For the entire Northwest there were only 3 days of the past 90 with sunshine. A record year of the damp, dark and drearies, and we were here. Vancouver Island had more sun, but also 2" - 3'' of snow for 4 of our 7 days at Mom's with Tracey & Geoffry. We enjoyed a white sunny Christmas week, with Mom's house and the towns all decked out in lights and greenery.

In January we stayed at the Central Oregon Coast near Lincoln City, where winter storm -watching is an event attracting many visitors from November to mid-February.

George's cousin had generously invited us to use their beach house, and we enjoyed long beach walks, reading by the cozy fireplace, Dungeness Crab feeds and enormous pots of chowder. During our stay, every 3-5 days, storrns brought huge booming swells all the way from Japan, to crash furiously against the rocks and dunes.

Walking trails and several feet of dune disappeared. Mother Nature carved a new shoreline, a cliff 20- some feet above the previous beach. This new beach under the cliff was littered with huge logs, trees and boulders that washed away during the next onslaught. One evening we were caught by a rogue wave, that sucked our feet out from under and washed sand into our clothes, ears, (and to the top of my head) as we scrambled up the dune to reach safety. Needless to say, we found more tame routes for our walks.

The winter storms of January 1999 at the central Oregon coast were awesome, but resulted in the worst beach and dunes erosion in 100 years. Emergency rip rap was installed....hundreds of truckloads of rock, to shore up the dunes. All beach access trails in our area at Neskowin were washed away, so beach walks are extended for many blocks to either end of town to get down to what little beach remains. There were also record tidal surges that flooded vast areas and closed roads. The continuous rain caused mud slides which created hazardous driving conditions when sections of towering timber pines slid off hillsidesonto the roads.

We needed a dose of islands, boats & beaches. We were on the west coast, so decided to keep heading west. We spent much of January reading and consulting with a most patient travel agent. She organized the trip as a small tour group of 2 persons, to take advantage of great destinations and travel packages at bargain prices.

With the exception of Hawaii, we were delivered to and met at airports with transportation and assistance for hotel and airline check-ins, itinerary review and information for added attractions. We either hired or were provided with a guide, car and driver for our stay in each place, so every minute was well spent and pretty much hassle free.

Oceans:	Pacific Indian
Seas	Andaman Straits of Georgia Puget Sound Pt Alberni
Beaches:	Bali Hai, Kauai HI Poipu, Kauai Anini, Kauai Hanalei, Kauai Princeville, Kauai Phrang Nga, Thailand Phuket, Thailand Patong, Thailand Nusa Dua, Bali Kuta, Bali Benoa, Bali Lebongong,Bali Lovinia,Bali
Boats	BC and Anacortes Ferries to and from Canada.
Watertaxis	Needle boats and longtail boats on Choa Phraya River in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Tour boats	Longtail boats, 65' Catamaran, glass bottom boat, power cruiser, and sea kayaks for various excursions in Thailand and Bali.

Feb 2 '99 to Feb 8 1999
Pacific Ocean, Kuaii, Hawaii
Sheraton Resort at Poipu Beach

After weeks of continuous grey, leaden skies, rain and bone chilling cold weather we craved heat and sunshine.

The 1st week of February we took our beach walks in the mid-Pacific, along Poipu Beach at Kauai, HI., enjoying a tropical sunset of rose and gold rimmed puffy fair weather clouds. The weather seemed cool, in the 70's, with showers, and the Trade Winds howled 25-35 mph, the entire week. This lent a definite slant to standing, walking, and taking videos and photos along the Waileau Canyon, "the little Grand Canyon", drives. We fought to stand upright to oohh and aahh over the magnificent sights.

Helicopter, sailboat, diving and kayak trips were cancelled, and most hiking trails were limited access or closed.

However the scenery was georgeous. We drove over 350 miles in 4 days, and nothing could spoil the walks through tropical and botanical gardens, snorkelling, tropical flora, sea vistas, sunrises and sunsets at the Princeville cliffs, with a view of Bali Hai beach where a number of Hollywood films, including Jurrassic Park, were shot.

