kathie---i wonder if they will be serving that smokey eggplant salad in the 'clink' in cambridge....??

Must confess that lately I have been spending time on another website and have only read the portion about your gastrointestinal issues. But it is very well written and you needn't worry about any penalties.

Transit lounge at the vancouver airport. Cathay pacific flights went well. The one notable thing is that on the HK-V leg, Beth was reduced to watching a full-length cartoon. I've never seen her do this before.

There were many open seats and with our adjoining aisle seats, we had plenty of room. The food was OK.

One tricky thing was that in HK, there was one last security check point just for our plane. They took the water we had purchased after clearing normal security. This was similar to what Thai Air did last year. the difference was that Thai Air provided everyone with a bottle of water on the plane. Not so with CP. We got thirsty

Back home.

The third day in LPThere are many interesting stores along this road. Not quite as tourist oriented as the main drag. We went into a very nice art gallery. the artist had some nice pictures as well as some very interesting tiles. Ko Noi was another interesting shop along this road.

Wandered some more. Towards the end, we went into the Apsara Hotel. Took a look at a room, very nice. Talked to the manager. he said, it had been a guest house until 2004 and then rehabbed. he also said they were building an annex on the other side of the Nan Kham. It will have suites.

Welcome home. I hereby relinquish my penalty assessing responsibilities back to you. Looking forward to seeing your "real" trip report.

We wandered down ro the tip of the penisula and went into thw wat called the wat of the Roayal City. It is very pleasant. There's a hearse in one of the out buildings that contains several small stupa-like structures.

For luch, we returned to the Apsara. Very nice River weed and chicken with cashews. We were thoe only customers.

We went up and made dinner reservations at the 3 Nagas and read the aclaim in the Amand Hesser review in the NYT.

More wandering and we got a wonderful 90 minute massage at the Spa Garden. Not as much twisting and turning as Thai massage, but very good. Tuk tuk back to the MS.

Up early here, jet lag as normal.

After a rest back at the MS, we took a tuk tuk to the 3 Nagas. We followed Amanda Hesser's suggestions. The article was posted on the wall. We were disappointed. this was our only mediocre meal in LP. The food was all right, but not exceptional. The tastes were too melded. Nothing was extraordinary. We were very disappointed. Tuk tuk back to the MS.

Our last morning in LP, we decided to wander some more along the Nan Kham Road. We bought a tile from the artist. Kop Noi had some amusing bamboo straws, but we passed. We were a little worried about the Bnagkok Air weight restrictions.

We went to La Boutique, next to the Hmong market on the main drag. The shopkeeper was playing Laotian Rap music. He told us about some of the musicians and where they were playing that night. Unfortunately, we were leaving.

The day before on our walk, I had stopped at a Travel agent and arranged an airport trasfer for $7. The MS charges $25. The pick up went smoothly.

At the airport, our flight was the only one. At one point, they came and got everyone, moved us through immigration checking off our names. When we had all cleared, they loaded the plane and took off early. Not exactly like Logan Airport in Boston.

Smooth flight back to BKK. AAC Limo sent the same driver as before. He generally knew the way back into town, but got off at Rama IV, so our trip took an extra 1/2-3/4 hour sitting in unnecessary traffic.

Back to the ROS.

Dinner at the Gallery Cafe. Beth has become addicted to the Rice crackers with Shrimp and Pork sauce. Returned to hotel and got laundry organized for the next day.

BTW, they are doing some construction on the road to the left of the ROS entrance. Several of the stores and several laundry outlets are gone. there's still a place to get laundry done up closer to the New Road.

The next day, we set out for the Jim Thompson outlet. Shuttle to skytrain, BTS to On Nut and we walked to the outlet. It's not a great walk, but doable. The weather was unbelievable, 77 degrees with a gentle breeze. Unlike any BKK weather we ever experienced.

The outlet actually had some shirts that fit me. Their XL's are very roomy. Bought one and Beth stocked up on various items. No cab would take us to central world, so we walked back to the On Nut stop and took the BTS. Easy.

We were hungry so we went to the food court in Central World. Very good. we were the only farangs in the entire place. It was jammed with Thais on their lunch break.

We then went to the photo exhibit in Zen which is connected to CW. There is a bunch of construction on the walk through and there was the usual chemical construction smell. Unpleasant. I did notice that there was a Nobu restaurant in Zen.

The photo exhibit was spectacular. 55 photographers spent nine daqys in Thailand. They were spead out over the netire country. There were at least 30 absolutely spectacular photos. the exhibit was amazing. We even bought the book. If Bob is semi-pleasant at dinner on Saturday, we'll let him look at a few pages.

What did you pay for the shirt- you know the drill- details please! Did you have to bargain them down?

Andy, did you hear any rumors about what they are building in the block next to the ROS? When we walked by, we happened to see through one of the demolished buildings, and the whole center of the block has been demolished. We speculated that it would be condos.

kathie---with any luck it is a new ROS...

