The Grand Palace in Bangkok

One last stop on our private tour in Bangkok and this one is not to be missed.  The Grand Palace was built in 1782 and has been the official residence of the monarchy of Thailand until recently.  The current King resides elsewhere but the Palace is still used for official events.  It's a large complex with various buildings, pavilions, halls, gardens, stupas and chapels.  This is also where you will find Thailand's most sacred site, Wat Phra Kaew or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.  You could write a book about this place so I'll just share some of my favorite photographs from our time there and just a few quick tips if you are planning on visiting.

Koh Samui, Thailand

After our crazy few days in both Bangkok, Thailand and Yangon, Myanmar it was time to move on to the part of the vacation that I had been dreaming about.  As Zac Brown would say "I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand."  (You can take the girl out of Texas...)   Koh Samui is a large resort island off of the east coast of Thailand, second only to Phuket in popularity with tourists.  That is where we spent the reminder of our holiday, soaking in the sun.

Fisherman's Village in Koh Samui

My final post about our week in Thailand and I'm now convinced that we need to go back.  And this time we need to stay even longer.  While we were in Koh Samui we mostly just relaxed and enjoyed the beach.  But we did venture a little bit further one evening to experience the Friday Market at Fisherman's Village. 

Wat Pho - The Temple of the Reclining Buddha

The next temple that we visited on our private tour with Your Thai Guide was Wat Pho to see the Temple of the Reclining Buddha.  Wat Pho is actually a large temple complex and home to the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand. This was my favorite stop of the day (in addition to the Lotus farm).

Short Stay in Bangkok

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, then I apologize for my wacky timeline.  But, today we are going back to Thailand even though my social media feeds are all about Budapest.  I use post it notes and a calendar to schedule my blogs and those Thailand post-it notes have been shuffled around so much they are losing their sticky.  I've already written about our short time in Bangkok (the floating market and lotus farm) so that is where we'll pick up.  This week it's all about Bangkok, Thailand.

Golden Buddha of Wat Traimit

It's time to show you some more photos from one of our most incredible trips.  Thailand was so high on our list.  We only had one week to spend there which is never going to be enough.  I was probably in love with Thailand before we even went, and it did not disappoint in any way.  I loved every site, sound and smell.  It was absolute magic.  We had such a short time in Bangkok, but we got in a much as we could by booking a private tour with Your Thai Guide.  After visiting the a floating market and a lotus farm, our guide Nina took us to visit Wat Traimit, the Temple of the Golden Buddha.

Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market in Bangkok

I've been having so much fun editing the photos from our trip to Thailand last year.  (Yes, I realize how behind I am. I blame my job and my uterus. )  I still can't believe we were even there.  I don't think a day goes by that I don't long to be back.  I loved everything about Thailand, the smell, the people and just the feel of it.  We packed a lot into our one week trip and were only in Bangkok for about 36 hours.  I was determined to visit a floating market in that short time. The one we chose was the Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market.

Instagram Update

Things have been terribly quiet around here for a few weeks, but I'm back and I have so many photos to share with you.  Before we get back to regularly scheduled programing here's a little Life Lately update with the help of Instagram.  My blog posts are a bit behind but here's what we've been up to. 

First and foremost... Grandbaby!  Jessica is now at 31 weeks and doing terrific.  She had a baby shower a few weeks ago.  It broke my heart to not be there but they were surrounded with love and presents.  We'll be going to Texas for three weeks in August for the delivery.  I can't wait hug my sweet baby and meet her sweet baby.

My daughter Jessica & son in law Johnny at the baby shower for little Michael. 💙 I couldn't be there but my sweet momma got all my presents there & made sure to send me lots of pictures. I just love this one!!! We'll be going to Texas in August for three weeks!! I can't wait!!! #gigi #babylove

A photo posted by Selena (@selenatheplaces) on Jun 14, 2015 at 11:58pm PDT

Two Days in Yangon, Myanmar

After five years, Matt and I do pretty good traveling together.  Matt traveled extensively and often solo for years before we met.  He's much more of an explorer than I am.  Let's just say I'm partial to a more leisurely pace.  But as I've gained more experience and confidence, our traveling rhythm has become pretty well matched.  I've expanded my comfort zone and he indulges me with a few hours or days where there's "no plan". (Well, that's not entirely true, with Matt there is always a plan.)  But, this slight difference in our travel style was never more evident than when we went to Thailand and included a side trip to Yangon, Myanmar. 

Bangkok Lotus Farm

While we were at the Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market our guide Nina asked if we would like to take a boat ride along the canals.  Of course we did.  We eyed the line of people waiting to fill one of the colourful flat bottomed canal boats.  But Nina had other plans for us.  Smart girl.

