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Winter Adventures 2024
  • Jill Lantz
  • Klaus Lantz
Jan – Feb 2024

Winter Adventures 2024

Switzerland,Germany,Singapore,Bali,Thailand Read more
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  • Trip start
    January 11, 2024
    Winter Adventures 2024
    wheels up
    3Lights out for JillRavensberg Towers, they have 11 of themLet the gift opening beginspending time with at Dalibor and Jelena'sClea1Family photo Best we could do 😂Goloushpancake with sauce

    Weekend in St Gallen

    January 12, 2024 ⋅ ⛅ 32 °F

    We arrived in Nuremberg, grabbed the rental car and made our way to St Gallen. Around the halfway point we stopped and had lunch in Ravensburg Germany. Once we arrived in Switzerland, we got showered and cleaned up for pizza and gifts with Dennis, Jelena and the grandkids. The next morning we met them along with Jelena and her son for the morning at an indoor water park. After the park we went to Jelena and Dalibor’s home for an hour. After getting ready for dinner we met everyone at a restaurant with traditional food. Klaus and I decided to stop for a drink in downtown St. Gallen at a bar we really like. We woke up Sunday, packed up the car and went to Dennis and Jelena’s to have breakfast and say our good byes. It was great seeing everyone and we miss them already. We drove from St Gallen to Nuremberg where we will be for the next 5 days.Read more

  • Winter Adventures 2024
    Aperols in an Indian RestaurantYummy Indian FoodGreek foodBeautiful walk home full of ambiance

    A Week in Nuremberg

    January 14, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 32 °F

    Arrived in Nuremberg, checked into the Karl August Hotel and walked to an amazing Italian restaurant for dinner. After dinner we came back to the hotel and went to the Sauna for a bit.

    Day 2- Klaus worked today and I was lazy and relaxed. I finally got moving and had dinner at a cute wine bar. When Klaus got back to the hotel we went to a cute bar and had a glass of wine, a Sarti Spritz (It’s a take on an aperol but with a liquor called Sarti) and a cheese plate with the most delicious fig and horseradish jelly. Off to bed, Klaus has an early morning.

    Day3- Klaus went to work for the day, I froze my butt off and walked around. Klaus got back and we had dinner at an Indian restaurant, not normally something we would choose but the food was great!

    Day 4- Klaus was up early again for work and I was slow to get moving 😂😂. Once again I walked around the charming town freezing my butt off with the rain snow mix. Did a little shopping and met Klaus back at the hotel. Tonight we walked to greek restaurant with once again amazing food. Unfortunately we ordered a grilled platter and I was unaware that the entire thing was pork 😂😂😂😂 needless to say they were quick to remedy the situation and got me a plate of grilled lamb so yummy!!!! Ended the evening at the hotel bar with an aperol and espresso martini.

    Day 5- We woke up and were supposed to drive to Stuttgart then Munich but Klaus is sick again with the never ending cough. Grabbed some cough drops, a cappuccino and a cake called bienenstich. (one of his grandmas favorites) 🍰 We drove to Munich did a little shopping and ended up at the doctors hoping to get medicine to control the cough on the 12 hour flight tomorrow. Checked into the Hilton at the Airport grabbed a little dinner and rearranged the suitcases, we will only be taking carry-ons for the Asia trip. The larger suitcases will be stored at the airport until we return for our flight home to USA. Super excited to ditch the cold, bring on the heat and sunshine. ☀️

    Day 6- I unfortunately have the cough also. 😞😞 Barely slept, loaded up on medicine and made it to the lounge for a mimosa before our flight. ✈️    Read more

  • Winter Adventures 2024
    Ready fro take off on Singapore Airlines
    View from hot tubPool viewInside tower 1 of Marina Bay Sands HotelPool at Marina Bay SandsView from SpagoAvacado and tomato cevicheavacado rollOctopus GrilledLeaving Tower 11Marina Bay Sands Hotel

    Singapore

    January 21, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    Boarded the Singapore Airlines flight and got settled into the super large and comfy first class seats. The champagne was wonderful and our coughs are under control for the moment. A couple hours into the flight and it all went downhill, I spent the next 10 hours in misery with a head ache, body aches and cough. Unfortunately we could not get the full experience of a flight we had been looking forward to.

    We arrived at the Clan hotel and so went straight to bed. We would spend the next couple of days mainly sleeping and miserable.😞

    I had made reservations at Spago Lounge months ago and we didn’t want to miss it. We got dressed and went out for a couple of hours. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel was something like we have never seen before.

