Bangkok 2024

We recently returned from several weeks in Thailand and 2 weeks in India. 

We flew to Bangkok on Air France through Paris. That was 22 hours and 10 minutes of flight time. We returned from Kolkata (aka Calcutta) on British Air through London for another 24 hours and 10 minutes of flight time. Glad we were in Business Class. Our flight took us across the Atlantic, over Western & Eastern Europe,Turkey, Azerbijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Myanmar (aka Burma) to Bangkok.  We have always flown west to Asia in the past, so those many Asian countries are new to us (even if all we did was fly over them).

For Thailand we had a private tour that hit 3 areas that we visited 31 years ago plus two new experiences. Things have really changed in 31 years, yet it honestly doesn't feel all that long ago.

Monday Jan 8  /  Bangkok Arrival

We arrived to a day in the high eighties. This was on the high side of what we expected for temperatures. Not to worry things cooled down and we wore our warmer clothes until the last stop of our visit, at the beach in Phuket.

We were met at the airport INSIDE security and whisked through immigration and customs. Cool.

Both our latest trip and the earlier trip started in Bangkok. THEN we stayed in a hotel near the river (The Royal Sheraton Orchid) and used canal boats for our main transportation. NOW we were staying further away from the Old Town and used a combination of feet, Tuk Tuk, long-tailed boat, canal boat and SkyTrain to get around. It took a little longer getting to some of the tourist sites from the Hotel Muse but the hotel, located in the Langsuan commercial area (just outside the old town), was lovely and had great service..

The concierge recommended Rongsi Pochana for a traditional Thai food lunch, just a short walk away. We ordered hot & spicy. It was quite spicy but manageable. BUT we were not allowed to order wine because it was after 2pm and before 5pm. WHAT THE HECK!!! Apparently these hours were set years ago to assure workers didn't wile away the afternoon drinking. This seems to be the law in Bangkok and maybe elsewhere in Thailand. We usually eat before 2pm so didn't test the rule again.

After lunch we walked to the nearby (and only) Apple Store (a 15 min walk) and purchased European/Asian adapters for our phone & watch chargers. These attach directly to the chargers eliminating the need for an adapter for the American plug. Much more stable for plugging in the chargers.  We walked through a few shops, including the nearby HUGE Marks & Spence store (a fav of Brits). 

On the way back to the hotel we saw our first elephants. In fact elephants in many sizes on display outside a temple or shrine, We saw many similar displays as we toured but with different animals.

Returning to the hotel we went to the hotel bar on the 25th floor to finally have some wine and some light snacks. Nice view. Our waitress was delightful. We learned that she had interned in Hotel Management in New Hampshire.

Tuesday January 9 / Boat Tour & Grand Palace

THEN, in 1992, we took a long tail boat tour along the Chao Phraya River to Wat Arun. NOW we were going through a lock system, seeing another side of Bangkok life, and back out to the Chao Phraya River passing Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn). It has 5 spires, 1 at each corner and the main temple. Every surface is covered with shards of broken pottery in pale pinks, greens and yellows. THEN we climbed up only to discover it was harder to go back down. And over the following two days, our legs kept reminding us of that trek. Ouch! NOW, ie on this trip, we appreciated the temple from our long-tailed boat.

NOW, we were on a Bangkok Multi - Transport Adventure Tour. Our guide, Luck, met us at the hotel. We took a Taxi (transport mode #1) to the boat dock to get a Long-tailed boat (transport mode #2) for a tour of the canals.  Along the way we saw a mix of nice new properties, a range of more basic housing, and decrepit or collapsed buildings. And lots of litter and water plants in the water. Other modes of transport along the way were walking (of course), Tuk-Tuk, Canal Boat and SkyTrain.

There are locks on both ends of the canal we traversed. Along the way we stopped to feed fish. We exited to the Chao Phraya river and floated by various major temples. 

