Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Thailand

February 16, 2011—Our train for Chiang Mai did not leave until 6:10 p.m. so we took our time getting ready in the morning, and around noon we left for the train station. We were able to leave our bags at “Left Luggage” and then walk to China Town. Unfortunately, it was Saturday and the streets were packed. What a surprise!

We walked down the main street and then turned up an alley way that was filled with shops. The path through the shops was so narrow that we walked single file; however, that did not stop motor scooters from using the path as well. At one point, a small truck was trying to drive through as well. We soon made our way out and found an air-conditioned restaurant for lunch.

After lunch we walked back to the train station. We had a few hours to wait, but it was interesting to watch all the people at the station. An hour before our train was to leave, we were able to board and stow our bags. This trip was in a second-class car, which meant that Steve and I each had a wide seat during the day, and then at night our two facing seats made up one bunk with a drop-down bunk above. There were curtains for privacy, and the bunks were quite comfortable plus the car was air-conditioned.

Across the aisle from us were an American and his Pilipino wife who live in the Philippines but travel six months of the year. Larry and Helen sat and talked with us for quite awhile, and we really enjoyed meeting them.

The porter made up our bunks around 9 o’clock, and we called it a night. We did not sleep very well, but we came into Chiang Mai at 7:30 in the morning and were able to check into the Galare Guest House when we arrived. The Galare is a lovely Thai styled facility by the river with a restaurant, and they offer wifi, laundry, and tour services.

We decided that we wanted to take an elephant tour, so they booked us for Monday. As soon as we could, we walked into town to look around. Chiang Mai is a city of around 174,000 people, and it is so much more enjoyable than Bangkok. It is still a tourist city, but it is very clean, the people are friendly, and we didn’t have any trouble with scammers.

We spent the day walking around to see even more Wats. The temples here are not as grand, but they are still beautiful. We enjoyed lunch in town, and we walked through the market that was being set up near the old wall that used to surround the city. Later we walked to the Night Bazaar to look around. The Bazaar is definitely a tourist event, but it was still interesting to look at all the stuff that was for sale. We enjoyed dinner at an Afghani restaurant, and then went to McDonald’s for an ice cream. After that we were pretty tired, so we headed back to our room.

Monday morning we got up early to have breakfast and wait for our driver to pick us up at 8:15. When he arrived, we climbed into the van and took off to pick up two other groups. One of the groups included three young ladies from Uruguay. We ended up getting to know them very well during the day, and we exchanged emails with them to share pictures.

We drove quite awhile before we arrived at in Maetamann and the Thai Elephant Home. Joe, who is one of the owners, introduced himself and then explained how we would spend the day. He gave each of us a top, pants, and a hat that we would wear. He taught us five basic commands for the elephants and also gave us some interesting facts about the Asian elephant and how it compares to the African elephant.

Our next step was to practice getting up on the elephant and giving voice and leg commands. The word “malong” meant lie down, “bai” meant go forward, “what” meant stop, and “bend” meant turn either left or right depending on your leg command. Steve’s elephant was named Boonsee, and the mahout’s name was Wimon. My elephant was named Noi and the mahout was Porn. The mahouts are the trainers, and each has his own elephant. Both elephants were rather large, and mine seemed to be a bit stubborn. Anyway, we all got up on our elephants and headed to the Waan River. We crossed the river and then began a climb up the hillside.

At first I didn’t feel very secure on the elephant, but after awhile, I became more comfortable. The only problem with my elephant was that she kept sneezing so I ended up with snot on my legs, but it wasn’t all that bad.

It was amazing to see these huge animals climbing up a narrow path on a hillside. We reached our lunch spot just about noon and dismounted the elephants. There was a covered shelter with tables and benches where we were given a delicious meal of Thai noodles with chicken and prawns that was wrapped in a banana leaf. We sat and talked with Ximena, Fernanda, and Camen from Uruguay and enjoyed our food. When we were done, the elephants got any left-over food plus the banana leaves. They didn’t really need the food because they had been grazing on the lush grass on the hillside while we were eating.

