Kauai 2025 – Wailua and Opaekaa Falls

Posted on February 20, 2025 by JimG

Wailua Falls

Feb 20, 2025

We had breakfast at the Kountry Kitchen which we had discovered on a previous trip.  It has become our favorite breakfast place on Kauai.  It is a popular spot, we got there as it opened, so we were seated right away but as we left, I noticed there was a waitlist.

We headed out on our first driving tour.   When we were in Banf, we tried an app called “Guide Along” which acts as a private guide.   I was surprised at how well it worked and bought the Kauai tour.   It detects your location, gives you driving instructions while giving you a tour.  You cannot ask any questions, but you are on your own schedule instead of being back on the bus at a specific time.

We started by going driving to Opaekaa Falls in the Wailua State Park.  We then headed to Wailua Falls which were made famous by the 1970s show “Fantasy Island”.  The opening sequence featured the falls right before the plane would fly by and Tattoo announcing it.

We then headed to Lihue and stopped for Saimin which was very good before heading to Poipu to see the Spouting Horn. Continue reading →

Categories: Kauai | Leave a comment

Kauai 2025 – LAX to OGG and then to LIH

Posted on February 19, 2025 by JimG

 

Sheraton Kauai Resort

Feb 19, 2025

We were up at 4:30 AM to get ready for our 8:40 AM flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Maui (OGG) on United and then continue on Hawaiian Airlines to Lihue (LIH) in Kauai.  As much as I like avoiding the traffic into LAX, I find that when I get up that early, I spend most of the day feeling exhausted and I have been able to sleep well on an airplane.

As we boarded our flight, the flight attendants were all wearing fake leis and flowers.  It reminded me of my first flight to Hawaii, at least they aren’t wearing polyester muumuus like they used to.   Early in my career, I was assigned a six-week project in Hawaii and every week, I went from Kaui to Maui and then back to Kaui again. I felt very fortunate to have been put on that project, I could have just as easily been assigned a project in Chicago during the middle of winter.

When my parents retired, I cashed in my miles to get them tickets to Hawaii, and I went along with them.  We stopped in Oahu and then headed to Kauai.  It was a special trip, and Kauai will always be my favorite Island and now that I am older, I don’t mind that everything closes at 8:00 PM and there isn’t much night life.  I was looking forward to driving around the island and appreciating the beauty.

When we arrived in Maui, my first thought was that the airport looked the same as it did the first time I flew to Maui and when we landed in Kauai, I had the same thought.   As we drove up to the hotel, I realized that we had stayed at this Sheraton hotel about five years before.  As we checked in, I asked and they said that they were a Marriott Courtyard and a few years back, they rebranded the hotel as a Sheraton resort.   I am not sure I would call it a resort, but it was located in Lihue where I wanted to spend a few days before going on to Princeville.

Categories: Kauai | Leave a comment

Back to Los Angeles

Posted on November 21, 2024 by JimG

Suvarnabhumi Airport

Nov 21st, 2024

I was up at4:45 AM to catch my 9:30 AM flight.  Traffic in Bangkok can be crazy, I would rather get to the airport early and sit somewhere.   The Suvarnabhumi Airport is large busy airport and it is also a pretty airport.  My only complaint about the airport is that in a city and country known for their street food, why are all the restaurants chain restaurants?

Luckily I had a lounge pass and since I was headed home on a Star Alliance flight, I could use any Star Alliance flight.  I decided to see who had the nicest lounge, so I stopped off at the Thai Airways lounge, Turkish Airways, the Miracle Lounge followed by EVA lounge.  When I got to the EVA lounge, I remember being in that lounge before.  All of them had nice lounges but EVA’s lounge felt a little cramped with not a lot of food options.

I was flying back from through Haneda, and since we were going east across the international timeline, it would be one very long day.  When I got home, I couldn’t wait for a hot shower and struggled to stay awake while I got back into my time zone.

