be our guest

Do you remember the scene from Beauty and the Beast where Belle is living in this enchanted castle and the dinnerware and kitchen appliances put on a giant feast in a castle that has been deserted for ages. We had a similar experience in Thailand. We where looking for a restaurant and decided to check out the tallest hotel in our area since it would probably have a great view. We found a restaurant and where seated in a restaurant that could have sat 150 people and we where the only ones there. Then enters the Caleb phenomenon.
In many of the cultures here and south east Asia it is not unusual for someone to pick up you child and walk off with it for a while. The people here really like small children and raising them is considered a duty of the community not just the parents. Caleb happens to be an especially cute baby and therefore is taken and pampered by strangers more often than not. He was the sultan of Thailand while we where there. All he has to do is point to where he wants to go and he is immediately wisked there by his royal escort. It did not take long for the beautiful Thai waitresses in their traditional garb to fall under Caleb's spell. He was soon whisked away from our table to be entertained by the house musician and the rest of the restaurant staff. Meanwhile we where served excellent food and the best drink I have ever tasted. Pineapple juice blended into ice with a little ice cream... All the while we are in a large restaurant surrounded by empty tables. Polished brass and sparkling crystal.


Well this is probably what you would expect to see in Thailand, a desearted island surrounded by crystal clear water, truth is I Photoshoped the tourists out of this picture, the photo below is a more realistic version of whats out there.

Well Thailand was still pretty cool in spite of all the tourists. I managed to get away from all of them (but myself) briefly and see the real Thailand. In this costal village the older men and women gather on these wooden stands and apeer to be just hanging out and talking. I didn't take a picture because I did not want to intrude. They use thick ropes as speed bumps. From listening to our tour guide the tsunami's hit Thailand pretty hard. He was on the boat when it hit the island where his captains family was living wiping them all out along with 600 other people. They did not know anything was wrong till they arrived 30 minutes later and saw all the debris in the water.

Some boats in Hong Kong

city lights

public transportation in Hong Kong and Singapore was amazing. You can do quite well without a car.

yum