Impressions of Thailand...

Let me say first that I'm sitting in my hotel in Bangkok, eating for all the world what appears to be corn fritters, LOL! I had to fly halfway around the world to eat good old-fashioned comfort food! And I have to say, they are SOOOOOO good!

My lunch was gained the way most Thais eat here. You walk down the street, past numerous little carts. You see what looks interesting, and you get a little take-out baggie of it. My lunch has: spring rolls and the afore-mentioned corn fritters, BBQ chicken leg, cucumbers, an Asian pear and a Blue Mountain espresso. All for about 110 baht or about $3.15. Eating Thai-style is very inexpensive and entertaining: each meal you get to play, "Guess what THAT is?" LOL! The corn fritters came with a honey-chili-peanut dip that is so HOT but oh-so-good. Deb would be in heaven. Dad would be in hell!

The one thing that has struck me most about this country is the profusion of odours. Some good, some neither good nor bad, only new, and some just downright awful. Your nose is assaulted constantly: the sweet smell of a profusion of plants and flowers; the smells coming from the numerous food carts selling crispy-fried anything; incense from the many temples; the odd funk of the mushroom-based broths in many soups; coffee carts; must and mildew from the humidity; odours from the sewers; body funk; tobacco and perfume...it is almost overwhelming!

Market-hopping has been fun. During the week, there are fewer shoppers and you can haggle your way into some good deals. Stephen took me out to "show me the ropes" so to speak, and I promptly haggled a wooden fruit bowl down for 50 baht less than he paid...here endeth that day's lesson!

Chiang Mai was very much a small vacation city, and Bangkok is a bustling metropolis. I posted on Facebook that, with a few exceptions, you'd think you were in New York or Toronto. The people drive on the left, very British. And they have great respect for their King, as shown by decorated overpasses. They also have great respect for their religion, Buddhism, and there are many vegetarian restaurants, preferred seating for monks, and advertisements to not sell replica Buddhas.

Some of the more interesting things I've done: patted a tiger; used a squat-only toilet; tried the coconut jellies (a local "dessert"); braved the zip line; got up close and personal with a giraffe. The jellies were, to be kind, different. They had a consistency between chewed wax lips, white paste glue, and stale Jello. They had a taste similar to glue and Pepto-Bismal. Yecch!

 

 

 

Tomorrow, I will be finally saying "Good bye" to the fat person I was. The abdominal flap that has been my companion for the past 40 or so years is leaving, and so is the final identifier of my former self. Yes, it may seem like vanity, but it is absolutely crucial to my sense of self and identity that this last piece of me literally goes away. I salute my independence tomorrow, and the start of my new journey. It will be several months to see the full and final effect, but well worth the wait.

 

 

For now, TTFT! Ta-ta from Thailand!

Terri

Not Nunavut this time, but a world of an adventure!

The adventure this time all takes place in Europe and Asia! I left with my current roommate, Stephen, on July 6th for a 3-week holiday in Thailand. The first stop was a 14-hour layover in Vienna, Austria, long enough to allow us to leave the airport and tour the city. What a beautiful place!

We toured the city in a horse-drawn carriage and saw many places where people like Mozart and Schubert lived at one point.

We ate wiener schnitzel for lunch and it was delicious!

The airport in Vienna is so comfortable! They have computer benches in sets of four with plug-ins and free WiFi. They have lounge areas, and also couch-style seats where you can lean back and nap! These Europeans know how to travel! I'm beginning to detest western "all for profit, get nothing free" philosophy.

We bit teh bullet and upgraded our seats to Business class for the 11-hr flight to Bangkok overnight. Talk about LUXURY! The seats were HUGE! We had an individual pod to ourselves, the seat reclined into a flat bed, the on-board CHEF took our dinner and breakfast order, I was given several glasses of champagne, we were given overnight bags complete with a pair of clean, new socks! WOW!!!!

 My meal...marinated prawns in beetroot cram with crisp cabbage and bacon salad, caramelized pea soup with truffled potatoes, fillet of salmon with tabbouleh salsa, fennel and sauteed spinach, two-tone chocolate trifle, fresh fruit, coffee, and more champagne. Oh my!

The seat even had a massager built in!!!!

We got to Bangkok about 2:00 pm (1:00 am Toronto time) and had a short wait until our flight to Chiang Mai. It is lovely here, Set in a valley between mountains that eventually join up with the Himalayas, it is a mixture of old and new, and the people are very friendly.

Our hotel is the Maninarakorn, very comfortable, with a nice pool and free breakfast buffet. I had jasmine rice with egg and some veggies in a stir fry for breakfast along with pineapple and papaya.