Prague City Break

You may not believe this, but I have a blogging calendar.  I use a notebook calendar and post it notes.  A pending post goes on a post it note (I currently have 36 of them) and once it gets published, I write it in the calendar. I have this plan delusion that I'm going to post three times a week so every time I sit down to blog, I have to go through the process of moving the 36 post it notes further along in the calendar in sets of three.  When was the last time I posted three times in one week?  No idea.  Since I started working full-time, I often don't post three times in a month.  But I am still a blogger and I'm determined to continue.  In fact, I'm going to sit down right now and write three posts to publish this week.  No really.  I am.  I also have the perfect location to write about this week... Prague. 

I Spy Friday featuring Taste of London 2012

But, before we get to the Taste, let me catch you up on a few other tidbits.  

Last weekend I attended a two-day bloggers conference called Brit Mums Live.  There were several wonderful speakers and I attended some very informative sessions on blogging.  I met up with a group of Expats who were just wonderful.  I learned a lot and made new friends.  But for some reason, this was the only picture that I took to share with you.  Go Figure. 

I've been having a reoccurring dream lately.  No, not about him.  It's about a huge, shiny, gorgeous, front-loading washer and dryer combo.  Why?  Because of this...  

Those are my freshly washed and dried jeans.  The little white box clothing torture chamber in the photo is the washer/dryer cooker combo that abused them into such a state.  Basically, it wads up your clothes and then heats them up to a thousand degrees.  It also eats sweaters (or "jumpers" as they call them here).  I've lost three so far this month (don't even get me started on why I'm still wearing sweaters in June).  It actually chews them as it heats them to nuclear temperatures.  This really deserves its own blog but I'm so aggravated that I can't even bother.  

But, check out this cutey pie.  

This is Winston from our local pub.  He is a French Bulldog (I think) and an incorrigible beggar.  But, how can you resist that face?!

Ah... visions of home.  

Love spotting things like this Mustang from the good ol' USA.  And look at the steering wheel!!!  It's on the correct side!!  I need a moment. 

Lastly, I will leave you with pictures from the Taste of London 2012.  It's an annual 4 day food festival at Regent's Park.  I was lucky enough to go twice.  Loved it!  

I won tickets for Thursday night from Club Gascon on Twitter.  I took a girlfriend and we spent a few hours exploring, eating and toasting... a much needed Girls Night Out.  I had my 3rd celebrity spotting when Wolfgang Puck strolled by in his white chefs coat.  TE and I returned on Sunday with the VIP tickets we purchased.  It was well worth it and such a fun day out in London.  

The VIP package included a terrific cookbook, champagne and entrance to a nice lounge when we needed to escape the crowds.  

Pulled pork and a Barbecoa Slider from Jamie Oliver's Barbecoa Restaurant's booth.  Nummy!!!

We had pretty good weather with just a few quick showers.  But the on and off rain had left the grounds a bit muddy.  They had plenty of walkways with purple carpets to help you avoid the mud.  

Or you could just embrace the mud and wear your wellies like this British Airways Flight Attendant. 

 She looks quite smart, doesn't she?

The Taste of Thailand area was a favorite stop.  

Please be aware that the Blue Diamond Almond Booth may contain almonds!!

"The drink's pure.  It's your mind that's the problem."  Seriously?

(It's an energy drink and actually tastes pretty good.  No comments from the peanut gallery.)

When we were there on Thursday the booth was empty.  Crickets.  But, the two of us decided to be brave and have a taste.  We were immediately followed by about a dozen other people who wanted a try.  Leave it to the two American girls to lead the way and break the ice.  

Maker's Mark AND Pabst Blue Ribbon?  Does it get much better?

I had to visit the Club Gascon booth to say "thank you" for the free tickets.  Their booth was always packed!    Check out this award winning menu...

 Duck and popcorn?  Who'd have thunk?

And take a look at this...

We are SO THERE!!

That's it for another edition of I Spy Friday.  Have a terrific weekend!!

xoxo

Selena 

Disclaimer:  I won the tickets from Club Gascon on a random twitter giveaway by retweeting.  There was no agreement that I'd mention them in a blog post.  In fact, I'm sure they have no idea I even have a blog. 

That's random.

I'm so proud that I've been nominated for the Liebster Award by two wonderful bloggers.   

Debbie who blogs at Buisson International, is a fellow Texan who now finds herself in London.  We've recently started sharing emails and I'm hoping that we can meet up for reals very soon. 

Alexa from Travel mi Amor is also a Texas girl who discovered her passion for travel early.  She now writes about all of her adventures and shares travel tips.  

These are two of my favorite bloggers and you need to follow them both on Bloglovin.  From Texas and love to travel?  We are all three peas in a pod.  I've always said the best thing about blogging is connections. Be sure to connect with these ladies.

The Liebster Award is a way for bloggers to show their love to other bloggers.  It's also a great way to discover new blogs.  

The rules are that you tell 11 random facts about yourself and answer the 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.  Then you nominate some blogs and give them 11 new questions to answer.  And you pass on the love.  

