Last month I escaped the cold and journeyed to the other side of the world. My trip started in Bali. I traveled with a friend from California who used to live in St. Louis. We stayed at such lovely places. Our first accommodation was serene Cicada Luxury Townhomes in Seminyak with our private pool and enormous two-story townhome. My inaugural meal after coming from the airport was one of Seminyak’s best, Bambu. The perfect meal and a dry martini made me quickly forget the 5 connecting flights to get there. We daytripped to Sundays Beach Club which is popular with models and the jetset. This was definitely the prettiest beach we visited on the trip and the food and drinks were memorable.
Villa Awang Awang in Ubud provided us with a perch on the edge of the jungle also with a private pool…this one with an infinity edge. We dined at the famous Mozaic restaurant in Ubud where we indulged in a fabulous 8-course meal. Our last destination in Bali was the posh COMO Uma in Canggu. Canggu is quieter than Seminyak and popular with surfers. What a treat it was to have a private yoga session near our pool.
Bali was gorgeous, though marred with rampant growth, a continuous flow of motorcycles and a trash issue. Plastic really is a worldwide problem.
We were then off to Thailand where we visited Bangkok and Chang Mai. Bangkok was a little smoggy, though I love the city. I had been there 20 years ago and it seems to have changed with the addition of many modern skyscrapers. A highlight was shopping in the enormous Chatuchak Weekend Market and visiting the glamorous grocery store in Siam Paragon.
In Northern Thailand we spent a few days in Chang Mai. The Night Market was perfect to select an assortment of Thai delicacies. The next day my stomach was a little delicate, though I forced myself to see the Wat Prathat Doi Suthep (Golden Temple) with 200 stairs to the top. The drag show at Ram Bar in Chang Mai was a highlight. The tiny bar with a small stage packed in a crowd and had the best performers and back-up dancers. I also found the snake show on the outskirts of Chang Mai a fun thrill, though I felt sorry for the snakes. The highlight was the lady announcer who was so funny.
Lunch at the Four Seasons was glorious with views of their well-tended rice paddies complete with water buffalos. Skip the orchid farms, though make sure you don’t miss the Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden complete with a jungle-top walkway where you can observe the flying lizards.
I really stopped trying to figure out how long it took to get over and back. The time zone difference and stream of connecting flights had me in a fog. Definitely go for at least 2 weeks in order to make the trip worth it.
