Category: On The Road
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Elephant Love
I didn’t expect to have such an emotional response to seeing the elephants at Maetang Elephant Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I couldn’t stop my eyes from filling with tears as they gently took the bananas and sugar cane from my hand. Or my heart from swelling as I carefully washed their skin in the river. They were…
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The adventure begins… Chiang Rai
The prelude to our Southeast Asian tour actually started with two nights in Bangkok in an attempt to adjust to the Indochina Time Zone (only 14 hours ahead of Denver, Colorado). But our first actual stop was Chiang Rai, Thailand. Greeted by our guide, “Danny” ~ Mr. Pongsatorn Jitpraphai, as we came off the short flight…
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Chasing royalty: Sukhothai and Ayutthaya
Thailand has a long history of Kings (yes, only kings), uniting varied provinces and leading with foresight and pragmatism. One of these kings ~ the third king of the Phra Ruang Dynasty, Ram Khamhaeng, ruled Thailand in the late 13th century, he invented the Thai alphabet and according to some sources is credited with the…
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Week #30 ~ Recap
11,241 miles, 3 airplanes, 1 8-hour layover, 1 tourist “mini-bus”, 3 Thai cities, 2 night markets, 5 temples, 1 elephant sanctuary, 1 cooking class, 1 guided bike tour, and 2 Thai massages: $653.19 OVER budget due to cost of flights and lodging in Bangkok. As you might imagine, Southeast Asia is really far from Denver,…
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Are you sure we’re in Lisbon?
A suspension bridge, fog rolling in off the bay, a hilly city with trolleys complete with clanging bells, a relatively liberal population and rainbow flags hanging from windows here and there…..……..is this Lisbon or that other city by the bay? Oh right……people are speaking Portuguese ~ must be Lisbon, the “San Francisco of Portugal”! Lisbon…
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In Search of Sofrito
Maybe it’s because I’ve lived in Denver for the last 23 years, but over the last 5 1/2 months, I’ve really missed the brightness and spice I’m used to in Denver’s Tex-Mex influenced cuisine. I’ve found it in Spanish sofritos and my palate couldn’t be happier. A sofrito is the base of many Spanish foods…
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Barthelona, young energy in the old world
Three days in Barcelona were not enough. Landing in Barcelona from Naples and arriving at our hotel by taxi, the difference in architecture and atmosphere was striking. The cobblestones of Italy, England and France gave way to wide open boulevards and bright, modern buildings. To my eyes, the buildings had a distinctly Spanish flair; balconies…
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Napoli ~ amazing past, gritty present.
Founded by the Greeks, Naples is one of the oldest continually inhabited urban areas in the world. With its bay and cargo port, Naples sustained heavy damage in World War 2 and a large portion of the core city had to be reconstructed. Today that port is active with container ships and cruise ships disgorging…
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Rome, the Eternal City
When you get the chance to spend 10 days in a city you tend to see it from a different angle. With 10 days in a location your schedule can include one intentional rest day and one unintentional sick day. You can see things at a different pace than folks who have only one, or…
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Siena waits…for you
Do you remember that color in your box of crayons called “Burnt Siena”? Maybe not, but that color comes from the color of the buildings made from the clay taken from the surrounding hills. Siena, a walled hill-town city in Tuscany, has all of the medieval magnificence of Florence on a smaller scale. What it…