Betsy's Blog

We flew into India late at night and then took a 90 minute rainy taxi ride to the historic town of Ft. Kochi, India. It was a free flight layovers on Air Asia. We were pleasantly surprised to wake up to the colorful Hindu Holiday celebration of 'Onam'. Beautiful saris, cultural Temple dances and food carts made a festive day.  Local crowds took beach walks, but no one went swimming. It is monsoon time and the ocean is dangerous. There were hardly any tourists. The local restaurant owners asked us to write Google reviews to attract new customers. I felt sorry for them. Hopefully, more people will return to this historic city soon.  This official floral design was displayed at all the city building entrances for the holiday. We watched the hotel employee create this  design from a bagful of flower petals with an Internet pattern grid. She told us this was her first time. Good job! 👍 The next day we flew on two crowded flights to the magical city of Goa. We arrived late at ...

How has this charming city changed over the past nine months? My husband and I were here at the end of the Pandemic. Chiang Mai is busier than ever now with many restaurants, hotels and stores reopening. The tourists are slowly returning. There is a feeling of hope and revival in this historic city surrounded by a canal. Last night we listened to a Thai cowboy band perform country songs at an outdoor food court. All ages danced to their lively music dressed in flowing dresses and blue jeans. A guitar player sang 70's hits in the opposite corner of this venue. Our favorite Thai rock singer at the Night Bazaar is injured. His band still plays, but he broke his finger. It is not the same without him. 🎸  I am impressed with the Thai's ability to remember people. Yesterday we returned to our former hotel and were greeted like royalty. The front desk clerk wanted to hear all about where we have been and what we have done. Then we went to our favorite tiny Thai restaurant. The waitre...