I am always sad when a vacation ends, I enjoy travelling, trying new foods and seeing new places as well as revisiting places I have seen before.   Overall, it was a great trip but there were a few hiccups along the way. Continue reading →

Categories: Bangkok | Leave a comment

The Ancient City and Erawan Museum

Posted on November 20, 2024 by JimG

 Nov 20, 2024

Before going to this 200-acre outdoor cultural museum, I did a little research and most of the online reviews were positive, mentioning that you can take many Instagram-able photos of scaled down buildings and temples that can be found throughout Thailand.  We rented a golf cart and after a few stops we realized the map had very little information on it and debated if we should have also gotten the audio tour.

I couldn’t help but notice that although they are adding more to the park, there were buildings that desperately needing attention with the golden pavilion, one of the main attractions, being closed off completely.    We pretty much saw the entire park in a couple of hours.  If you enjoy filling your Instagram feed, the park might be very enjoyable, I was hoping for more culture and history.

Continue reading →

Categories: Bangkok | Leave a comment

A Casual day in Bangkok

Posted on November 19, 2024 by JimG

Nov 19th, 2024

We did not on going anywhere and seeing anything.   We stopped at the Amazon Cafe to get a latte and then hung out at the hotel for a while.  The main restaurant has a buffet for breakfast lunch and dinner.   We thought we would try it for lunch.  I noticed the hotel had been very busy with a technical conference.  As we were taken to our table, I noticed a lot of reserved sign with names of technology companies.   Overall, the buffet was good and I especially enjoyed the sashimi.

Later in the evening, we headed to the rooftop for a couple for drinks and to take in the view.   We had tried going up there earlier on in our stay but they kept closing it for private events.   We soaked in the view, had a couple of drinks that then headed out to dinner.

It was nice to chill instead of being on the move. Continue reading →

Categories: Bangkok | Leave a comment

Hop On Hop Off boat tour

Posted on November 18, 2024 by JimG

Wat Rakhan Royal Temple

November 18th, 2024

We took the sky train to buy tickets to the Chao Phraya Tourist Boat Co. hop-on hop-off.  The boat goes up and down the river and allows people, like a hop-on hop-off bus, to get on and off at various tourist sites along the Chao Phraya River.  I have to admit, I enjoyed it more than I expected to. I have taken hop-on hop-off bus tours in other cities and ran into issues with the buses running late or being full.   These boats ran on a tight schedule and kept to it.  I was impressed.

I think the ticket was around $5, and we made full use of it.  After stopping at a temple, we had a snack at the Wang Lang Market and then went to ICONSIAM, a huge shopping mall with a huge food court.  We got Pho for lunch in one of the restaurants before heading to the hotel to take a break.

It was then on to the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun).  We wanted to get there around sunset knowing they were going to light it up right after sunset.   It was packed with both Thai people as well as foreigners.  Many of them dressed in traditional costumes.

I remember years ago, before social media, visiting Ukraine and noticing that people loved to dress up in different costumes and pose for picture.  As I watched the groups of people posing for pictures at Wat Arun, I couldn’t help but notice that they had gone all out with costumes, full hair and makeup and professional photographers.

We waited to see them light it up and then we fought to get on one of the last boats to Asiatique, a fun riverfront area with restaurants, clubs and shopping along with a Ferris wheel and haunted house ride.  Bangkok has a lot of malls, and each one tries to outdo the previous one. Continue reading →

Categories: Bangkok, Thailand | Leave a comment

Loy Krathong Festival

Posted on November 15, 2024 by JimG

Floating rafts for the Loy Krathong Festival

November 15th, 2024

As we approached the hotel, I noticed that there were vendors selling what looked like flower arrangements.  Sophon explained that it was the annual Loy Krathong festival, where you light a candle on a small raft and set it afloat.  It is supposed to wash away bad luck.  After checking in to our hotel, we set out to the park to purchase a couple of baskets and to set our lanterns afloat!

