Tag Archives: Christmas

Cooking with Ann

Christmas, Family, Thailand, ,

Something different today, we went to a Thai cooking class.

From the moment Ann picked us up from our hotel, we knew this would be a special experience. On the way to the market, she asked about our likes, dislikes, preferred dishes, and even how much food we could eat (note: look at the pictures – we asked for something small to medium, can you imagine if we would have said we were hungry!). When then shopped together for the freshest ingredients, customizing the experience to our tastes.

Ann welcomed us into her beautifully appointed outdoor Thai kitchen at her home, where we spent nearly 3 hours preparing, cooking, and dining on several dishes. These are not pre-set menus; instead, Ann ensured we were making and eating dishes tailored to our preferences. The result is one of the finest dining experiences we have ever had in Thailand, not just because of the flavors but because it was designed entirely for us.

The Golden Triangle

Family, Thailand, ,

Northern Thailand comes to a point between Laos and Myanmar (former Burma). Today’s journey was to touch into each of those countries with a few sites along the way.

Along our way we stopped in a village of Myanmar refuges from the Karen heritage. This former Burmese indigenous people are known for their females carrying on the lifelong commitment to rings on their neck that by dropping their shoulders make the appearance of having very long necks. The lady you see us with has the longest neck in the village.
Karen Long Neck Village
Typical kitchen in the Karen village
Tea Plantation
Monkey Temple
The Golden Triangle. We are standing in Thailand. The land behind us is Myanmar. To the right is Laos.
We took a high speed boat to officially cross the boarders of both Myanmar and Laos.
We are officially in Myanmar at this point, although we could not make landfall.
We did officially step ground on Laos and walked around a bit.
Jonathan is holding up one Of the key ingredients to Laotian Whiskey….Cobra.
We then went back to Chiang Rai and visited a flower festival. It was awesome.

Northern Thailand: Chiang Rai – Temple Day

Christmas, Family, Thailand, Winter, ,

We are now at the furthest destination of our trip; Northern Thailand in the Chiang Rai province. This region is known for its mountains, vast fields of rice and tea, as well as a slower paced culture.

Today was Temple Day. We experienced the modern side of Thai culture, temples, and museums. And YES, we are wearing matching shirts (see the last picture of this post for our shirt design).

Wat Rong Khun: The White Temple
Wat Rong Suea Ten – The Blue Temple
The Black House Museum
Wat Huay Pla Kang – The Goddess of Mercy
Lunch at Lalitte Cafe
A closer look.

Tokyo (Sort of)

Family, , , ,

After almost 12 hours of flight time we made it to Tokyo. Well, Narita International, to be more accurate. This was a quick over night before we leave for Singapore in the morning. It was nice to sleep in a real bed for a bit.

Decorated for Christmas
Time for a nightcap before bed.
Hey – it is better than a seat on a plane!
Backup early for the airport.
With enough time for a quick Phase 10 game.
And of course, matching shirts to make sure we don’t get lost in the airport.

We Are On Our Way!

Family, ,

From North Dakota and Colorado, we have met up in Los Angeles to begin our journey.

Hanging out with our familiar Christmas friend at DIA.
We found Mathieu!
Quick overnight
Then back over to LAX
With a bit of luggage (12 bags all together, including a Christmas tree)

And YES – we are wearing matching shirt!

Next stop – Singapore Airlines and off to Tokyo.