    On the final day we managed to walk around for a bit and went on the carousel, which happens to be the largest in Asia. Did a river boat cruise, saw the light show at Gardens by the bay and tried Chicken Satay. Our final stop was the famous Hawker Center from the movie Crazy Rich Asians, where we tried some traditional food.

    Went back to the hotel and got organized for an early flight to Bali.    Read more

  • Winter Adventures 2024
    Singapore airport has everything3

    Singapore - More Pictures

    January 21, 2024 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 88 °F
  • Winter Adventures 2024
    2

    U Bud Bali Day 1 &2

    Jan 24–27, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 88 °F

    We arrived in Bali made it through immigration and customs and met our driver to take us to the hotel and excursions for the next few days. On our way to the hotel we stopped for a meal over looking the rice fields and got to witness a ceremony where the local people take offerings to the temple.

    1 1/2 hours later we arrived to the beautiful Kayon Valley Resort, it is absolutely beautiful and tucked away in the jungle about 10 min from the crazy of downtown U Bud. The staff is welcoming and accommodating. They drove us part way down the hill on a golf cart then we tracked by foot to room 304. Absolutely beautiful!!! After getting situated we had a couples massage at the spa. We got cleaned up and had dinner at our hotel which included a live show of traditional dances. After dinner we went back to the room and lights out. Unfortunately neither of us are 100percent yet and very tired.

    Day 2 - We woke up, got dressed and went to breakfast. After breakfast our driver picked us up for a full day of activities. We started with a 60 min traditional dance that tells a story of good vs evil and a little humor thrown in. After the dance we went to a coffee plantation which includes that super expensive coffee that the animal eats the berries and poops out a bean 🫘. Unfortunately they put sugar in all their coffee and tea when they brew it so it was tooooo sweet for us. Next stop Monkey forest, it was fun to walk around the beautiful grounds and see all the monkeys. Our driver dropped us off in downtown Ubud for a yummy lunch. We were supposed to call him when done but unfortunately I left my phone in his car. Luckily Klaus had find my iphone on for me and we walked 7 min to a parking lot where after a couple rounds we found the car but not the driver. 😂😂 We sat around for about 20 min until Klaus finally found him at the local mart. Leave it to me to mess something up! We went to the rice field village next where we got our pictures taken on the famous swings and I went zip lining. The evening ended back at the hotel, a quick swim in our pool, a bath and nighty night.    Read more

  • Winter Adventures 2024
    1Crazy U Bud

    U Bud Day 3 & 4

    January 25, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌩️ 88 °F

    Today we woke up, had breakfast and our driver picked us up for another day of action.
    Our first adventure was ATV riding thru the jungle followed by lunch at their pool club. It was super fun, we got very dirty and the scenery was beautiful. Our next stop was a quick stop to see the lake and volcano of Mount Batur, it was a 20 degree temperature change but felt great. After the volcano we drove to the traditional Tenganan Pegeringsingan Village. It’s claimed to be one of the cleanest villages in the world and each family opens their doors to everyone whom visits. You are able to see how they live and purchase goods from them. We got back to the hotel left our back packs at the front desk and got a ride to downtown U Bud. It’s absolutely crazy busy with the cars and scooters traffic jams and chaos. There is tons of shops and restaurants that line the busy streets. We had a snack and a glass of prosecco before making our way back to the hotel.

    We woke up, and had an early breakfast before hanging out at the pool for a couple of hours. We Packed our bags and the driver picked us up for our next part of the journey in Sideman (east Bali). On our way to Sidemen we stopped and saw a beautiful waterfall.    Read more

  • Winter Adventures 2024
    1
    2

    Sidemen Bali

    Jan 27–29, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 84 °F

    Our next stop is Sidemen which is located East Bali. This is much quieter than U bud and surrounded by rice fields. We will be staying the next two nights at the beautiful Wapa Di Ume hotel. Once again the balinese people are so kind and welcoming. We checked in and got a tour of the property before making our way to our beautiful room. After getting settled we had lunch and hung out by the pool for the afternoon. We got back to our room and the staff had turned down the bed and arranged the netting around the bed. It looked like straight out of a fairytale. After showering and reading for a few minutes I was once again asleep before 8:00pm 😂

    We woke up the next morning and went on a guided 45 walk through the rice fields. It was an adventure, that included a couple missteps luckily no injuries. Back at the hotel we had a coffee and tea at the restaurant while the staff prepared our floating breakfast. After our amazing breakfast enjoyed in our pool we spent the afternoon at the main pool. Klaus took a walk along the river that runs along the property while I read. We finished lunch just as the rain clouds rolled in. We got back to our room just in time, the rest of the afternoon was spent watching the incredible storm from our room. We walked into the village and had dinner at Asri, it is the first night in Bali we made it to dinner and stayed awake past 8pm. We walked back to the hotel, got ready for bed and lights out around 9pm.    Read more

