At long last, after days of not being able to post to this blog because of bandwith limitations and/or language issues (ever tried to read Thai?), here is the first edition.  It will take you through
Cambodia and Bangkok.  Heaven only knows when I can post again, but I will keep trying!

Blogpost 
Day 3 - Siem Reap, Cambodia

Today is officially Day 3 of our tour, although the first 2 days were spent in airports as we worked our way across the International Date Line, technically losing a day as we did so, before finally  landing in Bangkok  last night.  We finally reached our hotel  at about 12:30 a.m., and after checking in, landed in bed about 1:30, actually 36 hours since we arose in Denver on Thursday.  Needless to say we were exhausted, and a little concerned about the capabilities of our airlines.  We were delayed, for one reason or another, in all 3 airports before finally landing in Bangkok.
After an early start this morning, we arrived in Siem Reap.  We soon observed the skies open upon us and we wondered if we would be able to take part in the plan for the afternoon.  The shower, though mighty, was brief, so we set out on a walk through a park in front of the King’s Palace.  The park is closed when the King is in residence, but was open for our walk.  Most notable were the presence of thousands of fruit bats hanging from the park’s trees,.  Next we drove to the outskirts of town where we were treated to a ride through the thoroughly soaked village in an oxcart, followed by a visit to our oxcart driver’s home.  Though poor, these people are friendly, proud, and very welcoming.  We then took a walk through the local market in which our host family shops.  Everything from fresh vegetables to clothing, animism medicines to electronics, raw and dried fish, and lots of fresh chicken,  beef, and pork, all sans refrigeration.  Typical of third world markets, but fun to visit anyway.
Tonight we were treated to a local buffet dinner, followed by a traditional dance show. 
The  food was good and the entertainment delightful, though none of us is likely to develop a taste for Cambodian music – pretty atonal.  Our return to our hotal was via Remok or motorized rickshaw powered by a motorcycle.  Fortunately the rain held off so other than the usual traffic nightmares present in every third world country where the only law is who is bigger, faster, and braver.
Our hotel is very nice. Clean, well-appointed, and, best of all, air conditioned!

Day 4  - Siem Reap, Cambodia
Mornings start early in an effort to avoid the midday heat.  Good idea since the early morning is hot enough.  I have perspired so much my face is getting a salt rash!  We started to Tonle Sap Lake, southeast Asia’s largest, where we board a motorboat to visit the floating houses on the Lake.  Because this freshwater lake can go from as low as 2 to 4 ft to as deep as 45 ft, permanent homes are constructed on stilts high enough to avoid flooding in normal years.  Unfortunately  this was not a normal year so many of these homes were flooded.  The other type of home found on this lake is the equivalent of a houseboat in our country,  Whole families, which here can be as much as 3 generations, and as many as 20-25 people live together, and move there home as needed to find the fish by which they make their living.  Some use poles to suspend their nets in a circular design and essentially trap the fish, while others create small fish farms in the shallower water, and harvest the fish when they reach market size.  .There is even a floating school on the Lake where children the equivalent of our K-5 schools can go to school!

This afternoon we visited the Angkor National Museum, only 3 years old, which features a vast collection of Hindu and Buddhist relics and artworks that trace the development of these two religions.  Because Buddhism grew out of the Brahmin (Hindu) religion much of the artifacts tell more of the Hindu story, in spite of the fact that present day Cambodia is  96% Buddhist.  Next we visited the War Museum, not something we would usually take, however since this one is dedicated to the evils of was and the tour guides are survivors of the nearly thirty years of war Cambodia has recently endured, we went.  Wonderful place.  Our guide lost part of a leg, use of one of his eyes, and has permanently embedded shrapnel and ball bearings from the land mines his country had been littered with.  Land mines are still a problem, but work continues to attempt to clear them.  All in all a very sobering experience.