Bill-no bargaining at the outlet. Prices are already reduced. i think I paid 800 Baht for a very nice cotton print shirt.

Kathy-no idea. I assume it's residential.

Bob-how could they improve on perfection?

Back to the ROS by taxi. Dinner at Harmonique. Crab with yellow curry was as good as ever. Once again, service was peculiar. Always the case, but the food is worth it.

On the walk beack, four tuk tuk drivers offered to give us a ride.

We stopped in at an antique shop near the ROS. They have several great six monk arrangements and some other wonderful pieces. Very nice. better than much of the stuff in River City.

is that antique shop the one just to the left of the portugese embassy gate??

Yes Bob, that is the one. It's hours are irregular, but it's definitely worth a peek.

Day with Tong

After several E-mails trying to decide what to do with Tong, I eventually decided to just let her plan the whole day. She knew what we had seen and was experienced in providing a good day for her clients, so I just went with the flow.

Picked up at 6:15 a.m. for the ride to the Floating Market. I had been sceptical because we had done this before and not been impressed. Again, I was just trusting Tong's judgement. We got there around 7:45 and had a short walk to a paddle boat with a driver. Paid 400 Baht to the dispatcher.

This ride in the boat was absolyuely super. The market was not yet crowded, so we glided through the various vendors. Tong would stop at one or another and buy foodstuffs. This became a delicious breakfast. We also took a detour and paddled past the main market and through some canals that were nearly deserted. It was really interesting. It completely changed my impression of the Flaoting Market. I had thought it was a waste of time. I now think it's a fun way to spend the early morning, especially when combined with another destination out that way, e.g., River Kwai, Tiger Temple.

After disembarking, we met Tom, another member of Tong's Team. He also had taken some clients to the FM.

From the FM, we had a 1 3/4 hour ride to the Tiger Temple. Tong was very engaging throughout the ride. It was like travelling with a friend (or what I would imgagine such travel would be like if I had any friends). The time passed relatively quickly. Near the end we went through the town of Kachanaburi. They were setting up for a festival. Near the end of the ride, Tong went into guide mode and described at length the origin of the Tiger temple. She was adamant that the tigers were not drugged.

Arriving at the TT, you pay the entrance fee and begin a walk up a slight incline. There are various goats, water buffalo and boars ( I did not see Bob) wandering near the path. One goat in particular followed Tong closely, until she provided a piece of fruit she had purchased at the FM.

One arrives at the central tiger spot. There are several Tiger cubs lounging and gently playing with staff members. Guests are encouraged to pet the tigers and sit with the lounging ones. There was one full grown tiger who was teathered with achain. He was very calm. This went on for quite a while.

Eventually, the guets were herded into a pen and then the grown tigers were walked from their cages/habitats ( they are building some open habitats for the tigers to replace the cages. One is in place, another is under construction). The guests then lined up to walk with the tigers and get pictures taken by staff with our own cameras. There was specific instruction on how and where to walk. Very controlled, but very neat. The tigers did not seem scared of me.

The walk ended in a canyon where the tigers were teathered to various spots. They seemed very relaxed. The gusts then lined up and got to approach the tigers individually. A staff member would hold your hand and specifically direct you where to walk and where to sit. Other staff members would take scads of pictures. It was very non-threatening.

After the tigers, Tong took us up to see her favorite a bear named Bam Bam. She got one of the staff members to let us in the cage and we spent much time with Bam Bam. Tong had brought much food to give and BB was delighted.

BTW, at the Tiger Temple, we met Lauren (screen name Laurencarl) who was a guest of Nui, another member of Tong's Team. Lauren was travelling with some friends, but they had decided to not go on the day trip. Lauren was very pleasant and fun. Of course, she's a fodorite. The Bam Bam visit was attended by Lauren, Beth and me. No other tourists were anywhere near.

Finished at the Tiger Temple and we were off to the forest orphanage. Nui, Lauren's guide did not know the way there, so she followed Tong.

More later.

So far, your day with Tong to the FM & TT with the special visit with BB was like the wonderful AM we spent with her. Isn't it funny how she gets to shift from her friend mode to tour guide?

BTW, got word that it was her Bday yesterday the 4th. Sent her greetings.

"The tigers did not seem scared of me" - FYI, tigers are not afraid of pandas, they are only afraid of lawyers!

Hey Gpanda! Glad you had such a great time, albeit with one "episode".

I have excerpted your LP report tidbits (as much as I would love to read Bob's unedited acerbic comments again while wandering the streets of LP ) as we are taking off for our LP, Vietnam, Angkor, Bangkok three week trip a week from today! We are traveling JFK-BKK Thai air business class and it sounds as if that was the right decision.

As ususal, the Fodors crowd has been INVALUABLE with tips and suggestions with good humor and good wishes.

My Fodors Boston pals Bob and Karen have been astoundingly generous in their assistance. Lunch on me when I return Bob and Karen

I will be posting both a trip report and pictures upon my return as well as posting some comments while traveling.

Later....