All Thai'd Up!

     As previously noted, our daughter Ashley, her husband and their seven kids live in Astaná, Kazakhstan, thanks to the State Department.  They have adopted the routine of taking a "Spring Break" each March, to coincide with the kids' time out in their online and at-home schooling.  That especially makes sense because Astaná is the second coldest capital in the world.

     This year, Ashley's gang decided to visit Thailand, and we were delighted when they invited us to accompany them.  Ashley arranged for a villa with a swimming pool and a real-live Thai chef on the island of Samui in the Gulf of Thailand.  It's the island down in the left lower corner.

      OK, but isn't Thailand halfway around the world?  Yep.  Exactly twelve time zones from Raleigh.  Using the GPS on my iPad, I tracked our flight from Atlanta to Seoul, Korea.  (Remember, if someone tells you to go to heck, you have to connect through Atlanta.)

      Did you know that to get to Seoul you go almost straight north from Atlanta?  Yep again.  The 'Great Circle' route goes up over Canada, then descends past Alaska, carefully skirts Russia, overflies Japan and finally ends up in Korea.

     What do you do for a sixteen-hour flight?  Drugs.  And movies.  And three or four meals - I lost count.  The pharmaceutical in this case was the sleeping pill Lunesta, a few of which we still had from trying to sleep at 14,500 feet in the mountains of Peru.  Expiration dates are for wimps, by the way.

     Bless Korean Air's heart, they had edited "Everything Everywhere All The Time" so that it was OK to watch, and so I saw it a couple of days before the Oscars pronounced it as great.  I'm not sure if it was the rarified air at altitude over Alaska or the expired drugs, but the movie was pretty crazy.

      Acknowledging that, yes, I turned 69 with Ashley and her gang on a beach on Samui, I was still a bit huffed when we were directed to the "special" immigration line in the Bangkok airport, reserved for VIP's and "The Aged."  So much for thinking that I could fool anyone.  I'm sure they were not basing this on Paula, as she pointed out.  Several times.

     Oh, my goodness!  Is overdosing on great Thai food an identified health risk?  Is there some form of Narcan for excessive Thai food?  The chef at the villa went nuts!  Every night there were three or four main dishes, and then dessert!  Everything was beautifully presented.  When he said "king prawns," he wasn't kidding - I've seen lobsters of less magnitude.

     Ashley's kids were great.  They have grown up in Central Asia, they all speak some Russian, and not very much flummoxes them.  They loved riding the motor scooter with Grandpa, swimming at the beach, eating Thai food and reading the Dilbert books lying around.

     There are fewer elephants to whom one can feed bananas in Kazakhstan, so they took advantage of the opportunity to do so in Thailand.

     Three of the older kids and Ashley herself, as well as Adventure Grandma and I went scuba diving at an island an hour's boat ride away, a real adventure with lots of fish and even a shark!  Of course there was Thai food for lunch.

      There were lots of Thai dive boats around, and Nope, that's not our boat.  Most of them looked even worse than this, but we were on a very nice new boat.

     Another day, we traveled by boat to the Ang Thong National Marine Park, a protected archipelago of some sixty islands located an hour an a half away in the Gulf.  "Stunning" comes close, and I'm not just referring to the model in the foreground.

     We came and went off the big boat that brought us to the park via the arch-typical water transport of Thailand - the long-tail boat.  The thing on the back is a long shaft with a propeller on the end hanging off the rear of watever motor could be mounted on a swivel on the back of the boat.  No hazard there!  OSHA would have a water buffalo (Thai equivalent of a cow).  And the food for lunch was great! 

     Thailand's main faith is Buddhism, and there are temples of all sizes scattered about.  I wondered to Paula (the non-overweight person in the foreground) if this one had something to do with the quality/quantity of Thai food.

     Several great days were spent with Ashley's family on beautiful beaches around the island.

     Most of the beaches were pretty clean, but an occasional odd artifact could be found.  I believe this was originally a size 9-C before the marine life hitched a ride. 

