Wedding vibes in Phuket

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!

From Vietnam to Cambodia

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..

Another memorable birthday

This year, started my birthday with a hot yoga class. This time Michele Vennard decided to a science experiment to see if people sing happy birthday better.. at the end of the class when folks have their lungs fully open. It was a correct hypothesis. Have had a class full of yoga buddies sing me happy birthday so many times over the years, sometimes at the beginning of class, during balancing stick pose, triangle pose… now at the end of class. This was the loudest and most musical version! As always a heartfelt thanks to BYSJ for giving me a second chance at life and making it a second home!

After this moved on to my second favorite activity in recent times.. Singing. We had a smule singing meet with a bunch of local bay area singers. Have been doing this once a month for almost two plus years now. We have all become family friends, especially since every house has a singer and a critical spouse in the audience most of the time. There was an amazing potluck lunch. San made mysore pak for me to take to the potluck which was yummy!

After spending a fun afternoon, went to Palermo’s Italian in San Jose to have a nice birthday dinner with my birthday buddy and family. There was some fireworks involved! Given hiking had to be pushed out, San made sure that we did hike the very next morning, bright and early.

There were three avid hikers who went ahead. Ended up walking at my pace with San’s music teacher and we just walked as we discussed music. Didn’t feel the strain and we made it all the same. Missed my friend Prasad on this hike as we were discussing TNS. The two of us have a track record for getting lost in hikes while discussing TNS’s music. San’s music teacher gave this alarmed look when she realized that she may be dealing with not a fan but a TNS fanatic! Will write about the hike in a separate post.

We came home and got some rest. Then we lost internet for 8 hours. Spent a lot of time on the phone with Comcast but finally gave up and they had to send a technician out Monday morning. We realized that without the internet the house breaks.. doorbells to heaters to solar panels .. they all have issues. Need to start wiring some backups!

The little one and her bestie have been cooking a thanksgiving dinner for our two families every year. Sometimes it is early given travel plans. This was the 10th anniversary of this tradition they started. They come up with a menu, do everything from scratch and cook all afternoon. They both know of my allergies and always.. always have something for me to eat as well. This year, they took a chance and we figured out I am not allergic to Kale or celery. Not sure if this discovery is a good one given San will now add these two to everything. Next year, I might get Kale Mysore pak for my birthday.. who knows! This years dinner was just amazing!

The entire birthday weekend was awesome!

Video highlights reel…

Now there is a big birthday left to celebrate…