Our first full day, we took in a cooking class. I made hot and sour prawn soup, pad thai, spring rolls, green curry with chicken, and sticky rice with mango.

 My pad thai and hot prawn soup.

I'm making the green curry paste here.

We took a cab-truck to the market to shop, took a train to Lamphur district, and rode a bicycle to class. Interesting trip highlight...stepping into the bathroom of the train to find a hole in the floor, two foot-shaped pads and a hold-on rail...LOL! Welcome to another world for sure! And as there is no proper sewer system here, toilet paper is prohibited in many places so they have a hose-option for hose down, drip dry...unique to say the least!

Today we booked a driver and went to many factories. We took in the silk-making factory, jade, silver, fans, and so on. Then we went out to the Sankampraeng Hot Mineral Springs, kind of like a mini Yellowstone and provincial park all-in-one. Apparently the springs are hot enough to cook eggs, which they will sell you, in a bag, to do just that!

We swam in the mineral springs, had a foot massage (they cost about $6.00 for an hour) and then had lunch. I have found some Thai food I like, but not too much...I should come back much thinner, LOL!

Tonight I'm going with what I know, and we're headed to a Chinese restaurant beside the hotel. Tomorrow, Tiger land, a cruise on the Mae Ping river, and some shopping at the Night market. Then on Friday, the zip line through the rainforest canopy. Look it up on "Flight of the Gibbon Chiang Mai" to see. I'll rent a helmet camera for video-taping. Then on Saturday we'll go for an elephant trek and see what else sounds good. From there, who knows?

More to come as the days roll by!

All good things must end...

...and so our trip comes to a close.

We aimed for a zoo visit on Tuesday. But, the 6:00 wake-up call revealed no bags packed, no rooms cleaned and no readiness for check-out in time to make the trip. So, we went for plan B: a bit more sleep, clean-up time and a visit to the Museum, postponed from Saturday. We checked out but the hostel stored our bags for later pick-up. What a great little find that place has been!

The kids enjoyed the Museum. The dinosaurs are always a hit, and still one of my favourite exhibits. They also really enjoyed the First Nation/Aboriginal People's exhibit with the Inuit collection. There was a video playing showing the scraping of a seal skin so they got to talk to a few people about how it's done. Very cool!

Here's the face I knew as a kid.

It's a little different now. Still a controversial piece in Toronto...

 

This flower is a bromeliad, over 4 feet across!

The individual crystals are as large as my hand.

We have ugly fish here, but I think this guy might just take the prize!

Shades of Jurassic Park! I'll take "Objects You Don't Want To See In Your Rear-View Mirror" for $1000, Alex!

The end of his snout with the first few teeth is as large as my head.

A carved narwhal tusk from the Inuit collection.

 

A gorgeous carving made from the backbone of a whale. We have these here!

Ladies, just sayin', these baskets are kind of cool!

When the Museum visit was done, we went back to the hostel to spend our last bit of time relaxing before dinner and catching the bus to Montreal.

The boys enjoying a game of pool.

Dinner at a cool pizza place around the corner. It was a former garage, and the old doors open up to make an al fresco outdoors patio right inside the restaurant!

We caught our bus at 9:00 pm, and arrived in Montreal at 3:00 am. A cab ride to the airport, and lots of Tim Horton's coffee, donuts, and some Chinatown BBQ duck and pork for breakfast.

Even at 4:00 am, BBQ duck is SOOOOOOOO delicious!

 

 

Sad to say, the camera battery dies just as I tried to get the last shot in the Air Inuit waiting area...5 bodies stretched out on benches, sound asleep, LOL! We did nap all the way home, and I'm sure there were a few more naps taken in the afternoon.

 

All in all, it was great trip, with some great kids, and I hope that they all will have some memories that will last them a lifetime.

 

Until next trip, TTFN!

 

Terri and the Team

 

Beware: Learning in Progress!

 Ah, yes...just for the memories! Noah, Janie, Willie, myself, Paddy and Aullajuuk after yesterday's run. I am still so thrilled for us all!

Forgot to mention...Saturday evening as we were walking back to the hostel, we passed a Ferrari parked on the street. Convertible top down, completely left on its own...if it had been MY $500,000.00 car, I'd have had security guards all around it! Instead, we took a few pictures just because it was a very cool car. Janie thinks he should get one up to Sanikiluaq...

 

 

So today, we got underway early, as usual. I swear we will all need a week of sleep to recuperate, LOL! Today we headed into the east end of the city to the Ontario Science Centre. This was my all-time favourite hang-out as a teenager and it was still as much fun as I remembered!

