We sleep ok on our first night in Chiang Mai and after breakfast in the condo we want to get out and explore more of the city. I’ve read that there is a weekly Sunday Market in the Old City. We walk next door in front of the Shangri-la and ask a tuk-tuk driver what he will charge to take us Thapae Gate. 100 bhat ($3.30 US) seems reasonable - we’ll save our strength as the market is supposed to run the length of the Old City.

​We arrive at 10:30 AM and find that only a few vendors are setup. Maybe they open at noon? But, we are in the Old City and there should be plenty to discover. We stroll over to the Three Kings Monument, Depicting Kings Mengrai, Ramkamhaeng and Ngam Muang, the founding fathers of Chiang Mai.

​Behind the Three Kings Monument we find the Arts & Cultural Center. It provides a history of Chiang Mai and portraits of it’s rulers.
 
Walking further we encounter Wat Duane Dee and Phra Chedi Sareerikathat Siriluck. It’s now well after noon. The number of vendors for the market have increased, but still it feels sparse. Perhaps this is more of a late afternoon and evening market. We decide to stop for a snack then take a tuk-tuk back to the condo to relax. Maybe we will return next week in the late afternoon or evening to see the market in full swing.

Our last afternoon in Bangkok we do most of our packing, which has been made faster and simpler with the use of packing cubes. Evening falls and I spend time on the small balcony of the condo enjoying the sunset and the view of Bangkok’s tall buildings after dark. Everything is ready so we walk to Apoteka for a last night of their live music.
 
Bangkok is interesting, and there is certainly much more to experience here, but we are off to Chiang Mai. Our Bangkok Airbnb host pays for a car to take us to the airport- his way of apologizing for the swimming pool area undergoing maintenance starting the second day of our stay, even though it is out of his control. At the airport we’re able to use our Priority Pass card to gain access to the Bangkok Airlines Lounge. Priority Pass is a benefit of our Chase Sapphire credit card and mostly provides access to lounges in international airports. The lounge is nice and prepares some tasty Thai hot entrees to order along with a basic cold buffet.
 
We arrive at our next condo in the Astra complex in Chiang Mai by mid-afternoon. It’s relatively new and well furnished. The king sized bed looks great - until we sit on it and find out it has a really firm mattress. Oh well, that’s a price of being vagabonds - we’ll just have to deal with it for two weeks.

​A little later I make a reservation through OpenTable for The River House Restaurant. It’s about a mile walk and gives us a chance to see some of the “neighborhood.” We’ve already checked out the Shangri-la Hotel since our balcony overlooks the hotel and it’s swimming pool. Along our route we find a couple of Seven 11’s, several restaurants, numerous businesses and a night market. Great!

​The River House Restaurant sits along the banks of the Ping River and overlooks the Iron Bridge. We enjoy our food and the atmosphere of the restaurant. After dinner we pick up some groceries then take a tuk-tuk back to the Astra condo with our haul. After a travel day it is pretty easy for both of us to fall asleep in our firm bed.

​Today is a quiet day, spending most of it on reading, blogging and photo processing. Our primary activity outside of the condo is a late lunch/early dinner at Cabbages and Condoms.
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The restaurant is located a little over 2 km (1.25 miles) away. We take a slow stroll through the Sukhumvit area walking by many restaurants and pubs and easily 50 small food carts selling every type of meat on a stick, fresh sliced papayas & pineapples, noodles in broth and various forms of Pad Thai. We walk over busy Sukhumvit Road and a few blocks later we make a right down an ally which leads us to the restaurant.

​Cabbages and Condoms started as a food stall by a Non-Government Organization outside their headquarters years ago. It has grown to a 400 seat restaurant in this location. The proceeds of Cabbages and Condoms supports public health education including safe-sex education. Along with very good food they have an interesting decor, heavily aligned with condoms. As we walk into the restaurant we encounter their coffee shop - appropriately named Coffee & Condoms.  We continue on the the 400 seat restaurant area and are seated in an air-conditioned section.  The courtyard is just outside, with some interesting lighting.  We linger over our meal of duck with tamarind sauce and pork with garlic and basil, both which are very good. Alongside the check instead of after dinner mints the waitress presents us with two condoms. We can’t help but to laugh.

