ANANTARA CHRISTMAS DAY

Its a lovely feeling to get up late on Christmas Day and go to the special brunch at the Anantara.  Feels like being spoiled with welcoming chocolate martinis, free flow wine or pro secco and so many food stations of Traditional turkey and stuffing, Thai table, seafood table, BBQ table, Chinese table, salads etc.  After the big choice of cheeses and yummy desserts.  Santorinis running around helping Santa while listening to carols and later a jazz quartet.   So lucky to still be able to be there feeling well and active.   Spoke to Terry and family.  All from Pittsburgh staying in Erie for the weekend.   Heard from all four children this Christmas

CHRISTMAS SEASON

The Christmas season was fairly quiet.   Not many friends back yet.  Spent Christmas Eve in CU with Bill, Yaraslav and usual suspects.  Concetta and  Paul are with me to Christmas Dinner at the Anantara sitting with Sally and friends.   Very nice as usual although prices for all these events at good hotels are going up and up.   Just don't go to as many as old times.   

December 2016

Mainly taking life easy.   Went to Chi Gong at Yoga Tree several times.  Dealing with loads of paper work for a retirement visa which meant going out to Promenada Mall three times.  So much documentation is required and had to pay almost 2000 to the Irish Embassy to certify it although providing bank accounts for six months plus official statements of annuity.  Most boring.  Nicest jaunt was out to the Four Seasons for a Skills for Life event.  Neighbour Eileen came and also met Debra and Victoria in the mini bus with Sally who arranged it all.

Victoria, Eileen, Debra and myself

residents

November in Chiang Mai '16

Met lovely Katie at Chiang Mai Gate food stall.  We were eating at the one owned by that very competent nice Thai woman who cooks such great steaks of chicken, pork or beef while making her chips and salads all on two burners.
Katie was here from Canada for a month doing a massage course at the Old Medicine Hospital.  Met a few of her friends who were also on the course.  We all went to Lucky's for a few drinks and continued to meet up often while she was here.

Jelly, Bill, Toby and Yaraslov at CU

Katie ready for road

Katie, myself, Lucky and Eileen

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

My birthday was soon after I arrived this year, I'd booked dinner with Chris and Bill in Dash as usual.  A few days before I met three fun people in CU.  They were travellers, a couple on bikes and an old friend.   Marc and Anita  Cole and their pal Phil.   Such fun, nice people.  They joined in the dinner and also Jume who got together again.   The men were English, Anita was Irish.    They all booked in to Chedi View and we enjoyed beers together.   Found a fun bar close by run by nice Thai lady named Lucky.   They stayed for a week.   Anita and Marc headed for Laos on their bikes and very hilly it was too from the photos.

Anita and I

In Clay Gatden with Deb

CU with Joao and Cristine

At Dash for birthday dinner

CU with Pensri and Deng

CHIANG MAI, Thailand 2016

Returned to this home early November.   As everywhere things have increased in price, traffic is bad and Thai immigration makes no sense with the issuance of visas and extension of same.   As a result many old friends and acquaintances are not coming at all this year.
It's still very easy to settle in to the ease of life and the smiles.   The Loy Kratong festival was, of course, subdued due to the death of the beloved King.   Everyone dressed in black and white and the floats were also in those colours.   I went down to the Ping river to float my Kratong along with Deb
There were Kom Loys but no fireworks.   We sat in Reginas after sailing our little offerings from the Wat near Anantara

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Returning to Blogspot

Update November 2016

I've been posting at "aileenonroad.tumblr.com" for my camping adventures this year mainly in Portugal,    It's a great country for camping, lovely Aires and inexpensive campsites.   The people are nice and friendly, markets are great, food is inexpensive etc.  Most enjoyable.  I've tried to transfer the pictures to here without success so far so anyone who's interested in details on the rest of the travels in Portugal in a motor home will need to go to that blog or email me as I will try to resume blogging here mainly because Tumblr sends just too many messages that have nothing to do with me.  Tumblr also has the news and pics from the Trad music festivals in Ireland during July and August.
After I returned to Ireland this year I realised that I would need to have an address again.  Prices on houses were increasing beyond my reach and saw that I wouldn't be able to afford to buy in Galway (always wanted to live there) and couldn't find a small house in Ennis my second choice.  Decided to buy a townhouse in Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim.  That is not an area where I've ever spent time but it is small yet interesting and has my three pre-requisites.   Shops are just a short walk away, also pubs with trad music sessions, most of all there's a bus and a train to Dublin so easy airport access😜 It was a pleasant surprise that there's a cinema with an art film night once a week as well as an opera film once a week.   There's a university of the third age, a weekly organic market, friendly people and a theatre.   Really promising.   Here's a picture of my little town house.   It's the lower one with the green door in the middle.

The house is situated in the complex on the left of this picture.  Town is just over the bridge to the right.
I only had a very short while in the house before it was time to leave for winter in Chiang Mai, Thailand as usual