Issan (Up country Thailand)

Time to catch up a bit. Deb and I are waiting to check in at Khon Kaen Airport and they have a WI-FI hot spot here.
We drove from Chiyaphum to Phi Mai to visit the ruins there. Spectacular! Smaller than those in Ayutthaya but these ruins are the ones that were the inspiration for Angkor Wat. Incredibly beautiful and a very hot day. I think I lost 10 pounds in about 1 hour there. I may have to get some new clothes soon (or at least a belt) ;-)
Then it was off to upcountry Issan in Thailand. We went to visit with Eve's aunt and a bunch of other relatives (grandma, grandpa etc) about 25km east of Roi Et. Primarily and agricultural area and a real eye opener. Almost something out of National Geographic. Eve, Deb, Kyra and I shared the only air conditioned bedroom (and a really big one at that). The homes there are designed for functionality and purpose, not for show. Everything is clean and neat as a pin. The pictures should show things quite well. We went to Eve's grandma's and grandpa's farm just outside the village. We took the truck (in the back of course), Eve's cousin came on the motorcycle and Eve's grandpa came along about 5 minutes later in his samalor (a 3 wheeled tricycle).
Again we ate and laughed a way to much and had probably the best watermelon we've ever tasted, fresh from the field.
Eve's dad gave me an amulet and necklace, it was very emotional for me and I get choked up every time I think about it. It's something very special for me and I'll always treasure it. He is truly a wonderful person.
Today (Sunday) we drove from the village to Roi Et. We stopped at the worlds tallest Buddha (just under 60m tall). Then off to Khon Kaen. We even went through a rain storm ;-)
The weather is just about right for Deb and I (23C) but everyone else finds it a bit cool ;-)
Well, almost time to check in. So expect the next update from either Phi Phi or Phuket.

Love to all back home.
Ken and Deb.

Chiyaphum

Well we are spending a few days in Eve's home town of Chiyaphum with her Mom and Dad. Khun Yai (which means maternal grandmother) and Khun Dta (maternal grandfather) are the most wonderful people we could have met here in Thailand. The absolutely love Kyra and Khun Dta couldn't be happier than when he is pushing her around. Khun Yai just loves to carry her around whenever she is the least bit fussy.
We've had a few great parties here with all of the friends and family.
Today it's off the Phi Mai and Roi Et (look it up and a map and google it) so I probably won't be posting until early next week.

Ta Ta for now.

Ayutthaya

Tuesday we headed from Pataya to Ayutthaya. Not to long of a trip, only a couple of hours. When we arrived, we went to a couple of the many many historical sites. This area was the old capital of Siam. Myranmar invaded the area and stripped the temples and palaces of the gold and jewels. Now there is an effort to preserve and restore a lot of the destroyed sites. This area is a UNESCO world heritage site now. The city itself is a good size, probably a population of 100,000 or so.
We stayed at the Kringsri Riverside Hotel. Very nice 4 star hotel. Super was down the road at a floating restaurant on the Chaou Prya river. After supper it was beer, wine coolers and visiting back at the hotel. Eve was pretty tired of translating bby bed time ;-)

Here are some more photos

Ko Chang and Pataya

Well, I guess the last post was on Friday PM. We've been a bit short on internet access, so it's time to catch everyone up one what we've been doing.

Saturday, Eve's parents came to Bankok along with her nephew Sev, cousin Phu and a friend of Eve's Mom, Noi. Lots of hugs all around and we got our bags and loaded them into the van.

Now, this isn't your ordinary van. It can seat 11 very comfortably, but with all our bags, 9 (with Kyra) fit nicely. It has great air conditioning, is commfortable as can be, has great air conditioning, has video and great air conditioning. Oh, did I mention it has great air conditioning ;-) The a/c is really appreciated after sightseeing.

Off we headed to Ko Chang. About a 4 or 5 hour drive and a 20 minute ferry ride and we we on the island. The place we stayed at was K B Bungalows and it was pretty as a picture. Deb and I stayed in a cute little bungalow right on the beach, about 15 meters away from the water. Nice and quite except for the sound of the ocean. We had BBQ seafood Sat night at the resort and visited for a bit. We could see the squid boats lights away in the distance at night. In the morning we had breakfast togeter and then just chilled out for a while. Deb and I did a bit of shopping and then we all took Kyra for a swim in the pool. She was a bit tentative at first, but I took it real slow with her. After about 10 minutes she was having a great time checking out the water and kicking away. She was in the pool for almost an hour. She is such a serious kid, trying to figure everything out. That night she slept for about 12 hours. The Deb and Eve had a nice massage on the br

That night we went to a little place down theroad and more BBQ seafood.

Monday we headed to Pataya and went to the beach there. We stayed overnight in a 2 bedroom house and had another great BBQ super that Eve's mom, cousin and friend whipped up. Mussels, sea bass and huge prawns and some rice all washed down with some Singha and/or whiskey. Another great time.

Here are some more pictures.