Then we went to the Grand Palace. We had to dress appropriately. No hats, No bare shoulders or legs. No shoes. All active sacred temples require no shoes.But this is one of the most strict places. And there are a number of temples in the Grand Palace complex. We had to remove our shoes 4 or 5 times.

The Grand Palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later the Kings of Thailand.) It is an impressive, sprawling complex of buildings, wats/temples/chedis, the palace itself, pavilions, gardens, and courtyards. Built in 1782 and today used mostly for ceremonies and tourism, the Grand Palace glitters with ornate details, bold colors, and gleaming spires. After architects were exposed to Western culture, a few buildings were built in European neo-Classic style, and some in a mix of Thai & Western style.

Gilded mythological and imaginary creatures guard the buildings. Among them:

• Apsonsi – Mythical character that is half woman, half lion.
• Rakshasa Guardian – Half bird, half monkey. Rākshasas are noted as malevolent beings.
• Foreign Guards – Caricatures of Chinese and Westerners/Farangs
• Guardian Demons
• Golden Kinnara – A kinnara is a lover, a celestial musician, half-human and half-bird.

There are buddhas galore:

• A 150' long reclining buddha in Wat Pho
• The Emerald Buddha, carved from a single stone. Probably jasper or jadeite. It is only 26" by 19" but is the most sacred Buddha in Thailand. Apparently the power of the Emerald Buddha gives legitimacy to the king and protection to the nation. When it was discovered in 1434 in Chiang Rai it was covered in stucco. This flaked off to reveal the stone. Today it is dressed with three different sets of gold seasonal costume; one for the summer, one for the rainy season, and a third for the winter or cool season (see below).
• A seven-headed serpent or "naga". The naga, literally "serpent" in Sanskrit, represents power, water, and fertility in many Hindu texts.
• Buddhas demonstrating Yoga poses
• Rows of Golden Buddhas

There is so much detail that is hard to capture, such as:

• The slippers on the Reclining Buddha (top left below)
• Ceramic work with lots of flowers
• A painted demon from the Ramayana (the legend of Rama which is painted in detail on the Temple of the Golden Buddha)
• A ceramic demon
• More ornate ceramic work

And there are details inside the details. Below the monkey army coming to Rama's rescue...painted inside the demon's mouth outside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

As for THEN (in 1992) the Grand Palace was pretty much the same. But we were there with better lighting on a couple Guardians, so we used the older photos. THEN we took MANY fewer photos, but we made them count! Also THEN we were trimmer... I guess that happens. 

In photos below (right one from THEN) we are pretending to be Yaksha demons with supernatural power, great strength, and frightening appearance. We probably got that last one right on. 

Wednesday January 10 / Markets & Evening Food Tour

We left the hotel at 7am to get to the Maeklong Railway market. It's a local market that sets up over the rail tracks. The vendors' stalls include awnings and platforms on wheels that can be retracted when trains pass through. We found a shop to sit at to observe the action. Bill enjoyed a banana smoothie and Pat a Thai Milk Tea Smoothie as we watched the train pass a foot or so in front of us.

From there we were off to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market located on a bunch of canals. Here boats of various shapes and sizes are used by local merchants to ferry their goods. We floated around the market noting that the goods weren't that different than at any other market. And the market boats were just a small display in front of the shops. Along the way we got coconut ice cream, pad thai and "Tom yum kung" soup (shrimp, mushrooms, shallots, lime, lemon grass, ginger, and hot chilies). We weren't crazy about the Pad Thai but otherwise Very Delicious! /Aroi mak mak! I still dream of the coconut ice creams. Later at a nearby land market, Pat stocked up on cashmere and silk scarves.

THEN we visited a floating market as well. It was tiny but it was what we imagined. Us in a boat. The vendors all in boats, mostly with fruits and vegetables. And to get to or from our boat we had to cross several others. Charming.

