Happy New Year from Chiang Mai

Happy New Year from Chiang Mai.

Michael and Kristine arrived here in Chiang Mai from Bangkok on New Years Eve.
We all lit lanterns and sent them into the sky with thousands of others. Then waited for the countdown at the main gathering site at Tapae Gate.

The lantern's are made of paper and bamboo. You light a wax soaked paper coil, the lantern fills with hot air and is propelled into the air.
Yes, they eventually burn out and fall back, littering the countryside.



You must be at least this tall before you're allowed to lite lanterns.

We became pretty proficient by the time we lit our fourth lantern and sent it on it's way.

Top Dogs of Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is full of dogs. They're all over the streets, in people's homes and shops, and all around the temples. Most shop-keepers seem to have a dog or a cat (I assume a cat to keep the mice away). A lot of people seem to like tiny little yappy dogs. We have the fattest daschund you've ever seen at our hotel. He's always sitting on a chair barking at just about anyone who walks through the door (just like a doorbell).
Thais also love to dress up their dogs. It can't be because they're cold because even when it's 95 degrees out, you'll see plenty of dogs with these little sweaters or shirts on. Maybe it's about ownership or just some sort of dog hierarchy.


Every temple has dogs around. I don't think they actually belong to anyone but they're just hanging around, usually asleep.

None of the temple dogs seem to be starving, although most of them are pretty thin, as compared to the fat "dressed" dogs.

There does seem to be a number of groups raising money to help the "poor old street dogs" of Chiang Mai, mainly to get them vaccinated.

And nobody cleans up after their dogs so watch where you step.

Christmas on Walnut Avenue

Home for Christmas.
And before everyone disperses.

We're looking forward to hooking up with Michael and Kristine for New Years.

Christmas Album with thumbnails

Merry Christmas everyone

Vicki and I are now engaged!

I'll be posting pictures of Christmas with the Grandparents soon...

Merry Christmas from Chiang Mai

It's Christmas Eve and yes, we had Thais singing Christmas carols for us at our hotel.

More Chaing Mai

Grilled fish

Assorted seafood

Motorbike delivery.

Chedis at a Wat in Chaing Mai

Beef noodle soup for about 80 cents a bowl. We've been here less than a week and this is fast becoming our favorite place for lunch.

More pictures on the travel blog: hermanandalan.blogspot.com

Smokie at Winter Camp

Smokie and Dolly knee deep in snow at Winter Camp in Tehachapi

Getting comfortable in Chaing Mai

Our first hotel in Chaing Mai, the Tapzae Place Hotel. Not a bad place for around $25 a night including breakfast. Not a fancy buffet breakfast but eggs, toast, a razor-thin slice of ham, the tiniest hot dog you ever saw, mystery juice, and coffee or tea.

The room is decent although the furniture is a bit worn.

We decided to change to a small guest house after a few days for about the same price, although no breakfast included. The family-run Sri-Pat Guest House is a bit more quiet, with slightly smaller rooms but spotless and well run.

We'll spend Christmas and New Years here before heading to Chaing Rai.

Christmas In Chaing Mai time:

Bangkok

View from our room

Back in Bangkok after a delay of five days because a mob of anti-government protesters decided to shut down the airport to make their point. We arrived just after midnight on the first United Airlines flight to resume service into Bangkok. The plane was about two-thirds full and the airport was pretty deserted when we arrived at 12:10 am on December 9.

We arrived at our hotel at 1:30 am and were in bed by 2:00 am. We were both wide awake and unable to go back to sleep by 5:30 am.

The hotel lobby with a blue-lit Christmas Tree. I don't know how many Thai people actually celebrate Christmas but there are no shortages of Christmas decorations around town.

Our first day in Bangkok and we headed to the mall to see a movie. Every mall complex in the Siam shopping district has a multiplex theater on the top floor. They're all very modern and new but they all play the same five or six films.

We settled on seeing the new Bond film (just OK). Remember when James Bond could actually smile? And when did James Bond turn into the Terminator?

We also went to see "The Day the Earth Stood Still". All I can say is save your money.

Theater tickets here are just under $3.00 (all reserved seating). You get to pick your actually seats, similar to many theaters in Europe. The theaters are all very cold as the Thai people equate air conditioning with being better off, so the lower the temperature, the more privileged you are. You also have to sit through about a half hours of previews and commercials before you're requested to stand and pay your respects to the king. Then the movie you actually paid to see can begin.

The malls in Bangkok are all trying to out-do each other with newer and flashier stores. The biggest draws however are the eating establishments. Unlike the malls back home where the eating concessions are all very controlled and similar, the Thai malls have a greater variety to choose from. Eating establishments are located in multiple areas of the malls and they're usually always full whenever the malls are open.

Thanksgiving in Tehachapi

We took Smokie down to Tehachapi, where he will spend his winter, while we're off to warmer climates (that's if we ever get there).

We drove to Palm Springs for a day where we played some tennis (between rainstorms) and visited some friends, including our crazy friend (yes, we do have a crazy friend in Palm Spings).
We returned to Tehachapi where we spent Thanksgiving. It was just the four of us but Jeffery made Turkey, Ham, Stuffing, Scalloped Potatoes (Alan's favorite), Salad, Beans, and we had Pumpkin and Boston Cream Pies when we already had too much to eat.

We're pretty sure Smokie will survive the winter in Tehachapi. For one thing, he'll get to sleep on the large leather couch there. It'll be easier on his old bones and joints.

Plus Dolly will be there with him. She just had more surgery to remove a few more tumors. Hopefully they got it all this time.

More birthdays

It's Bev's birthday. No better time to teach Kayla how to blow out a candle.

And now she's walking so everything has to be baby-proofed. Is that even possible at Mom and Dad's house?

Happy First Birthday Kayla

Kayla turns ONE, and Elmo is still around.

Bobcat in the neighborhood

There's a bobcat in our neighborhood that apparently has certain people in the area "freaked".
We spotted it about half a dozen times over the last three weeks or so, always in the same area, just minding it's own business.
There have also been a couple of mountain lion sightings down by the school in the neighborhood. That's probably more of a concern than this bobcat waiting to pounce on some helpless bird.

Fencing Day

Fencing Day at Michael and Christina's. The section on the right was done last November?
We finished the twenty feet section in the back today. Thankfully it wasn't another day of 100+ temperatures.

The homeowners busy at work.

The Rock.

Smokie asleep on the lawn while we were working.

"Why don't we have a shady lawn to lie on at home?"

Tim and his ice cream

SF Pride Celebration

Here are some pictures from the Pride event I worked at the mayor's office. Margaret Cho and Cyndi Lauper stopped by the party too but were too cool to take pictures with us.

More 75th

Sure, I had one of those snails. I wasn't the one who said it was "rubbery". That was someone else.

75th Birthday?

No need to post a comment inquiring who's birthday it actually is.
Somehow I thought I took more pictures.
Anyway, mon IS actually in one of the pictures.