We rode the elephants up the hill a short distance and then watched as the elephants were allowed to enjoy a luxurious mud bath. It was fun to watch them throwing mud on themselves and scratching their bodies against the side of the hill. When they were done, we headed down the hill to the river for a bath. Steve and I decided to walk for awhile because if you have ever been sore after riding a horse, just imagine riding a very large elephant.

At the river Steve walked across, but I decided to ride Noi across. At the other side the riders all got off, and the elephants were allowed to get into the river and take a bath. Some of the water was deep enough for the elephants go be completely covered with water. We all joined in the river bath and had a great time splashing water on the elephants. In return the elephants would hose us down with water from their trunks, which felt good because it was a hot day so the cold water felt really nice. I got an opportunity to ride in the river on one elephant’s trunk.

Now it was time to return to the facility. We all got back on our elephants and made our way from the river to the facility. When we got back, we got off and thanked our mahouts as they led our elephants to their stalls. Then we changed our clothes and enjoyed some watermelon and cold water. It was a very interesting experience, and we thought that this was a fascinating way to spend Valentine’s Day in Thailand.

We said our goodbyes to Joe and made a donation to the facility. We all slept in the long van ride back to Chiang Mai, and Steve and I returned to the hotel very sore but determined to have a lovely dinner out. We found a place called The Duke’s and enjoyed a wonderful dinner of steak and baby back ribs. A woman came in selling roses, and Steve bought me a lovely red rose for Valentine’s Day.

The morning of February 15 we ate breakfast, and then we packed up our things so that we could check out at 11 o’clock. We took two hours to walk to the post office and then around town for one last round of looking in shops.

We caught a ride to the bus station for our bus to Chiang Rai at 2:45 p.m. We booked the VIP bus because of the larger seats and fewer people, plus the fare for the bus was only 265 baht each or $9. The drive was lovely since we are moving to the northern border of Thailand and the terrain has higher hills. After three hours we arrived in Chiang Rai and found our hotel called The North. It was now dinner time so we went to the Night Bazaar where we bought some pork satay sticks for dinner. Tomorrow we will explore Chiang Rai.

Bangkok, Thailand

February 11, 2011—Yesterday we started fairly early in the morning by leaving the hotel in search of donuts. Believe it or not they sell Dunkin Donuts here in Bangkok. Good coffee, however, is a little harder to find. We bought our donuts and sat while we enjoyed eating them, and then we took the sky train and then the subway to the Central Pier.

At the pier we boarded a local water taxi to head up the canal to the Grand Palace. The current in the river was truly amazing—even more amazing was the skill of the driver in maneuvering up to each dock in order to allow passengers to get on and off. The docks were moving up and down with the waves, and it made for a thrilling departure from the boat.

We walked to the Grand Palace, and after having a local try to scam us, we decided to go on to the National Museum first. On the way we found the Amulet market area where collectors, monks, taxi drivers, and people in dangerous professions buy small talismans for protection from evil. We also saw dentures for sale along with the amulets.

We found the museum without too much difficulty and paid our fee to go in. The first exhibit was the history of Thailand, which we found very interesting. The other exhibits included examples of textiles, wood carvings, gold treasures, and weapons; and they were all very well presented. The gold, combined with small pieces of glass, gave many of the items an amazing sparkle.

After leaving the museum we walked back to the Grand Palace but stopped to enjoy lunch at a nice sandwich shop just across the street. We crossed the street and entered the Grand Palace, and grand it was. The entrance fee was 700 baht or about $24 for both of us. We were required to wear long pants, and my blouse had to cover my shoulders.

The grounds include Wat Phra Kaew Temple and the Grand Palace, which is the former residence of the Thai monarch. The grounds were consecrated in 1782, the first year of Bangkok rule. The 94.5-hectare grounds encompass more than 100 buildings that represent 200 years of royal history and architectural experimentation. There are no less than 394 gilded Buddha images, and the mosaic glass and tile work on the exteriors of the buildings was impressive.