Day 5 - Siem Reap, Cambodia
We hoped to see Angkor Wat by sunrise, but unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate, so we began our day wit h a drive to Banteay Srei, the pink sandstone temple known as the “Citadel of Women”, one of the best preserved sites in Cambodia, at least partially because it has some of the most intricate and deep carvings that have withstood the test of time since 967 AD.  We loved it, perhaps,  because it is the smallest we have visited so far, and thus is the most delicate.  Following lunch we checked out of our hotel and   proceeded to the Killing Fields Memorial.   Our guide, a survivor as a young child, is well able to share the horrors of this period, she is also reluctant, as are many Cambodians, to be specific in her criticism of PolPot because many of the Khmer Rouge (PolPot army) are still alive and living in the villages they pillaged.  She talked of her father waiting to be “interviewed” by the Army because his .    brother had informed the Rouge that her father had supported LonNol,  PolPot’s rival.  The fear is still palpable to her.  The memorial itself says it all -- now a dormitory for Buddhist monks, it was the site of terrible torture and death, and is epitomized by a  repository of skulls and bones found in the jail (now the dorm).  Very sobering - not unlike visiting Dachau or Auschwitz.  We also visited an artisan workshop that trains talented art students in the native arts of silk painting, wood/stone/soapstone carving, lacquer painting, among others.  They also provide specialized training for the deaf/mute and physically handicapped.  They produce some beautiful pieces of artwork.  Off to the airport to return to Bangkok.  I think I will be able to publish from our hotel there.  Cambodian connection is available but not too reliable.



Bangkok, Thailand - Day 1

We started the morning with a walk through the floral market which was an amazing sight.  Up and down both sides of the street are fresh flowers of just about any variety you’ve ever seen, and many you’ve probably never new  existed.  The fragrances are almost overwhelming. -- makes you want to spend the whole day there.  Then we headed for Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn, one of many beautiful temples we will see in Thailand, 411 in Bangkok alone. We are now traveling by boat on the river Chao Phraya and its many canal on our way to our Thai cooking demonstration and lunch in the home of a local family.  Our hostess, Jim, was demonstrating how to make red curry paste from scratch, which she then used tto prepare Red Curry Chicken with stir fry vegetables.  Delicious, and amazingly healthy.  Virtually all meals include steamed rice, and often fresh fruit for dessert. Her home is right on a canal surrounded by water filled with beautiful flowers and plants, including a
field of pink lotus flowers.   We follow lunch with more meandering the canals -- Bangkok is known as the “Venice of Asia - on our way to the Royal Barges Museum.  These barges are actually hand carved, and very ornate long boats that have been constructed over many years, one for each of the Kings who have headed the country.  They are rarely used, and only for ceremonial purposes.  Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy since 1932, with the King functioning much the same as Britain’s monarchy.

Bangkpk, Thailand - Day 2

This morning  we begin with a tour of the Chinese open air market -- not nearly as pleasant an experience as the Floral Market -- as it was extremely crowded.  Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, spices, duck, pork, chicken, and fish.  At one stall we saw 3 fish halves hanging - head portions - and the fish were still breathing!  Yuk!  Happy to be out of that place,  We proceeded from there t9 Wat Po (wat is Thai for temple) which is Bankok’s oldest, and is famous for it’s enormous reclining Buddha.  It is  so big that I couldn’t get the entire image in one shot -- even with a 28mm wide angle lens,  Amazing!  On to Wat Suthat, home of the Phra Siskayamuni It is larger and older than any of the bronze cast Buddha images in Thailand.  The base is 6.25 meters, and is 8 meters tall.  After lunch, our final visit was to the Jim Thompson House, home of a wealthy American who is credited with the revitalization of Thailand’s silk industry after World War II.  The house is an amazing amalgamation of 6 original teakwood homes centered in the midst of a lovely lush garden setting.  We checked out the shop here but found the prices to be quite high, so didn’t buy anything.

One thing I haven’t said much about is the weather.  Mostly hot and very humid, it leaves all of us with clothes that stick to our bodies and saltwater in our eyes.
Fortunately our bus is air conditioned, as have been our hotels.  The food has been outstanding, for the most part.  We have had mostly Thai food but usually served buffet or family style so we can choose what we like, and try what we’re up to giving a shot.  It’s been pretty fun actually.