 

Janie is using pedal-power to listen to a radio. This could be a really great way to get the kids in shape! Hook the TV up to a generator, and if they want to watch, they have to provide the electricity! Hmmmm....wonder how many watts to charge an iPod?

 

 

We then went to the electricity demonstration area. It was absolutely wonderful as NO ONE ELSE WAS THERE!!!! We had what turned out to be a private show and behind-the-scenes fun! The kids had a ball and volunteered Brad and I to get fried in various ways.

Yes, that is a grimace of pain! There are quite literally sparks flying from Brad's fingertips but they don't show up too well on my camera.

 

I also learned a few cool tricks if I ever get another plasma ball. These things are cool!

 

The whole Science Centre was built into the side of a hill, on unwanted land. It was a great way to use land that was not viable for other uses, and turn it into something that is such a benefit for young and old. The government did something right there. Oh well, everyone makes mistakes! Ha ha ha!

Here, we're in the planetarium and getting ready for a star show on the domed ceiling. The easiest way to see it all is to relax on the bean bag chairs placed conveniently on the floor. Mind you, we had to wake a couple of people when it was over...

Tonight we had Chinese food ordered in, and are packing in preparation for check-out tomorrow before we head to the Toronto Zoo. The hostel will store our bags and we'll pick them back up just before we are ready to head to the bus station. The time has flown and this will be the last post until we arrive back home in Sanikiluaq. I'll post our last shots from the zoo then, and that will be another Running Club adventure come to an end, but with memories to last a lifetime.

 

TTFN!

 

Terri and the Troops.

Paatsaali's Run! (and day 4, too, one day late...)

So, first of all, we all did AWESOME!!!!! Every runner finished, and every runner had a good time! And a good time, too, as in Noah made it in just over 2 hours, which is amazing! I will have the official times once the race results are posted, as the finish line ran many clocks simultaneously and you got about a half second to look as you went through the chute.

Backtracking a bit, here's the hostel downtown at which we're staying. The kids have met students and young people from many other countries here and have really seemed to enjoy themselves. Willie was king of the pool table for a whole night: just unbeatable. Good thing it's all for fun alone!

This was taken with zoom from the observation deck of the CN Tower.

 Saturday morning, the kids all chose to see the Hockey Hall of Fame, again not far from our lodgings. For some reason, they all seemed really keen. I suggested a library, or maybe a crocheting store, but no...hee hee! They loved it, of course!

Posing as usual for the millionth time.

Did Paddy just shrink, or is that goalie really tall?

 

 

 Next to the one and only Stanley Cup! Oooohhh...ahhhhhh...!

 



We didn't quite make it to the Museum. By the time all had been fussed over at the HHOF, we had time for lunch and a very short rest before the game was broadcast at Maple Leaf Square. What else for lunch but what is quickly becoming a Running Club tradition of finding an all-you-can-eat sushi place. This one was the Kyoto House, and was absolutely scrumpscious!

When the plate of food arrives, it's every man or coach for themselves, LOL! You could lose a finger the chopsticks are flying so fast!

 

 



We walked over to the Air Canada Centre before 7:00 pm and watched some of the game on the Jumbotron outside. So in a sense, the gang DID get to see the hockey game! Not quite as good as inside but the best we can do at play-off prices!

Early to bed, and early to rise for the half marathon team...our bus left just after 6:30 to drive us all the way UP Yonge Street. Hmmmm. Hardly seemed fair to then make us run all the way BACK, LOL! 21.1 kilomteres, 13.1 miles. It was a tough run no matter which measure you used, and the team did a great job.

Go Team! (Why is only the coach wearing the Running Club shirt?)

 

 This is how it looked...

...WTG Noah...

 

...and this is how it felt, LOL! Hamming it up for the camera! I think they're trying to use the flag as a shroud to dispose of my poor dead remains! :-D

 

The Juniors at their start, and our finishing pose...

 

 

 

We returned to the hostel for a quick change of clothes and then out to my parents' place for a BBQ burger dinner and a swim.

 

 

And knowing it would be Aullajuuk's birthday the next day, we had a small celebration for him. (I know the 'k' is missing at the end, I just ran out of room! Sorry!)

 

"Happy birthday to youuuuuuu!"

 

So once again, the team has down the town proud! They have shown what it takes to be part of a team, and to show dedication and strength to pass a challenge like this.

 

Tomorrow we will be touring the Science Centre, which should be yet another fabulous day of new and exciting things for the group. More pictures to come along with another post.

 

TTFN!

 

Terri and the Team.