The monk seals didn't mind either and came ashore to sun bathe along the hotel's sandy beach each day. At a fruit plantation with a roadside stand we stocked up several times on "red" papaya 5 for $1 and "hands" of 5 to 6 3" "apple" bananas for $1.50, best buy in Hawaii, where breakfast at the hotel was $23... Thanks to our friend Reatha Baker who knew the great little spots locals eat on Kauai, and a nearby shopping-restaurant center, we ate very cheaply except for the nights we chose to dine higher on the hog. There were few tourists, so roads and restaurants were not crowded and we could take our time and chat with the "natives".

One day we drove to the end of the road and enjoyed an afternoon of snorkeling at the edge of a nature preserve.

Most of Napali Trail and the world famous Kalalau Trail were closed due to the high winds, but we did walk for a short distance into each. Clearly we are NOT world class hikers as the "easy" trail was hard for us. Can we blame the humidity??? for quivering muscles...surely not age!!!

Feb 8 to Feb 10 1999 (gain day at international date line)
Pacific Ocean, Hawaii to Guam
Indian Ocean, Bali, Indonesia
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Nusa Dua, Bal
Putri Bali, Nusa Dua, Bali (owned and run by Dept Tourism)

We spent 3 nights, 2 days in Bali prior to Thailand visit and 12 days afterwards. Will combine both Bali visits and highlights after Thailand. Feb 10 to Feb 12 1999, and March Near Gulf of Thailand, Bangkok, Thailand Amari Watergate Hotel 1st stopover Marriott Royal Garden Riverside (on the Chao Phraya river) 2nd stopover The Thai Airlines flight from Denpasar Bali was the most impressive business class leg. All 6 trips within Thailand on Thai Airlines were impressive.

Even 1 hour commuter trips were on Airbus 300's, on time with smiling, sweet natured Thai service. Displays of anger or bad temper is insulting to all in the Thai culture, and results in being shunned.

The facilities were efficient, clean and people-watching rose to new heights in observing the "monks only" seating and Muslim Prayer Rooms and Thai Chi exercise groups.

We found heat...big time. 90's both temperature and humidity. Nov to Feb is the cool, dry season, March to July has dry heat, and then heavy rains.

We were in Bangkok twice, as it is the hub for airlines to the other regions and Indonesia. The easiest way to see the sights in limited time is as a private tour. Travel agencies subcontract to tour companies to provide flights, airport to hotel escort, a car, driver and guide by the attraction, 1/2 day , or day. We did some guidebook reading, made a "must see" list and were able to visit all of our choices in a few days instead of the 7-14 days organized group tours took in each locale.

Thailand is a Kingdom. The King and Queen are very popular and revered. Huge photos adorn lights along avenues in cities and are prominently displayed in every business.

The Royal Projects focus on agriculture and services, that began with the King's father, an American educated hospital physician in Cambridge MA., until he became King These include reforestation for teak, efficient ecological farming methods, artificial rainmaking and irrigation, food and flower crops replacing opium in hilltribe villages.

The present King, born in 1927, educated in Cambridge MA, came to the throne at age 18. Educated in the sciences in Switzerland, he won prizes for playing jazz saxaphone, sailing, oil painting, photography and also published English translations. He continues reform to adapt the predominately rural, traditional farmer and hilltribe lifestyles to gain economic progress.

Most youg people with highschool or college education are employed in the banking/financial industry. Tourism is #1 industry. Exports include textiles, rice, rubber, precious stones and jewlery, tapioca, sugar, integrated circuits and canned fish.

The Prime Minister oversees civilian elected officials, but is responsible to the King in matters of national interest and morality.

The army frequently intervenes when disastisfied by infrastructure and banking policies, and Thai history is dotted with military dictatorship and demonstrations ending in bloodshed. Military leaders control vast business interests through their wives and family. Historically, corruption and money changing hands has been business -as-usual, and is blamed for the current "national financial crisis".

