A Day Tour of Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok, home to 8 million people, is the capitol and most populous city of Thailand. It was once a small trading post during the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 15th century and grew with the modernization of Siam, now called Thailand. Now the financial city of Thailand, Bangkok is also a popular tourist destination.

Where to Stay in Bangkok

Pathumwan Princess

My tour guide, Rat, met me at the airport last night and dropped me at my hotel, the Pathumwan Princess. Guards and a barricade blocked the driveway. I had to pass through a metal detector at the doorway and a guard scanned my bag. I thought Thailand was supposed to be safe?!? The hotel was lovely. At check in, the front desk greeted me with some sort of punch and issued me a very nice room on a high floor. I had a great view of the city and of the ladies doing laps in the outdoor pool this morning.

TAKE THE TOUR!

Second Largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the World!

How to Get to Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Today I decided to venture to Savannah for the second largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world. Supposedly only New York City’s is larger, but some locals like to contest this. Savannah’s first parade was held in 1813 by a small group of Hibernians. Now the parade consists of 350 units. The parade is always held on March 17th, unless the 17th falls on a Sunday, in which case it is held on Saturday the 16th…a perfect scenario for me!

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8 pound sheepshead

Fishing and Dining in Hilton Head

Westin Hilton Head Island Resort and Spa

I arrived in Hilton Head late on Thursday night. The town doesn’t seem to believe in street lights! I eventually made it to my hotel, The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort and Spa. I received a newly renovated room that still smelled like fresh carpet. The brand new room included a broken luggage rack…thought that was kind of funny. My balcony looked out on the pools that glowed dark blue in the black night. The following morning the balcony provided a lovely sunrise view of the beach.

sunrise at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort and Spa

Fishing with Bulldog Fishing Charters

After a mid-morning stroll on the beach checking out a few shells and lots of washed up jellyfish, I set off for an afternoon fishing charter with Bulldog Fishing Charters and a couple of guys from Memphis. We fished for sheepshead, a black and silver striped fish that live in shallow, grassy areas and feed on crab.

After thirty minute boat ride to an old wreck, we dropped our weighted lines baited with little crabs in eighteen feet of water until we felt the weight hit the bottom. Every five or ten seconds we slowly pulled up and reeled if we felt like we had hooked a fish. Without feeling a strike, they are tricky fish to catch as their incisor teeth crack right through the crab. I had quite a bit of bait stolen before I finally hooked one, but it ended up being the biggest one of the bunch…8 pounds or so. We all got robbed of our bait multiple times, but also reeled in some good fish. A great three hour charter!!

  • beach on hilton head island
  • jellyfish on beach at hilton head
  • pelican in hilton head
  • fishing charter boat
  • 8 pound sheepshead

The Old Fort Pub in Hilton Head

After a day on the ocean I freshened up for dinner with lots of relatives at The Old Fort Pub. Roy and Szilvia, who came in from Ukraine, were the honorees. My aunts, uncles and cousins flew in from all over. Michael, Michael-Anne, and Joshua visited from Annapolis. Diane flew in from Arizona. Judy, Phil and Larry came in from Florida and Pittsburg. And the rest of the crew was from South Carolina.

  • roy and szilvia at the old fort pub
  • michael, michael-anne, and joshua at old fort pub

The Old Fort Pub was opened in 1973 and built next to Fort Mitchel, constructed in 1862 by Union forces after their successful invasion of the island. The 1,000 Confederates didn’t have much of a chance in defending the island against some 13,000 Federal troops. They folded in a day to the largest amphibious landing prior at the mouth of Port Royal Sound prior to WWII.

The fort was built to protect against invasion from the mainland, though it never saw battle. The island was used to supply Union troops who were battling to block all southern ports, including Savannah and Charleston. As Hilton Head was centered between these two cities, and the troops never pressed inland to fight.

Now, the Fort and the restaurant are connected by walkways through lush gardens in the Hilton Head Plantation. As a result, guests may visit the fort and enjoy a nice meal and gorgeous sunset! It was a great day in Hilton Head. ETB

sunset at the old fort pub in hilton head

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Check out the photographic note cards and key chains at my shop.  Each card has a travel story associated with it.  20% of proceeds are donated to charity.

photographic note card, belize sunset
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Top Things to Do in Puerto Rico

Where to Stay in Puerto Rico

The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort

We arrived in the San Juan Airport Tuesday night ready to celebrate Thanksgiving in Puerto Rico at The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort.  Staff from the resort picked us up at the airport and drove us 30 minutes east to the hotel grounds.  A Koi pond with fire pots marked the lobby entrance.

EXPLORE!

Day 257 – Salmon – Bitterroot Country

Day 257 of Year Long Roadtrip Following Scenic Byways in the USA

Today ended up being a lot of driving and a lot of road construction.  I tried visiting Bonanza and Custer, two ghost towns from the mining days, but the road to the towns was closed for two hours at a time.  When the flagger heard me say, “Ok, I’ll skip it then”, he let out a sigh of relief!  Instead, I snapped a quick photo of a dam that was erected in 1910 and blown up in 1934 as it was prohibiting salmon from swimming upstream to spawn.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 256 – Sawtooth Sampler

Day 256 of Year Long Roadtrip Following Scenic Byways in the USA

Ernest Hemingway’s Grave

On my way out of Ketchum and Sun Valley, I stopped at the local cemetery to pay respects to Ernest Hemingway.  He penned portions of For Whom the Bell Tolls while he stayed at the Sun Valley Lodge. His grave stone is like a wishing well…covered in coins.  Surrounding it are various empty bottles of wine and champagne.

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Day 255 – Idaho Heartland and Sawtooth Sampler

Day 255 of Year Long Roadtrip Following Scenic Byways in the USA

After morning coffee with Sandy, I headed south to meet my friend, Kathryn.  A colleague out of the Houston office turned doctor, now lives in Boise.  We went for lunch at a local brewery and walked along the Boise River to the Boise Zoo. The giraffes were hiding.  I’m sad because I had my camera with me the whole time and forgot to take a picture!

After lunch I continued south to Shoshone Falls which were absolutely spectacular.  I was on information overload.  Each time I turned to look at a different portion, I noticed something new.  The Snake River tumbles 210 feet over numerous rock outcroppings.  I just loved it!

From the falls, I turned north up Highway 75 to end in Sun Valley for the night.  I got a great chicken stir fry at the Sun Valley Brewery which almost reminded me of Chef Wang’s at home.  An amber beer on tap and a little preseason football added to a relaxing evening.  ETB

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Day 254 – Idaho Heartland (Part 2)

Day 254 of Year Long Roadtrip Following Scenic Byways in the USA

Ant and the Yellow Jacket

From Dworshak State Park, we followed the Clearwater River through the Nez Perce Indian Reservation and made a roadside stop at the Ant and the Yellow Jacket.  According to an Indian Legend, the stone arch was once two insects.  Ant and Yellow Jacket fought over who had the right to eat dried salmon in the area. The Coyote, the all-powerful animal spirit, ordered them to stop.  They failed to heed his warning, thus he turned them into stone while their backs were arched and their jaws locked together during combat.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 253 – Idaho Heartland

Day 253 of Year Long Roadtrip Following Scenic Byways in the USA

As I was leaving Missoula, I realized there were a few sights I probably should have explored, but I guess I was excited to get to Idaho which is the last of the 48 contiguous states in which I really haven’t spent any time aside from driving through a portion of it a month ago.  I was hoping to fulfill my geocaching needs in this state, but AT&T doesn’t seem to exist here thus my apps are currently worthless.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!