We are off for a week in Guilin, Longsheng and Yangshuo - yipee! Weather forecast is 50 - 60% chance of thunderstorms so I guess that means 40 - 50% chance of no thunderstoms yeah!

Happy 4th to all concern!!

Yes, a happy 4th to one and all. I'm back home this afternoon from a long drive (but a short time) to Houston Texas where it was 106 degrees!! Yikes!!

Enjoy your time away, hanuman. Brad appears in BKK once again, arriving late Monday night. He is only in the city for about 12 days, so you may or may not have a chance to get together. He still has his same phone number. I'll be back over for 12 days in August, if you are around.

Carol

Thanks Carol!

Mid - late August I plan on going to Kenya but only for 8 days so there's a good chance that I'll be back while you're here.

I'll be there from late on the 7th until I fly home on the 19th. Maeng and I will go to Samui for 2 days right in the middle of that time.

Hope to meet up again.

Carol

Have a great time, Pook!

I was uber-jealous of your Lijiang trip--can't wait to see the pics from Yangshuo. Those are the 2 places (the ONLY 2 places) I really want to visit in China.

You and your family have a fantastic trip!

bon voyage to the 3 of you....

B&K

Thanks Will, Bob & Karen. We're leaving the house now and will report back with pictures.

Relaxing at the Bangkok Airways lounge at the moment enjoying the free wi-fi. For wine lovers here are some duty free prices from Bangkok Airport:

Opus 1 vintage 2004 = 12,000 Baht
Dominus = 9,600 Baht
Lynch-Bages vintage 2005 = 3,900 Baht
Several Grand Cru of recent vintage from 2,500 - 7,000 Baht
They are now selling several magnums here.

Have a great trip, Pook - looking forward to your report.

buy and chill as appropriate

Have a wonderful trip! I'm looking forward to our report and photos!

Have fun! Do not compromise the mission.

Have fun in China!

I'll be in Bangkok when you return.

Thanks guys!

The road outside our hotel was flooded when we arrive last night and we had to enter the hotel from the back entrance! The rooms at the Sheraton in Guilin are very comfortable with great beds but the club lounge is quite dated.

must take you back to your LA days, entering through the back door...

what.....?

Hanuman celebrating July 4? Bob with cryptic posts? The forces of entropy are upon us!

The rain has finally stop! Better forecast from here onward yeah!!!

Andy - I'm a US citizen too!

Happy July 4! we have firwork on the Hudson River this year.

The River Li cruise has been suspended due to heavy rain.

The worst flooding I had seen in Guilin was in 1993 when water level covered the street and came up almost to the gate of Sheraton Hotel.

Not much to do other than getting some booze at the ground floor lounge or having a foot massage.

Both the Cathay restaurant on the G/F and the western dining room on the mezzanine are suburb.

I guess the market selling "no money" T shirt and the entire walking street are not open now.

aloha pook, i hope you and your family have a good time in china. there must be alot of "thai" food there.

roasting in lv.