Bangkok, is immense, hot (96) humid (96) hazy with pollution from endless traffic jams...some lasting DAYS! The watertaxis on the river are much faster.

The drive into the city at night (Sat) was very fast. Being the weekend traffic was light and although it seems very polluted to us, the guide told us this was a clear day, because endless traffic jams, lasting up to 20 hours, create bad air most every day.

Saturday, our touring day, we were blessed with a rare sunny day. All the important temples, government buildings, and especially the awesome Grand Palace complex, notably the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, sparkled and shimmered. The emerald Buddha, one of the Eight Wonders of the World, is small (as are the MannekinPis (sic) in Brussels and Little Mermaid in Copenhagen) but so beautiful.

We were dazzled by the array of monumental towers, spires and statuary covered in gold, mosaics of broken porcelain, and faceted jewel toned glass. Known as "'Disneyland of Siam", it is juxtaposed with modern skyscrapers, luxury hotels and shacks of timber and tin. The morning ended at a jewelery worshop and showroom of the distinctive intricate Thai designs.

We wandered endless blocks of the weekend market filled with fake designer goods, household items, vegetables, noodle stalls and charcoal burners of meat-on-a-skewer sate. The air was much more pleasant than we anticipated, filled with smells of stir fry and sates, fumes from tuk tuks (motorized 3-wheel taxis) exotic fresh and dried fruits, incense and canals. The heat and humidity made naps and multiple showers part of the daily routine. Walking 30 minutes in Bangkok was exhausting, and we drank water continuously.

For dinner we went to a cultural center for a traditional Thai meal with beer, music and classical dances. We sat with a couple from the midwest on "her" dream vacation....he finally spoke & cracked a few jokes after many thai beers.

At dusk the night markets began. Sidewalks teemed with humanity and crowded stalls. Vendors carried goods in baskets dangling from a neck or shoulder yoke, or wheeled carts of every shape and size imaginable.

Shoppers purused packed stalls of textiles, goods and food. Designer label knockoffs are stacked 3' high at many stalls. The "short cuts" became dead ends or an even more vast array of stalls, with seemingly no way out.. There are no prices posted, the vendor quotes a price and expects to bargain, sometimes as much as 30 - 50 percent. This "bargaining" shopping style was uncomfortable at first, but like all new experiences, we grew accustomed to the tradition. Comparison shopping proved impossible. We never saw exact items and could never find again the stalls we had visited, feeling lost at every turn.

At breakfast we enjoyed a leisurly "international breakfast buffet" included in the hotel charge in Thailand. There were many German and Singaporian tourists...few Japanese. Typically the choices included Chinese soup with rice and condiments, Japanese Miso soup with dried fish et al, Mei (noodles) or Nasi (rice) Goreng (with fried egg on top), assorted tropical fruits (papaya, mango, bananas, watermelon, pineapple, and unfamiliar but refreshing varieties), French pastries and rolls (the quality varied widely, but were always presented), oftentimes cold cereals, eggs (scrambled or cooked to order),omlettes, bacon or sausage (sometimes chinese cured), fried potatoes and tomatoes, and finally enormous toasters turned out a dozen pieces at once. After a pleasant hour on the rooftop terrace with tropical plants, palms and pool we left for the airport.

After the Phuket leg we returned to Bangkok for 1 afternoon and night and stayed at a hotel on the river. A watertaxi took us to the wondrous Oriental Hotel, considered the MOST luxurious and made famous by Somerset Maughn and other authors. The upscale neighborhood shops were filled with beautiful jewlery, woven bags, and fine silks, in sharp contrast to the street stalls of our first visit. There appear to be no rules of the river-road, with mutiple boats, barges, longboats and express boat -taxis vying for headway and space at the numerous piers. The river has been the main artery of commerce since the beginning of time and the traffic is endless. There is relief from the steamy heat with a breeze off the water and the apparant wind when underway. The river is wide, has fast current and is amazingly debris free. Shanties and houses on stilts, temples, hotels and skyscrapers, even a modern mall, line the riverbanks. To go somewhere in a hurry, people use watertaxis to avoid the endless traffic jams on the streets, which have been known to last for days.

