Keep Albany Beautiful (aka You Might be a Redneck...)

Well, I'm back in Albany after two weeks at home to take care of a few things. This came in my Dad's mail and really made me laugh, so I thought I'd share it. It speaks volumes about this area, and you'll see what I mean when I say Albany is different. If any of you know Jeff Foxworthy, this would be a great "you might be a redneck if..."!

There are parts of Albany that are really beautiful. Below are a couple of examples. The first is a river house that is on Byron Plantation. It's way off the road set among some really old pecan trees. I was able to zoom in to get the photo, but it doesn't really do it justice. The 2nd photo is of a cotton field just before harvest. It's hard to see the actual cotton because it looks like a glare on the plant, but these plants were full of cotton balls, and the fields go on forever.

The Most Beautiful Beaches in the World!

My Dad is much better and insisted that I go home for a little while, so I went home for a few days and then came down to "the beach". My vacation home is at Laguna Beach, FL, right next to Panama City Beach - the Redneck Riviera. You can see other photos of it on my vacation rental website at http://www.whittatsea.com/. We will be here all week and it's been wonderful so far. The beaches are as lovely as ever though there is evidence that a hurricane or two has come very close recently. The water is still warm enough that you can get in to cool off, and the weather has been perfect in the low 80's. The fishing has been good too! Dave caught 2 spanish mackerel, some bluefish, flounder, and a few other things. We've been eating mackerel and bluefish for several days now. Yum!

Tonight, the Indian Summer Seafood Festival kicks off and we plan to go. This festival used to be a small beach seafood festival where lots of local restaurants and self proclaimed seafood chefs would get together in competition. Then they added the entertainment and fair rides, and the arts/crafts, and in the last couple of years they've gone upscale and now have a wine competition and wine tasting. I think Blues Traveler is playing there tonight among other local bands. Should be a fun evening for $17!

Still in Albany

I'm still in Albany with my Dad, but things are looking better. He's been through almost 5 weeks of radiation therapy and the docs are encouraged by the results thus far. Of course some days are better than others, but he's doing remarkably well.

Since my last post, Tropical Storm Fay visited us here in Albany and dumped about 6 inches of rain on us. She also dropped a big pine tree limb on my Dad's work van. Like we needed one more thing to worry with! The insurance company totalled it because in addition to the winshield being demolished, there were dents in almost every panel of the body. We've been able to get the windshield fixed and it's driveable now, just a little scarred.

Albany is a strange town. For example, the only Starbucks in town is at the hospital (at least it's the only one I've seen so far). There's very little organic produce/products in stores except at Publix and one health food store, but this is farming country so there are roadside stands and neighbors with gardens all around so we've been able to get some good stuff. The peaches have been outstanding this year and we've probably eaten 20 lbs of them over the last few weeks. I have been able to get back to Atlanta for a couple of days and have to make trips to Trader Joes and Whole Foods while I'm there to stock up.

My camera battery is dead and I can't seem to locate my extra battery or charger - probably in the same location wherever they are - but hopefully will be able to get another one soon so I can take some photos here. There are parts of Albany that are quite beautiful.

Until then, keep the positive thoughts coming our way. We aren't quite out of the woods yet, but I know that a large part of Albany and the rest of the country are praying for us and sending positive energy to me and my Dad. Thank you all!

Slight Change of Plans

Well, I made it back from St. Thomas and then spent a few days at the beach in Panama City when I received a call from my father telling me that his doctor wanted to put him in the hospital. So I traveled to Albany immediately and have been here ever since. Not to publish his medical information here, suffice it to say that something is creating problems for blood flow to his leg and we are awaiting the diagnosis which should come later this week. He's out of the hospital, but on bed rest until further notice and a treatment plan is determined by his docs. So for now my travel plans are on hold until we know where this is going.

