SE Asia Travel Itinerary

Travel Itinerary

Tuesday 11/6 Day -1 Leave Msp – 1:00 PM

Weds 11/7 Day 0 Arrive Tokyo (4:40 pm); Fly to Bangkok (6:30pm - 11:45 pm)

Thursday 11/8 Day 1 Bangkok (rest and city tour)

Friday 11/9 Day 2 Bangkok (possible River Kwai tour)

Saturday 11/10 Day 3 Bangkok tour (possible canal tour); Fly to Angkor Wat (4:25 pm – 5:40 pm)

Sunday 11/11 Day 4 Angkor Wat tour

Monday 11/12 Day 5 Morning in Siem Reap; Fly to Da Nang (1:30 pm – 6:30 pm); drive to Hoi An

Tuesday 11/13 Day 6 Hoi An & My Son

Wednesday 11/14 Day 7 Drive to Hue in morning (use Kim Travel?); City tour of Hue in pm

Thursday 11/15 Day 8 (DMZ tour), return to Hue

Friday 11/16 Day 9 Drive from Hue to Da Nang in late morning; Fly to Saigon (1:40 pm – 2:50 pm)

Saturday 11/17 Day 10 Saigon (Chu Chi Tour)

Sunday 11/18 Day 11 Saigon (City tour)

Monday 11/19 Day 12 Fly to Bangkok (11:35 pm – 1:00 pm)

Tuesday 11/20 Day 13 Bangkok to Tokyo (6:00 am – 2:00 pm); Tokyo to Portland (3:05 pm – 6:55 pm; Portland to Minneapolis (9:00 am – 2:19 pm)

Universal Studios

The Pier

LA: A day at the pool

Santa Monica: Day 1

View from the Pier looking towards Malibu

Dinner at Bubba Gumps

Movie set on the beach of a yet to be determined film

Santa Monica Pier Amusement Park

Santa Monica Sunset

It's MEA week which for those that are non-parents is what we used to call parent/teacher converences. I am not sure I even know what MEA stands for, but for us it usually means head out of town and visit somewhere fun.

This year we headed to LA for the week with a dual purpose. First, my father in law was receiving a lifetime achievement award later in the week in Thousand Oaks and we wanted to be there with him. Second, our kitchen is going through a major remodeling. With appliances getting ready to depart to the graveyard, day to day living was about ready to migrate to plastic cups and wall dust.



We were able to find a hotel by the Santa Monica pier with a decent view and slightly short of a house payment. The picture above is from the room window; not too bad shot.

Upon arriving late yesterday afternoon, we hit the pier making our way to the Bubba Gump shrimp joint for beers and all things shrimp or in the kids case, mac and cheese. Good beer with a great view of what looked like some kind of movie making on the beach. Will check that one out later this afternoon.

Petco Park

This was the year of Ale's high school reunion at Hilltop high in Chula Vista (San Diego) California. Flying in on Thursday her first stop was Mission Beach for some ocean time then on to Petco Park for the Padres - Rockies game.

This photo was taken from the top of the Marriott Hotel looking over the park where things started with Wendy and Jeff and a pitcher of margaritas. Great view and good times.

More photos to follow.

The Hotel Donaldson - Fargo (HoDon)

When most people think of destination spots for their anniversary (14), Fargo is not usually at the top of the list. However, when you are vacationing in Ottertail with the family, it is the closest thing to South Beach in Northern Minnesota.

A landmark hotel it was remodeled with Microsoft / Great Plains software money a few years back. With only 17 rooms , it is all the things that the Nicollet Island Inn of Minneapolis tries to be. It is a a great getaway with a rooftop bar with Heineken on tap, Kim Crawford SavBlanc as the house white, and natural Minnesota grasses growing along the patio.

There is a hot tub for guests, but since most of us are in our 40's thankfully there were no billboards for birth control floating in the water.

The Plains Art Museum

A great local museum that has the 3rd floor dedicated to the landscapes of the plains areas.

Still Cruising

I like cruising. I confessed my rookie status earlier and after 10 days of mastering a routine at sea, feel more like a seasoned sea traveler. It is very different than the trips most of us take because most of us take trips not vacations. These are most definitely vacations where teams of dedicated staff fawn on your every need.

The formal component I enjoyed more than expected. I thought playing dress up would be a hassle and pretentious. It wasn't and I actually looked forward to it. Also the fact that I was one of the younger cats on the promenade deck makes it a bit less painful.

There is another cruise on the horizon. In April Ale and I will be joining some workmates from a client on another RC to Key West and Cozumel. It is only a 4 nighter, but I will be very interested in the patrons this time around. The Panama cruise was 10 days and if you have kids or committments like most people, you are limited to retired folks as your travel companions; not that there is anthing wrong with that! With 4 nights spanning a weekend, I would expect to see more people raised during the Reagan years rather than one of FDR many terms in office.

Tucson: January

This is Tucson in January. I travelled there this past weekend leaving a Minneapolis storm for an Arizona storm. The attire was mostly wrong and I assume these guys have not seen snow since the Alamo.

Costa Rica: Jim Cameron's place

This picture was taken while visiting my buddy Jim Cameron in Sierpe, Costa Rica. I went in the Fall of 2005 for a week of Diving and touring. The area he lives is perched on a hill with a view up the Sierpe River on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. Majestic is an understatement.

The house is accessible only by boat with no roads nearby. Kind of different concept when considering food and a trip to the local watering hole. Although the boat ride is a vision, it sharpens your planning skills and teaches you to do without.