Merry Christmas from the Deep South!
It has been a busy year for us due to a lot of travel. We had a three week trip in December 2017 to Southeast Asia, followed quickly by spending New Year’s in Rincon. Over the summer we had two trips to FL and in June we went to Fairfax for Father’s Day and a family reunion of Moriartys, Medins, Lees and Fraziers. We also celebrated Ethan’s 2nd birthday. We have upcoming trips to Rincon over Christmas and to Fairfax for New Year’s.
Our three week trip to Asia was the most exhausting, exciting, amazing and stressful travel experience we have ever had. The problems we encountered had to do with close calls at the airports for connecting flights and lost luggage at the start of our trip. It took three days for our luggage to catch up with us in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). HCMC was the starting point of our trip. The bags arrived at the Rex Hotel moments before we departed for the river cruise. If that connection had been missed, we might not have gotten the luggage until we returned home – or maybe not at all!! The only additional worry for me was that Mike developed stomach/intestinal problems from eating some local food. Fortunately, one quick trip to a pharmacy in Siem Reap, where it was possible to get anti-biotics without a prescription, had Mike feeling better within a day. It was a daunting experience for me because Mike hardly ever gets sick at home or abroad. It would have been more likely for me to have gotten hit with a “digestive disturbance”. Somehow, I managed to escape any kind of illness.
We began the trip with three days in Saigon. We came of age during the Vietnam War. We watched it unfold on TV. Mike was part of the draft lottery. He was number 278. Being in Vietnam, especially in Saigon, brought history into focus for us. We stayed at the famous Rex Hotel where war correspondents were housed and where they filed daily reports for TV. Saigon is surprisingly modern. We managed to see quite a bit of it. The two most impressive sights were the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum. The museum presented the war from the Vietnamese perspective. One gallery was devoted to Agent Orange and its devastating effects on humans. On the grounds outside of the museum was an impressive collection of aircraft, helicopters, tanks and artillery used in the war. There were many Bell UH-1 helicopters, commonly known as the Huey, the workhorse of the war. There were numerous models of Sikorsky helicopters and the Chinook CH-47 as well.
We checked out of the Rex and taxied to the Sofitel Plaza to meet at the cruise collection point. It was a short ride to the My Tho port where we boarded the Ama Dara. We visited three ports in Vietnam: Cai Be, Tan Chau and Sa Dec. Each village was unique.
We cruised into Cambodia. The time in Phnom Penh was exciting and extremely depressing. It is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Phnom Penh is situated on the banks of the Mekong River. It was founded in 1434. It is the nation’s center for economic, industrial, commercial, cultural, tourist and political endeavors. It was once known as the “Pearl of Asia”. The Royal Palace complex is huge. The palace, pagodas, gardens and art galleries are a sight to behold. King Norodom Shamoni lives there. In 2004 he succeeded his parents, King Norodom Sihanouk and Queen Norodom Monineath. He is more of a figurehead because Cambodia’s parliament has most of the power to rule the country.
The following day was the depressing day in and around Phnom Penh. The morning at one of the many Killing Fields was heartbreaking. There were many of them. We visited Choeung Ek. The Khmer Rouge killed from 1.4 to 2.2 million people of the then population of 7 million. All of this happened due to the despotic regime of Pol Pot. He targeted professionals like doctors and educators, although peasants and farmers were also killed. Pol Pot’s murderous rampage took place over four years, between 1975 and 1979.
The afternoon at S21 detention center was also very sobering. It is located in the heart of Phnom Penh. S21, also known as Khmer Rouge’s Tuol Sleng, was a place of human slaughter. Only two children survived. One of them was present the day we toured the prison complex. He gave us a firsthand account of how he, his brother and parents were tortured. He was the only one in his family who survived. We also met an elderly man, Bao Meng. He was an artist. Pol Pot spared Bao Meng because he painted the best portrait of the despot. When the portrait was completed, Pol Pot ordered his guards to cut off Bao Meng’s fingers so that he could no longer create art.
