Hi friends!

I have been trying so hard to get here and post but with work and family stuff and trying to get ready for my trip, sheesh, I need to clone myself LOL.
Anyway, just wanted to say that we are leaving in a few days for Thailand and will be there for a month of relaxation with friends who live there.
I plan to even forget I am an American LOL!! We will be back here on Thanksgiving Day.

Happy posting, all!!

Hugs,
Cindy

Wow, Cindy, what fun! Have you ever been to Asia before? We want pics - - lots of pics!!

Have a safe and wonderful vacation.

Kathy

Thanks, Kathy! Yes, we go every year; nice to regroup there before coming back to a very hectic holiday season. I will take videos, pics for sure.

Cindy

Have a blast. Thanksgiving Day, what a great day to return home. Looking forward to the photos.

Cindy -- I was in Thailand 2 years ago doing research about how people prepared for and recovered from the tsunami. What a beautiful country and interesting culture. We spent a lot of time in Phuket and thereabouts. The Indian Ocean is incredible and I love all the tropical fruit you can get from the vendors. I bought a lot of silk things like a big tablecloth, a skirt and a wrap-around. And traveled entirely with carry-ons.

My son will be in ASIA for three weeks in Nov/Dec. he had one year doing research/vacation three years ago.

time for him to visit again.

yes the silk...and silver. Already the work collegues are asking him to bring certain things.

Moutain ash

Have a great time Cindy! The best vacations are when you visit good friends.

DJ , your research project on how people recovered from the tsunami sounds fascinating.
Did you have a sponsor for this? Or do you work for a magazine or newspaper as well? I thought you are a nurse. Sorry, maybe I’m confusing things here.
If it isn’t asking too much, do tell us about your time there. Did anything surprise you as to how the people were?

I have a good friend who is also my work colleague. She has family in Thailand. One of her sisters lost her entire family to the tsunami..her 2 children and her husband.

She has another sister living there..whose home was totally flooded during the tsunami. When my friend calledher sister..her sister said..well, I have become very rich over nite..I have 3 cars under the water in my backyard. They had been washed up in her garden by flood. What she didn´t mention, at first, was that in one of the cars..the occupants were still in their car..and had lost their lives.

But the enormous amount of faith her family..and so many others showed..is such an inspiration to me. My friend comments then..as she often does..Well, what is one to do? That is life..and there is nothing left than to smile about it and go on. My friend was very sad for her loss and her family´s loss..but she truely could and does see that this all a part of this journey called life..and that the only choice we have is how we take it. And so..perhaps it is just as well to smile about it..when the crying is done. I talked often with her during this time..and such calm strength mixed with love and caring is not so easy to find here in the West..at least not the way my friend has it. I admire these fellow human beings SO MUCH!!! Also because they help others gently and honestly without expecting anything else in return. It is also..a part of life and being in this human state.

Edelweiss,
A friend of mine got a grant and included me in it. I'm an academic. We went to Phuket, New Orleans (Katrina), and Guyana, South America (huge floods in Jan. 05) and interviewed individuals and NGOs about how people prepared for disaster and recovered thereafter. After analyzing all the data, we found that the best preparation was when community members worked together and had designated positions before the fact. They also needed a clear leader whom everyone trusted.
The interesting thing in Thailand was that there's such a hierarchy there that a lifeguard who notices the changes in the tide didn't have any authority to clear the beaches. Only the cops could to that. Another thing was that the Buddhist monks were a little freaked about having corpses lying around their monasteries, as they're accustomed to cremation. Most people believed that a tsunami was a once in a lifetime event and don't need to worry about it any more, so we did see that "che sera sera" attitude about disaster. Same thing in Guyana. There was a great deal of helpful organization on a community level in New Orleans.

HOpe you had a good time diamond. 2 of my sisters have been to Thailand, each did it differently. 1 sister bought several pieces of raw silk..gorgeous stuff! I think it's the temples I would want to see.

The other sister combined her trip with Vietnam about 2 yrs. ago.