Marla has been a teacher in one form or another since college. After earning her masters degree in education from the University of Denver she taught special education in middle school, a challenging assignment on many levels. She continued as a teacher, even at Wesco Fabrics. I’ve had many “teaching moments” from her as well. This is a post on a 180 degree shift from being a teacher to becoming the student. The image above is Marla working with clients (read: teaching) at a Hunter Douglas seminar in our old Wesco Fabrics’ showroom in Denver.

Marla, standing on the right, prepares a junior high school sewing class for their visit to our old Denver warehouse and showroom. For four years the students brought patterns for clothing they would sew and later model in a show. Our seamstresses and office staff helped them choose fabrics then pin and cut out the patterns. Marla was in her special happy place this day as the students were from Morey Middle High School, the same school her dad attended 90 years ago.

Marla is an information sponge, always seeking as much about a subject or place as possible. We found the best way for us to immerse in a new area and culture is to hire a top level private guide as opposed to a group tour. A private guide is best for the one-on-one connection and more enhanced and deeper understanding of a new and unfamiliar place. The guide above is explaining the story behind a carved wall relief at the Bayon Temple, the 12th century temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII in the Angkor Archeological Park outside of Siem Reap, Cambodia. I was not keen on going to Cambodia in the mid 1990’s as there were reports of pockets of Khmer Rouge and many unexploded bombs in the areas we were traveling. Marla said, “Ok,…I’ll send you a postcard.” Obviously I went with her on this amazing journey.

 

Our guide answers some of Marla’s questions as we walked up the 328 stairs up Mount Phusi above Luang Prabang, Laos, on our way to the Wat Chom Si temple. We both found Laos to be totally beautiful and a delight. Our guide was interested in our fascination of Buddhism and gave us an amazing gift on our last day. It was a number of 19th century palm leaves containing Buddhist texts inscribed in the Lao Dhamma script. We were honored and overwhelmed.

The Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang is simply stunning. The guide had brilliant timing of our visits so we were essentially the only foreign visitors in the entire complex. Obviously, Marla is learning much more than yours truly who loves taking the photos. I would ask, “What did he tell you about it?” Her constant reply, “Stay with us if you want to know!”

We used a number of specialized private guides while visiting Beijing and neighboring areas. Our daughter and her husband recommended this guide from their trip to Beijing. We are in the amazing Forbidden City.

One of our very favorite places on our Beijing visit was the Ming Tombs and the Sacred Way. Our timed arrival allowed us to explore without seeing another sole for over an hour. I’ll never forget it! I was a much better listener here as there is so much history to take in.

One of our passions used to be the hunt for antiques. We found a wonderful and patient guide who took us to the Beijing Panjiayuan Antique Market. An area famous for pickpockets, he wore his backpack in the front. For collectors of jade this is a treasure trove ranging from the very rare and valuable to simply low-priced curios.

I’ve been fascinated by Beijing’s “Hutongs”. These neighborhoods of tiny lanes and squares have been and remain at risk as more of Beijing modernizes with tall apartment blocks. If you are intrigued please read my pictorial blog Exploring Hutongs in Beijing.

Because textiles were such an important part of our careers we loved the Suzhou Silk Museum, about an hour and a half from Shanghai. Our Suzhou guide was very flexible and sensitive to our interests.

Visiting Morocco was a totally new experience for us. The guide picked us up in Casablanca and drove us to Morocco’s capital city of Rabat. We visited in January on our way to Frankfurt Germany for a textile trade fair.

Marla listens intently in front of Rabat’s unfinished 12th century Hassan Tower. We then walked to the Mausoleum of Mohammed V which contains the tombs of past kings.  We loved exploring The Kasbah with beautifully painted blue and white residences, the Great Gate and the old Mosque. It is listed, along with other sites in Rabat, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In Marrakech we especially loved the ancient souks which have been a center for trade for over a thousand years. Picking the perfect place to stay took a little work as there are so many options. We chose Riad Kniza in the old Medina. The owner and his wife had an antique store in town so the Riad was beautifully decorated authentic treasures. I highly recommend it! They provided a guide after we checked in to help us familiarize ourselves with the labyrinth of souks. If you have visited Marrakech you know what that is like and getting lost is part of the fun.

We booked a private guide to take us to Essaouira on the Atlantic coast. The ancient seaport is beautiful and well worth a visit or as a destination by itself. Marla is with the guide and her driver, an important part of your travels! The weather in January was pleasant for a Morocco visit.

We had so much to learn about Essaouira’s ancient and fascinating Jewish quarter.

Marla navigates a wobbly bridge over a stream while visiting an old village in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains. This guide took us on a few mountain trails as well.

We stayed at the charming boutique Hotel Sultania on a visit to Istanbul, perfectly located in the Old Town and walkable to all the important sites. The hotel recommended a guide who we booked for the whole day. It was nice to be able to walk to the famous Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque as well as the huge Grand Bazaar and the fascinating Basilica Cisterns. She was a history expert of each place we visited.

We imported fabrics from India for many years but we never travelled to the country itself as we always met our contacts in Frankfurt, Brussels, or Denver. I told Marla we had to go! I found a company which let me spec the hotels, the itinerary and private transport for just Marla and me. We wanted the Oberoi Hotels and a “Golden Triangle” private tour of Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. The guides in each city were fabulous and amazingly accommodating. Our guide is shown behind me.

On the way from Agra to Jaipur we had to pull into a rest stop as the main highway was closed by the police. We found out an overloaded truck hit and killed a number of people hanging on to another truck. Local villagers were so upset they enacted their own form of justice and killed the driver! It was a total mess. Our guide heard we could be in the rest-stop for six or more hours so he and our driver mapped out an alternative route on one lane dusty roads through rural villages. It was an experience in itself. The image above was in a tiny village on a dirt road. I don’t think anyone had seen a white Toyota SUV before. You can tell our arrival caused quite a commotion. We often find there is nothing like a truly experienced guide,…and of course their driver!

Ayutthaya, an ancient capital of Thailand, is about two hours north of Bangkok. Most of the city was destroyed when it fell in 1767, and the approximately 50 of these relics and temples remaining are a UNESCO World Heritage Site today. We used Viator to select this tour which included hotel pickup, the King’s summer palace, and magical Ayutthaya. A riverboat with lunch was a refreshing way to return to Bangkok after an exhausting day.

Everything I read suggested it was best to book a private guide for the Alhambra and Generalife Gardens well in advance and I am glad we did as it can be very crowded. The Alhambra is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! Granada is stunning all by itself and the Alhambra is a fabulous bonus! Don’t miss it!

We had great weather in October for The Palace of Charles V.

Bangkok and Chiang Mai were on our travel then on our buying agenda for over 25 trips. We hosted three groups of our interior designer clients to Thailand over the years as well. In 2019 we took our grandsons, Paxton and Logan to Thailand, Singapore and Bali. I knew we needed a great guide to share some of the highlights of Bangkok. Once again we chose Viator for a tour of the Grand Palace, Wat Po, and the Flower Market. The tour was simply amazing!

Marla and the guide follow the three of us up the 309 steps to Wat Phra That temple on Doi Suthep mountain near Chiang Mai. We also included a visit to the Palad jungle temple on the same mountain. We visited the temple many years previously without a guide. Learning from such a knowledgeable person made this a stand-out memory.

If you would like information or travel tips for any of these areas please email me as I would be happy to share any info I can.

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.