Dinner at the hotel was one of best Chinese meals we ever had. A modern Thai wedding party on the outdoor terrace entertained us. The bride was a beauty, her voluminous white gown of lustrous silk. She was bedecked in sparkling diamonds; tiara, long earings, necklace, bracelets, watch, rings. If we had not been familiar with Thai designs, the jewlery would have seemed "fakes", but all these looked genuine. The female guests wore pastel silks or rich jewel tones of traditional surah, in Western styles, and Thai jewels. Arches of immense white roses arranged in intricate garlands led through "walls" created by hundreds of strings of tiny white lights. Ice sculptures adorned tables of gargantun roasts, vegetable and friut displays, tiered trays of desserts and confections, and a flower laden multi-tiered wedding cake. The tables sparkled with crystal cut bowls of candles and white roses, sterling silverware, crystal goblets and white china.

Feb 12 to Feb 23 1999
Northern Thailand Chaingmai and Chaingrai

A great relief to be in the foothill and mountains enjoying clear, cool air. It is believed the first Thais migrated from China, a trend that continues for the largest minority group in Thailand, Chinese seeking to escape communism. Neighbor borders of Burma (Myanmar), Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia add to the mix, including the "Hilltribe" peoples from as far as Tibet, fleeing religious persecution. Thais are 90 percent Buddhist, with villages and countryside dotted with temples, and "Spirithouses" adorned with offerings at business and residential entries to feed and attract "good spirirts". Buddhist teachings (dharma) are taught to every child in mandatory primary school. The belief that every action (kharma) results in consequences in this, or a future life, and the desire to reach ever higher levels of spirituality is part of each daily life. Thus Buddhist morality, (not to kill, tell lies, and moderation in physical indulgences), results in a sense of passiveness, acceptance and social calm from age 5 years. Young men become monks for varying periods, a minimum of 6 months, for education. They often leave and return, beginning again at 1st level seniority and there are no vows of celibacy or silence. However they may not be in contact with women. Women may not touch, speak to or hand anything to a monk.

Amazing Sights: French croissants, pastries, menu and wine on Thai Airline The streets are clean and amazingly odor free despite the food markets and open stall restaurants. We wore trekking boots and took care to avoid the water rushing along the gutters, however. The sidewalks are over a foot above the pavement. Walking is the quickest way for short distances. We felt very safe walking, even late at night.

Motorscooters holding families of 4 and the groceries.

Bouncing along teeming streets in a noisy, smelly, 3-wheeled, open sided cab called a tuk-tuk. Bustling markets spring up in every town , from dusk to wee hours, on every sidewalk in front of stores. Two & 3 wheeled "shop-carts" sell every type of food ( noodles, meat-on-a-stick, veggies, fruit) and textiles, jewelery, leather goods. Goods are delivered to the stalls in baskets balanced on each end of a shoulder yoke or fabric and plastic "boxes"that are literally sewn around each bundle and placed on a dolly. Prices are not marked. It took some getting used to, but the bargaining game starts with asking for "best price" and bargaining down about 30%...this was true for hotel rooms and restaurants too. Beggars were rare. Everyone seems to be gainfully employed in "sales", and are aggressive. Their wide smiles and friendly greetings are hard to ignore.

A trekking tour took us to both Chaingmai and Chaingrai in North central mountain regions to Countless Buddhist temples, each with at least 300 steps (but who was counting?) and holy Banyan trees. Thai Buddha is a wise philosopher and downplays the supernatural. Filling food bowls of saffron robed monks and offering baskets are part of daily life.

Most young men from farms and villages enter monasteries for several months to years for free schooling. Ceramic pit public toilets without paper, only a ladle in a bucket of water to wash the pit. Our tourist trousers, though less practical than sarongs for squatting, did have pockets useful for tissues and hand sanitizer gel.

Small farms growing rice,coffeee,tea and vegetables for village use . Excess is sold by "middlemen". Government run elephant training school for "workers" in teak forests. Reforestration projects are only 20 years old, and no mature teak remains. Centuries of cut, slash and burn logging practices destroyed the forests.

