From Cambodia, we traveled down the east coast of Southeast Asia to the port closest to Bangkok, Thailand. The former Siam, it’s the only country in the region that was never colonized. We hadn’t been to Bangkok, and because it is inland a couple of hours, we decided to stay in the city for three nights. We did the usual tourist things – the boat tour up the river (disappointing), the flower market (30 roses for $1), the markets (fascinating), a couple of the famous temples (out of the 31,000 in Thailand) and the Grand Palace.
We’re always a little bothered to see impoverished people who have to support corrupt government excesses, opulent palaces for monarchies, and gaudy golden religious sites. However, the current King of Thailand has served for 68 years and chose not to live in the palace because it distanced him from the common people. He is highly regarded for his compassion and fairness for all levels of Thai society. The palace, now only used for ceremonial events, is thus open for tours. The oldest part it dates back to 1782, and while it has a bit of an eclectic mix of structures built over the centuries, they were all beautiful.
In the evening we had a sunset drink and dinner on the top of one of the tallest hotels. The view was better than the food, but we were treated to a fireworks display over the city we weren’t expecting. I had read of a great little blues bar named Adhere so we went on a hunt. It was very difficult to find but well worth it. Some great music in a bar not much bigger than a one car garage (see video).
After Bangkok, we sailed down the east side of Thailand and Malaysia and had a couple of nice beach and golf days. But then, a sunny morning turned into a heavy rainstorm (with a rainbow that almost touched us.) The next two weeks were cloudy and/or rainy. We didn’t know it at the time, but this was the start of a devastating month of monsoons and rain that caused over 200,000 people to be evacuated in eastern Malaysia due to the floods.
We then stopped in Singapore and picked up a large number of family members for the Christmas/New Year holiday period. The ship was decked out nicely for the season. Of special note was the gingerbread village made overnight by a number of the crew. “Best tasting” in an on-board cookie contest was won by Debra (of course.) I did the “plating/food styling” but did not qualify (of course).
For the holidays we wandered up the west coast of Malaysia and Thailand, then came back to Singapore for New Year’s Day fireworks and to drop off families.
A one minute video of a great home-made gingerbread village. Match this, Margaret!
Due to the success of the Korean food tour in October, Debra was pressed to organize another in Singapore. We visited one of the original 4 chefs (now 86 years old) who brought Chinese cooking to Singapore, made spring rolls (being taught by one of the most highly regarded such experts in the region), learned about traditional Malay desserts, had dinner with a hot new chef (ex-lawyer), and finished the evening at Glutton’s Bay – famous for hawker food. I think we ate (and drank) at seven stops – each unique and memorable.
Next we went up to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We’ve been there before, but I was always working, so it was nice to visit in a leisurely manner. We went to an authentic Malaysian dinner with local friends, Edmund and SuSan, whom we met while working. The next morning Edmund took us to the nearby Batu Caves – an amazing formation that would have been a dream location for Ansel Adams to photograph. It’s sure great to have a “guide” for dinner, to learn more about the culture, and to see the sights. Thanks Edmund!
As usual, a choppy short video for your viewing pleasure. Bangkok, Thailand:
D & D Adventures 