Albany is the town where I grew up, so it's very familiar, though very changed since I last lived here in 1977. My father has some awesome friends here and they have been wonderful. They have brought food, run errands, gave me tickets to the Little Theatre and have sat with Daddy so I can go out. Cooking meals is as easy as putting some of the wonderful meals they've prepared for us into the microwave or toaster oven to heat them up. We've had the best fresh butterbean, field peas, peaches and blueberries, and all kinds of other dishes that have been excellent. Gotta love that southern hospitality!!

Please send positive thoughts and good vibes our way!

Now Boarding for STT

Tomorrow I leave for St. Thomas. I love to go to St. Thomas because we have friends who live there and we know our way around really well since Dave lived there for a few years. That's where I met Dave. Its a very comfortable and very beautiful island and I plan to spend most of my time at the beach. I'll upoad photos if I can while I'm there but they may just have to wait till I get back. TBD

Here's one photo of Magen's Bay taken from the scenic overlook at Drake's Seat. Still as beautiful as ever!

Thinking back over the trip now that I'm home

I've been home a week now, and thought I'd reflect back on my trip and summarize my thoughts.

First of all, it was a wonderful trip and I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to go! Thank you Michael & Beverly for making me aware of the yoga retreat, for encouraging me to go along and for being such great travel companions! I'm sorry my desire to ride elephants put you in the Chiang Mai hospital Michael!! Note to self and anyone else who is thinking about riding elephants bareback - wear long pants!! They have very coarse hair and it will prick your legs as you are trying to hold on. And you don't realize it until you are off and start seeing little bumps pop up on your legs. I only had 3 or 4 of them which I thought were bug bites and immediately put antibiotic ointment on as soon I noticed them, but Mike had on shorts and got the worst of it with hundreds of pricks that ended up infected. Not good! But he has survived and is on to his next adventure.

The experience at Yoga Thailand was so beneficial on a number of levels. First, the people teaching the classes, Adarsh & Heleen, were wonderful teachers and were very enjoyable to be around. And the people I met there who were attending the retreat were also enjoyable. Of the 12-14 people who were there, 4 of us were American. There was a couple from Australia originally from the Ukraine, two British women, one of whom lives in Dubai, a German professor who once taught at UF, and Heleen who lives in California, but is from the Netherlands. There were also drop in students from Sweden and other places. It was wonderful to be around such diverse people who were drawn together for a common interest. We had many conversations and I learned much about the different cultures and environments in which they live. This is one of the main reasons I love to travel - learning about things I would never learn if I just stayed in the U.S. I also learned alot about the Thai culture and cuisine thanks to the staff at Yoga Thailand who were so very accomodating. And I learned a little about Buddhism too. But selfishly, the most beneficial thing was that this retreat set me on a course to get healthy again. Since leaving Yoga Thailand, I've been doing yoga almost every day (except the days I was traveling) and I can tell a big difference in my flexibility (my mouse shoulder is much better!), and I'm even starting to lose some weight! Yay! It takes a lot of concentration and mindfulness to do the breathing right, remember the poses and do them correctly, so it is mentally and physically challenging but is very calming at the same time. The eight guiding principles of Ashtanga yoga seem to be good ones and I want to research more about the history and philosophy around it, and have already ordered the book "Yoga Mala" that is by the Yoga Guru, Sri K Pattabhi Jois, that taught my teachers. If anyone is interested, you can visit the website for Adarsh & Heleen at http://www.ashtangayogadaily.com/yoga.htm. They have also recommended one of their yoga buddies to me who teaches in Atlanta. I'd like to try and make it to a class with him at least once a week to keep motivated and make sure I'm doing it correctly (so I don't hurt myself).

I'm already planning my next trips - the first of which will be down to St. Thomas, USVI, which is a favorite, and is someplace where I can stay for free. We have friends who live there and Dave is there working and housesitting for the next few weeks. Then I'll spend some time at my beach house in Laguna Beach, FL once all of my renters are out. It's very peaceful once school is back in, and the weather is really nice there in Sept & Oct. I've got my heart set on a trip to Prague in the fall, and I'd really like to work Egypt and the Pyramids in somehow. Now if I can just get the money to hold out!! I'll be sure to keep my blog updated as plans progress and trips are underway.

