Bangkok and Ko Samui

View of Bangkok from our hotel room

Tues. we boarded our ship, the M/S Nautica (Oceania Cruises) - lots of hurry up and wait.  We spent the day exploring the ship and unpacking.  Our room is small but there is room for everything and it will be home for the next month.  We got upgraded so we have a window rather than just a porthole; a small luxury but one which means a lot to me.

Wed. we went on separate tours; Bill visited the countryside, including a summer palace belonging to the royal family and an elephant camp where he got to ride an elephant!  I did further sightseeing in Bangkok - a 3 story teak palace, Jim Thompson's house (an American who revived the art of Thai silk making in the mid-20th century), and a cooking demonstration accompanied by an awesome buffet of Thai food.

Vinanmek Palace

3 story teak building

Gardens at Jim Thompson's House

Cooking demonstration - lots of prep work!

Thurs. we spent the day on Ko Samui, the largest island off the coast of Thailand, in the Gulf of Thailand.  It is mainly a resort island with some beautiful coasts and sandy beaches.  The tours we went on were rather hokey - baby elephant tricks (Bill went for another elephant ride!), and monkeys doing tricks at a coconut plantation (Bill's monkeys did far more tricks than the lone monkey at the plantation I visited). I did visit 2 Buddhist temples with very large Buddhas. The island looked like a great place to vacation, if you are young and into riding scooters and exploring the more casual side of touring.

Today (Fri. March 2) has been spent at sea, doing what we both enjoy doing at home - Bill on his computer or reading, me reading and doing counted cross-stitch.  And of course, eating great meals on the ship - tonight the choice is between prime rib and lobster, 2 of the 6 entree selections.  I did actually get in a 20 min. walk this morning, strolling the decks and descending stairs! (have to walk off the desserts!).

Tomorrow finds us in Singapore.

Many thanks to daughter Cathye for helping me learn how to blog and more importantly her patience in teaching me to upload pictures. (I am still learning something each and every time I post!)

Buddhist spirit houses, found in most household gardens and in front of many businesses.