     Alas, after eight great days with them, Ashley's family had to put their coats on and head back to Kazakhstan.

     However, Paula and I figured that if you're going to buy tickets to go halfway around the globe, you need to take advantage of the opportunity.  Not too far away was a beach where some kiteboarding takes place!  Yee Hah!

      Paula could sit on the covered patio by our room and watch the "action," though using that term to describe my kiteboarding ability stretches the truth more than a little.  There were several days of good wind and I had a great time, even improving on several maneuvers.

     The kiteboarding 'company' consisted of a group of Polish 20-somethings who would carry the kites and boards from the shop a half-mile away balanced on scooters and then schlep them up the beach.  Pavel, Michal, 'Dave' and the rest were chill and helpful.

     One thing about the lagoon, however.  When the tide was high, there was plenty of room and up to a couple feet of water depth - great for kiting!

     On the other hand... when the tide was out, it was OUT.

     The 'hotel' complex was kind of strange.  It was clean, but had seen better days, except for the half that we were told (very clearly!) was Private!  Their pool was nicer, and when we asked 'Dave' who all the European-looking people were, he said, "That's a Russian cult having some meeting."  Oh, Kay...

     Next stop - Chiang Mai!  The second-largest city in Thailand after Bangkok, it's located in the north of the country, in the more mountainous area.  There are over a million people in the city, and an estimated 1,500 Buddhist temples as well as other historic and cultural high points.  At this time of year, agricultural burning in the region, as well as in neighboring Laos and Myanmar tend to add to the haze, of which there was a fair amount.  

     But is there food?  That would be a big ใช่, which is Thai for "Yep."  In fact, they'll teach you how to make it!  Paula and I took an afternoon-long cooking class.  First, we headed to the market to buy the fixin's.

     After wandering around in the market, Paula and I looked at each other and said, "We've been here!!"  Only it had been in Bogotá, and Huancayo, and Tashkent.  Just change some of the items for sale and convince the folks to speak Spanish or Uzbek and it could have been one of those other markets.

     The teachers taught us about the local items, purchased a bunch, and took us to their personal residence, where we three Gringos were instructed on some basics of Thai cooking.  We each cooked four dishes and then ate them and no one died.  Yet.

     Paula had signed us up the next day for a bicycle tour of the city, and she scored again.  I guess due to this being the off-season for tourists, it was just us, a nice young lady tour guide and some basic bikes with baskets.  

     The guide was superb!  Yes, she took us to the coolest temples, 

    but also a bunch of off-the-beaten-path areas.  

     On bicycles?  In a big Thai city?  Including in downtown traffic?!  Another Yep.  Turns out that the Thai drivers were polite, took care to give us room, and the guide could actually stop traffic with a smile and an upraised hand.  In Huancayo, we would have been flattened.  Repeatedly and gleefully.  And flattened again.  

     Church was within walking distance on Sunday, and unless you look closely and note that there are mango trees instead of cottonwoods, this building could have been in Idaho.  There are three branches in Chiang Mai, part of a district in northern Thailand

     However, unless they've started speaking a lot of Thai in Boise, that was a big difference.  We had to put on the headphones for the main service, but thanks to a Sister missionary from Utah who did a good translation, we understood the speakers.  

     Paula lucked out putting us in the Moon Dragon Hotel (complete with dragon out front), 

and it was very nice and close to almost everything, including the big Sunday night market that took over the street in front of it.  

     Oh, my word!  The picture doesn't show the crowds that soon clogged the street, and gives no hint of what was on sale.  Fried squid!  Jade rings!  Thai food!  Doo dads of all descriptions!  Thai food!  Plastic stuff!  T-shirts!  Thai food!  Jewelry!

     Needless to say, the food was great!  And I didn't get sick!  Just really full!

     Realizing that my calorie spread sheet was now frighteningly out of balance, we rode bikes all day on Monday in areas out in the country around Chiang Mai.  Here, we're getting a lesson about raising rice, of which there are more varieties than you can shake a chopstick at.   

