celebration

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Wedding vibes in Phuket

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The previous post in this series is here..

Day 8 of our trip saw us say bye to Chiang Mai and go to Phuket.

Air Asia was interesting. The lines were long but moving along. When it was our turn we found the one checked bag was 4 kg overweight. The lady at the counter said we would have to pay 40 bucks anyways, so might as well adjust and check in the carry on bags for that price. So we checked everything. This was a direct flight and we were hoping that our bags show up with us when we get to Phuket.

We got picked up at the airport and had an almost 2 hour drive to the JW Marriott Khao Lak resort and spa.

After checking in we realized it was already time to join the Mehendi party.. so we cleaned up, took some pictures and walked to the beach where I was treated to smiling familiar beautiful faces. The whole gang was there and we were just so happy to be there! Accidentally ended up twinning with my buddy, the grooms dad! He keeps his social media profile at near zero levels.. but at least I get to post one photo! We were also so happy to see the bride and groom! These two kids made us so happy with the way they kept it cool for all of us!

There was a fire show and dinner and we called it a night when it got a little chilly. We had our first argument on the trip after 8 days when the smell of the mehendi shut down my nose and lungs and San refused to wash it off before coming to bed citing that the redness of the mehendi had a higher priority over my lungs.

One evening back with her friends and my lungs went down on the priority list.

Had to resort to a vicks inhaler to just breathe again and sleep. The next morning she was very happy with the end result and given she was smiling from ear to ear, I temporarily let go of the animal cruelty..

Many of my friends from Cupertino also told me to put my camera away and just enjoy the wedding.. so I took a few photos with my iPhone and that was it.

Here is a video highlight reel..

My screen time for this week is through the roof.. but it looks like I will finish writing about the Thanksgiving trip before Christmas and that is a good thing!

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From Vietnam to Cambodia

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Previous post in this series is here..

We managed to reach Hanoi airport in almost 3 hours. (It took us two hours in the morning from Hanoi to Ninh Binh, but the return traffic was something else!)

We walked into the airport and were in shock. Almost 400+ people in one long line for check in. Apparently a whole bunch of tour buses all ended up at the same time and the staff were caught short handed. We stood in that line and were worried that we wouldn’t make the flight. They announced our flight time was delayed by 30 mins and they opened 3 extra lines at a different counter. We got our bags checked and made it to the gate. There was a very small but cute lounge with bar seats only and we got hot water. That was good enough to make some more Wagh Bakri chai. The one constant through this trip was the two chai breaks we gave ourselves no matter where we were..

We were met at Siem Reap airport in Cambodia by our guide and driver. He spoke excellent English and that was a relief. It took us almost an hour to get to our hotel. We stayed at the Golden Temple retreat (they have four hotels with different names at the end of Golden temple in the area). It was already late and trying to find dinner after that was ruled out. So we ate some fruit and energy bars and decided to call it a night. It was still San’s birthday and the hotel staff surprised us with a fruit plate to celebrate both our birthdays.

This hotel was amazing in every way possible. The best part was the staff. These guys set the bar very high for hospitality. The rooms and facilities were also amazing as was the breakfast area under a big pipal tree.

At first the staff thought we were there for a honeymoon and offered to take photos of us sitting on the bed.. I had to tell them it was San’s birthday. The front desk scanned our passports and realized it was a “birthday trip” for both of us.. so they surprised me with a fruit plate as well..

It wa a long day and I decided to crash. The ladies suggested San can get a massage in the Spa if she chose to.. and she “chose to”!
A video highlight reel..

Our guide was to meet us at 7AM the next morning to start our sight seeing..

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Pena Palace and Cabo De Roca in Portugal

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The previous post in this series is here..

After Sintra, we drove to the Pena Palace. This was a humongous palace. There was a garden on the way to the castle and we got to walk a bit through it with our guide.

The guy who built the palace for his wife did not get to enjoy it with his wife. A staggering amount of money went into building this in three different styles and connecting them. The artwork, the architecture (columns, staircases, ceilings, arches) are all very distinct and different in these three parts. This is a must see for any architecture fans and architecture students.. just fantastic!

This is one of my favorite photos from the entire trip. Had asked her to go and peek from that turret structure.. she came out with such a beautiful smile.. while this is all I got on camera, the rest is in my head.

Another favorite.. this was the closest to a “bench photo” for this trip!

These pictures and videos don’t do enough justice to this palace. If you are visiting Lisbon, do NOT miss a visit to this palace.

We met a couple from New York and another from New Zealand and had great conversations with them throughout this day trip. We also took photos for the other group. After the walk through the castle, we sat at the Palace souvenir shop and got some sweet popcorn. Then off we went back to the bus for a visit to Cabo de Roca.

This is the western most point in continental Europe. It was extremely windy and we spent a good hour here walking to the monument and back.

A landscape gallery

and a portrait gallery

a video highlight reel of this leg of the trip

Then it was time to head to the last stop in the tour.. Cascais.. that in another post!

Copyright © 2012, Sundar Narayanan. All rights reserved.