambodian guide, said about what OAT stands for..... Oh, another temple! We looked up things to see in Chiangmai & 8 of the top 10 are, in fact, temples. For the first time, we’ve made an adjustment to our planned tour because of the Coronavirus threat, no matter how slight. We’re skipping the Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep temple because Chinese tourists often pilgrimage to this temple. Nong said this site is always very crowded. Another reason may have been the 309 steps.... On the way to the city we stopped at several factories, to watch how the locals produce some amazing handicrafts, We toured an umbrella factory which makes rain & sun umbrellas from scratch. The painters are true artists, Kim had her cell phone case painted. Next we went to an amazing wood carving factory which had terrific 3-D framed pieces, sculptures, & furniture made of teak & rosewood. We learned how lacquer is harvested from a tree & applied in at least 7 coats to finely carved sculptures, bamboo plates, and other interesting pieces in a lacquer factory. After 4 hours of factory touring our host dropped us at a night market, with thousands of people browsing a wide variety of handicrafts, t-shirts, etc. It was another 10,000+ step day. We met our host at a temple, one of something like 85 in the city of Chiangmai!Read more

  • JohnKim DuncanWorld Tour 2019-2020Traveler
    Our view for the next week
    Nong - our Homestay hostessSelfie

    Chiangmai to Bangkok

    January 27, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Our Homestay experience was a positive one, but it wouldn’t be for everyone. The accommodation was primitive, meant for backpackers, a step up from sleeping in a tent. We were in the middle of an agriculture area, with many rice fields. We were awakened early by midnight dogs barking, 3 am rooster calls, 5 am calls to Buddhist prayer, & 6 am huge flocks of noisy birds landing in trees surrounding our cabin. What made up for it was the kindness of our hosts. Today is another travel day, flight #18 on the trip. Our host drove us to the airport. On the way we stopped at her friend’s business. They make & sell silver jewelry. Kim bought a couple of nice pair of one of a kind earrings. We decided to wear surgical masks today to hopefully keep us healthy, & away from the coronavirus. Our flight was uneventful and we arrived at around 4:45. That’s when the adventure began. We managed to find a helpful English speaking woman who showed Kim how to purchase two tokens for the Airport Rail link train. Not as much English signs or spoken as we thought. The airport was the beginning of this train’s route so we got a seat. At the 7th stop we had to jump off & transfer to a second line which we stayed on for 2 stops. We then found our way to the BTS skytrain, which was absolutely jammed. We squeezed onto this train, travelled a couple of stops & found our way to our hotel’s free boat shuttle. We lucked out & hopped on just as it was leaving. 3 hours after we landed, we finally checked into our home for the next 7 nights, the beautiful Chatrium Riverside Hotel in Bangkok. We asked for & got a free upgrade, a room with a great view of the city & the river. Things are lookin’ up, way up to the 14th floor, in fact...Read more

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