We wrapped up the day trip at a coconut farm where they turn coconuts and coconut sap into a range of other products to sell (coconut water, syrups, sugar, coconut chips, creams, oils, soaps, and the list goes on). We tried our hand at stirring the syrup mixture. It was VERY thick and a challenge to stir. It was easier to climb the ladder made from a coconut frond. And for some reason they had calacas (skeleton heads, shades of Mexico's Day of the Dead) for sale.

This trip we took a nighttime food tour around the city sampling street food and other local specialities that we would have been reluctant to try on the first trip. Our guide, Nate  (pronounced Net) is high energy, super enthusiastic, and an amazingly knowledgeable food guide. It was great fun touring with her. The tour is run by Expique - Bangkok Tours and Experiences:

• We took the Skytrain to our first stop. Along the way we learned a trick to avoid climbing stairs to the train, use the escalators of nearby department stores. Of course it helps if you know which stores are department stores that have convenient escalators.
• Our first stop was a night market at 10 Soi King Phet (a street address) where we had skewers of sausage and calamari.
• Next stop: yummy melt in your mouth coconut pancakes (that looked like little balls of dough). Actually it was first a pour of the dough and then a pour of the filling (including coconut, corn kernels and spring onion rings). As a final touch, a piece of pumpkin was dropped in on top.
• Then Fried dough filled with pandan sauce (a green sweet sauce made from pandan leaves). These reminded Pat of some fried dough her Mom used to make. Pat's Mom called them scones but Pat cannot figure out why or the heritage of the dish. 
• Along the way, we picked up items to have with our Hot Pot later: some coconut cake and some bamboo rings with strips of grilled pork on one and beef on another. We carried these with us. 
• Hot Pot: A cook your own pot of meat (we had pork), glass or clear noodles, mushrooms, and vegetables (we had Chinese cabbage and morning glory shoots). Nate used 1 egg to coat the meat. While we waited for the Hot Pot to finish we had a soup, the meat rings we had purchased earlier, and a spicy deep fried dish of catfish mixed with flour and spices such as crushed peppers, sliced chili, lime juice, fish sauce, and garlic. We broke off pieces  to eat. 
• Photo stop at the grand palace where we caught a tuk tuk driver (Pat) and fearful passenger (Bill).
• Later, on a back alley we stopped for rice noodles with chicken and egg. We were stuffed but this very simple dish was amazingly tasty. Despite the alley way location the quality of the food at Kua Kai Suan Mali is recognized by Michelin reviewers. 
• Our final stop was in Chinatown for fruit (pineapple). At this point we disappointed Nate and ourselves because we had no room left to sample further desserts. Sigh. 

Flowers are a big thing in Thai society.  Drivers buy them daily to please the spirit of their car. And they are needed daily for the Spirit Houses. I think the Spirits leak over from the Hindu culture to the Buddhist culture because as I understand it Buddhism is not about gods or spirits. It is more about a way of life. 

Some popular flowers are so fragile they are stored in crushed ice. 

Thursday January 11 / Ayuttaya, Ancient Capital of Siam

Bill & I had more time available on this trip so we also visited Ayuttaya, the ancient capital of Thailand / Siam. It was fun wandering around and through the ruins of 5 or so palace and temple complexes, each with ruins of smaller temples. Interesting if you like that sort of stuff. We do.

Clockwise

• Wat Phra Si Sanphet⁩ – also known as the Old Palace. Built in16C it is the largest temple in Ayutthaya and has 3 magnificent and extremely well preserved chedis (smaller temples).
• Wat Na Phra Men Rachikaram – built in early 16C located in front of the Royal Palace. Its name indicates, it was likely established as a Royal cremation area....has birthday buddhas.
• Wiharn Phra Mongkhon Bophit – houses a huge gold seated Buddha statue,  which is almost 12 meters high.
• Wat Yai Chai Mongkon⁩ (2 photos)– a magnificent temple with a  large bell-shaped chedi  flanked by  2 large seated stone Buddhas  covered with golden robes. All around the chedi are several other Buddha statues and a small garden at the back.
• Wat Maha That⁩, Built in the 14 C and the oldest temple of Ayutthaya. 