Royal Projects run by the King to teach Hilltribe people to grow vegetables and flowers in fields of greenhouses that once were fields of opium poppies.

Self contained Hilltribe villages where ancient lifestyles, customs and apparel continue. These Tribes, fled Burma, Laos, Tibet to escape religious persecution. Today, many villages are Christian in order to have schools and teachers. Family dwellings are built on stilts to house pigs below. Streets are packed mud & rock trails. Water is communal, even the typical "ceramic pit" toilets were not evident, and elecrticity is limited, altho we did see TV antennas & satelite dishes on at least one dwelling in each village. To own a pickup truck is to become a chief.

Rubber tree plantations with permanent "spouts" into each tree. Golden Triangle, where the borders of Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia meet. The border towns blend and markets in each feature goods from all these countries and China. Rich Chinese merchants have built a large community of cement homes and control the farms and most jobs. All signs are in Thai, Sanskrit and Chinese in this region. A road to China via Laos has just opened.

At Phuket, a resort area popular with thong-clad Europeans, we heard only one American the entire week, an 80-something gentleman in a Panama hat who took early breakfast too. The hotels range from guesthouses to luxury.

We enjoyed some of the finest food of the entire trip at our hotel, The Amari Coral Island Resort. Our room was on a private beach overlooking a bay dotted with transient sailboats and 2 junks bobbing at anchor. The masseuse hut was just outside our lanai, only $8 for 1 hour massage. The Cybercafe experience in town was a highlight here. We really miss the internet and receiving e-mail. Geoff did get the e-mail we sent.

Ecotour, small groups,(we were 12), no motors, anchoring, or fishing, from Chalong Bay to "James Bond Bay", (Phrang Nga Bay). The distinctive limestone islands were familiar from several movies including Man with the Golden Arm and Never Say Die. Leonard Di Caprio was in the area filming The Beach. Longtail boats-to-cruiser-to-longtail boats-to-sea kayaks in order to access the sea caves. Some entrances were so narrow, we laid on our backs in the sea kayak to enter. Inside were sparkling rock formations and beautiful lagoons filled with fish, crabs, and bordered by palm and tropical fruit trees clinging to rocky slopes. This excursion was a highlight of the entire trip.

Lunch on board the cruiser, was freshly prepared by a woman using 1 pot and a wok. A wonderful feast of Thai fried chicken, 2 stir fried vegetable dishes, tempura vegetables, whole fried sea bass, fried Thai noodles and plain rice with sliced tropical fruit dessert.

We took sea kayaks to a private island beach for swimming, snorkelling and naps. Bali, Indonesia: We were in Bali twice. Three days in February enroute to Bangkok from Hawaii, and nearly 2 weeks in March after our "Amazing Thailand" touring.

Balinese people are gracefull with beautiful features, wide friendly smiles. The children are sweet featured and natured. The toddlers are hugged, patted, stroked and touched lovingly almost constantly. Mothers and daughters, and friends often sit with arms around shoulders and waist.

Daily life in Bali follows age old patterns of living in harmony with the earth's environment and spiritual traditions and rituals. The religion is a Hindu/Buddhist blend peculiar to this island. Many Indonesians from other areas emigrate here to practice their beliefs . Offerings are placed at shrines and temples several times daily to create harmonious relationships with the gods and between family and friends, to foster good health, to attract abundance and prosperity, and to give thanks for all blessings.

Every day we saw many religious celebrations and processions to one of the three or more temples in each hotel and village. Men clad in sarongs, women in lace tops & sarong skirts bearing trays and baskets on their heads laden with artfully arranged flowers, food & fruits.

Each business and family compound feature shrines (spirit houses) laden with daily offerings. In the home rooms, furnishings and objects are arranged for good energy lines (Chi) to meander through the home and accumulate and settle, thereby bringing good fortune and harmony.