Quick Temple Tour in Narita (Tokyo), Japan

I had a 1 day layover in Japan on the way home and went into the town of Narita for a few hours to see some of the temples there. Narita is where the Tokyo airport is located outside of Tokyo. I was most interested to see how the temples there differed from those in Thailand. The outsides seemed very similar, but the inside was a bit different. Of course the Japanese Budda looks a little different from the Thai Budda, and the inside of the temple seemed a little more formal or something. Another difference were all of the Japanese lanterns that were in front of the temples. And the cemetaries that were around the templese were different as well.

The Elephants - The Icing on the Cake!

Tuesday was my last day in Thailand and we went to visit the elephant farm. As I mentioned in my previous post, this was elephant ownership for a day. We bathed them, fed them and rode them to a waterfall where we had a wonderful lunch of local thai favorites. There was a baby elephant too that was so very cute and playful. At 4 months, he was about 600 lbs! My elephant was named Mai Sinoi (not sure about the spelling). She was pregnant with her 4th. I found out that it's 18 - 24 months from conception till birth! She was very calm and was just my speed! Elephants in Thailand were originally used as transportation, and then in the logging industry until they banned chopping down all of the teak forests. Now they have become fewer in number and Thailand has started a conservation program to take care of them (some live to 80 years!) and increase their numbers so they don't become extinct. The folks at Patara Elephant Farm are doing a great job with conservation and were absolutely wonderful, informative and enjoyable to be with. It was an all day adventure with them picking us up at 7:30 am and driving us to the farm. We got back at 4:30 pm just in time for me to shower and get to the airport. If you ever find yourself in Chiang Mai, this is a must do! Don't do any other elephant farm trip because they don't give you the kind of hands on opportunity that we had here. There were only 9 of us and most others have many many more people and require the elephants to do tricks and such like a circus. This was far from that! I have lots of photos, here are just a few.

More temples - the same only different

Today we went to see some of the temples inside the old city of Chiang Mai, which originally had walls and a moat around it. The walls are mostly gone now thanks to us during WWII and due to earthquakes and 700 years of erosion. But the gates into the city still stand. Inside the walls are many temples some dating back to the 1300's. Many are built of teak that has been intricately carved. The temple compounds contain the main temple and several other buildings that look

like temples but aren't. Monks live around the outsides of the compound and maintain them. For some reason a few don't want women inside, so we had to skip them, but they were a mere few. I'm sure it has something to do with tempting the monks who are supposed to swear off sex - those orange robes are soooo very attractive. This little guy was very cute though and was just hanging out by himself sitting on the curb and I asked if I could take his picture. He decided he needed to pose for me. Anyway, I've included a few photos here for your viewing pleasure.

Tuesday before I leave, we are going to an elephant camp. I'm so very excited about this because as I mentioned before I wanted to ride an elephant. Today we found out about an elephant rescue group that gets elephants from circuses over here (not very animal friendly) and other places and have started an elephant breeding and conservation farm. You get to spend the day with an elephant that becomes yours for the day and you get to feed them, bath them, brush them, ride them and take them swimming! We were talking with some other Americans this morning at breakfast and they had gone yesterday and were raving about it so much that we decided we wanted to do it. It should be an awesome experience and a great way to end my trip here. Stay tuned for the photos, though they may not get uploaded before I get home because I'll have to go straight to the airport from the elephant trip. Hopefully I'll at least have time for a shower before I go to the airport or they may not let me on the plane!