  • Winter Adventures 2024
    1Private Dinner31

    Seminyak Bali

    Jan 29–30, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 88 °F

    We woke up, had breakfast, got a head neck and shoulder massage and packed up to head to Seminyak. The car ride was around 2 hours with crazy busy traffic. What a difference between the sleepy rice fields of Sidemen to the party town on the ocean. We checked into the beautiful Seminyak Beach Resort and headed to the pool over looking the ocean for the afternoon, we ate lunch and had watched the beautiful sunset. We got back to the room changed our clothes and walked to a restaurant in town. After dinner we walked back got ready for bed and lights out for Jill. Heading to Thailand in the morning.Read more

  • Winter Adventures 2024
    We arrived in Chiang Mai
    Khao Soi - Famous dish in Chiang MaiFood market at night1Night MarketPreparing the foodBreakfast with the monks1Monk BreakfastGiving the monks an offeringUmbrella Factory80 year old still making umbrellas1Putting gold on marble stones for templeOfferings made of jasmine at temple2Beautiful flower garden at lunchSilver Temple- Everything made of silverInside temple - only men allowed1How silk is produced1Silver Temple

    Chiang Mai Day 1

    Jan 30–Feb 2, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    We flew from Bali to Singapore had a quick 1 hour layover then arrived in Chiang Mai. The hotel had a driver pick us up and bring us to our hotel called Coucou, it is a new hotel located in old town Chiang Mai. We got settled in and walked to a local restaurant for dinner. After dinner we walked around a local food market, got cleaned up and went to bed.

    Day 2- We woke up at 5:00am for a 6:30am Cultural tour. Which Included the following:

    - Visit the hidden forest temple(a female monk temple), experience the process of making merit in Buddhist’s way (Taamboon, offer food, pouring holy water), experience monks chanting, get blessed from Buddhist monks, etc…
    - Have breakfast at the temple (we ate the same breakfast as the monks after they finished)
    - Stopped for a coffee at a local shop located off the road. Such a yummy smooth coffee!
    - Visit the famous umbrella village “Ban Bosang village”
    - Visit the famous silk making village
    - Visit wood carving village “Ban Tawai”
    - Lunch, at a beautiful restaurant over looking the water.
    - In the afternoon visit two temples, 1. The holy temple “Wat Doikham” 2. The famous silver temple “Wat Srisuphan”

    After the tour our driver took us a to a local spa where we got amazing massages. We got back to the hotel, Klaus had some work calls and I got cleaned up for the evening.

    We went to a restaurant called Hummus for dinner, very nice change from Asian food. Amazing food and best baklava we have ever had. Walked back to the hotel, early morning of tours.    Read more

  • Winter Adventures 2024
    Angel Park
    Feeding the elephants Bamboo and squashMaking elephant treatsElephants crossed the river first waiting for usKlaus feeding the elephantsThe elephant kissed Klaus2Bathing the elephantsRiver FloatingHuge TempleSticky waterfall1Street our restaurant was on

    Chiang Mai Day 2

    February 1, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    We woke up, got dressed and headed downstairs for our driver to pick us up. I had made arrangements with the driver from the day before to set everything up for me because he was not available today. Let’s just say the car was very very very old and the air barely worked. We knew this was not going to be a day of comfort for driving but everything was already booked for the day. I was bummed and frustrated but oh well, we have a full day ahead of us.

    - Visit one of the most beautiful temples in Chiangmai, Wat Ban Den
    - Visit Dantewada Angel Park, one of the most popular parks among Thai tourists for making pictures.
    - Enjoy 40-minute bamboo rafting along the stream in the mountains
    - Lunch, Thai buffet lunch
    - Experience elephant sanctuary, feeding, bathing and learning about elephants from their mahouts.
    - Visit and enjoy Sticky Waterfall, climbing this unique limestone waterfall.

    We enjoyed all the activities of the day but especially the elephant sanctuary. I also really liked the waterfall, you walk all the way down via a staircase and back up to the top of waterfall on the rocks that aren’t slippery. Hence the name sticky waterfall.