We enjoyed walking around the grounds for about two hours. There was so much to see—so many buildings and temples. There were tourists everywhere, and it was difficult to take any pictures because someone would usually walk in front of the camera. Unfortunately, our camera just can't capture the beauty of the site. By the time we were done, we had had enough of being around so many people for awhile.

We left the palace and walked across the street to find a taxi or a tuk-tuk to get to the Golden Mount. We asked a taxi driver, but he quoted a fixed price and would not use the meter; therefore, we moved on to a tuk-tuk driver. We found one that agreed to take us for 120 baht so we got in the tuk-tuk and left. After five minutes, he pulled over and tried to pawn us off to another driver, so we started to get out. He stopped us and said everything was okay so we continued on. The drive was not fun as he was driving very fast, and the traffic was very heavy. I think that he was a bit frustrated.

There is a program here that allows you to borrow a bike and take the green path to see the downtown area. Unfortunately, the motor scooters and the tuk-tuks use the designated lane. You could not pay me enough money to get on these streets on a bike. Talk about a death wish.

Finally the driver dropped us off at a temple. We saw that it was not the one we wanted, but we were more than happy to exit the tuk-tuk. As Steve handed him the money, he said that we owed 150, but Steve just said, “You agreed to 120, and we are not even at the right temple.” We walked off and did not look back.

We were at Wat Traimit so we entered the grounds, paid our fee, and then walked up several flights of steps to the top. Inside was an amazing golden Buddha, which is 3 meters tall, weighs 5.5 tons, and is said to be solid gold. This image was “discovered” some 40 years ago beneath a stucco or plaster exterior, when it fell from a crane while being moved to a new building within the temple compound. It was worth the trouble of getting here to see it.

When we were done, we left and walked back across the canal to the train station where we took the subway and then the sky train to get back to the hotel. After resting up a bit, we left to have a nice meal out. We found a nice restaurant with good food, but the prices were a bit high.

This morning we left a little later in the morning, and we decided to try riding a local bus for a “real experience.” We walked about 10 blocks and then picked up the #79 bus. When we paid our fare of 24 baht, the conductor asked us where we were going so we told him. He informed us that we were on the wrong bus—again—and needed bus #59. We thanked him and got off at the next stop where we did finally get on the right bus.

We were looking for our stop but were not sure which one it was. Steve asked the conductor, but she did not speak English. We came to a stop and all of a sudden the monk beside me, the conductor, and the driver were all telling us to get off, so we thanked them and left.

We walked just down the street and came to the Golden Mount. The Mount part of the name comes from the fact that you must climb many steps in order to reach the temple at the top, but the good news is that you have a 360-degree view of Bangkok. The dome at the top is gold in color, but I don’t know if it is actually gold, and there was a wonderful breeze at the top, which helped to cool us off. The temple was beautiful, and the view was excellent.

After descending all the stairs, we walked to Ban Baht or the Monk’s Bowl Village. We just happened to look down an alley and saw what we thought was the village so we entered. A woman asked if we were looking for a bowl. When we said yes, she led us to Mr. Somak Buppachart, who is master in the craft. The bowls are used by the monks to receive alms from the people. The craft has been carried on for a long time, but it almost died out several years ago. The tourist business has helped to revive it, and Mr. Buppachart hoped that it would continue.

After leaving with a beautiful bowl, we walked over the canal and found a local shop for lunch. The food was good, although a bit spicy. After lunch we went to the Wat Suthat, which is another temple. This one has very large grounds, and the priests were performing what we believe to be prayers while we were in the temple. The ashes of Rama VIII, the current king’s deceased older brother, are contained in the base of the main Buddha.

We have now had our fill of Wats or temples, at least here in Bangkok. We left and walked back to our bus stop. On the way we stopped to enjoy a cold beer just across from the Golden Mount. It turned out to be a very warm day, and the beer tasted great. We were just about at the bus stop when we came upon the King Prajadhipok Museum so we went in to look. There was no fee, and it was air-conditioned, so we decided to walk through.

