Nomadic Texan

All trip long I had been waiting to visit the Jadi Batek factory in Kuala Lampur Malaysia and buy Kim Batek material. I have know our entire 35 year marriage that she loves Batek and she has many blouses and dresses from Batek. She told me four different colors to look for and to buy […]

    This past May two of my sons and I volunteered with Homes of Hope. We helped build a home for this family in Tijuana Mexico. I was more than surprised by the way that this project effected me and it was one of the most emotional and pleasing efforts that I have completed […]

One of the things that struck me as unusual in my recent trip to Thailand and Malaysia, was the amount of monkeys everywhere we went near forests or jungles. I am not used to that in Texas. We experienced more monkeys though, at locations where Buddhas were present and I am guessing it is a […]

I have stayed with many a hotel in my traveling history, ranging from low end budget types to 5-star luxury hotels. One of the ways I judge a hotel is the bathroom facilities and size. Obviously cleanliness is paramount to receive a favorable review from me.   As I entered the bathroom at the Shangri-La […]

We pulled into the parking lot of the Royal Selangor Factory in the mid morning and the Malaysian heat and humidity were intense. As we left the tour bus I spied this huge tankard at the entrance to the factory. It made me think immediately of how good a cold beer would taste just now, […]

Mosaic Above Upstairs Doors   One of my favorite events on my recent FAM tour to Thailand and Malaysia was visiting The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion in Penang Malaysia. It is located in the Georgetown section of the city. The house was built in the 19th century and has wonderful brocade wood work along all […]

If you know me, you understand that I love Colonial architecture, doors, windows and balconies. I am not sure exactly why I am drawn to that period. The magnificent arches, large doors mainly made from wood and over-sized windows are more than attractive to me. They are magnetic and pull me in. When you add […]

As we approached the dock to enter the Amita Cooking class from the water or Khlong, or as its more commonly called a canal, I saw this friendly and energetic lady waiting to greet us. We each exited the Long Boat. I love to eat. I love to cook. When I travel I go out of […]

We hit the ground at around 11:45 PM local time in Bangkok on November 13, 2013. This was after being in the air or airports for a whopping 27 hours and I was exhausted. There are times I can fall asleep quickly and there are times my body fights every effort to dose off on […]

I love beach towns in any country and always gravitate to them regardless. I was recently in Phuket Thailand, a very well known city and it has infinite attributes. One I was totally caught off guard by, was the amount of wonderful buildings and intoxicating architecture that exists in the old section of town. As […]

Our visit to James Bond Island or Khao Phing Kan, in Phang Nga Bay Thailand was both exhilarating and educational. The ride over in the Long Boat was stimulating and was an experience I shall never forget. It was a proper end to the ride, when we wound up at the restaurant in Sea Gypsy […]

I first traveled to Thailand in 1973 as a buyer with Six Flags Amusement parks. I was just 23 and the world lay before my feet, or so I was brash enough to think! We all know when we are young we are invincible and nothing can stop us. I felt that way when I […]

As we headed out of Phuket Thailand, to take the Long Boat to James Bond Island or Khao Phing Kan in the Phang Nga Bay,  I knew I couldn’t make the entire trip without a potty break. I have a bad bladder and holding is not an option ordinarily, as my wife Kim will tell […]

After 22 hours of flying and an additional 5 hours of layovers I was more than ready to get in bed and try and grab a little sleep. We landed in Bangkok at around midnight and we had two vans take us directly to the hotel. That was my first experience on being in the […]

As I sit here tonight scanning my shares and connections on social media, I came across a musician friend that loves Japan more than I do if that is possible. It s been many years since Kim and I have been to Japan and I am ready to go back. If I could afford it, […]

There is still time to take advantage of a fabulous piece of Texas history this year. It is especially fascinating, if you have young children and  are familiar with the Polar Express story. The Texas State Railroad is running December 11-23 and December 26-29 in Palestine Texas. I recently experienced this wonderful little town on the […]

I recently participated in a FAM/Press trip to Thailand and Malaysia. I have been to Thailand many years ago, but never to Malaysia and I always get excited when my destination is SE Asia or that part of the world. I love the people, the food and the culture in this part of the world […]

As we drove down the country lane, through the Piney Woods of East Texas, I reflected on the weekend and all that had transpired. We had several experiences that surpassed my expectations and the culinary treats were superb. Little did I know that my taste buds would soon be exploding with delight again. We drove […]

The original pretense of Kim and my visit to Palestine Texas for the weekend, was to share in the culinary attributes, of this pearl of the East Texas Piney Woods. Of course my first thought was chicken fried steak or maybe a huge helping of fried catfish. I was, to be totally honest, a little […]

As we entered The Texas Art Depot, I asked if we were really in a “Winery”, as it appeared to me that we were in an art and antique shop. Our host Breezy Lake-Wolfe directed us upstairs. As we neared the staircase I saw these boxes of wine sitting and waiting to be shipped and […]