Afterwards we went to EmSphere and got bowl of Thai boat noodles. The soup is rich and flavorful.  It is made with pork, ginger green onion, garlic cilantro and five spice.  I have also noticed that it varies from place to place, and this bowl was very spicey.   I always think I can handle spice, which I can but Thai spice is an entirely different level!

Continue reading →

Categories: Bangkok, Thailand | Leave a comment

Back to Bangkok

Posted on November 15, 2024 by JimG

November 15th, 2024

It was time to go back to Bangkok.  We boarded VietJet Air flight VN 961 from Da Nang back to Bangkok.  It was my first time flying on VietJet Air which is considered a low-cost airline.  We purchased “Skyboss” tickets so that the airfare included the luggage and deluxe seats.  I don’t think the seats were any different from the economy seats but we were seated in the first row giving us extra legroom.

I thought the flight attendants’ uniforms were cute and snapped a picture of our flight attendant and she made her boarding announcements!

They offered us drinks and a meal.  I was surprised at the drink menu, they had an “Iced Orange Americano” which was a cold drink that combined coffee and orange juice and a drink .  It did not sound good.   I also noticed a drink called “Egg Coffee” which is popular in Vietnam.  It is made with egg yolks, sugar and condensed milk which is whipped together and then poured in to coffee.  I decided to go with a beer – “Bia Saigon”. Continue reading →

Categories: Bangkok, Thailand | Leave a comment

Sunworld’s Ba Na Hills

Posted on November 14, 2024 by JimG

The Golden Bridge

November 14th, 2024

The breakfast at the hotel is good but since it is a wellness spa, it lacks food items that are considered guilty pleasures.  I remind myself, after last night’s culinary tour, I should be eating a healthy breakfast.

After breakfast, we headed out to Sunworld’s Ba Na Hills, an amusement park sitting on top of a mountain not too far from Da Nang. I must admit, I wasn’t sure what to make of it, I have never seen anything like it before and kept wondering, was this park made for Instagram?

We boarded a cable car that currently holds the world record for the longest nonstop cable care ride in the world to the top of the mountain.  The ride up and down the mountain was probably the best part of the park.  The views were spectacular with beautiful views of the jungle and at times waterfalls.

After arriving, we crossed the golden bridge, probably one of the more photographed attractions at the park. Unfortunately, it was crowded, it was too crowded, and people were pushing.   It was difficult to get a decent picture of the bridge.   Ironically, the pictures and videos advertising the park always show the bridge as being empty or almost empty.   The experience was different from what was advertised. Continue reading →

Categories: Vietnam | Leave a comment

Hoi An Culinary Tour

Posted on November 13, 2024 by JimG

Hoi An

November 13, 2024

We booked two back-to-back tours in Hoi An, right after we finished our brief historic tour of Hoi An, we started our food tour.   Our first stop was White Rose restaurant where we learned how to make the white rose dumpling.  You can white rose dumplings in a lot of restaurants in Hoi An and those dumplings all come the White Rose restaurant.   The staff makes thousands of dumplings per day.  We got a demonstration and then taught how to make our own.  Let’s just say, our white rose dumplings were not as pretty as those being made by the staff, but we enjoyed eating them.

We then stopped at another ancient house.   The owner was talking about the house and how it had been in his family for generations.  He has a workshop and creates silver jewelry, unfortunately, neither of us were interested in buying any jewelry.  We found a nice set of chopsticks which we bought, and Sophon bought a couple of souvenirs for his family.

It was then on to try Cao Lau, a regional dish made with noodles, pork, greens and broth. Although it sounds simple, it is complex and delicious.  This is a legendary dish, guides and guidebooks talk about how the recipe for the noodles is closely guarded family recipe.  The ash in the noodles comes from a tree grown on nearby islands and the water used to make the noodles is from an ancient well.   There are even stories about the name.  Cao Lau means “high floor”, which is where the more successful merchants sat while eating their noodles.   Who knows how much of this is real and how much of it is folk lore, Cao Lau is good!

Continue reading →

Categories: Vietnam | Leave a comment

Proudly powered by WordPress Theme: Adventure Journal by Contexture International.