Plans turned to tears and the passing away of Jimm

   I have been silent on the blog for the most terrible of reasons - My beloved husband and best friend Jimm died on November 6. It was very sudden, with an ambulance being called around 3:30pm and he was gone from me by 6:30pm. I have cried about a zillion tears and this is heartbreaking on so many levels.
   Jimm loved being in Bangkok and we had such fun in the year planning it together. As you might have seen from his busy facebook and instagram entries, each day was a new adventure. I am devastated that he was enjoying this new life so much and yet fate cheated him of fully realizing our dream.
   We had decided to hold off collecting his social security a year for a lousy 17 bucks more a month, and he only got to draw on it for 5 months total. It turns out I am too young to receive any of his for many months. Use that as a cautionary tale of never knowing what the future can bring and treat each day as it may be your last.
   So- could anything be more terrible than losing my partner and friend of over 30 years, being alone in a foreign country and not speaking the language, fighting with Prudential insurance, my home back in Las Vegas rented out for 24 more months? I am thinking, not much more. Thankfully our son Sebastian has been a rock of support even though he was suffering terribly himself.

    Most of my friends and family expected I would return to the states, but I feel like the enormous amount of energy it took to get here would be a betrayal of everything we set out to accomplish. My current plan is to travel EVERYWHERE we had wished to go over 5 years and cram it into 11 months. It won't be anywhere near as fun, I will cry a lot but to waste this opportunity we had grabbed for ourselves would be to throw away a lifetime experience.

   So now this blog will not be a lighthearted cultural trip of all things Southeast Asia, but a more traditional solo travel blog. I hope you will follow along with me and see the moon on the other side of the world.

Shrines and Spirit Houses

   One of the joys of living in a foreign country or getting to travel is seeing what the locals experience everyday. Thailand is over 90% Buddhist with Hindu influences and one way most visitors see this devotion right away are the Spirit Houses and Shrines. They are outside most all buildings and businesses, usually where a shadow of the actual building cannot fall on it.
   The Shrine houses a statue of the Buddha and is the larger the two. The smaller Spirit House is there to honor the spirits of the land the house or building is on, kind of like Mother Earth.

   They are always near each other but have separate  places for offerings. These could be flowers, incense and often food and soft drinks. Many times I see people from our building praying and leaving offerings. Even just walking by, they "wai" (bow head with palms together) 

   Most businesses also have a small shrine area inside-we see them in restaurants and stores, all adorned with flowers and food. While I have not been in a private home, I understand they normally have one there also.

   There are several famous larger public Shrines in and around Bangkok, most of which are busy day and night. They often have statues of Hindu Gods, which Thais also worship. Here is a video of Erawan, right in the heart of the hotel/mall center of Bangkok. 

   This Shrine has a famous 4 headed statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai representation of the Hindu God of Creation Lord Brahma. You enter and can purchase offerings, then working  clockwise pray at all 4 directions. People pray for luck, love, health and money. If you want special prayers you can hire the Thai dancers and musicians where you kneel and they will dance behind you. It is very solemn and respectful and once your prayers are answered, you are supposed to return and give thanks.

Welcome to my Inaugural Posting!

   Thanks for visiting my blog on retiring to Thailand from Las Vegas--a huge change for us and I hope interesting to others who want to know what life is like on the other side of the world! My husband Jimm and I have traveled all over the place, but a trip we made to Thailand in 2015 was unlike any other we had experienced. We talked about our adventure for months and were kind of amazed at what a connection we felt for that exotic country.
   In 2016 when Jimm made the suggestion that we retire to Bangkok if I thought I could make the numbers work, I JUMPED at the chance. Looking back, I know I have always wanted to live in other countries...traveling has always been a part of who I am and to live in Thailand and also be able to see all over Southeast Asia was a bonus too good to pass up. Our lives have been conventional but in un-conventional ways, so in retrospect moving here is so "us"! To the family and friends who thought we were kidding, I only point to the way we have done things in our lives. My personal mantra "Nothing to it but to do it!"  sums it all up- because a dream without a plan is just a wish and if I want it to happen, I find a way!
  Fastforward 13 months later and through much reading, researching, watching youtube, emailing people and so much more we now live 14 hours ahead of Las Vegas time and it was absolutely the best decision for us!

   So as I sit here on the 28th floor of my 485 sq foot apartment, looking out at a cityscape of 14 million people in a major world city, I hope you enjoy following our adventure and on the way, learn about the culture and people of this amazing country...