Taiwan Trip *Special Post!*

Hi Everyone!

Sooo, I hope everyone is doing great!  I am glowing!  Only because things are changing for me so quickly, and I'll show you why in a brief moment!

I promised you all that I would post on my new China Airlines skincare products and routine but I can't remember where I put my iPad....  It's not lost, I just can't find it for now.  So, that post, which I wanted to come before this post for sure, will just have to come later.

I also wanted to have one more travel post of Mr. P and me in Taiwan before this special post, but we haven't even begun sorting through our plethora of pictures.  Dealing with jet lag and everything that's been going on in the one week we've been back has just made everything busier!

But I just can't hold back anymore!  Here's the happy news!

Mr. P and I are officially engaged!  And by "officially," I mean in the Taiwanese tradition where we went through the Engagement Ceremony!

Walking into my parents' house where the Ceremony was held.

The Ceremony with our relatives and the Mistress of Ceremony.

So now, below, are a few pictures we took at Maya Studios in Taiwan.  They are so professional, and my makeup artist did such a fantastic job with my overall look that I secretly want to bring her to America to make me look this great everyday!  *fantasy, fantasy!*

My relatives said I looked like Coco Lee.  I personally don't see it, but hey!  A compliment is a compliment, so I'll take it!  LOL!

Everything happened so quickly and we were brought from place to place that it seems like a blur.  But I really really really appreciate everything my family did for us and am so touched to have such family!  I was so happy to see how everyone welcomed Mr. P into the family.

I'm just looking forward to life together with Mr. P.  It makes me really giddy!




By the way, in the professional photos, my makeup artist was also the hair dresser.  She did a great job, right?  That was 5 layers of hair spray, about 10 layers of double eyelid tape, combined, and 12 hours of photography!  It's crazy, but I would do it again and again and again!


Thanks for reading and have a great day!!!

Carol

Thailand Vacation with Mr. P!

Hi Everyone!

Mr. P and I just got back from our travels earlier this week and are trying to get readjusted to our local time.  Any advice, Gummy?  :-)  This will be part of a series of travel posts I'll upload over the next few days.  There are simply too many pictures!

Before we arrived in Taiwan, we flew to Bangkok, Thailand to pay our respects, homage, and thanks to the Four-Faced Buddha at Erawan Shrine.  The total time from leaving our home in Los Angeles to checking into the hotel was over 24 hours.  While there, we also booked tours with Angmo and Air.

So, here are a few picture highlights from our Bangkok trip.

Ayuttaya, ruins with broken Buddhas

Ayuttaya, coconut sugar delicacy

 

Floating Market, tom yum pork noodles

Near Ayuttaya, Wat Pa-In Portuguese tower

Shopping at MBK

Bangkok McD's, jetlagged and hungry!  Green sauce is a wasabi sauce you can order for 9 baht.

McD's chicken porridge!

McD's tuna pie.  It was salty AND sweet!

We also went to the Railroad Market.  Mr. P was 6 inches from the train as it barreled past.  We have the video for it but I can't upload it directly to my blog without going through YouTube, so I think I'll leave it for now.

Ayuttaya by way of river cruise

Ayuttaya tuk tuks

These pictures are only a handful of many that Mr. P and I took.  I can't upload them all, but I would highly highly recommend a personal visit to Bangkok for all of you.  

Our tour guides:

Yaowarak Saithongpatigul (aka Angmo)

email: yaowarak@thaisabailife.com

website: thaisabailife.com

Notes:  The things that stood out to me about Angmo from last year were her immense knowledge of Thai culture and history, as well as her sense of humor.  I knew she would be the perfect guide to start off Mr. P and my tour in Thailand, and I was right!  I was struck by how prepared she was for every moment of the tour by having fun and informational handouts on the rides to the actual tour locations, being able to contextualize nearly everything we saw, and retaining her sense of humor through everything.  I can honestly say that if you book with Angmo, you will learn new things about Thailand that are not included in traditional tours.  Angmo's tours might be a little high, price-wise, but you'd be getting the whole package.  She covers admission fees, transportation, food, snacks and beverages.  Basically, you don't need to worry about anything, other than souvenirs.  One really impressive thing was that she actually remembered who I was from last year!  You can't have a better person to be your guide than Angmo.  I highly highly recommend your first tour be with Angmo.

Photjaman Reamsan (aka Air)

email: photjaman1978@gmail.com or info@bkktours.com

website: bkktours.com and bkkphotography.com

Notes:  We booked Air's tour to the Floating Market and the Railroad Market.  She covered all our transportation fees and meals.  She's very knowledgeable on practical things, probably what most tourists will ask her about shopping in Bangkok.  She spent a great deal of time teaching us that Bangkok's commerce is based on a system of bargaining.  Sometimes, you can bargain down 60-75% lower than the actual price of things.  Mr. P found his hidden bargaining talent at the Floating Market, so I let him handle all our purchases after that.  :)  The highlight of the Railroad Market is, of course, standing 6 inches away from a train barreling past you and watching all the vendors move there umbrellas, awnings, and wares off the tracks.