From Phnom Penh we visited the villages of Ko Chen and
Wat Kampong Tralach, where we rode in an oxcart through the town. We took a boat ride on the Tonle Sap River
which took us past floating villages. We
made a stop at a large market. The array
of produce, fish and edible snakes was staggering. One of the most satisfying stops was in
Uodong at the Buddhist monastery, Vipassana Dhura. It is the largest in Cambodia. Inside the monastery, our group had a 15
minute blessing ceremony chanted by the orange-clad Buddhist monks. At this point the river portion of the trip
was over.
We continued with AmaWaterways on the land excursion to Siem Reap. This is the gateway to Angkor, the former capital of the Khmer Empire, not to be confused with the Khmer Rouge. We had two full days to explore numerous temples. At first glance, the temples look similar. In reality, they are quite different. Each has unique features and they were built for different purposes. We toured Angkor Thom, Bayon Temple and Terrace of the Elephant, Banteay Srei Temple, Ta Prohm Temple and the largest and most famous one of all – Angkor Wat. Most of the temples date to before the year 1000. Even without the use of cement to hold the stone blocks together, the temples are in surprisingly good shape. This region of Cambodia is full of temples, however, they are largely inaccessible due to lack of roads; danger from freely roaming tigers and perhaps worst of all are the thousands of unexploded landmines.
From Siem Reap we flew to Hong Kong for the final five days of our trip. I have to say we have mixed feelings about Hong Kong. It is a very crowded city, and when you add holiday visitors to the mix, it is a real challenge to walk around and get to things. It is also a very expensive city. A bottle of water in a restaurant costs about $80 HK, or the equivalent of $10 USD. There is a bargain, however. It is their public transportation system. We purchased Octopus cards and loaded them with some money and were able to ride the subway, ferries, streetcars and busses quite reasonably. And with traffic being what is, public transportation is the only way to go. Since Britain’s influence ended in 1999, so has the decline in spoken English. The Chinese are running the show and most of them do not speak much English. We found this to be true in restaurants and even in our hotel. We stayed at the Shangri-La Kowloon, a top tier hotel overlooking Victoria Harbor. Most rooms cost between $400 and $500 per night. We were in one of the expensive ones as we were on the 14th floor with a magnificent harbor view. There is also a Shangri-La Hong Kong. A stay there will set you back closer to $800 per night. We lucked out on the weather. We did not have any rain during our five days in Hong Kong. The temperatures were in the low 60s to the low 70s.
We had planned to see more on our first full day in Hong Kong, but the crowds created long waits, so we had to scale back a bit. It took the greater part of a day to visit Victoria Peak, or simply the Peak, as it is known. We waited in the queuing area for close to two hours to be able to ride the Peak Tram to the top. Walking up is not advised due to the extreme slope. The tram runs along a single cable and has had a spotless safety record since its inception in 1888. One thing that we found daunting on any of the forms of transportation, except the ferry, was that people rush to board. Mike and I felt that we were being trampled numerous times. A lot of people are disappointed when they reach the Peak because the main street there is all shopping as is the Peak Tower, an anvil shaped mall as well as Madame Tussaud’s Waxworks. There are some non-commercial things to see. There is a path to a country park and the Victoria Peak Garden. We walked along Lugard and Harlech Roads, a very scenic path that hugs the hillside. The pathway is a bit over two miles. We did not have time to do all of it, but we think we walked about 3/8 of a mile out and back for a roundtrip of ¾ of a mile.
Because the path is circular, you get to see many parts of the city as well as all of the harbor views. Near the Peak is Pollack’s Path, the world’s most expensive street. In 2013 a residence at 10 Sky High sold for $800 million! We were a bit luckier when we were ready to board the tram for the return ride. The wait was only a half hour. We had hoped to have time to walk along the Golden Mile shopping district on Nathan Road, but visiting the Peak took too much time; instead we walked through Hong Kong Park as it was on the way to our hotel.