The museum was actually focused more on his wife, Queen Rambhai Barni. It discussed their life together in Thailand and then in England after his abdication of the throne. It was beautifully done with many personal items belonging to both of them. There were many wonderful photographs, and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

By now we were pretty tired so we found the #59 bus that took us all the way back to the Victory Monument. We got off and headed to the mall for an ice cream before returning to the room. Two hours later we left to have dinner. On our way we stopped and bought some pork on a stick for 5 baht each. They were so good that we ended up buying several more, some rice, some corn, and some papaya from the street vendors. We returned to our room where we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner, which cost us 300 baht or $3.

Tomorrow we leave round 6:30 on the train for Chiang Mai. We will have some time in the morning to walk around China Town before we leave Bangkok. We have enjoyed seeing the sights, but this is a very large, very crowded, and very busy city. There are many scammers ready to take advantage of tourists; but, luckily, we had read about it in a guide book, and that helped us to avoid any problems. There were also many wonderful and helpful locals here who are honest, hard-working people.

Langkawi to Hat Yai and Bangkok

February 9, 2011—The morning of the seventh we got an early start by catching the 7:15 morning ferry across to Langkawi where a taxi driver quickly drove us to the Langkawi Ferry Terminal about 30 minutes away. We checked in with the ferry company and then went to enjoy a Starbuck’s coffee and donut. At 8:30 we cleared Immigrations and then boarded our ferry boat, which was a nice, high-speed craft.

The trip took just one hour, and then we were in Thailand where we filled out our Immigration cards, walked by Customs, and went to find our transportation. The tour company led us to a small pickup with very narrow seats in the rear. We piled in, along with 14 other people (three of whom were standing on the back bumper), and headed in to Satun. In Satun we transferred to an air-conditioned van and left for Hat Yai. I nicknamed our driver Parnelli Jones because he was driving between 80 to 85 miles per hour and weaving in and out of traffic. I closed my eyes so that I wouldn’t see the end coming; however, Steve was very interested in the situation.

After a delay because of traffic, we arrived in Hat Yai an hour later and had the driver drop us off at the train station, happy to still be in one piece. We found the Advanced Ticket Sales office and purchased our tickets to Bangkok and also Chiang Mai from a very friendly ticket agent. We were able to get first-class tickets for the train to Bangkok, but we had to buy second-class tickets for Chiang Mai.

After the train station we walked to the New Season Hotel and checked in. We needed to relax for a short time, and then we decided to go for a walk. We walked quite a ways because we were fascinated by all the shops and stalls along the streets. The most interesting thing was that a block would have large buildings on it, but then every so many feet a walkway through the building would go clear through from that street to the next parallel street. On either side of the walkway were stalls selling everything imaginable, and every walkway seemed to be selling the same stuff. It was amazing.

We found a good local restaurant where we enjoyed dinner and a cold beer. Afterward we walked a little more in order to work off the meal, and then we returned to our hotel and called it a night.

We checked out at noon the next day and walked back to the train station where we stored our bags. We needed to find an Internet store where we could print out our hotel voucher for Bangkok and Chiang Mai. We also wanted to look for a new backpack, a hair brush, and some food for the train. We took care of the first two items and then stopped to have some lunch at the Sizzler, but unfortunately, the food was not that good. After lunch we found some good local food and fruit for our trip.

At 4:30 we went back to the station to wait for our 6:05 train. I was pretty tired and was grateful for a place to sit. This afternoon I decided that my cold had gone into a sinus infection because I had not been feeling any better for several days and had other symptoms so I decided to start an antibiotic.

Our 6:05 train ended up being late, which created some stress for us because the announcements over the speaker were mainly in Thai so we were not sure when our train would arrive. Steve asked a local lady sitting close by about our train and after that she listened to the announcements for us and told us when ours was arriving.
We boarded the train and found our berth, which was fine, but I am not sure I would classify it as “first class.” Our train did not leave the station until after seven o’clock so now we would not arrive in Bangkok until noon on the ninth.