Some of the many Buddhas throughout the Attutaya complex (listed clockwise as in following photo):

• At Wat Yai Chai Mongkon
• In Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, 
• At Wat Maha That⁩ – In the grounds of Wat Maha That⁩  there is a famous Buddha head entwined in a tree trunk. The head is considered sacred and many Thai people come here to worship her.
• In Wat Yai Chai Mongkon
• At  Wat Maha That⁩ 
• At the entrance to Wat Yai Chai Mongkon, there is a 7-meter long sleeping Buddha statue. 

Inside Wat Na Phra Men Rachikaram are (clockwise from top left:

• Seated buddha with 7 headed Naga headgear
• Thousand Years Buddha (I have no idea what that refers to)
• A Golden Buddha
• A traveling Monk Buddha
• Two more Buddhas sitting in front of the Golden Buddha
• Wood craving on the door of Viharn Sanphet

We enjoyed the display of Birthday Buddhas also inside Wat Na Phra Men Rachikaram

There is a Buddha position for whichever day of the week you were born on. We were both born on Monday. Our birthday Buddha represents compromise and mediation. It depicts the Buddha pacifying a dispute. It’s a standing Buddha, He has his hand raised up in a calming gesture with his palm outward, to dispel tension. (See second image in collage below.) Those born with this Buddha are said to be down to earth, serious with great attention to detail and memory. They are also said to be fond of traveling. I think that could be an understatement,,,

If you want to know about your Birthday Buddha, search for What Is Your Birthday Buddha And What Does It Mean?  BTW there are 2 positions for Wednesday, hence 8 positions. 

Friday January 12 / Kanchanaburi and the Death Railway

From Bangkok we had a drive to Kanchanaburi visiting the Bridge over the River Kwai and riding the Death Railway along the way. We were staying at the Float House River Kwai in Saiyok with it's bungalows over the River Kwai / Khwae.

The Death Railway was required by the Japanese during WW II to connect \Nong Pladuk Station (northwest of Bangkok) to Thanbyusayat in Burma / Myanmar, 258 miles The Japanese were in a rush to build it and cut every corner possible, starting with using 60,000 allied POWs and approximately 90,000 Burmese and 75,000 - 100,000 Malaysian Tamils for labor. The Tamils volunteered, falsely expecting to be paid. 

During its 16 month construction vast numbers of workers died--from disease, sickness, malnutrition and exhaustion as well as construction accidents, The exact number of deaths isn't known, but Australian historians estimate that at least 90,000 laborers and more than 12,000 POWs died. Hence the name Death Railway. 

The railway construction around the River Kwai / Khwae area was difficult because it is surrounded with steep mountains and bordered by the Khwae Noi river which stretches 1/4 mile through mountains and about 32 feet above the river. During construction workers had to use ropes tied to their waists to hang down as they extracted stone to make the railroad bed along the cliff.

It is a poignant story, well displayed in the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Center.

Below see us by the Bridge and on the railroad tracks built on the cliff. At one end of the bridge is the well landscaped Guan Yin Temple .

From there we rode a segment of the Death Railway, along the river and through rice paddies, sugar cane fields, cassava (tapioca source) fields, peaceful homes, ...

We had lunch at Ice Phochana in Kanchanaburi featuring some really well plated and tasty fish.

Our accommodations at the FloatHouse River Kwai were relaxing. We enjoyed watching the long tail boats, rafts, and kayaks go by, as well as the folks floating downriver in their life vests. 

Saturday January 13 / Hellfire Pass & River Kwai

We visited Hellfire Pass for a walk along the former rail track, one of the most infamous places along the railway. Notice the cliff above the pass that was once just a huge stone stretching out over what became the railway. The map shows the river and the route of the railway.