    We arrived back to the hotel, dropped our bags and went for 2 hour massages at a place that has all former incarcerated woman working for them. Why not support the rehabilitation program 😂😂

    After massages we had a great dinner at a little Italian restaurant. We grabbed a cab back to the hotel and lights out by 9:00.    Read more

  • Winter Adventures 2024
    Michelin Restaurant
    Finally a proseccoYummy eggplantThis match was for a titleRepresenting USA for a title- he lostMarket with MusicThe guy in green was named Nial and was a crowd favorite

    Chiang Mai Day 3

    February 2, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    Today we woke up, went downstairs for a coffee and got ready for our 11:00am lunch reservation. We had great lunch at a Michelin recommended restaurant. After lunch we went to the flower festival and walked around for a bit. Next we grabbed a cab and went to Loi Kroh road where all the action is, we walked for a bit and purchased tickets for a Muai Thai Fight. The fight does not start until 9:00pm so we went and got massages and a snack at the italian restaurant from the night before. After a glass of wine at a cute wine bar we went back to Loi Kroh street and experienced the crazy busy night markets. The streets were lined with never ending vendors and street food. We really enjoyed the one very modern market with food stalls and live music.

    We arrived at the fight club, sat ring side and watched fights until after midnight. Klaus was so excited to watch this and I was glad it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

    We grabbed a cab back to the hotel, lights out, this is the latest we have stayed awake since getting sick. Off to Phuket tomorrow!!!!    Read more

  • Winter Adventures 2024
    coconut toast with mango
    Our view from pool in the roomMap of the hotel1Beautiful views at dinner1Finally an aperol1Klaus's pasta made him sweat.Street MarketDinner at Day and NightBig PoolView walking to becah poolBeach Pool1

    Phuket- Sri Panwa - Day 1 & 2

    Feb 3–6, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    We woke up in Chiang Mai walked down the street to a little breakfast place for our morning coffee and tried coconut toast with mango. Super yummy!!! Klaus ordered an iced orange coffee which is orange juice and coffee, surprisingly good. We got a taxi to the airport for a quick and easy 2 hour flight to Phuket. We flew Thai Air Asia, thank goodness Klaus did some research and we did not book Nok Air, they had a bunch of cancellations. An hour drive later we arrived at the beautiful Sri Panwa resort it is an amazing resort built into the cliff. When ever you want to go some where within the resort a tuk tuk picks you up and takes you. We checked in, changed our clothes and went to a casual dinner over looking the ocean. We took our remaining bottle of prosecco back to the room for an evening swim in our pool.

    Day 2 - We woke up and took the tuk tuk to breakfast. It’s is one of the nicest breakfasts to date. After breakfast we threw on bathing suits and went to the large pool for a bit then the beach pool for the rest of the afternoon. We met a nice couple from Wales and enjoyed chatting with them and drinking aperol. We got cleaned up and took a taxi to the Sunday night market in old town Phuket, it was street after street filled with people and vendors. A very cool experience, we tried a couple of things including the best dumplings ever! Next we walked to dinner at a very cool Michelin restaurant called Day and Night. We had great food and an interesting conversation with a former model/actress from London. After dinner we went to a couple of bars with live music and had a fun evening. We got a taxi, more like a party van 😂😂 back to the hotel. It was late and we were tired!!    Read more

  • Winter Adventures 2024
    1
    Farewell Sri PanwaBaba Nest Roof top bar1Another Party bus taking us to Kata Beach

    Final Day at Sri Panwa

    February 5, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    We woke up, had breakfast and booked a cab to take us to Kata Beach which is about 40 minutes from the hotel. We spent the day on the beach, got a massage and ate dumplings at a Russian restaurant. The beach and area were absolutely packed with people. After the beach we grabbed another taxi and because of traffic it took 1 hour and 15 minutes to get back. We quickly showered and to the tuk tuk to the roof top bar for the sunset. It was a beautiful view. About an hour later we had the tuk tuk take us to the entrance and walked to the small village and had dinner at an Indian restaurant. Tomorrow is check out and heading to the catamaran.Read more

  • Winter Adventures 2024
    Taking the dinghy to the boat
    First lunch on the boatAmazing SunrisesThe sand is so softThe water is so clearOne of many amazing fish Klaus swam withSailing and watching the sunrise

    Sailing the islands Part 1

    Feb 7–10, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    We woke up, had breakfast, got cleaned up and packed our back packs with only the essentials for 4 days on the catamaran. The driver picked us up with his wife they were both so sweet and found us an amazing wine shop to grab a few bottles of bubbly for the boat. An hour later we arrived at the captain’s house who happens to live on the beach where he anchors the boat. We left our suitcases at his place and loaded the backpacks and bubbly into the dinghy and motored to the boat. His mates name was Fon, she had worked for Alex for awhile now and would be doing all the cooking and helping Alex out when needed.