However....that's right; they were e-Bikes.

     Which were really cool for any hills, and there were definitely some of those.  However, you just cranked up the "Assist" factor and presto!  Right up the hill!  And if that didn't fix it, there was a "Boost Button" that would.  We had never ridden e-Bikes before, and they were a revelation that may cost me in the future, according to Paula.  

      Among the points of interest during the ride was a 1939 Kawasaki steam engine abandoned by the Japanese as their occupation of Thailand in World War 2 ended.  Not far from this picture is the Kwai River over which the bridge depicted in the movie was built.  Some ten thousand Allied prisoners died during railway construction in Thailand during the war, in addition to over one hundred thousand Thai citizens who perished.

     In our defense, we really did have to pedal (some) during the seven hours of riding, but the good Thai food at lunch wiped out any calorie credit.

     So, what do you do on your last day in Thailand?  You wake up at 4:00 AM so that you can be picked up by Tu the Tour Guide at 5:00 AM and you travel up in the mountains to watch the sun rise at the amazing temple complex overlooking the city of Chiang Mai.  

    Pictures of sunrises and sunsets rarely do them justice, but it was gorgeous.

     And then, of course, we had to stop for a big breakfast of (wait for it) Thai food!!  

     We visited two further temples on the way down the mountain, including my favorite, which Tu called 'The Hidden Temple' because the tourists don't go there.  It was peaceful with softly trickling water and paths through the forest.  

     And then it was over.  Back to the Moon Dragon and packing up.  The flight to Bangkok, then to Seoul, then to Seattle and then (yawn) to Raleigh.

     Overall impressions?  It's clear to us why people like to go to Thailand.  The place (except for maybe Bangkok) is gorgeous and the people are exceptionally kind and gracious.  There is a reason why it's called The Country of Smiles.  We left having smiled a lot.

     Oh, yeah, and the Thai food.  Did I mention that they have good food in Thailand?

I guess I should thank him...

But it didn't feel like it at the time.  

I'm about two months after the hip thing, and about three weeks after crutches.  Other than muscle atrophy from non-use and some continued pain as connective tissue and joints get used to their new and previous situations, things are going well.

However, the strength of the union between the hip replacement parts and the bones is still increasing, and won't max out for many months.  I'll be on restriction from kiteboarding and cycling for at least another 30 days.

As previous posts have reported, we gather with friends and family at least twice a year on the Outer Banks of North Carolina for kiting.  This makes the 30th year we've done so, though windsurfing was the thing until about 2008.  This year we packed ten folks into a house with a great launch on the Pamlico Sound side, and enjoyed good winds for several days.

By the way, the one in the foreground doesn't kite - yet.  However, she had a great time splashing around and writing her name in the sand with her stick.

One of the great things about Hatteras is that even the calm days are enjoyable,

Being still restricted, I nonetheless put on a wetsuit and waded out to help folks.  Our son Mike's wife wanted to learn, so she and I and a 9-meter kite spent a lot of a day splashing around and laughing.  It just never gets old, watching noobs get launched!

Otherwise, there's always stuff to fix.  My brother brings his jet ski for rescues, and to take videos of folks kiting and to help with beginners.  A replacement starter solenoid had to be installed,

and I had to wrestle a new kite bladder into place.  (See previous post about leaky bladders.)

On Wednesday, the wind blew a bit stronger, so everyone that could was jumping and back-rolling and zooming around, having a great time.  One of them came in for a break at one point, asking if anyone on the shore wanted the kite.  I happened to be in a wetsuit with a harness on, and it was such a beautiful day, and the wind was perfect, and I started in that direction.... and my younger but wiser brother, the recently-retired orthopedic surgeon stepped between me and the kite, clipped in and rode off.

I guess in today's terms that was an "intervention," and he was right, and like I said, I guess that I should thank him... I guess...

As you might already know, the Outer Banks consist of several long and very skinny islands, essentially glorified sandbars, along which NC Highway 12 runs.  Coming back from church on Sunday in Kitty Hawk, traffic stopped for about an hour as the flaming results of a head-on crash were cleaned up.