Next we had a raft ride with a picnic lunch on the raft. This was followed by kayaking down the Kwae Noi back to the Float House, passing some water buffalo enjoying the water.

Sunday January 14 / The Seven Falls at Erawan FNP

On our last day in the area we visited and climbed to the top of the seven falls at Erawan National Park. Beautiful pools and cascades. We played in the water and Bill got a free pedicure thanks to the little fishies in the pool. 

And another nice lunch at Kao Thap Kaengpa.

On our way to Bangkok for our flight to Chiang Rai we stopped along the route for a Jumbo Prawn lunch at a spot recommended by our guide. Everything was super fresh and tasty.

Menton & Nice

 Monday 

We changed trains in Ventimiglia on our way to Menton in France. After crossing the border we discovered that while getting on and off is fairly easy at the endpoints of the route, at the intermediate stops the time may be limited to a minute or two...soooo we missed our intended stop in Menton and got off at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. Since we were close to Menton we thought we'd take a taxi. None were to be seen near the station or the coast. Our taxi apps attempts didn't confirm any rides. Noting that  the distance to Menton was 1.5 miles we decided that a lovely walk was in order. A mere 45 min later we arrived at our sea view apartment.

After connecting with our host and dropping our bags we went to lunch at Brasserie Du Cap:

• Pat chose Contadina (bruschetta with tomato sauce, cheese, white ham, mushrooms and parsley, lots of parsley). 
• Bill had a croque madame.

Later we enjoyed a nice sunset from our apartment.

Tuesday

A lovely sunrise turned into a bit of a grey day. We had planned to go to the Val Rahmeh Garden but, being Tuesday it was closed as are the art museums. We instead went to the noted Salle des Mariages Jean Cocteau. Jean Cocteau was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was an influential figure in early 20th century art. In1955 he was invited to transform a former courtroom of the City Hall into a Wedding Salon. He deigned every aspect of the room (painting the walls & ceiling, choosing red velvet chairs and carpets with a panther skin pattern and designing the wrought iron lighting fixtures). For us his paintings stand out. At the front of the Salon is a Mentonnaise couple in love. Other paintings include more wedding scenes and stories related to Menton life and folklore.

Afterwards we wandered around the Bay area, checked our the Marche (market) and picked up some goodies for snacking and breakfast). Then went up hill to checkout Basilique Saint-Michel Archangel de Menton (lovely outside, not open), and the nearby Chapel of the White Penitents. Then we continued further uphill to the Cimetière du Vieux Château (Cemetery of the Old Castle) atop Montée du Souvenir with its views spanning from the Italian Riviera along the Cote d'Azur nearly to Monaco. The views along with the elaborate tombs and mausoleums may be of little use to the dead, but they bring lots of visitors 

We retraced our steps back to the town (with a substantial unintended detour) and ate at Le Lido:

• "burgers avec frittes"
• and a Cote du Rhone

Our first frittes since Maine in August. Our first burgers since who knows when.

Wednesday

We began the day at the Cocteau museum near the shore. The work was quite different from that at the Salle des Mariages.

The weather remains rainy, misty at best and chilly. So we went to Falconerie (the shop with great cashmeres that Pat discovered in Torino) to get Bill a cashmere shirt. We then purchased wine and breakfast pastries at the nearby marche aux herbes.

We stopped for lunch at La Brazza:

• mussels (proclaimed some of the best ever by Pat)
• loup (European sea bass)
• and a caesar salad (not the best)

The weather cleared in the afternoon and we headed to Val Rahmeh Garden. After a short detour that took us through a grove of olive trees we arrived at the garden. We saw lots of flowers, trees, bamboo, a pond with water lilies and a large amphora where Pat posed as as a genie coming out of a "bottle".

Thursday

Today also started out rainy. We wandered Menton finding a delighrful candy shop. They know how to get you to buy...after a few minutes, we were offerred a taste of some lemon cookies. Not too sweet and with a tart refreshing lemon filling that just stayed with you saying, "you want some more, right?" And of course we bought a can.

