I’ve been fascinated by Spirit Houses (“san phra phum”) since our very first visit to Thailand. They are miniature shrines placed outside homes, offices, hotels, shops, and important outdoor places to shelter the guardian spirit of the land. Their roots go back to animist beliefs about…
Marla and I have stayed at numerous hotels in Bangkok over the years but we find the Chatrium Riverside Hotel our favorite for location, comfort and value. Marla shows the Girls the view of the Chao Phraya River from our terrace. We made a dinner reservation at the Deck restaurant…
The driver and our guide, Nop, drove us about an hour north of Chiang Mai to visit Elephant Eco Valley. https://elephantecovalley.com/ Nop was our guide when we took the Girl’s brothers here in 2023. We rode EcoValley’s transport up a very bumpy dirt road…
My Mom was an avid fan of the Tour de France! Her favorite part of it was seeing the wonderful scenery and historical buildings when the Tour was shown on TV! The actual competition was secondary to her. I used to call her on the phone and we would talk…
Bangkok welcomes over 30 million visitors a year! There is truly so much to see and do. You have gorgeous ornate temples, ultra modern shopping centers, tasty street food and bustling markets. The Chao Phraya River is Thailand’s most important waterway, flowing for over 230 miles from…
On our morning walks, a needed ritual these days, Marla and I often talk of places we want to visit in the future. Marla loves brand new locations while I love to return to my favorite places from the past. France is one of those places with a powerful allure…
We visited the beautiful temple of Edfu, one of several temples built during the Ptolemaic Kingdom. The present temple began construction in 237 B.C. The temple is remarkably well preserved. Over the centuries, the temple became buried to a depth of 39 feet beneath drifting desert sand and…
Our Egyptian odyssey continues with a flight from Cairo to Luxor. Our last visit here was actually only on the plane at the Luxor Airport in 1997! 68 people were killed in a recent Islamic terrorism attack and our tour guides wouldn’t allow us off the plane. This…
Like the 19th century travelers in the painting above, I want to explore more than ever! Many of us have a desire to change the current narrative and make a shift to the positive. For me, traveling is a much needed elixir, especially in these tumultuous times. The key is…
Join Marla and I on an exhausting day of fascinating Cairo explorations. The Coptic area of Cairo is amazingly historic with ancient churches, mosques, and even a synagogue. Marla is with the women in our tour at the historic Al-Hakim_Mosque in old Cairo. Construction began in the late 10th…