So here are 11 random facts about me.  Do you detect a theme?

I love, love, love my camera.

It's not really mine, it belongs to Matthew.

It's my safety blanket when I travel.

I take thousands of photos on our trips.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I always shoot on automatic.

I really want to learn to shoot on manual but have a brain block.

Photographs are my most treasured possession.

My daddy is an amazing photographer and has won awards.

I got my travel bug from him.

And my Mom.  (She just did a tour of South America.)

Exploring someplace new with my camera in my hand is absolute bliss.


Now it's time to answer some questions.  I've picked several from each nomination.
(I know you don't want me to answer 22 questions!)
 

1 - What is the biggest obstacle you have faced while traveling?

I've mentioned before that I'm bit of a worrier (and by that I mean I've been diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder).  I don't control it with meds for various reasons, so I have to find other ways to manage it.  Of course, traveling takes me out of my comfort zone so it can really be a struggle.  However, I will never let it stop me from going.

2 - In terms of behavior, were you good or bad in school?

I was pretty good.  I made decent grades without too much effort.  My dad was in the USAF, so if we got in trouble, he got in trouble.  That was an effective deterrent.

3 - Which would you rather play during a night out: ping-pong, darts, or pool?

Pool.

 

4 - Would you rather live at the beach in the winter or in the mountains in the summer?

I can't decide.  Can I pick beach in the summer and mountains in the winter?

5 - What song gets you in the mood to sing and dance?

Anything by Abba.  I've seen Mamma Mia three times and I have the movie.  Always manages to make me happy.

   

6 - What is the most amazing tourist attraction you have come across while traveling?

Probably the Medina in Fez that I've been writing about lately.

7 - Who (a celebrity) was your biggest teenage crush?

Really showing my age here.  Shaun Cassidy and Donny Osmond.

  

8 - What are your top 5 travel destinations that you haven’t been to?

Thailand. African Safari. Australia.  Bali. Iceland.  

 

9 - What is your favorite place you have visited?

That's so tough to narrow down.  So far my favorites have been Ireland, Italy, Austria and Turkey.

 

10 - What is something you collect?

We collect ornaments throughout our travels and I keep them in a basket on a shelf.  At Christmas, I love going through them and remembering all of our adventures.

11 - Is there anything cool about your family history/ancestry?

I think it's pretty cool that my ancestors are from Scotland.  This summer, my dad and my brother are coming for a visit.  We're going to trace some history and tour Scotland.  I can't wait!

Now it's my turn to nominate some blogs!

Jess from Jess-On_thames

Kaelene from Unlocking Kiki

Dannielle from ChicaDeeDee

Meredith from Ponder The Irrelevant

Quyen from Itinerant

Jenn from A Country Girl's World

And here are my questions:

1.  What is one challenge that you have set yourself this year? 
2.  What is the biggest obstacle you have faced while traveling?
3.  What are some of your favorite sayings?
4.  In everyday life, what is your number one pet peeve?
5.  When do you feel your happiest?
6.  What traits have you inherited from your parents?
7.  What are your top 5 travel destinations that you haven’t been to?
8.  What is your favorite cocktail?
9.  What is your dream job?
10.  If you could have 3 wishes granted, what would they be?
11.  What is on your mouse pad?

I can't wait to hear your answers!

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Happy Mother's Day, Love!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers and mothering souls out there.  Mother's Day is one of those days with the potential to bring up some of the harder emotions, isn't it?  There is love, happiness and joy, but sometimes loss or sadness. 

I'm experiencing a whole range of emotions today, but the primary one is love. Absolute love for my wonderful mother, pure love for my beautiful daughter, excitement and joy that she will now know the joy of motherhood, and a new fierce love for a grandson that I will soon meet. And for my husband who loves me enough to know just what I need on a day like today when I'm far from home. Today I'm celebrating all of the love. So whatever emotions you are dealing with today, I wish you love.

Oh, the Places we will go in 2016!

I realize that all travel bloggers do this kind of post and if I'm honest I tend to skim through them a bit.  But it's one of my favorite things to do, looking back at the places we've been in the past year and planning a whole year's worth of new travel.  I really document all of this for personal reasons, so don't feel bad if you just skim through this post.  After writing about what a difficult year I had in 2015, I must admit it was one of our best years for travel.  

My 500th Post and an update!

Guess what this is!  My 500th post.  Can you believe it?  I certainly can't.  Four and a half years of blogging.  If I'm honest, I feel like it should be more.  But every post represents a special moment or story, a place I never dreamed a might see.  A milestone in life that is deeply cherished.  My stories and memories.  And my connection to you.  To those of you that read my blog, follow along to encourage and support.  That's still the best part.  So thank you for helping me get to this milestone!  I also have to tell you about a new journey that we're starting soon.  I'm hoping that you'll come along because I will certainly continue blogging along the way.