The train left the station, and we spent the last of daylight looking at the scenery going by. At nine o’clock we asked the porter to make up our bunks and, and we went to sleep. Sleep was difficult because of the movement of the train and the noise, but we did manage to sleep a bit.

On February 9 we woke up fairly early and had the porter take down the bunks. It was a lovely day, and the scenery was interesting so we just sat an enjoyed the morning. We arrived in Bangkok after noon and were able to exit the train station without being accosted by too many taxi drivers. I wanted a picture of the station, but we decided to skip it for the time being.

We found that the MRT or subway was very close and clearly marked, so we bought our tickets and headed for the River View Resort--resort is another loosely used term. We had to transfer from the MRT to the sky train, but again we found everything clearly marked and very easy. We got off a few blocks from our hotel, exited the platform, and then stopped in a mall where we had a very nice lunch and a beer for $3 each.

After lunch we walked to our hotel and checked in. A few hours later we left to just walk around the neighborhood. We found a beautiful park where many locals were relaxing, and some were eating a meal. The main street was very busy with traffic and people so we could hardly walk along the sidewalk.

We found the Victory Monument that commemorates a Thai victory over the French in 1941. It stands in the middle of a roundabout, and the six lanes of traffic were so busy that we decided not to try to cross the street but to just take a picture from the opposite curb. All along these sidewalks there were stalls selling merchandise or food and some were giving manicures. We just cannot get over the huge number of people in this country.

We ended the evening by enjoying a light dinner at a small local restaurant. After a quick stop at the Seven to Eleven we returned to the hotel and watched some TV before calling it a night. It was time to catch up on our sleep before heading out for a big day tomorrow.

Traveling to Southeast Asia

February 6, 2011—Tomorrow morning we leave for a month-long tour of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. We had planned to leave a week ago; however, Steve came down with some virus just after we returned from Kuala Lumpur, and three days later I was sick. By the time we felt well enough to leave, we were into celebrations of the Chinese New Year when accommodations and transportation were either booked or cost three times as much. Since I wasn’t completely well, we decided to just wait until the seventh when things slow down.
The two weeks that we have been back on the boat have been spent emptying, cleaning, and removing unnecessary items from the interior lockers. I can’t decide if I am glad, or sad, to say that we found very little to get rid of. So far, we must be storing only items that we feel are important. When we return, there are storage compartments under our berth that need to be cleaned out as well.

The weather has been a bit cooler and dryer than when we left in December. The northeast trade winds have filled in, which helps to cool things off. Four or five boats that we know personally have left for Sri Lanka and the Red Sea, and we are keeping in touch with them to see how they are doing.

During our trip, I plan to post regular blogs with pictures provided we can find decent Internet, which we have heard is not always available. We are excited to visit these countries as the history is rich, and the historical sites are numerous. We hope that you will follow us along our land travels during the next month.

Lovely Way to End 2010

January 28, 2011—The morning of December 8 we caught the water ferry over to Langkawi Island and took a taxi to the airport. Everything went just fine as we checked our bags, waited for the plane to arrive, and then boarded Air Asia flight 737. The flight to Kuala Lumpur, or KL as the locals call it, was just one hour, and we landed at the LCC (low cost carrier) terminal.

This is where things got interesting. We were flying EVA Air from KL to LAX via Taipei, Taiwan, so we had to get to Kuala Lumpur International Airport for that flight. You can see KLIA just across the field from the LCC terminal; however, we needed to take a bus or taxi to the international terminal. I waited for the bags while Steve purchased two tickets on the bus. We grabbed our bags and headed out the doors. We spotted the bus, hurriedly pushed our baggage cart up to it, and loaded our bags into the lower compartment. Then we hopped on board and thought we had it made.