Thanks to airbags and dumb luck, no one was seriously hurt.

And then of course there was Hurricane Ian. 

Highway 12 is very vulnerable to storms, and waiting too long can trap folks on the island as a storm approaches. 

By Wednesday evening it was clear that the hurricane's path was unclear, and with prospects of winds beyond useful kiting strength accompanied by heavy rain, everyone packed up on Thursday morning and headed home.  By that point, the heavy equipment was already beginning the of-repeated battle of keeping Highway 12 open.  

All in all, a fun week, though with an unfortunate ending for so many folks in Florida.  Everyone made it home safely from Kite Camp, we didn't break anything, be it kites, cars or humans.  Now, if the doc will just give me a clean bill of health...

Dave

Things can change in a moment

    I'm not sure I've ever hurt that much or that instantly.  After lying by my bicycle and yelling for a while, I tried to get up and realized that something bad was going on - weight bearing caused some clearly wrong, hurtful movement in my right hip.       

     I may have mentioned an upcoming bicycle tour in Croatia, one that was originally supposed to happen in 2019, but then there was that COVID-19 thing you've probably heard about.  No?  Well, it was a mess. 

     Anyway, it was finally supposed to happen for about three weeks beginning at the end of August.  Some of the days' rides look challenging, like over a mile of climbing over about 60 miles distance, so we've been doing a lot of riding.

     We set out for a good 45-mile ride at about 5:30 AM on Wednesday morning at a time when the headlights helped to see and be seen.  It was getting light when we were riding up a zig-zag wooden section of the local Greenway.  I went around a corner at about 4 mph, and the bike slipped out, dumping me on my right hip, still clipped into the pedals.  

     We called a neighbor who happened to be up, he came with our van, we dropped him off and we headed for the "Open 24 hours" urgent care at Raleigh Orthopedics which wasn't open for another hour, during which I finally stopped yelling.  The X-rays meant that I had to be admitted, where some more X-rays said, "Duh, your right hip's busted."  (Below: "Acute, displaced right femur neck fracture.")

     You'll notice that the circled head of the right femur (long leg bone) is kind of shorter and kind of squashed looking, comparing it to the other side.  The orthopaedic MD agreed and worked on scheduling total hip replacement, which finally ended up taking place about 30 (not) fun hours later.

     Back when I was an actual doctor myself doing actual surgery, I always felt good when my patients/victims/whatever awakened from anesthesia, and announced to me that they already felt better, and such was the case for me now.  They let me out of the hospital the next morning, after being instructed by OT (Occupational Therapy), PT (Physical Therapy), SOT (Some Other Therapist) and a few other people, and signing a dozen papers that said various things.

     So what now?  Six weeks of less-than-50 percent weight bearing on that side, no angle less than 90 degrees, yada, yada, yada.  No cycling or kiting for at least three months.  I was hoping that I wouldn't need a walker for a few more years, and that picking my socks up with one of those grabbers could be put off for a while, but I guess not.  

     We try to listen for inspiration on decisions, and occasionally we get the feeling to NOT do something.  However, on Wednesday morning there were no such feelings - a complete "clear" for the ride.  Trying to parse it, maybe a) it was just one of those things to which we are randomly subject in this mortal phase, b) I'm supposed to learn patience and compassion for others through the experience (not working yet), or c) someone else (yes, you, Paula) can learn to be nicer or d) this may allow something to happen that wouldn't have happened otherwise.

     Anyway, to steal and not actually coin a phrase, "it is what it is," and we just have to schlog through the experience, and hopefully learn something.  

     We hope you stay upright on your bicycle, and yes, mine is fine and it thank you for asking.

David

Don't mess with Grandma

    As apparent from previous posts, Paula is an avid gardener, which pursuit borders very close to mania.  This became apparent right from the get-go.  Our first apartment soon had a bunch of plants in windows

and daffodils planted down by the front steps

and when we were lucky enough to move to a little house, one of the first considerations was about the location of the garden.

