With last Novembers month in South America behind us, the decision on our next adventure took us into debates on the “bucket list”, and where was next. Marsha has always wanted to go to the Scandinavian Countries, I yearn to return to Europe, Dublin, Munich, Paris and Southern Italy.

However, there is one destination that I have been trying to take Marsha to for 30 years,

Thailand.

We tried going there 30 years ago, but our trip was canceled by a typhoon which devastated our primary destination. Thus we pivoted and traveled to Europe this first time for a month.

So, where to go this year ? Let’s try Thailand again, but lets add a few countries to the trip as its such a long distance to travel for just one country, right ? So we added Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia.

I decided to write this blog to give my readers some “insight” into the complicated pleasures of traveling to Asia, compared to Europe or South America. Four countries, four different languages, four different currencies, and then there are all the reservations for hotels, flights, ferries, TukTuk’s, etc.

When we started and made our decision, somehow the subject of taking a “Luxury Riverboat Tour” like we did in Peru Amazon came up. That “segwayed” to a cruise on the Mekong River in Vietnam, somewhere I said I would never return to, for reasons many of you are aware of. Almost immediately Marsha asked “are you okay with that”? I responded, “I guess we will find out”.

That’s me above, on the left, in a borrowed dress uniform ready to leave for my first visit to Thailand, (4 total), Year…1968. Taken in DaNang, Vietnam with my buddy Dale who was stationed at the Field Hospital there. I had been in the jungle 6 months then…they made me get a haircut, shave and take a bath 🙂

The good thing is we will be on board the cruise for only four days, with shore village and temple stops, which I can choose not to go on. There is also the two days prior to boarding the vessel, that we will be spending in Ho Chi Minh City. Oh boy, I’m so excited ? The really good news was when our good friends John and Shannon decided to join us on the cruise, and trust me, they will keep me level, well sort of.

So then we must “back track” a bit from the cruise. We will be flying from Los Angeles, CA directly to Singapore, like an 18 hour flight. Singapore Airlines has two classes of seats, Business or Coach. Basically the Business Class is First Class, with extremely large “pods” that totally recline into private beds, and a large TV. Coach is larger seats with a little better legroom.

Guess which seats we chose 🙂

We decided to fly to Singapore a few day early, and then fly to Bali for a few days before flying to Ho Che Minh City. Singapore is one of the most popular destinations in the world, and very expensive, and of course, the hotel I wanted to stay in if we stayed in Singapore, was $1200 U.S. a night ! Our Bali Beachfront Resort is costing us that for three nights ! Thus the Bali adventure. We will be staying at the Hilton Bali Resort for 3 nights.

We will fly from Bali directly to Ho Chi Minh City and spend 3 nights before boarding the cruise ship, at the Renaissance Riverside Hotel, Saigon. John and Shannon arrive the day before we board. The cruise line we will be on is the same we used for our Amazon Cruise, Rainforest Cruises. Everything on board is first class, from our balcony suites to the meals and cocktails, all provided. The Luxury Cruise Shi is the Jahan Cruise Line, Saigon to Phnom Penh, on the Meh King River.

Renaissance Riverside

After we vacate the cruise ship we will be driven by private car to out next destination in Cambodia, a 5 Star Resort, the Zannier Hotels, Phum Baltang Resort.where the four of us will all spend four awesome days eating, drinking and touring.

Phum Baltang Resort

From there we part with John and Shannon, at least at this point, and fly to Bangkok, Thailand for five days, staying on the river at the Anantara Riverside Resort in downtown Bangkok, Thailand. . Between temple and statue tours, food tours, Floating Markets, and Night Bar Hopping, after six days we will be ready for some relaxing.

Anantara Riverside Resort, Bangkok.

We fly to Northern Thailand, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai next, for some relaxation after spending a busy week in the new “metropolis” that is now Bangkok. We are booked at the Chala 6 Luxury Hotel in the “Old City”, inside the “City Wall”. I chose this place because it is central to most everything, including the temples and religious sites, and of course some great cooking schools. While there we plan to take a day trip up north to Chiang Mai, a much smaller town, where the “White Temple” is located. There are also some ethical elephant sanctuaries there, which we plan to visit.

Chala 6, Chiang, Mai.

At this point all of our adventures have been pretty much inland, so its time for a big change, we are headed to the Southern part of Thailand, Phuket, somewhere I have never been before.

When Marsha and I talked about our trip, and experiencing Phuket and later Krabi, I wasn’t quite sure this was something I wanted to do. Everything I have watched and read tells of magnificent sandy beaches, island, snorkeling crystal clear water, evening on the beach, etc. Sounds awesome doesn’t it?

That description is the same as where I live, Maya Beach, Belize 🙂

Then I thought of how much we enjoyed the the years we spent traveling the Hawaiian Islands, on business and pleasure. The sandy beaches, the awesome sunsets, snorkeling, diving, it was all so excellent, but in ways so different than here in Belize where we finally landed to live.

So Yes….Let’s do this :)We fly directly to Phuket and are staying five days at the PaTong Beach, Four Points Sheraton Beach Resort.

Then we travel by “Speed Boat” and hour to Krabi and stay for four days at AO Nang Villa Resort, Ao Nang, Krabi,

Because we have heard so much about it, we will travel by “Longboat” down the coast to AO Nang and stay at the Tubkaak Krabi Boutique Resort on the beach for two nights.

Crown Plaza, Singapore Airport

Then we fly from Krabi International Airport to Singapore Changi International Airport, and check into the Crown Plaza Airport Hotel there, for two days in Singapore.

Singapore International Airport…tallest indoor waterfall in the world.

We then check into out Singapore Airlines Flight, Business Class Luxury Seats for an exciting 20 hour flight back to LAX Airport, California 🙂

Business Class Luxury Seats, Singapore Airlines.

Eighteen Hours later we will arrive in LAX, Loa Angeles, California, and connect with our First Class seats on a flight back home to Belize City, and then to Placencia, and home to Maya Beach.

As always, it will be good to be home again, with many more memories together.

So, l will be updating this blog, Storiesbygary, while we are in Asia for 5 weeks, and upon returning, I will be following up with…..

“The Good, Bad and Ugly of our, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia `and Thailand Trip”.

Until then….. Travel while you can, don’t wait until you can’t.

Gary…The Pirate