The next day we did a lot of walking along Salisbury Road and the Waterfront Promenade. We went into the venerable Peninsula Hotel. Their interior Christmas decorations were amazing. They have an extensive shopping arcade, so we did all of that. At night almost all of the hotels were elaborately lit for the holidays, and we still liked the display at the Peninsula the best. Then we boarded the Star Ferry to cross the harbor to Hong Kong Island. Like the Peak Tram, the Star Ferry dates back to 1888. The original fleet consisted of four coal powered boats. Today there are twelve diesel powered vessels. The famous Clock Tower is on the Kowloon side. This is the last remnant of the old Kowloon railway terminus which was completed in 1915. The Clock Tower was the final stop for trains from the mainland, including the Orient Express. When the ferry arrives on the Hong Kong side, you are dropped off in the Central District. This is the region’s financial, political, historical and social heart. Statue Square, the Bank of China Tower, Chater Garden and the Court of Final Appeal are a few of the many landmarks in this area. The Escalator is also in Central. It rises about 2600 feet, roughly half of the rise to the Peak. At each cross street, you can disembark. We rode it as far as the Antique Row area. We did a lot of window shopping there, and then made our way back to the harbor.
The following day, December 24th, we visited the Big Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery. They are located in Tung Chung on Lantau Island. It took almost an hour to get there via the train. Since the monastery and Buddha are up in the hills, we rode a bus to reach the site. We took the cable car down when we were finished. The monastery complex is huge and towering over it all is Big Buddha. The bronze statue is 112 feet high. The seated Buddha sits on a lotus throne; the lotus is the symbol of purity. Buddha’s right hand is raised signifying fearlessness. Po Lin means precious lotus. We walked the more than 260 steps to reach Buddha. After each 26 – 30 steps there are platforms alongside to stop and catch your breath before resuming the climb. At the top, the view of the surrounding area is spectacular and breathtaking. And then there was the memorable Christmas Eve dinner at Cuisine Cuisine, a very highly rated restaurant located in the Mira Hotel. The Mira was a bit over a half mile from the Shangri-La. Mike made reservations for this dinner in November as it is in quite high demand. It also cost a fortune. This is where we encountered the $10 bottled water.
The dinner was an authentic eight course Cantonese meal. I had on my black dress pants, high heels and a designer top. Mike bought a new white dinner jacket for the occasion. We might not have worn these clothes if we knew ahead of time that we would have to walk to Cuisine Cuisine. The only problem was that we almost didn’t make it there. When we walked into the lobby of our hotel, we noticed that there was not a taxi in sight! We were dumbfounded. The concierge told us that not only was there no taxi service, all of the roads were closed to motor traffic because of Christmas Eve! The streets were clogged with people and we were concerned that we would not have enough time to reach the restaurant by foot. We practically jogged/ran the distance, fought the crowds, the likes of which were as bad as those in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, in our nice clothes. In true Medin fashion, we arrived at Cuisine Cuisine with about 2 minutes and 17 seconds to spare! We were out of breath, and felt as though we could have used another shower. Each table had a full assortment of party hats, noisemakers and streamers, which we found odd, since we bring things like that out for New Year’s Eve. But in China, Christmas Eve is celebrated as if it were New Year’s Eve. Fortunately, the food was fantastic; we found the rest of the evening to be totally enjoyable.
The streets were going to remain closed to vehicles until 2:00 am on the 25th, so we had to walk back. But this time, it was a leisurely stroll. The evening was still mild and there was no rain.
Our last full day in Hong Kong, Christmas, was spent at
Disneyland. The weather was perfect, so
it was great to be outside all day. For
the most part, the Hong Kong Magic Kingdom is the same as the Magic Kingdoms in
Anaheim and Orlando. The park was
crowded, but not as bad as we expected it to be. We managed to see it all and got Fast Passes
for the Iron Man attraction. One of my
favorites is the Jungle River Cruise, but by the time we reached it, the wait
was over an hour. There was no Fast Pass
for it; otherwise we would have gotten one.
We went on to other attractions.
It was an amazing trip from start to finish. The highlight for each of us was our time
visiting the temples in Cambodia. We
enjoyed the river cruising more than we thought we would. A lot of it had to do with fewer people and
the ease of getting to know the other passengers. River cruising also has a more intense focus
on excursions at each destination.