​Thailand’s Grand Palace dates back to the 1700’s and is considered a “must see” when visiting Bangkok. We reach it by taking the MRT subway to Sanam Chai station, then walking 1.5 km to the entrance. Unfortunately it is mostly sunny and by late morning it is over 32C (90F). By the time we arrive at the entrance William is ready to call the whole thing off. But we’ve made it this far so we zip on the bottom parts of our travel pants, we pay the 1,000 bhat ($33 US) entrance fee for the two of us and we are allowed entry. We chose to go on a weekday, thinking the crowd will be smaller. Wow - we would hate to see what it’s like on a Saturday during a holiday week!

​The buildings are all very impressive. Phra Mondop, the Buddhist Library is one of our first stops. We wander around the Palace taking in the sights of the building ornamentation, colorful rooftops, the towers and the statues.

To go into the temples we must take off our shoes and jostle with the others in the crowd through the entrances and exits. We’re hot and tired and it wears on us rather quickly. We’re sucking down the bottles of water we brought with us. The Gallery with paintings depicting the story of the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Indian Ramayana epic provides shade and some relief in addition to being interesting. William isn’t feeling very well and I am melting. Too bad, as this is the kind of place that we could enjoy for hours if there were less people and cooler temperatures. In retrospect we realize that the issues William experiences are symptoms of heat exhaustion.

​We wind our way through the buildings on our way to the exit, passing by Chakri Maha Prasat Hall which mixes European and Thai styles. It was originally used as a residence but now is used for state banquets.
 
After exiting the Palace we need an air conditioned spot with decent food and cold beverages for lunch. We search along a few blocks then find the Navy Club restaurant. It isn’t five stars, but meets our needs. After lunch we consider taking a tuk-tuk back to the MRT station, but choose to walk along Maha Rat Road toward the MRT - it’s shaded and small shops line the east side of the road. It also allows glimpses of Wat Arun in the distance.
 
If I were to return to the Grand Palace I would plan differently. If possible I would buy tickets in advance online. I would take a tuk-tuk from the MRT to the entrance to save strength. The target would be to arrive approximately 15 minutes after the gate opens - before most of the tour groups descend like locust but without having to deal with unnecessary queuing for entry.
 
William says he wouldn’t return. Well, maybe time will help ease his pain.

We have a hard time sleeping and are awake by 4:30 am on this Monday morning. This gives us plenty of time to setup the computer to tv connection to see the Green Bay Packer game which starts at 6:40 PM Sunday (Eastern time), but 6:40 AM Monday here in Bangkok. For a twist we eat breakfast during half time. After the Packers nicely beat the Seahawks we try to think of something not too strenuous to do.

​Golden Mountain or Golden Mount (technically Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan) is on a man-made hill in the center of Bangkok with a temple on the top. The internet sites say that it has 300 steps, but they are small and can often be taken two or three at a time. It seems like something we can handle.

​To enhance the adventure we are able to take the Khlong Saen Saep system, the water taxi’s that speed through the canal at the back of the condo complex. We make our way to a nearby stop and soon find ourselves climbing into a wooden boat, hanging onto ropes stretched between support poles for stability as the boat bobs next to the pier. Seconds later we speed off. The boatman charges us 13 bhat each when we tell him our destination is Phanfa (which is also end of the line). After three stops everyone gets off the boat - we’re transferring to a larger boat for the next part of the trip. Five piers later we arrive at Phanfa and we climb out of the boat along with our fellow passengers.
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Golden Mountain is a 15 minute walk away. After we pay our 50 bhat foreigner admission fee we begin our ascent. Yes, the stairs are easy to handle and the occasional platforms and shaded areas make the the climb easier. Along the way and at the top we have somewhat hazy views of the city of Bangkok.

By now it’s afternoon and we are getting tired and hungry. William searches on Google maps and finds a restaurant a short walk away. Lucky for us the map is a little hard to follow when we reach the seven-way intersection, and for 10 minutes we mistakenly take the road the leads us near the Royal Pavilion and Wat Prasat.

​We recover from our mis-step and follow the correct road toward the restaurant. As we’re walking we find a different spot that looks very interesting, so we decide to give it a try. I order the cashew chicken, which is good, but William chooses the deep-fried pork knuckle. It’s fantastic, reminding us of the Philippine dish called crispy pata.
 
