I like it when countries offer visas on arrival. Such is the case with Laos. It is quick and easy – just fill out the form, submit a passport-style image, passport, and pay $35 in cash. We checked into the Best Western which was a good choice and reasonable with two of our requirements: complimentary breakfast and internet. The hotel is located in the heart of old Vientiane near the Mekong River.
On a recent visit to Massachusetts, John and I planned to stay in Boston but there was a large convention going on so all the reasonable hotels were booked. We ended up staying at the Sonesta Suites in nearby Burlington, Mass. Several years ago we enjoyed our stay at the Sonesta Hotels in Peru. Sonesta Suites turned out to be a great choice. It was near Lexington and Concord, both places we wanted to visit. One of the most momentous moments in American history happened on April 19, 1775 in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Today Pagan is known as Bagan. From the 9th to the 13th centuries it was the capital of the Kingdom of Pagan. During its glory days there were more than 10,000 Buddhist temples and monasteries; today only about 2,200 remain. Even so, it is the premier tourist destination in Myanmar rivaling the ruins in Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
Rudyard Kipling wrote, “The Road to Mandalay where the flying fish play…” Kipling was never in Mandalay and there are no flying fish as it is not on the sea but it is located inland on the Irrawaddy River. It was the last home of the royal family of Myanmar. Air Asia now has a direct flight from Bangkok so we decided to revisit.
Visiting Macau from Hong Kong is a no-brainer. It takes one hour on the TurboJet Ferry ($20) which departs about every 15 minutes. Macau is one of two Special Administrative Regions of China. The other is Hong Kong. It is part of the philosophy of “One country, two systems.”
Hong Kong is often our entry city into Asia. It is a wonderful place to visit so we usually plan to spend three or more days there getting adjusted to the time difference. Hong Kong is comprised of Kowloon Peninsula and 100s of islands. Getting from the airport on Chek Lao Kok Island to the Conrad Hotel on Hong Kong Island was very smooth as it always is in HK.
If I was going to move to Hawaii, which I am not considering, I would pick the island of Molokai. When John and I left the airport in our rental car we liked the sign that said, “Aloha, Slow Down this is Molokai. No windmills or cables.” They like to say that the island is a step into the 50s and they want it to stay that way. For some, especially the young people, it is just too quiet. For us, it was perfect.
When John and I were in Hawaii we wanted to see as many of the islands as possible and we found the perfect way to do it on the Un-Cruise Safari Explorer. Un-Cruise allowed us to visit four islands and all the tours were included. It was a luxury cruise without the glitz. Shorts, swimsuits and T-shirts were the preferred attire.
John and I visit Las Vegas frequently because we have family there. There is always something new and different to do – something other than gambling. This time we visited the new Mob Museum where the true story of the mob is revealed along with the myths and legends. The Mob Museum opened on Valentine’s Day 2012 in the very building where some of the Kefauver Committee hearings to investigate organized crime were held in the early 1950s.
Given the many places we have visited people were often surprised when we told them we had never been to Hawaii. Well, we have rectified that situation! In fact, our son rented a house for a week in Laie for 10 family members. It had a great view.
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