On to Chiang Mai

I am now in Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand. It is the original Lanna capital of Thailand and has some very interesting history. There are many temples here too and we saw several today. But before I go there, I thought I'd share my travel experience with some of my airline friends. I traveled from Bangkok to Koh Samui and then from Koh Samui to Chiang Mai on Bangkok Airlines, billed as "Asia's Boutique Airline". I was quite impressed! I don't have non-rev priveleges on them, so bought tickets (they are the only airline servicing Koh Samui). They have lounges that they invite all passengers to use where they provide food and beverages (not alcohol), internet access and a nice place to rest before the flight. See the photo here of the gate area at the Koh Samui airport - very nice! And they serve a hot meal on every flight. Even my 50 minute flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui had a hot meal. It was amazing how efficient they were serving it and getting it cleaned up prior to landing. My only issue with them was paying by credit card online - your credit card company will need to ok it prior to paying which makes it an extra step. We also found out that it's cheaper to purchase a ticket at the airport! Oh well. I'd highly recommend them anyway.

Magic Garden and Na Thon Market

Yesterday we went to the Magic Gardens (aka Secret Garden or Heavens Garden). This is up in the mountains here where a man created this beautiful garden on a hillside with many, many statues. This is one of many photos I took. We rode scooters up there and I thought my hands would cramp from holding the brakes going back down. But it was fun!

On the way back, we stopped at the market in Na Thon where locals sell their vegetables and the fish they've caught. There were all kinds of veggies I'd never seen before, lots of Thai chilis, and a wide variety of fish, shrimp, crabs, eels, frogs, and other critters, some of them still alive.

We were the only white folks (Anglo) there, and I was snapping photos the whole time. The smell was ummm interesting, and they had a unique fan for fanning the flies away. I would have eaten the veggies and shrimp but some of the other stuff I wouldn't have touched! Thai chilis are beautiful but oh so hot, hot, hot!

The Art of Squid Fishing

Every morning the tide goes out and there are many rocks that are exposed. Apparently these rocks make for good hiding places for squid, and the locals come out to fish. The photo below of the man walking in the water is one of these fishermen. I didn't realize what they were fishing for until today when I was walking down the beach and the men were headed down to the beach. Their fishing pole is half fishing pole and half gig. There is a multipronged gig on the end of the 4-5 ft long stick (some are bamboo, some look like an official squid pole if there is such a thing), and there is a short fishing line - about 8-10 in. with a loop at the bottom. They catch little sand crabs and put them on the line, then dangle them around the rocks until a squid goes after it. Then they gig the squid and snatch it up. I've been watching them every morning with great curiosity. Now I know! The photo here shows how low the tide goes in the mornings, and you can see the squid fishermen doing their thing. The low tide is about 4-5 feet below high tide.

Beautiful sunsets

Yoga Thailand is right on the beach on the north side of Koh Samui, so we get great sunrises and sunsets. This photo is from last nights sunset.

As you might imagine, the locals live off of the sea. This morning I went for a swim after yoga practice and saw this man and his wife walking around out in the water. I assumed they were looking for clams or something similar. After I came in and got showered off for breakfast, they were almost in front of Yoga Thailand and I watched them for a while to see what they were doing. They were spearing fish with a long pointed stick. You can see this man has a string of them that he is dragging along side. I never saw him spear one, but saw him attempt several times.

Yoga is really hard! Especially for someone as out of shape as I am. I am able to do the practice, but today am really sore. Partly from the yoga and partly because Michael & Beverly gave me a deep tissue massage yesterday to help my shoulder which has been bothering me for some time. As they say "it will feel much better when it quits hurting!" Come to find out it's the dreaded "mouse shoulder" which comes from using a mouse at the computer. Hopefully I'll be able to correct that now that I'm not mousing as much! I was able to loosen up some after yoga this morning, and hopefully it will get better as the days go by.

It's very peaceful and restful here. I haven't put on shoes for two days! It is a custom in Thailand not to wear shoes inside or in the dining area which is open air overlooking the beach, and my bungalow is just steps from everything, so I just haven't seen the need to wear shoes at all. The food here is awesome! It's all vegetarian, but is excellent. There are an assortment of fresh, mostly organic fruits and vegetables at every meal, and last night we had an amazing vegetarian chili. The best part is that I don't have to do any of the preparation or dishes!