     This love of gardening has not abated, rather it has intensified through the years.  I made a count last year of how many different kinds of plants there are in our yard, and it came to one hundred twelve.

There are sixty-some tall pines on the property, and only one area by the street that gets much sun.  Because of its public location, Paula's rule is that if something starts looking crummy, it's gone, stuffed in the week's yard waste.  

     And that is why I shave and keep my hair combed (most days). 

     Many years ago, we learned that our yard could be declared an official wildlife habitat!  All we had to do was certify that we provided water, food and protected areas and didn't use pesticides!  Oh, and sent twenty-five bucks to the National Wildlife Federation (www.nwf.org).  For being good people (and the $25) we got a nifty sign that makes people think we're cool.

     However, certain creatures have taken advantage of our kindness.  For instance, our part of town is becoming overrun with Rats With Long Legs, aka white-tailed deer.

     We've been gradually blocking points of egress with wires and gates,

and a motion-activated sprinkler seems to be keeping them out of the backyard.  The video in this link from someone else's property just makes Paula giggle.  On the other hand, it just makes me giggle when Paula forgets about the thing and gets sprayed herself.  Tee hee.

     Paula and the chipmunks have come to an uneasy detente, wherein they don't bother her plants (too much) and she doesn't try to kill them (mostly).

     She welcomes most snakes, as they help keep a check on various varmints (see "chipmunks").  We have a 2 1/2 - foot garter snake that has made his home among the rocks by the backyard pond.  No name yet.

     Unfortunately, this Eden-like Certified Wildlife Sanctuary (for only $25!) has become a nursery for rabbits, specifically Sylvilagus floridanus.  One of their hiding places is just across the driveway from, you guessed it, Paula's street-side garden.  They have been wreaking various degrees of havoc on her flowers and beans.  Sterner measures were needed.

     It turns out that apples didn't only work in the other Garden of Eden.  Small rabbits will voluntarily give up their freedom for slices of Honey Crisp and MacIntosh.

     Coming back from a bike ride the other day, Paula went to water something in the garden, and to her surprise there was the second adolescent bunny of the month in her Have-a-Heart trap, not looking very happy.

     We took him far enough away that, unless he gets Google Maps on his Rabbit iPhone, he's not going to bother Paula's garden again.  Now if we could only convince his probably-thousands of relatives that it's not a good idea....

     Anyway, we hope that you and your varmints/vermin can work it out also.

Dave & Paula

Avast, ye maties!

     There are on-the-water adventures, and then there are on-the-water adventures.  In the trip described in the last entry, we were privileged to sample the beauties of British Columbia from Sam and Emily's sailboat, Thallasic. 

     This week included our daughter Brynn's birthday, and she lives near the coast of North Carolina with her husband Chad and their four kids.  The vote was unanimous to go kayaking on Wednesday. The marine craft this time were perhaps not as elegant as Thallasic, and while they lacked a "head" (that's cool seafaring talk for a powder room) and while they can't really sleep four people,

kayaks are fun and at least the water was warmer.  

     We set forth on our adventure from Swansboro and headed down-wind and down-current, crossing the Intercoastal Waterway on our way to Shark Tooth Island!  

     Paula was paired with Annie The Intrepid who concentrated more on commentary and pointing out the sights than actually paddling.  That more menial task was largely left to Grandma.

    Along much of the Eastern Seaboard one can find the fossilized teeth of the giant prehistoric shark, Megalodon!

and this was the promise of Shark Tooth Island!

     However, either the place had already been picked over, or perhaps was the ancient territory of the much-less-feared Microlodon!  However we did see a mermaid!

     The kids had a great time exploring the island with their mom, 

as did Paula, aka "Adventure Grandma."

     However, Adventure Grandma was not born yesterday, (Note: the number of  'before-yesterdays' is a State Secret), and she wisely traded Annie The Intrepid for someone who could/would actually help paddle and we headed back upstream against wind and current.  (See Annie The Intrepid in the background with Brynn The Brave.)

