Penang: Thaipusam

We have the great fortune of being in Penang, Malaysia, for some of the most important celebrations of the year.

Malaysian people are a colorful ethnic mix of indigenous Malays, Chinese, and Indian, primarily, and these roots are on display in the many religious and cultural festivals, and Penang is home to some of the best. This weekend it is celebrating Thaipusam, a religious festival that occurs on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (sometime in January or February each year).

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January 21, 2019 0

Penang: Social life

We took a ferry from the Kuah port in Langkawi. The port is watched over by an enormous eagle, and the terminal is very modern and large. We wandered through a few huge and empty halls (except for unused security equipment) before arriving at our waiting area.

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January 16, 2019 0

Langkawi

We made the decision to spend a week in Langkawi, an island north of Penang in Malaysia, when we were deprived of ocean beaches. After a week in beautiful seaside Koh Lanta, and several weeks in Chiang Mai where food is wonderful and cheap, Langkawi had a lot to live up to.

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January 12, 2019 1

Koh Lanta to Langkawi

When our visit to the Thai island of Koh Lanta was over, we headed to Langkawi, Malaysia, by ferry. It was an interesting trip and process, and I hope that documenting it might prove useful for others who might be interested in making the same journey. The first part of the trip is the same if you just want to go to Koh Lipe, Thailand.

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January 6, 2019 0

Koh Lanta: With family

When it was time to leave Chiang Mai, all 5 of us (our son, daughter-in-law and grandson) flew to Bangkok and then onto Krabi on the west coast of Thailand. We had pre-arranged a van to pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel–a journey which included a short ferry ride.

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January 4, 2019 1

Chiang Mai: With family

For our last 6 days in Chiang Mai, we were joined by our son (Kyle), daughter-in-law (Candice), and grandson (Alex). They had spent the previous 2 weeks in Indonesia on their own, and then joined us for Christmas. We had such fun introducing them to street food and some of our favourite eateries, and then discovering many new ones together.

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January 1, 2019 4

Chiang Mai: Just hanging out

We have spent two weeks on our own in Chiang Mai, which has given us the luxury of taking things slowly–no need to cram everything into just a few days, as is often the case for visitors here.

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December 22, 2018 6

Chiang Rai: We should have done our research

Preface

This post is different because it talks about something that we didn’t enjoy very much, which is unusual for us. We signed up for a tour to Chiang Rai because it was on our ideas list for our time in Chiang Mai (likely because I had seen it recommended somewhere). We signed up for this particular tour based on recommendations about the tour company on what has been an immensely helpful facebook group (Thailand Advice & Travel Tips).

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December 22, 2018 1

Chiang Mai: Street food tour

Having been in Chiang Mai only a few days, we have just scratched the culinary surface. The food here has an amazing reputation. Unlike when we were in Vietnam, where everyone warned us against eating the enticing street food, here visitors are encouraged to eat what is on offer.

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December 14, 2018 3

Thailand: Chiang Mai

We arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand, at about 10:00 at night after leaving Vancouver at noon the day before. We had a short layover in Beijing, China. Our luggage, unfortunately, had a longer layover there and didn’t join us for another 24 hours.

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December 13, 2018 4

Artie: Hibernation

From Palm Springs, we headed toward the west coast of California. Our main goal was Highway 1 between Santa Barbara and Monterey, a route we had tried to drive many years ago when the road was closed due to flooding. After that, we were going to ease on up the Oregon Coast, taking several days at each stop.

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December 11, 2018 0

Life: Phase Next

Penang: Thaipusam

Penang: Social life

Langkawi

Koh Lanta to Langkawi

Koh Lanta: With family

Chiang Mai: With family

Chiang Mai: Just hanging out

Chiang Rai: We should have done our research

Preface

Chiang Mai: Street food tour

Thailand: Chiang Mai

Artie: Hibernation

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Ken & Coral