I made it to Thailand

Yesterday I finally made it to Koh Samui and Yoga Thailand. It was a REALLY long trip - I think I figured it was about 28 hours from the time I left my house until the time I got to my hotel in Bangkok! Fortunately, I made it into Business Elite on the flight from ATL to Tokyo and was able to sleep some. Then I was able to get a bit of a cat nap in the Tokyo airport, and a little sleep on the flight from Tokyo to Bangkok. But I was very happy to finally get to the hotel in Bangkok to rest my weary body.

I got to Yoga Thailand yesterday and it's a beautiful place. It looks just like the photo in my first post, but haven't seen anyone do those yoga poses yet. Tomorrow is our first day of yoga class. Today, my friends Michael & Beverly went with me to tour the island temples. We went to see the Big Budda and several others. The Big Budda is as you might guess, really big! He sits atop a big hill with lots of steps going up to it. There a big bells all around the outside that you can ring. And all of this overlooks the ocean which is a beautiful turquoise blue. There I was blessed by a monk which includes him putting a string bracelet on my wrist, blowing on it 3 times, and saying a blessing, then sprinkling water on my head and hands. And finally he wished me good luck. We also had our fortunes told by some sticks. You hold a container of sticks (kinda like a pencil holder), say a prayer and then begin shaking the sticks in the container until one falls out. There is a number on each stick and you then find the corresponding fortune. Mine was all good and said I was going to have good lucks. Yes, that's lucks with an "s". I'm thinking multiple good luck! We went to several other temples, and also went to the new location for Yoga Thailand. They are building a whole new compound on the other side of the island and it's being built in a sustainable way. They are putting solar panels on the roofs, and rainwater catchment systems. It was very interesting to see how they build things here. We happened to run into the building contractor and he showed us everything. It's going to be very nice!

I have already met several nice people and all is going well. I hope it continues as I start my yoga practice which I think will probably be very strenuous. But thank goodness I'm traveling with my personal massage therapists! They are taking good care of me.

I'm retiring!!!

Tomorrow, Friday, June 20, 2008, I officially retire from Delta Air Lines! After 11 years, I'm very ready! The last few years have been a series of budget cuts, layoffs, voluntary labor reductions, fuel cost increases and a host of other issues that have just slap worn me out. So when the retirement package was offered and I met the criteria (just barely), I jumped at the chance. I get 5 months of pay and flight benefits for life - FOR LIFE!!!!! So I see this as a great opportunity to take some time off and travel the world. I will definitely have to go back to work, but I don't expect to have this kind of opportunity again in the near future.

About the time I decided to take the retirement package, my friends Mike & Beverly told me about a trip they were planning to Thailand. Their nephew is a yogi and was invited to teach at Yoga Thailand (http://www.yoga-thailand.com/) on the island of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand. And he invited them (both massage therapists) to join him there. The timing coincided with my retirement date, and I quickly asked if they might have a little space on their floor for me to join them. And they welcomed me to do so. Well after reading about Yoga Thailand and their nephew, I decided I may as well join in the yoga practice too, however, I doubt I'll be doing the leg behind the neck pose! So I leave next Wed. for Thailand, and I decided this blog was a great way to chronicle my travels.

My itinerary is something like this:

• Leave ATL and fly to NRT (Tokyo), then NRT to BKK (Bangkok), then BKK to Koh Samui. Only takes 2 days to get there (ouch!), and I arrive on Friday!


• Yoga classes start Sat afternoon and end the following Sat morning. We will do yoga in the mornings and then after breakfast we have the day to ourselves. There are great beaches, temples, and snorkeling there to occupy our time. Then more yoga teaching in the late afternoon followed by meditation.


• At the end of the yoga retreat, Mike, Bev & I are heading up to the north of Thailand to Chiang Mai. I'm not sure what all is there, but from what I've read, I want to ride an elephant, do a zip line trip, and I'm sure we'll visit more temples.


• Then it's back to Bangkok, on to Tokyo and back to ATL - another 2 days and I'm back home.

Stay tuned for my take on the experience.