Another 1st!

August 1st...I thought I'd take this opportunity to share some recent special firsts. First of all, it was our joy to welcome our Corpus Christi neighbors, Doug and Georgene, as our first guests from home. As I was waiting for their plane to arrive, I realized this was the first time I'd ever been to the Bangkok airport to meet someone...very exciting and I can't wait until the next time!

The picture above was taken the second evening our friends were with us, but it was the first time any of us had been to a restaurant where they give you condoms rather than after dinner mints! The restaurant, Cabbages and Condoms, is a one of a kind Bangkok Thai restaurant that donates a percentage of their profits to population control and AIDS charities. Be sure to check out my Shutterfly album for some pictures of artistic uses of condoms.

Doug and Georgene both enjoyed the view of the Chao Phraya River from the terrace of the Oriental Hotel. This 128-year old hotel is one of the most famous hotels in all of Asia and the first of it's kind in Bangkok. At the time of it's construction, it was the most impressive building not constructed by the king.

High tea...now that was truly a memorable first for Sam and me! We celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary in the Author's Lounge of the Oriental. This original wing of the hotel was an oasis of Victorian charm with it's white wicker furniture, sepia photos of King Chulalongkorn, and guitar soloist. We all enjoyed it so much that Sam promised that it wouldn't be our last visit here. In fact, we can't wait for our next guests to come so that we can share this special Bangkok tradition once again. Be sure to let us know when you'll be arriving, and we'll gladly reserve a room for you in our Bann Jamjuree B&B!

P.S. I've been busy working on our Shutterfly account and am once again up to date with pictures. Yeah! If you'd like to take a look, simply click on the link to the right.