Thailand

A stop off at a familiar place for a cool drink!

The Grand Palace

Vi

Street Vendor selling some 'fishy' things

Near the Grand Palace

In the Grand Palace

Streets of Bangkok

A temple outside of a Mall

A closer view

Temple outside the mall

Another Temple

Streets at Night

Milan and Vim -

On Guard!

A view of the palace

Very artistic and ornate!!

Nice Shot!

The Palace

More shots at the Palace

Sleeping Buddha

Buddha's all in a row!

Emerald Buddha - Made out of Jade

Crossing the river in a 'taxi'

Now we will take you to our next stop.... Thailand....

First stop.... the Beach- Pattaya for a some relaxation!!

The resort was very nice and homey feeling. The beach was very relaxing!!! The best parts.... foot massage, eating fruit and watching the waves roll in.... all at the same time!!!

We stayed one night here. It was a nice break from the running around we did in Malaysia. Unfortunately, here is where we lost some pictures from the trip (Lost/stolen camera). No pictures from Pataya!! Bummer!!

After one night at the beach we head to Bangkok. I was surprised to see so many temples in such a small area!! During our temple tour we saw 4 temples and a palace. Some of the interesting things along the way..... little stalls and shops (more like a blankets on the sidewalk), most selling touristy type things. They sell a lot of the 'knock-off' things - purses, clothes, etc... Guess what Milan found at one of these little shops.... YEP... knock off Baukugons!! He was thrilled!!

We decided to ease the pain of the 'lost' camera and buy a new one. So one evening was spent running around the mall from electronic shop to electronic shop trying to score the best deal.... mission accomplished!! While searching the malls, saw a Lamborghini in the mall... no, not for sale, but just a display.

One of the best parts of Thailand was the night market!! I could have spent all night here, shopping my little heart out! Unfortunately, this trip to the night market came at the end of a busy day, and we hit the market before dinner!! So I had to be quick!! Got a purse (knock off - of course!), shoes, some nick-nacks, and a piece of Thai Artwork. I was impressed with my loot!!

That sums up Thailand!!

Malaysia

Petronas Towers

Food Stalls in the Streets

The Street Food!!!

More Street Food!

MMMMM BEER!

A family shot!!

Night Shot

Vim

Entrance to Batu Caves

272 steps to the top!

At the top!

Top of the cave

Vim posing!

The Skyline

Oh Yeah!!  CPK!!

THE MALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A view of the Mosque

Taking a walk into the rainforest

Vim in the jungle!!

A trip to the rainforest

Have you seen my brother? He looks a lot like you!!

Mosque at Putra Jaya

Family Shot at Putra Jaya

The town of Malacca

A view of the city center of Malacca

Another View

A family shot!

Off on a ride!!

A Chinese Temple

A view of the City Streets in Malacca

Finally getting around to posting pictures of the trip!!!

There are a lot of pictures so I will break them up over a few posts. We will start with the first stop - Malaysia.

Coming out of the airport and stepping into the cab, we knew that we were not in India any more. The big difference.... big, wide open roads, cars stayed in their lanes, the traffic was well managed, the traffic signals were obeyed.... and most importantly... the sides of the roads were CLEAN!!!!

Taking the red-eye flight, we were tired by the time we landed in Malaysia. It was off to the crown plaza. We were within walking distance to the Petronas Towers. The first day was just relaxing at the hotel and taking a long nap in the afternoon. Then we were off exploring in the evening. We went for dinner at a nice Italian place and Vim was able to indulge in some Carlsberg beer. It definitely was much better than the local Indian King Fisher.

The next day we were off sight seeing. We were adventurous and ambitious. We started off for a walk in the rain forest, it was a place called the FRIM. We knew that this was not a stroll in the park by the sights of the people leaving as we were coming in. They were soaked in sweat!!! OK, not the best way to start the day, but hey... we were family so it did not matter if we were a bit smelly!! It was a nice walk very relaxing and peaceful!

Next stop was the Batu Cave. Here there was a Hindu temple high into the mountain in a cave. it was pretty cool. We had to climb 272 steps to get to the top. Yes, we all made it. The smelly factor was now increasing!!! Fortunately, we were off to the hotel after this.

That night we made it to the MALL!!! Yes, this was the mall that looked like Somerset. They had Gap and Banana Republic... and yes, CPK!! I was in awe!!!

Next day... off to Putra Jaya. This is where the local government offices were. It was a cool town. It was a big change from the city, hustle and bustle. Here they had a really neat looking mosque as well. After this we headed to Malacca, this is the historical part of the tour.

That night... guess where we ended up for dinner.... yep.... the same mall!! NO, not CPK again, this time some middle eastern food. Hummus, pita bread, mmmm, mmm good!!

The next morning we were off... early morning flight to Thailand. Next post will pick up in Thailand!!

Check out the pictures.....

9 Months!!!

Phew..... it is flying by!! 9 months down!

It is fitting to reflect on some of the many perks of being here in India. When we first moved here, I was a little frustrated with the lack of freedom by not driving here. But it is like me to look for positives in the situation.

So here goes... The perks of having a driver!!

• Being able to give the driver your shopping list for the day, along with some cash. He knows just what to buy. Usually once or twice a week, he will make a run for us. Typically it is fruits/veggies, milk, bread, yogurt, etc.... the basics.
• Never having to wait to fill gas. I have a corporate gas card so on the days that we need gas, I give the driver the card, he fills up. I never have to 'deal' with the process. And let me tell ya, it can sometimes be a lengthy process to fill gas!!
• Being able to sit in the back seat of the car and read or play games on my pda while the driver maneuvers thru the adventures of Bangalore traffic.
• Never having to go to pay bills. Again, here paying phone and electricity bills is a little different, you don't mail the payment. You go to 'make' the payment. The driver takes care of this for us.
• The driver helps when we need a bouquet of flowers or a box of sweets if we have a party to go to! Just give him the money, and off he goes.
• You know when you realize at the last minute that your ran out of something you needed... yep, the driver to the rescue!!
• Never having to wash the car. The car is his to keep clean. Both inside and outside!!

Now you can see that losing the 'freedom' associated with driving is a small price to pay!! There are many perks to having a driver!!! Don't get the wrong idea... we are not 'abusing' our driver by making him do all of these things. It is the 'norm' for all the drivers here. Gotta love it!!

HOT!!!!

This will probably come as a low blow to some. Sorry... I just had to go there!!!

So this morning.... I was at the bus stop and the talk at the bus stop was that it was TOO HOT!!! At 7:45 in the morning, the sun was beaming down, and I was starting to break a sweat!!! The highs all this week - mid 90's.

Of course, I still track the weather back at home so I checked what was in store for you folks back in Michigan. Yep.... I saw the S word!!! In April!! That is awful!! I did feel a little guilty for complaining that it was too hot this morning!! I would take the heat over the snow (especially in April) any day!!!

Have a good day!! Try to keep warm!!!