Art is part of daily life. Everyone weaves, paints, carves, dances, plays an instrument etc. each day. Entire villages are devoted to art, at Mas, carving, Celuk, jewellry, Ubud, painting and so on.

Exchange rates made the dollar king. US dollar averaged 8600 rupiah during our stay. We bargained the hotel rate from $130US without 21% tax to $60US includung tax. A car, driver and guide averaged $60US a day.

Most dinners were $5-$8US. One night we splurged for a 15 dish buffet, includung whole suckling pig, 8 desserts and a Balinese dance troup, for $25US each.

For our farewell dinner we enjoyed 8 courses in the "fine" dining room featuring continental cuisine, run by Indonesian Dept. of Tourism to train chefs and servers for restaurants, hotels and cruise ships world wide.

Crudites, freshly baked yeast breads & rolls, table-side prepared & flambed lobster bisque, field greens salad, sorbet, entrees featuring fork-tender Australian beef, crunchy vegetables, choclate covered ice cream bon bons for $15US each.

The heat and humidity here, 8 degrees south of the equator, force a slower pace so every other day was a "resting" day between excursions.

Brother Steve and wife, Jackie, from Calgary, were in Bali for their 2 week Spring holiday, and we enjoyed a week together touring the countryside, beaches, hotels and restaurants. We sailed on a 60-some foot catamarran to a private beach club for BBQ lunch, snorkelling, swimming, sea kayaking and banana boat rides.

Another day we joined the Kuta Hard Rock Beach Club for the day and rented a poolside cabana with dining table, 2 massage table-loungers, a min-bar, and lunch service. We placed our sun loungers at poolside and merely rolled off into the water for cooling swims. The pool undulated throughout the resort and featured a swim-up bar, sandy bottom near Volleyball island, tile bottom, waterslides and a Japanese-type bridge.

Amazing Sights
Coolmax and tropical nylon clothing from Travelsmith, kept us cool and dry. Sudden tropical showers completely drenched us while shopping or touring. We would wring out our shirts and shorts as we walked and everything was dry within an hour.

Religious processinals to place offerings, celebrate a wedding, a funeral. Lake Batur, Kintamani volcano Mountain temples are homes of the gods and are balanced with temples located near the sea to prevent evil from coming ashore. Temples with 3-11 roofs at Tana Lot, Ulawatu, Ulun Danu at Lake Bratan Barong dance Lush rice terraces lining steep slopes Coffee, tea, cocoa, avocado plantations and vineyards all worked by hand. Glorious colors and shapes of fish and coral off snorkelling platform at Lebongong Island. The skiff driver had to call Jackie and I in to make return trip. We didn't want to leave the incredible display.

During flight back to USA, we agreed to being comfortable with the travelling life-style of the past 7 weeks. G said "Tell me, why are we coming back?".

Late March
We visited George's folks and relatives in Oregon, and saw some sights along Puget Sound, WA. We "house-sat" for my Mom on Vancouver Island while she enjoyed a Caribbean cruise, and stayed on through Easter before heading south through California to Arizona. The seemingly endless lush fields of produce, nut trees, and vineyards were a sharp contrast to the recently visited tiny plots and undulating rice paddy terraces painstakingly worked by hand.

We spent a day at the Grand Canyon, then on to Albuquerque, New Mexico to visit Joel and Lori, friends from Residency days in MN.

We continued along Route 40 to Hilton Head SC, Wilmington and Oriental NC stopping at several marinas along the IntraCoastal Waterway route and to visit Al and Lynne, friends from Long Island who now live the sailors dream life: house-with-boat-dock-at-the-back. In MD we enjoyed a visit (and her wonderful crabcakes) with Charlie and Linda, my schoolchum and 1960's travelling buddy.

The next day we had a visit and dinner with Geoff, near Philadelphia, then drove to friends' Jane and Pete in NJ for a few days to organize for the move aboard Alegria in CT.

We had driven over 8000 miles, cross-country both northern (Route 70) and southern (Route 40/66) routes and along both coasts. Now to begin getting the boat ready for the cruising life.

The Happy Wanderers,
Joan and George