The first FL trip was to Orlando where we joined Kristin, Jim, and the grandgirls at Disney World. We took two days to get there. We stayed at the Wakulla Springs Lodge for the first night. It is now part of the FL State Park System. We stayed in the best room at the lodge, the Edward Ball Suite. Still, it had no TV!! Wakulla is south of Tallahassee. We had six days at Disney World. The two older grandgirls are at ideal ages to experience Disney World. The baby, Lily, did quite well - considering a few long days in the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. We alternated parks with days at the Wilderness Lodge so that we could have relaxing time by the pools. We made the trip in our new car. It takes a lot of getting used to having so much technology at your fingertips. Also, we were surprised at the amount of beeping we heard to alert us to vehicles in the blind spot, etc. The only bad part of the trip was that we left when subtropical storm Alberto was in FL and south GA. The first day of driving was not all that bad, even though we drove through a lot of rain. The stretch from Wakulla to Orlando was a nightmare. For about five hours we felt as though we were driving inside a washing machine on the heavy duty cycle!! But we made it to Disney World without incident. After that we had only one day there when we had showers off and on all day. Kristin arranged for all of us to be in a two bedroom at the Wilderness Lodge Villas. There was plenty of space to spread out and there was a full function kitchen. We had breakfast in the villa each day.
And the days that we did not go into the parks, we had lunch there as well. It was a great trip because we were at a place we like and we could do this as a family. We also took two days to get home. We stopped in Thomasville, GA. It is known as GA’s Rose City. There is a big annual rose festival there at the end of April. We had time to explore the downtown and had a nice dinner in one of the restaurants. It was an easy drive from Thomasville to home. We did a slight detour through La Grange so that we could visit Hills and Dales, one of the Callaway family estates. The tour was interesting and informative. The extensive gardens were lovely, too.
We were home for only a few days when it was time to get ready for another trip. This time we were off to Fairfax. We drove there, but not in our new car. We made the trip in our truck because we brought Ethan a rocking horse, a tricycle and another riding toy, so we needed the extra space in the truck bed. I also had a number of smaller items that I wanted to bring for Eric and Amber. We have used the truck a number of times for long range trips. The truck is very nice on the inside and comfortable enough. My only issue with it is that the exterior road noise makes it hard to listen to music, radio, etc.
We made our second trip to FL in early August. We went to Ponte Vedra Beach (Jacksonville area). En route we visited Kristin and the grandgirls in Rincon. Lily turned 3 on August 5th, so we were able to celebrate with her. We had a great beach vacation at the PVB Inn & Club. We never saw a drop of rain, but apparently there was a brief shower one evening while we were having dinner. When we got in the golf cart to return to our room, we noticed that the pavement was wet. We were quite fortunate to have had ideal weather, because nothing ruins a beach vacation faster than rain! A few years ago we had to leave PVB early because a hurricane was headed for Jax.
In mid-August Mike booked us on another cruise. We will be on the Orion, one of the Viking Ocean ships. The itinerary is called Bangkok, Bali and Beyond. We leave here on March 22nd. The cruise portion is 13 days. However, we will be gone for almost three weeks. We start in Bali and will be there for a few days before we embark; there are numerous stops in Java, Indonesia; then it is on to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia before concluding in Bangkok. After we disembark we will remain in Bangkok for a few days before we return home. We will also have extra time in Bali on the front end to see more of Bali and to get over the jet lag. We should be in pretty good shape by the time we start the cruise, which will make it more enjoyable for us. That turned out to be a good plan when we did the Mekong River cruise. We got over the worst of the jet lag; we got to see a lot of Saigon beforehand and it had the “surprise benefit” of giving the airlines enough time to get us re-united with our luggage!!
