the last two weeks have absolutely flown by, it was a whirlwind trip - all made incredible because sam and josh were here - we did the first couple of days in macau, bangkok for three days, on to krabi for four days to celebrate Christmas, back to macau overnight and spent the final two days in HK celebrating new years eve.
between our three cameras i think we ended up with over 900 pictures - which you will be relieved to hear we do not intend to inflict all upon you ... just have to try and figure out "the best of the best". what meant the most to us was that the kids were here, the trip beyond that an added bonus ... and what a bonus it was!!!
typical air travel - sam and josh were scheduled to fly atlanta-tokyo, with a nice little 2.5 hour lay over - you would think that would be good timing ... but oh no! ... they sat on the tarmack in atlanta for over 4.5 hours and as a result missed the tokyo-HK connection, unable to get out until the same time the next day. weather here was somewhat cool, but we bundled up and took in what macau has to offer - the ruins, red market (live market that is), dim sum, and yes, a bit of time at the slots ... josh was the only one that came out on the good side of that particular "venture". 
bangkok is always fun! fun! fun! sam had booked us into the marriott resort and spa, along the river and actually a little removed (thankfully) from the inner city. this place was fabulous! we enjoyed the extras provided by her club status - not just the upgraded rooms ... but the afternoon "teas" which were our lunch or supper depending on how you timed it, the early evening cocktails which provided an opportunity to unwind after a VERY busy day of shopping and sightseeing ... and, oh, how does one put this delicately ... gave sam and i that edge that is required to ... er ... beat, no, annihilate! the guys at canasta. they were D E F E N S E L E S S, seriously! one could go as far as to say that winning SEVEN games would give one a legend status, of sorts, if one were to be inclined to think that way ...
of course, no first trip to bangkok is complete without a visit to the grand palace. they do not allow any shorts or open shoes in the gates, but seemed OK with the kids imitating statues and even joining in to help so a couple of the gargoyles could have a rest. after a couple days and in need of a new shopping adventure, dave and i went to the concierge to see if perhaps we had missed any markets (sam very quickly developed her bargaining skills) and asked us to tell her just where we had been thus far. i listed them off, not THAT many ... okay, it was a few ... and she looks at us as laughingly saying "oh no, ma'am, i am afraid you have done them all!!" just thinking of the economy ... really!
our next stop was railay bay, just one hour south of krabi - it should be mentioned that the temperatures during our entire time in thailand were very stable at 32-35 and very welcome after that (now pardon me all you snow-bound albertans) terrible cold snap we experienced in macau. railay lies on the most scenic little stretch of land, only about a 5 minute walk across from "east" to "west" and could only be reached by boat. it is known for these gorgeous karsts which provide about the best rock climbing in thailand, but should also be known for the awesome sunsets (we don't get those in macau) and soft, soft sand. 
our very relaxing days were spent kayaking, tasting thai delicacies (pad thai), elephant trekking, afternoons at various spas (received some most wonderful massagies), more kayaking, relaxing around the pool, more pad thai, the occasional glass of wine ... and did i mention that we also played some canasta, although it should be noted that this activity did not prove to be so relaxing/easy for a select few (males)! ah yes, it was a recurring theme throughout our holiday.
after an overnight in macau to catch up on laundry and repack, we headed to hong kong for the last two days. so much to do! so much to see! LOVE that city - although we were reminded on many occasions of the aggressiveness you encounter ... more than one queue ended up with us all feeling very frustrated as people seriously bull-dozed us over (immigration, waiting for the peak tram). the first evening we dined at our favorite dim sum spot (EXTREMELY noisy, DELICIOUS food) and then headed to "the peak" - such a cool way to view the city (and especially at night). our new years eve day took in a mid-morning "session" at stanley market, wandering through the soho/escalator district - where we decided we would start our true new years eve celebrations at this great little wine bar ... oh dear, started MUCH too early! 
by the time we were done with our munchies and took in the movie "sherlock holmes" (which was excellent) we were all feeling very, very tired - even though it was only 10:00 p.m. it helped the situation a little knowing that sam and josh had to catch their cab for the airport at 4:30 a.m. was very hard to say goodbye! dave and i hopped on the ferry shortly thereafter and found the ride over very quiet, got to the apartment - that too felt very quiet.
now we are heading back to work and counting down six weeks when we head on our next adventure ... YUMA!
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