After lunch we stop in the nearby Queen’s Museum for a 45 minute visit and then we’re back to the pier for the canal boat ride back. It’s been a fun adventure.

Today is Sunday and we leave Bangkok next Saturday. We are hoping to go to the Chatuchak Weekend Market during our stay, so today needs to be market day.
 
We take the MRT the opposite direction from yesterday and five stops later we see the market as we emerge from the subway. Of course we have to walk a half mile to reach an entrance to the market. Oy!
 
Chatuchak is supposed to have over 8,000 stalls on 27 acres of land. We know we will barely scratch the surface, but we want to get a feel of the market. We meander through an endless array of stalls selling clothing, household items, luggage, personal products, handicrafts, art, food, tools, etc., etc, etc. I think King Octopus is one of more colorful and interesting snack options.

Most stalls are under the tin roofs of the market so we do not have the sun directly on us, but today’s temperature is 94 and it’s humid with little air flow. After 60-90 minutes we feel as if we’re molten blobs. We see indoor mall within the market and we make our way to it hoping for air conditioning and some relief. Success! We sit down for a soda and chat. Since we are homeless it seems silly to do much shopping. We have experienced the market for a bit and agree it is time to make our way back to the Airbnb.
 
This evening we stop in Apoteka, a live music bar. The group that’s playing gives us the sense of a group of friends that like to get together to play for the fun, not a band that has to make a living from their craft. It is fun listening to them while we split a few appetizers and have some beverages. Music is truly the medicine of the mind.

Our 30 minute drive from Bangkok’s modern Suvarnabhumi Airport unveils a city of modern skyscrapers and towering luxury condominiums intermixed with low-cost housing and ramshackle shacks all under a hazy sky.
 
A young Thai woman greets us and shows us the condo and amenities of the building, including a 24-hour 7-Eleven. At the rear of the condo complex is a gate allowing entrance to one of Bangkok’s many canals. The condo is small by the standards we grew up with, but large by the standards of many large cities around the world. It has a very small outdoor patio and a nice view of downtown skyscrapers a few miles away.

​We do some unpacking and settle in for a mid-afternoon nap. We’re dog-tired but know we need to start to acclimate to the time zone, so only a two hour snooze is allowed. When we groggily awaken we are hungry. Google maps helps us find Oskar Bistro, which is less than a mile away in the Sukhumvit area known for it’s many restaurants and bars. I order a delicious seafood risotto and William chooses the Oskar Pad Thai. Both are delicious. We drag ourselves back to the condo and by 8:30 pm we are sound asleep in our king-size bed.

​Saturday our exploratory adventure is to Wat Pho, home of the Reclining Buddha. It gives us an opportunity to learn about the MRT subway system. The closest MRT stop is a 15 minute walk from the condo and it delivers us less than a 10 minute walk from Wat Pho for just 42 bhat ($1.36 US) each.

Wat Pho is a large Buddhist temple complex that dates back to at least the 1700’s. We wander through the complex enjoying the various buildings and statues. I read somewhere that it contains the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand and we saw numerous buildings with statue after statue. Of course, the highlight is the 150 foot long, almost 50 foot high Reclining Buddha. The statue is clad in gold leaf and sits within it’s own temple in the complex. We dutifully remove our shoes before entering this and the other temples.
 
We walk to the The "Sixth" restaurant for a late lunch. It turns out to be very small, accommodating maximum 25 diners. There is a 20 minute wait but the place is air conditioned and the reviews are very good. We write our name on the list and take a seat outside. We have timed it right, as within our 20 minute wait the list grows by 15 people.
 
Once we are seated inside we re-scan the menu and quickly order. The food is fresh, fabulous and inexpensive. A definite two-thumbs up! While we are eating the skies open up and Bangkok experiences a downpour. Luckily by the time William finishes his double espresso it has subsided to a light rain. It’s just enough water that I opt to buy a cheap umbrella for 120 bhat (~$4 US) on our walk back to the MRT. I’m sure I overpaid, but wasn’t going to haggle in the rain over 10-20 bhat.