Between mid-April and mid-May we got serious about buying a new car to replace our beloved 1995 Cadillac. At age 23 it was risky to drive it anywhere other than local trips. It was our third car. I have a newer Ford Explorer Limited and Mike bought a Ford F-150 truck a few years ago, so we did have “reliable wheels”. The Cadillac was so comfortable that we called it the “moving sofa”. Its other name was the “Medin Limousine”. The interior and exterior were in almost mint condition, despite the age. The Northstar engine performed as good as new. Minor problems arose when the car was about 10 to 12 years old. At that time, parts were available, but beyond that we had to use aftermarket parts when things needed fixing. As the car got older, more problems arose and the aftermarket also dried up, so we knew we had to get a new car. The problem was that there was nothing that truly appealed to us. The one benefit of delaying the car purchase was that more and more safety features have been added. This is a good thing for us as we get older. Safety was another issue with the Cadillac. The only one it had was an airbag. Mike spent a lot of time studying Consumer Reports and doing online research. We limited the search to Audi, Cadillac, Genesis, Infiniti and Lexus. I would have been happy to get another Cadillac, but now they are very poorly rated and the Infiniti has also dropped considerably. So, we went to the local dealers and test drove the Audi, Genesis and Lexus. All of the cars started at about $50,000 for the mid-size. What we did not like about the Audi was that to get all of the safety features we wanted, that drove the price of the car over $60,000 and it had a very stiff ride. Also, the interior was not nicely finished for all of the cost. Next we tried out the Lexus. Both of us loved the car, but one issue was that the Lexus was going to be re-designed for the 2019 model year with updated safety features. We felt that if we got the 2018, that the car would look outdated in less than a year. And we also felt that we did not want the last version of any car or the first version because it is highly likely that issues will arise. So, we looked at the Genesis. The Genesis won’t have a major re-design for another three years. They had been a part of Hyundai, but now they are their own luxury brand. This is a similar situation when Lexus first came out. It was a part of Toyota. Now it is its own distinct brand. Starting this year, the Genesis has to migrate to its own showrooms; they cannot be sold with Hyundai’s. They have their own assembly plants and parts facilities. Prior to trying the Genesis out, I knew nothing about the brand. Mike was curious about it because the Genesis was so highly rated – up there with the Lexus. We decided to buy the Genesis G80 because there were numerous updated safety features on the car that were standard. It was also the only car that had a 360 degree camera; and it was a bit bigger and heavier than the comparable Lexus. The interior space and comfort were two of the stumbling blocks in getting a new car. We could not find anything close to the Cadillac; however the Genesis came pretty close. It was more expensive than the comparable Lexus. Since we were making this purchase near the end of a model year, we got a great deal on the car. I also said that I would never have a white car, but surprise!! Our Genesis is Casablanca White with a bamboo/beige leather interior. When we saw any of the cars in the various shades of gray or black, most often the interiors were dark gray or black, which is not practical in the South. Now I am in love with white!!!
Back in April we did not think that the Braves would play well enough to make it to the post-season; but they did. Unfortunately, the Dodgers were too much for them in the League Division Series. Yet, if there is any sentimental value placed on history, the Braves still had an indirect post-season presence as at one time they were the Boston Braves and the Milwaukee Braves.
We have had a very rainy year. We will likely end the year with a rain surplus to 16” to 17”. This cut into our pool time over the summer. It also made it difficult for me to keep up with daily walking and for Mike to go fly fishing. The summer was not particularly hot until September and early October. I had my hottest birthday ever this year when the temperature reached 93 degrees on October 6th. The average high temperature for that day is 77 degrees. I have had many birthdays when the temperature has made it into the low 80s – but not the low 90s!! The fall color was not nice this year due to the excessive rain. Typically, we have peak fall color around Halloween, but this year it did not peak until Thanksgiving. Areas north of here have already had bad winter weather with snow, sleet or freezing rain, depending upon the elevation of the precipitation.
We have had weather surprises throughout the year; however, for all of the wild and catastrophic conditions arising from hurricanes Florence and Michael, we did not have anything extreme happen to us. We had a few dicey moments during Michael when a tornado set down near us, but it was airborne again when it arrived in our area. We also had some heavy wind and rain from Michael which caused some flooding. We worried a lot about family. Both Florence and Michael had the potential to cause major problems in Savannah. Neither storm did much damage, so Kristin and her family were safe. SW GA was particularly hard hit by Michael. In addition to massive property damage, many of GA’s crops were destroyed. This is generational damage. SW GA is pecan country. When a pecan tree is lost, it takes 17 to 25 years for a newly planted one to produce pecans. Hurricane Michael even had an impact in central and coastal VA where Amber’s parents live. I have cousins in the Wilmington, NC – Cape Fear River area. This was the “ground zero” for hurricane Florence. The extreme flooding turned Wilmington into an island with no easy way in or out for some time.
Approximately 4685 words ago, I said at the start of this letter – it has been a very busy year for us. We wish you happy holidays and a wonderful year in 2019.
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