Pat had to have some of those wonderful mussels again so we returned to La Brazza for lunch. 

• Pat of course had the mussels
• Bill had fish & chips
• A lovely Viognier worked well with each
• For dessert we chose a combo of what you might call Spanish and French custards: flan and creme brûlée 

Friday 

We chose to combine touring with our move to Nice and hired a driver guide to pick us up in Menton, take us on a tour back to Italy, yep, back to Italy, and then returning us to Nice at the end of the tour.

Why Italy again? One of the primary reasons for visiting Menton was to see the fabulous gardens in the area. Two of the most notable are the Val Rahmeh Gardens in Menton and the Hanbury Gardens in nearby Ventimiglia Italy. By arranging a special tour we thought we might even get to see one or more of the gardens in Bordigjhera where there are the Pallanca Exotic Gardens, the Giardini Winter and the Giardini Monet. And or drive up through the charming village of Dolceacqua

The day started with heavy rain but we got a break and were able to get our luggage downstairs and to the car during a brief lull. We started out toward Ventimiglia and Hanbury Garden. When we arrived at the garden it was closed due to high storm warnings (and the paths are very steep). It wasn't even vaguely tempting to try to get in anyway. 

We continued on to Ventimiglia. Our guide took us for a short walk around the center, checking out the narrow streets, the houses connected with bridges that cross the streets at the 2nd or 3rd level, fishing nets left out to dry, and a nice small church. 

Then we were off to the market. We sampled some Socca (chickpea flat bread pizza ). It doesn't sound special but it is quite tasty. Like spicy crackers. We bought some artichoke tart (artichoke, spinach, chickpeas, rice, parmigiano cheese) for our evening meal).

Next stop was Dolceacqua but it was raining too hard to tour. The river was extremely high (Just before the storm, it had been mostly dry according to our driver guide). We continued on to another village, Apricale. It was still raining. but less so and we took a short walk around the town anyway. We were surprised to see a bicycle perched on the side of a steeple. Our guide was equally surprised.

Then we stopped at Baci (a very cute stone walled, cave-like restaurant). FYI, the host spends several winter months in the US. We enjoyed:

• Funghi with polenta
• Sausage and polenta
• A nice red wine

By the time we returned to Dolceacqua the storm had cleared and we had a lovely tour of the old castle. In the middle of 15C, Dolceacqua began to grow and developed across the river: the new district of the “Borgo” was born. The two parts of town are connected by a characteristic "donkey-back" (arched) bridge. 

It was getting late so we headed to our next and final "home" for the trip, the West End Hotel in Nice, located right on the Promenade. We enjoyed a nice Brut Champagne provided by the hotel along with our Artichoke Tart from Ventimiglia. 

Saturday

We took a taxi to the Matisse Museum. The exhibits follow his history with examples of various styles and techniques he used during his life.

Then we walked downhill to the Chagall Museum. By the time we reached it, it was about to close for an hour so we continued walking to the Old Town. We stopped for lunch at Bistrot de l’Opéra:

• Nicoise Salad
• Seafood with ratatouille & rice
• Sancere

We enjoyed walking along the promenade, with many people out enjoying the sunny weather that followed the storm. On of the most intriguing artworks along the way is named "La chaise bleue de SAB". Almost anyway you look at it, it seems 3 dimensional. But if you line up with the chair at the right angle, you realize it is simply 2 dimensional!

Sunday

We woke to a nice sunrise and later also captured a sunset over the promenade.

We Ubered to the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral where we admired impressive architecture and design outside and inside. Next we went to the Chagall Museum that features his life through two world wars. 

Then we headed to Cave de Stephane in Old Nice where we purchased wine to bring home with us. Stephane not only advised us which wines to buy but also recommended La Panier for lunch. We loved it's amazing surprise menu. And our companion diners were interesting: one couple from Larkspur CA, one couple from the UK. The woman (Georgina Owens) from the UK is a chief Technical Officer. I checked out her LinkedIn when we got home and she has roughly 4400 LinkedIn Followers. That's an impressive number in my book. Her husband has a software background including machine code (which was Pat's early career).