The bus left about 15 minutes later, and we were rolling along on a very nice freeway and enjoying the lush scenery. After about 5 minutes I saw a sign that said “terminal,” but the bus just kept going so I thought that there might be more than one entrance. About 15 minutes later I told Steve that I wasn’t sure we were on the right bus. We decided to ask the local passenger in the seat across from us, and he said the bus was headed to KL Sentro—in other words, downtown KL. Panic immediately set in because we had just two hours left to get checked in with EVA Air. Steve ran up to the driver and made sure that we were on the wrong bus—which we were because they had sold us the wrong ticket —so the driver was good enough to pull over and drop us on the side of the road, along with all our baggage. As Steve was unloading the bags, I was madly waving at any passing taxi, hoping that one would pick us up. The bus pulled away, and I am sure that the occupants thought that this was all very entertaining. If we hadn’t been so busy, I would have loved to have taken a picture of the situation.

Finally a taxi pulled over, but when I turned to tell Steve, the driver started to pull away. I again began waving my arms wildly and yelling so he stopped. We loaded up all the bags, hopped into the taxi, and told him to take us to the KLIA International Airport. It took just 10 minutes to get there, and we happily paid the driver, even though our fare was about double what it should have been. Oh well, at least we would make our flight.

Our check-in went fine, security was easy, our wait was minimal, and we boarded the plane and settled in. We decided to book with EVA Air because of the larger, more comfortable seats, and it was worth it. Our flight to Taipei was about 5 hours long, with a four-hour layover, and the flight to LAX was another 15 hours.

We arrived in LA around 8 o’clock in the evening, and after clearing customs and immigration, we headed to the Radisson where we had booked a room. The next morning we walked to Budget to pick up our car, and then we headed south to San Diego. Steve’s license had been lost in Singapore so that meant that I had to drive, and I handled it all quite well, if I do say so myself.

We arrived in San Diego around one o’clock and stopped by quickly to visit with our daughter Drue at her work. We then returned the rental and caught the shuttle to the terminal. Steve was flying on to Albuquerque, but I was staying for a long weekend with the girls. Our daughter Brie, along with our precious granddaughter Riley, picked me up at 3 o’clock so Steve had a chance to see them before he left.

The weekend was great fun. I got to babysit Riley on Friday morning while Brie and her husband Tim were at work, we girls all took a long walk on Saturday afternoon, and I babysat for Riley and Parker (Drue’s dog) on Saturday night while Brie and Tim, and Drue were at office parties. Then it was time for me to leave for Albuquerque on Sunday afternoon.

The days until Christmas were filled with taking care of our annual appointments and catching up with family and friends. It was great to be home with Zelda, James, and Tim. We finished our Christmas shopping and helped Zelda decorate the house and put up the tree.

By December 24 all the kids had arrived from San Diego, and they joined Zelda, the boys, and us for candlelight service. Before the service James and Tim helped us set up the luminarias and light the candles, which is a New Mexican tradition.

Christmas morning everyone gathered at Zelda’s for breakfast and to open gifts. It was really fun to watch Riley opening her gifts, although she found the wrapping paper and bows or anything with buttons more interesting. The girls, Tim, and Riley had to leave around noon, but James and Tim stayed for dinner later in the afternoon. It was a great Christmas!

Over the next few days, we spent time with the kids and Riley, and Steve and I took Riley to the Aquarium one afternoon. By December 30 they had all headed back to San Diego, so now our attention turned to all the parts we had ordered for the boat. The boxes had been coming in on a regular basis, and we had to figure out how to pack it all in our suitcases. Our goodies included 12 yards of canvas material, a jig saw, new wiring, a sink faucet, books, a percolator, four jars of green chili sauce, and six jars of Zelda’s homemade grape jelly, four of which were for the kids in San Diego, as well as our clothes, shoes, and sundries. We were able to get it all into two large rolling suitcases and our two backpacking packs, all of which were quite heavy.

We spent the last two weeks in Albuquerque enjoying lunches and dinners with friends, and we were able to spend time with the Zelda and the boys.

We ate out way too often as the scales would show, and before we knew it, it was time to catch our plane back to San Diego on January 15 to spend our last three days with Riley and the kids. Monday was a holiday for Drue, so she joined us in taking Riley to the San Diego Zoo for an afternoon of fun. Tuesday afternoon Brie picked us up and drove us up to LAX to catch our late-night flight back to Kuala Lumpur.