    We spent the next 4 days, visiting islands, paddle boarding, snorkeling, (well mainly Klaus because day one a baby jellyfish stung me near my lip and I decided not to risk it anymore) sleeping under the stars (It was way to hot to sleep in the boat) eating amazing food prepared by Fon, reading, and watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

    On the final full day we visited a beach cove back in Phuket, after lunch on the boat we took the dinghy to shore and had a fun afternoon having cocktails at a couple of beach bars. We sailed to a larger beach area in the town Fon happened to live in, it is there we anchored the boat for the night. After dinner we took the dinghy to shore and Fon took us to her home town bars, we had WAY too much fun and paid the price the next day.

    The final morning we had incredible winds and sailed back to Alex’s house. The same driver and wife picked us up and took us to a restaurant for lunch before the airport. We flew to Bangkok to spend a couple of nights before heading home.

    A list of the islands we stopped at:

    Ko Maithon
    Racha Noi
    Racha Yai
    Nui Bay Phuket
    Nai Harn Phuket    Read more

  • Winter Adventures 2024
    Driving to the Carlton in Bangkok
    Starting the food tourmaking spring rollssome of the street foodTuk Tuk rideAbout to hang on for dear lifePublic bus transportPublic transportationPublic Boat Ride thru canalsSome of the housing saw from boatHotel rooftop barRooftop Bar and RestaurantMezza platterOne of many many rows of market stallsView from room very different than where the locals liveAmazing burrata lunchTerminal 21 mallTuk Tuk RideCanal Boat Ride

    Bangkok

    Feb 9–11, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 95 °F

    We flew from Phuket to Bangkok, got picked up from the hotel in a beautiful Mercedes S class. I have never been in a sedan with reclining back seats. 😂 An hour later we arrived at the hotel, checked in and walked to an Italian restaurant down the street for a great (non asian) meal. Walked back to the hotel and went to bed.

    Day 2 - Woke up, got ready, had a cappuccino and got a cab ride to meet the group for a food tour. We sampled over 15 items, many of which I did not try, lol!!! We rode a tuk tuk, the water taxi and public bus. It was a fun experience in this overwhelming super busy packed city. We went to one the super large malls called MBK, the malls are so big you can’t possible even see everything. After the mall we got cleaned up and went to the rooftop bar at the hotel for a drink and appetizer before walking to dinner. I had the brilliant idea of stopping at an abandoned mansion for an additional drink but after 45 minutes of walking around, we never did find an entrance and Klaus was pissed and sweaty. We gave up and went to dinner at a super cool rooftop bar with live music and DJ. we decided that the walk was a bit too much and took a tuk tuk , which is a crazy experience in itself.

    Day 3 - Woke up, had a coffee and took a taxi to the Chatuk weekend market, there is over 8000 vendors and it would take all day to see everything. We had to get back to the hotel to change and check out. Our flight was not till 8pm so we walked to the Italian restaurant from the first day and had lunch, we had to order quick because there is no alcohol served from 2 to 5 every day in Bangkok. Kids get out of school and they don’t want them trying to sneak it. After lunch, we walked to another mall called terminal 21 this is designed like an airport with a bunch of levels and the most massive food courts taking up two floors I’ve ever seen. We stopped on the way back to the hotel for a final massage (I will miss these and the warm weather of course the most). A quick aperol on the walk back to the hotel where the car was waiting to take us to the airport.    Read more

  • Winter Adventures 2024

    Going Home

    February 12, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 28 °F

    We arrived at the Bangkok airport and went to the lounge. Boarded the plane for Singapore a 2 1/2 hour flight and that’s when it went downhill. A couple did not show up for the flight and their luggage had to be taken off the plane. We had an hour delay which was going to cause us to most likely miss the flight from Singapore to Munich, which would mean re- booking 3 flights.

    We landed in Bangkok/thank god we did not check bags. We jumped off the plane and had to run to the skytrain which took us to a different terminal. We then continued to run(Jill did)sweating our asses off, luckily an airport cart grabbed us and drove us to the gate. They called the gate and told them we were coming. They held the plane and we made it. Turns out there was others and the plane took off 30 minutes late. 13 Hours later we landed in Munich Terminal 1, picked up our winter luggage from the Hilton, and went to terminal 2, had to do Global Blue before making it to the lounge for a few. Next flight is Munich to Amsterdam 1 1/2 hour flight where we will have 30 min to make it to Delta flight home. 10 Hours later we arrived!    Read more

    Trip end
    February 12, 2024
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