     The struggle was eventually successful, and the count of passengers in the minivan matched that on the way down.  After a good rest, that evening we celebrated Brynn's birthday.

     It was a fun visit, and we're glad that Megalodon! is prehistoric, even if we didn't find any of his teeth.

Dave

Otherworldly beauty, and I'm not just talking about Paula

     Our son Sam and his partner Emily are on their sailboat for six months, having rented out their house short-term.  They're in British Columbia, moving north.  Depending on the weather and time, they may make it up to Alaska.  They extended a kind invitation to come up and sail with them.

     I don't know if you've ever seen a map of the coast of the province, but it is crazy-full of islands, including the big one, Vancouver Island.  

     We came aboard at Campbell River, at about the middle of the map above.  Sam's boat, Thallasic is a seasoned and seaworthy 34-foot sloop which has sailed five times to Hawaii and once to new Zealand.

     If you've ever spent time on a real-live sailboat, you'll know that they are efficient, no-nonsense craft, with every inch and object having a purpose, and Thallasic was no exception.

     OK, on the other hand, cheese and crackers on a sunny afternoon aren't too shabby.

     Like I said, sailboats are spartan.  Some of them have NO luxuries.

     Just kidding.  One quiet afternoon, Sam rigged the dinghy and he and Paula chilled and doodled around the cove, impressing some of the neighbors in their big motorboats.  

     We saw whales, and I'm not just talking about some of the neighbors in their big motorboats.  No sirree!  Real-live whales, as well as sea lions, seals and other stuff.

     Anchored for the day all by ourselves in a beautiful cove at the end of a narrow passage, we took a hike up to a lake, through a moss- and fern-covered forest.

     Although he is a good, honest man in general, Sam lied terribly about the temperature of the lake water, and then laughed at my distress when I dove in after him.

     Karma comes around, however, and at one point he had to ascend the mast to retrieve a halyard, using a Jacob's ladder sewn by Emily.  That's her in the foreground, trying to remember if she used the right type of thread...

     If I cling to one of the most durable impressions of the trip, it is of cool, near-silent misty islands.  We were all alone in our last anchorage, and it felt like a bit of another world.

    But if I could keep only one feeling, it is of the love I felt for Sam and Emily being with them.  We wish them well on the rest of their six-month trip.  

     And I wish I hadn't left my favorite boardshorts, darn it.  Emily says they look 105% better than Sam's old ones and has claimed them.

     We hope you keep better track of your swimwear and have equally good adventures.

Dave & Paula

A good visit from a good daughter

      As previously noted, our daughter Ashley lives with her husband and seven kids in Uzbekistan.  Their assignment has changed, and they will be moving in two weeks to Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan.  Because of tangled State Department rules concerning home visits, they were unable to come State-side this year.  However, because of a nagging but not life-threatening medical concern, Ashley has been here for a couple of weeks.

     She has taken good advantage of the visit, in addition to the needed medical care.  She's visited with old friends, attended the temple, and I think she has bought most of the A&W root beer in Raleigh to send to Kazakhstan with her allowed shipment.  And yes that's a new TV in the box below the work bench.

    I located a couple of used bikes for her and Brandon and they go to Nur-Sultan also.  Along with the toilet paper.

     She's made a point of visiting family while here.  We drove to Delaware this week to see Mike and Adrienne and Krazed Kate, and she did a good job of Aunt-bonding with her niece.

     Ashley was a bit under the weather, so Brynn kindly came up from Jacksonville, NC with her kids.  We distracted the young'uns by taking them to the neighborhood pool so that the sisters could visit, including a side trip to consider Brynn's choices for her kitchen renovation.  Ashley has never been shy with her opinions on such things, and heartily approved.

     We will be sad to see her go this week, though we completely understand that she has her own life, full of kids, packing lists, settling in to a new -stan in Central Asia and all the rest.  

     I never expected that the feelings of love for my kids could become so strong.  The echoes of eternity become more clearly audible with each passing year. 

Dave