The return trip was a little longer with the same stop in Taipei. We arrived in KL at 2:30 in the afternoon and spent an hour in line to clear in with Immigrations and Customs. We then found our driver who had come to take us to the Hotel Maya in KL. Before we left Malaysia, we booked an online special of a deluxe suite for three nights for the price of two. The hotel was lovely and the room was grand. From the 18th floor we had an excellent view of the Petronas Towers just two blocks away.

We spent the first afternoon and evening just recovering from 30 hours of travel time, and Steve took advantage of the oversized bath tub and hot running water. The next day we walked to the Towers and spent quite a bit of time taking pictures of this amazing structure. We walked all around the square enjoying the lovely grounds, and then it was time to go inside to walk through the four-story mall. We enjoyed lunch at a Thai restaurant and then returned to the hotel for a quick stop.

We wanted to get some exercise so we decided to walk to the KL Tower. On the way we stopped at the visitors’ welcome center where we found a shop that sold nothing but chocolates—all types. After a decent walk we arrived at the Tower, which is 1370 feet high and has a 360-degree view of Kuala Lumpur. We purchased our tickets and rode the elevator to the observation level, which is about two-thirds of the way up. The view was spectacular, and at each of the eleven stations there was a picture of the view that labeled the major buildings. After returning to the first floor, we walked through the adjoining reptile and bird exhibit that had more snakes than I care to see. The exhibit was really quite extensive and each cage gave information about the species and its natural habitat.

On our walk back to the hotel, we stopped in at the Hard Rock Café to enjoy a cold beer and an apple cobbler. Thank goodness we split it because it was huge. We arrived back at the hotel late in the afternoon and a bit tired, but overall we really enjoyed the day.

Our last full day in KL we decided to take the KTM train to see Little India. When we got to the station, we walked a short distance to the Masjid Jamek Mosque, where we were welcomed and invited in. I was given a gown and a head scarf to wear while we walked around the lovely structure.

Our next stop was Merdeka Square, which is an open cricket field. On August 31, 1957, Malaysia’s independence was proclaimed here. Across the street were some wonderful colonial buildings, which are a mix of Victorian, Moorish, and Mogul architecture, and include the National History Museum and the Memorial Library.

We left the area and headed to Little India where we walked around looking at all the goods in the shops. The number of fabric stores was amazing; one store had four floors just for fabric. We stopped at the Sabar Café to enjoy a lunch of chicken tikka masala and curry butter chicken, both of which were excellent.

We decided to walk back to the hotel to rest for a few hours, and then we returned to the light rail and headed to China Town late in the afternoon. Red lanterns strung overhead made it easy for us to find the right area. One street, named Petaling Street, was completely closed off and filled with hawker stalls. There was barely enough room to walk between the stalls, and people were everywhere. We never knew that one could cram so much stuff—watches, purses, cell phone cases, shoes, shirts, jewelry, etc.—into such a small area. It was quite interesting to see Rolex watches, Tiffany jewelry, Gucci handbags, and other name brand items, which really weren’t authentic, for sale.

Next we walked a few blocks away to see the Sri Mahamariamman Temple with its beautiful and ornate façade and then decided that we had seen enough for one afternoon. It was a wonderful experience of sights, sounds, and smells, but it was time for us to catch the train back to the Petronas Towers and return to the hotel.

On Sunday we checked out of our hotel and were driven to the LCC airport to catch our flight to Langkawi on Air Asia. The airport was busy but well organized so we quickly checked our bags and enjoyed a bite to eat. The flight was short, and we arrived in Langkawi at 3 p.m., collected our baggage, and then took a taxi to the ferry dock where we caught the water ferry back to Rebak Marina. We got to the boat and found that she was in fine shape. We hoisted our baggage on board and began unloading most of our “stuff,” but we left some of it in the cockpit until the next day. The boat was a mess for about three days until we got everything stored in its proper place, but it felt good to be home.