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Home Stretch: We started out at 77 degrees W longitude (Wash. DC), and now we are at 78 East (Agra, India).
Customer Service: The service in SE Asia is really superb. Staff at hotels, restaurants, airlines, etc are thoughtful, friendly and it is low key and seems genuine. Three examples:
- Mangosteens were provided in a fruit bowl in our room in Bangkok. I called the concierge to ask how in the heck you cut and eat it. A staff person came up, saw that I had butchered it and showed me the correct way and saw that I liked it. 10 minutes later, a knock on the door and she has returned with a plate of half a dozen all perfectly prepared.
- When we returned back to Bangkok a couple days ago, upon arriving by taxi at the hotel (Holiday Inn), we realized we didn't have any Baht. I asked where an ATM was so I could get some quickly while the driver waited. The doorman said don't worry and paid the fare himself saying I could pay him back later. Ever happened to you in the US?
- All flights provide excellent meals even on the 30 minute flight from Luang Prabang to Vientienne. Today, Julie and Denise were given orchid corsages as they left the plane.
Fruits I have known: Banana, papaya, mango, rose apple, mangosteen, jack fruit, dragon fruit, tangerine, rambutan, pomelo, guava, pineapple.
Lunch at the National Museum in Bangkok yesterday: $5 for all three of us. What a deal.
Red Fort tomorrow and the Taj Mahal on Saturday.
6 comments:
Orchids . . . and we're hard pressed to get a bag of stale pretzels . . . You won't want to come back!
Who picked the hotels/sights/etc? Was one of you in charge of a particular thing? Country? Seems like everything is going smoothly.
I saw the print ad for Incredible India yesterday. I'm sure it is truly incredible.
I made chicken parm last night. Have you had any hankerings for western food, say, a blt? spaghetti?
10 degrees this am. I'm enjoying every post!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JOHN FROM PAUL, REBECCA AND....LIBBY!!!
Libby asked us to send her wishes because she is so tech challenged she cannot figure out how to post...but she has been following you on your fab journey.
This might be a date late, even though it is Feb. 5 here today.
Why is the rest of the world so civilized?
Betty is right...you will not want to come back!
Happy Birthday John! Hope all your wishes come true for ya! Sounds like this trip is really going great and I'm happy you're enjoying it.
Best,
-Stas
i know we already said happy birthday via skype, email and ecard...but had to say it here too!!! so happy everything is going so well! enjoy teh fancy schmancy hotel room tonight!
I'm getting a history/geography/culinary lesson with your trip. I'm reading up on every place you're seeing. Red fort - overwhelming!! Were there a lot of people? Jerry gets travel mags and now I will look at the articles on Asia with different eyes. We would love the spice bazaars. I'd love to have some real curry. I made a chicken dish with "curry" last week and it was tasty, but kind of . . . false . . . chalky ? ? ? I don't know - just off.
Please remember to let me know the hotels. Denise - how come you're going to Egypt on your own? When you all meet in Paris, How long will you be there?
Aren't you glad you had me go onto your blog - you all have to answer my questions . . . Love it all!!!!
Not sure if I answered you Betty on this one. Originally we were all going to Europe but J&J decided it might be too much, and that they preferred to spend more time in Paris. So tomorrow I leave here at 5 am to go to Cairo, where my friend Judith will be waiting at the hotel. We are scheduled to visit the pyramids and 1 pm, and tomorrow night, we get up at 2am to be on a flight at 4am for Upper Egypt. And it continues like that for a week. We are booked solid. I will go to Paris on the 16th, with Judith, and reunite with J&J there.
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