Wish You Were Here
THAILAND: Danville residents Sandy and Mike Heller recently spent nearly three weeks on a bus tour around Thailand. The Hellers have been to Thailand before, but usually just short excursions from cruise ships. This trip started in Bangkok, “but quickly moved to the more mountainous northern part of Thailand, which was all new to us,” Mike says. “There was lots of history — parts of Thailand were settled in the 1200s.” The elephant camps near Chiang Mai were a trip highlight. TRAVEL TIPS: “Thailand isn’t far from the equator, so the weather is hot and quite humid all year long — think Florida in the summer,” Mike says. “But there is a pronounced dry season — December through March — which is the ideal time to visit. No visa is necessary for U.S. citizens. Plan to exchange money as few merchants accept U.S. dollars.” ANTARCTICA: Milpitas resident Jonathan Domash took a cruise to Antarctica in January. “My ship, the RCGS Resolute, made it to 68 degrees south, more than 100 miles south of the Antarctic Circle,” he says. Even at 11 p.m., when this picture was taken at the group’s encampment on Leith Island, it was still daylight. “We slept on the ice. We each dug a sleeping bag-sized hole on the snow maybe a foot deep, then put down a waterproof bivy sack. In went a rubber pad for insulation, then a sleeping bag rated to 0 degrees. We slept in long johns, pants, undershirts and flannel shirts. It wasn’t cold — high 20s and no wind, just a sky afire and the occasional roar of a chunk of ice calving from a glacier and splashing into the water of the bay.”
TRAVEL TIPS: “There are lots of Antarctic ships and cruises out there. Choose one that meets your requirements for itinerary, days of sea travel vs. landing stops, activities on shore and on the ship, and onboard luxury and amenities.”