After the holidays we rent an Airbnb in Racine for a few days to see more family and friends. We’re able to have dinner with a dear friend on Saturday and spend more time with William’s family. On January 7th we are delighted to wish William’s Mom a happy 85th birthday. Mary Jo and Lee prepare a great meal for us, complete with a baked from scratch birthday cake. Three of Mom’s five children (along with their spouses) are able to be there as she blows out the candles. Fun!
 
On January 8th after an early lunch we park our car in Mom’s garage. It’s hug and kisses with the family then a friend transports us to a hotel near O’Hare. We spend seven hours there, napping, watching TV, and having a bite to eat before take the hotel shuttle bus to O’Hare’s International Terminal 5.
 
We fly EVA Airlines 15.5 hours to Taipei, Taiwan where we have a 1.5 hour layover then fly EVA 3.5 hours to Bangkok, Thailand. We paid extra and booked in Economy Plus, and we are happy with the results. The airline seems to be good in all cabins, but we have more leg room and wider seats over regular Economy. The flight attendants are very friendly and attentive, and they bring us better tasting food than we anticipated - with more frequency. In addition to the full meal about an hour after we take off at 00:30 and the full breakfast 1.5 hours before we land in Taipei, they offer sandwiches and/or snacks three to four times during our long flight. A full meal is again provided on the Taipei to Bangkok leg. The flights are not too bumpy and are pretty-much on time. Yay! Based upon this experience we will be happy to fly EVA again.

We arrange some family time for the holidays.

December 12-15 we rent an Airbnb in Charlotte for an early East Coast Christmas. We take our time driving to Charlotte, using two full days. No need to make a mad dash!

The Airbnb home is about 15 minutes from Paul and Kara, and easy walking distance to at least six restaurants. Mary and George drive down from Richmond and arrive an hour or so before William and I roll in. The three bedroom home has been modestly updated since it was built in the 1950’s. Some of the floors sag a bit, but the place is clean and comfortable - perfect for our needs.

On Saturday we are able to meet up with Kara’s Mom and Step-Dad at a local brewery for their annual Christmas market. It’s a sunny 55-degree afternoon which makes it pleasant to sit outside, talk, drink a few beers and walk through the booths selling goods and foods.

Saturday evening we host a dinner party at the Airbnb with Mary, George, Paul, Kara and two of our nieces and the men in their lives. William has prepared his classic lasagna along with Italian sausages, salad, peas, and garlic bread to round out the meal.  A highlight is the Christmas cookies which Mary baked for dessert. Delicious!We talk and laugh late into the evening.

Monday William and I are back on the road. We linger in Knoxville to get a feel for their downtown area and stop in Indianapolis for another night before returning to the Airbnb we have been using in Cary, Illinois.

​December 22nd William and I have an early morning flight to Phoenix. We are spending five nights in Mesa with my Mom. It’s a good time, seeing Mom and William once again volunteers to make the meals at home. Mom and I get a couple of trips to the pool or exercise room while he is slaving away. Christmas Day we are all invited to my Cousin’s Randy and Sally for dinner. This gives us an opportunity to see their new home as well as catch up on their activities since they moved in June. The meal is outstanding - Randy is becoming quite the chef since retiring, and Sally is no slouch either.

December 27th we hug and kiss Mom then take a Lyft to Sky Harbor Airport for the short flight to Colorado Springs to meet us with our son James. William and I Airbnb a cute 2 bedroom just five minutes from where James lives. As is typical, we hang out a lot and eat well over the four days. We also manage some time exploring sights in the area including snow-capped mountain scenery and Bishop's Castle, which is being built by one family over the years. A highlight of the trip is meeting James’ friends Dave and Desi.

​Over the years we’ve taken numerous trips to see family over the holidays, this one feels a little different. Everyone is supportive and inquisitive of our new homeless, vagabond life.

​We host a couple of events at the townhome after we accept the offer to purchase and before we close on the house.

Our first event is our annual ravioli making day on Saturday, October 30th. Family and friends gather to make approximately 20 dozen meat and 26 dozen cheese ravioli.

A few days earlier Gina and William make home made ricotta with oversight from Mom and editorial comments from me. This is a first for us, and it turns out very well. Very simple - milk, cream, salt, vinegar and lots and lots of stirring as it slowly comes up to slow boil. Then drain and harvest the ricotta curds.