Contrasts

As reported, we are back. It's chilly here (about -1 celsius or so), and there is still a little snow on the ground. Bernicky asked how we lived without central heating here; it's simple as the climate is mild, and kerosene is cheap. We have a little kerosene heater that warms up our little place quite efficiently, and we snuggle down under the kotatsu (see earlier post) for warmth and TV watching. It's very different from Montreal, and also very different from Thailand!

Thailand was gloriously warm with plenty of blue skies. We stayed in Bangkok for two nights when we first arrived, then again on our final night in Thailand. Here are some photos of the three places we stayed:

The view from our hotel in Bangkok (Chinatown) left something to be desired. Then again, so did the paint peeling off the walls and the cockroaches in the bathroom!



Our little bungalow in Koh Chang was awesome - great ocean views (as reported!), very clean and comfy.


Our bungalow was nice, but simple - no hot water or flushing toilet:


As I mentioned, Brian and I don't exactly plan our holidays, and when it came time for us to leave Koh Chang, we found that there were no flights available from Trat to Bangkok. So, we hired a driver for a very long drive back to Bangkok. Luckily, we had booked the fairly luxurious Asia Airport Hotel for our final night in the country. And I have to say, cable TV (English!!), hot running water and a Pizza Hut right downstairs was hard to beat, especially after the chaotic drive back!