The "menu" for the Multi-course meal started with a message: "Beyond our travels across continents, our desire is to open your mind to new culinary sensations." Then the "detailed menu" offerred  "Voyages with 4, 5 or 7 stopovers"   

Then there was an extensive list of ingredients. We assured the waiter that we are not allergic to any of them. 

That was it. No more clues re what we would be eating. It was lunch so we got the 4 stopover meal, which included an amuse bouche. We chose the wine pairings as well, of course. They described each dish in detail as they were served, but afterwards, without Pat's notes, our only hope of identifying them would have been that list of ingredients. Even then it is difficult with such ingredients as: maigre (a type of fish), freekeh (wheat grain), gomasio (a seasoning of sesame & sea salt), wakame (kelp), salicornia (sea beans/sea asparagus). What we can tell you is everything was great, with a fine combinations of flavors and textures. Here are the components Pat captured re each course:

• Amuse bouche: baby squid, dried sword fish, raspberry coulis, on roasted yellow ancorn squash with a baby beet leaf
• Beef tartare, shrimp, red radish, cod fish liver, cavier, baby mushroom, red pepper, basil and pickled caper leaf
• Fried maigre fish, yellow curry, romanesco broccoli, sea weed, mussel, flat beans, grape, tiny asparagus, kale, marinated vegs
• Veal rib steak, pepper  stuffed with smokey lentils, yellow pepper ketchup, parsley, dried paste of red pepper
• Dense Chocolate cake with carmel sauce, and pistachio ice cream with citrus sauce

Monday

Our driver picked us and our bags up at 9am for a day of touring the stone hilltowns of the Cote d'Azur.

We started with St Paul du Vence, a quaint medieval village we visited 30 years ago. It's a town with lots of art history. Among others, Picasso, Dufy, Matisse, and Marc Chagall have stayed there. It is also home to the Maeght Foundation, a renowned institution dedicated to modern and contemporary art.

We moved on to Tourrettes sur Loup, a typical provencal village filled with artisans.   Tourettes is noted for their candied violets (very sweet with a nice floral taste). We visited a wood carving artist who had some amazing pieces. Before leaving, we stopped at a Boulangerie/Patisserie where we enjoyed both savory and sweet snacks.

On our way to Gourdon we took a scenic route through the Loup Canyon. Along the way we stopped in Pont du Loup. It's name (Bridge of the Loup) reflects the fact that before WWII it's bridge with at least 11 arches was a major crossing point of the Loup River/Canyon. All that remains now is the a few large abutements (see one below the waterfall in the photo below. Yes it blends into the canyon rock but is much too regular to be natural.)  Now the town is known for Florian's Candy Shop.

We continued onto Gourdon and stopped at Le Vieux Four for lunch:

• Organic poached egg, with onions, bacon and Meurette sauce / bourguignon sauce with salad shoots in vincigrette
• Butcher's cut, fried caussol potatoes, pan-fried vegetables of the day, reduced meat sauce.
• La Bastide Blanche Bando

After lunch we strolled around Gourdon where we found yet another candy shop and some fine mushrooms. We headed to the airport. We stopped for a photo op of Gourdon and then continued onwards, making a short stop in Valbonne for a walk around the center of this "new" 16C city with its splendid arcaded square, a place full of local charm and very international at the same time.

We arrived at the airport for our trip home with ample time to prepare for our flight. We had found the best deal through Istanbul again. We flew through Istanbul when returning from Greece last year and were amazed at the airport which is active and alive 24/7.  We enjoyed another early morning in the Turkish Air lounge. Photos below are from the lounge around 1AM.

We arrived in Mexico on time and our ride was waiting for us for the 3.5 hour trip to SMA.