Mar 23

Mar 23 Thailand

Thailand has been on my list of places to visit for many years and I wanted to make it happen while I am in Singapore. It is a short 2-hour flight away. Singapore is an ideal location from which to base multiple excursions throughout south and southeast Asia. Just about any place between Kathmandu and northern Australia, and even out to the Philippines is within an inexpensive 4-hour flight. Japan, India, and Dubai can be reached within 7 hours. If you are interested in touring this part of the world, consider using Singapore as your base.

This was a very personal and emotional trip too. As family and close friends know, my sister’s son spent many years in Thailand and fell in love with a special young lady. They were married in a very traditional wedding, complete with elephant. Andy and Nay seemed destined to live happily ever after. Tragically, it was not meant to be as Andy was killed in a traffic accident not long after they were married. We grieved for the loss of our beloved Andy. We opened our hearts wider for dear Nay. Our hearts broke for Cindy and Ron.

Cindy is my sister and I love her dearly. I knew that I was going to make a trip to Thailand priority number one while in Singapore and I was thrilled when Cindy confirmed that she would be able to meet me there. She graciously did all the planning. I had never met Nay before and was especially excited to spend time with her and her warm and gracious family in their town, Nakhon Chai Si.

I arrived in Bangkok first, checked into an airport hotel, and took a refreshing dip in the pool. It was wonderful! Cindy’s flight was delayed, so I got to spend an extra 3-hours at the airport. We arrived back at the hotel near 2 AM. We both slept well and, after a wonderful breakfast, hired a car to take us to Nakhon Chai Si, about and hour west of Bangkok.

For the next three days I got a chance to spend quality time with Nay and her family. We visited several temples, shopped in an open air market, fed fish by the river, and ate lots of brilliantly spiced food. One highlight was working with Nay to prepare a meal for the family. Andy loved tacos, so we found all of the fixings, made some salsa, and cooked up a feast for all to enjoy. On a previous trip, Cindy introduced the card game spoons to the family. They played again and laughed into the wee hours.

Sights and sounds from Thailand

We visited Andy’s chedi (stupa) often. Nay and her family take regular care of it. Nay and her mom visit weekly to clean and replace the decorations and offerings. They maintain a garden next to it as well. Andy will always be part of their family and I love them dearly for that. Of course, Nay will always be part of our family too. Her English is amazing and we were able to hold conversations together. I think experiencing so many accents in Singapore helped a bit. She wants to visit the U.S. and I promised we would all take care of her, but she is worried she does not speak English well enough yet.

The three of us travelled to Bangkok and stayed for two nights. We took in several of the sites and I took photos until my battery ran out. I cannot wait to visit dear Nay and Thailand again.