…good friends.

We have met many new friends on this quest, we have exchanged emails & telephone numbers and have free invites to stay in Australia, Amsterdam, Germany, Qatar, Boston and Canada.  But, we have been eager to get to Bangkok and visit with our good longtime friends, Tony & Joni.

Tony and I met when we were both bachelors, had not yet even met our future spouses, and were largely irresponsible young men just looking to have fun.  Over the last 35+ years, we were in each other’s weddings, watched our children grow-up and shared many joys and a few sorrows.  Tony and Joni went overseas and have been overseas for the last 22 years but even with the physical distance we have all remained close.  To say the least, it is a relaxed relationship with a lot of history and fond memories.  

We arrived in Bangkok on Friday night to Joni’s excellent salad making and Tony’s proficient pizza ordering, (it was actually a great treat of western style food!).  The weekend was filled with an easy jog in the rice paddies, foot massages, local sights, good restaurants, good wine and conversation and a trip to Lumpini Park where Terri was excited to see some monitor lizards.

On Monday morning we headed for Kanchanaburi, Thailand via the “Death Railway.”  This is where the actual bridge over the River Kwai is and where the story of the same name originates.  The actual bridge was destroyed in the latter part of WWII by US  dive bombers, but has been rebuilt.   There are many monuments, museums and a large cemetery in the middle of town – all reminders of some of the tragedies that occurred during that time.

The area is very scenic and the Thai people here are more relaxed than in Bangkok.  We had two nights at a great resort that was on the river bank. Terri, never wanting to miss a waterfall, booked an additional trip into the mountains for more exploring and sight seeing.

It was a great way to start our adventures in Thailand!

   
   
 

A Tuk Tuk ride in Bangkok
 
 
Terri jumping into a Songthaew, taxi in Kanchanaburi
 
  
Our resort on the River Kwai, value: 2 nights, a huge buffet breakfast – $84 US
 
 
Riverside dining at the resort
 
 
The Death Train
  

  

Not being able to read Thai, we appreciated the figures
 
  
 
Terri’s waterfall …..
 

10 thoughts on “…good friends.”

  1. Gorgeous waterfall Terri! And photo proof-of-life that Tony & Joni really do exist (we’ve heard so much about them but never met – thought maybe they were your “imaginary” friends!) You guys are getting tan (tho the skies always seem to be white) and look even more relaxed & happy. Things are good here – calming down for us (knock wood). The weather has been killer so we’re heading out for a nice hike ourselves. Oh, and I made pad thai for dinner last night – solidarity ya know. Thinking of youse! xx

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    1. Hey guys! Looks like you are having a great time with Tony and Joni in Thailand. We are in Tucson for the long weekend. I need to get with Matt on FaceTime to go over cruise ideas for New Years.

      Love the pics and stories.

      Marty

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  9. The waterfall is absolute beautiful. Did you get to feed to lizards at all? They look like you may want to have some food to distract them…..LOL 🙂 Justin is right about those bathroom signs….each one certainly has some issues but of course I’ll leave those alone. Also, I wonder how many phones get dropped off of the Death Train? Anyway, keep all of the wonderful posts going and have a great time.
    Aaron

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