Home again. We had a grand send off our last night. The Asia Foundation hosted a dinner party at Alix’s house and most of the TALG staff was there and invited guests. Mr. And Mrs. Kularathna, Geetha, Veena, Chandini and Lakshman, Peter, Veasna and Mei all came. It was so much fun and made us both feel really good about our experience there. There was a period of ‘speeches’ and we both were honored by the comments people made about us. The food was catered and sooooo good. Mr. and Mrs. Kularathna stayed until the end because he wanted to drive us back to the hotel. I almost cried when I said goodbye to him. I spent more time with him than anyone else in SL except Ron and had grown quite fond of him.

We got about three hours sleep then got up to catch an early morning flight. In Thailand we were met by two relatives and a friend of Nattawan. They had already arranged a van for us and we all piled in and headed south for Phetchaburi. We went by the house, checked into the hotel then went shopping for some basics. Our Thai friends accompanied us and told us what had already been purchased (toilet papers, soap, brooms, etc.). This made our list much shorter so it didn’t take as long. Back to the house to unload. Then we went back to the hotel and scheduled a two-hour Thai massage.
The next day more friends came by and picked us up. Kay and Bill live in Hua Hin, about an hour south of Phetchaburi. We picked up Nattawan’s friend Su and her niece Thui and headed for a day of goofing off since our household goods wouldn’t arrive until Saturday. We drove to the summer palace of Rama VI. Ron and I had visited it on our first trip to Thailand in 2004 but it had been completely restored since our visit. The weather in Thailand was delightful. Our friends were cold but it was just right for us after 14 months in Sri Lanka. We ended the day with a fabulous seafood meal on the beach, literally the tables sit in the sand.

On Saturday the movers arrived at 9:00 a.m. not 11:00 as expected. We were blessed with an excellent crew who had to carry everything from the front of the property because the truck wouldn’t fit through the gate. It was a distance of about a block . They also unpacked everything to ensure nothing had been damaged. Not a single thing had been. We spent Saturday working hard, putting things away but were able to spend the night in the house. What a thrill! It is so lovely and our furniture and household goods fit in it so well. We thought the living room space actually worked better here. On Sunday we continued to put things away. The movers had left all the trash: cardboard, bubble wrap, and newsprint. The family had arranged for a recycler to come by on Sunday to pick it up. I didn’t realize it but the recycler pays for the paper and cardboard. We made close to $10.00! I spent about an hour or two working with Su and Thui removing tape from the bubbled wrap. Thui wanted to keep it as it is valuable and difficult to find. I sure could appreciate that as I had a heck of a time finding it for sale in SL. I had to go to a commercial packing company to find it.

Su had to return to Bangkok on Sunday. We were sad to see her go. She and Thui worked so hard to help us get settled in and never let us go out for food. We ate cereal in the morning but they prepared or purchased a hot lunch and dinner for us every meal. Oh the Thai cuisine is our favorite. So light, so flavorful, so fresh!

When we first unpacked I was washing all the cutlery and dishes before putting them away. Little did I realize that the kitchen sink had not been completely installed. So when I let the water out of the sink, it went all over the floor. I was in a panic and distraught. I had been on my feet all day and was tired so the thought of mopping the floor was more than I wanted at that point. However I was home alone so first I used squeegee to push the water into the bathroom where there was a floor drain then mopped. It took us two days before we could get to town to buy the part to attach the drain hose to the sink so I was trying to wash using a bucket and it was a royal pain in the neck. Ah all part of the adventure.

Thais do not use hot water to wash dishes or to bath. This was a big adjustment due to the cool weather. We have gone without hot water for ten days in SL once but there our water was stored in a big tank and consequently was never very cold. Not so here. It was almost painful to bathe. Nattawan called and said her relatives didn’t think a shower water heater was necessarily. We assured her it was necessary. So before we left a heater was installed to provide hot water to the master bath.

On Monday Bill and Kay came back to see how everything looked. They were so complimentary and we felt encouraged. Thui provided lunch for all of us and we dined in the great little covered area next to her mother’s home, which is at the front of the property next to the road. Our house is at the back of the property next to the river. Bill drove us to a hardware store and Kay, bless her heart, provided interpretation services so Ron could get the items he needed to finish some of his projects.

We thought Monday would be a breeze but we managed to work hard all day. We spent time cleaning and installing latches for doors so they wouldn’t blow shut, decorative shelves, etc. We were very tired Monday night but so thrilled with the results. The house is almost totally ready to inhabit. It needs some Thai touches, some silk wall hangings or Thai knick-knacks. We intentionally left some things undone so the house could have a Thai flavor. Nattawan will find just the right things to transform the house into a Thai home.

On Tuesday we hired a van to take us to Bangkok. We checked into our hotel and had Jeap drive us to Wat Pho where we had our horoscope and palms read then had a foot massage. Next we ate at a little Thai café right across from the wat. YUM! Next we rested at our hotel then went to another place where we always eat when we are in Bangkok. It is a very romantic outdoor and indoor restaurant with great ambiance. Unfortunately neither of us slept well so we boarded the plane for home very tired. We flew to Tokyo then on to LAX. It wasn’t too bad although the first two hours out of Tokyo we hit turbulence and couldn’t get out of our seats and dinner was served very late. We usually take a sleeping pill to help us endure the long ride but we realized we were at that point five hours out of LAX so decided to take a fourth of a pill and it didn’t help us to sleep. We were traveling business class and the seats recline much more than in economy. The only problem was we were at a slant so you kept sliding down in the seat. I’m not sure I ever went to sleep. Needless to say we took a long nap at Sonia and Bob’s after lunch in Marina del Rey. We had a quick but good visit with Ron’s mom and Bob and on Thursday were ready to head home. We got to the airport two hours before our flight although only 90 minutes are required. Due to cancelled flights in and out of Denver, it took us 90 minutes to get to check in. We had to run to security, and run to our gate. Not easy when carrying heavy carry on bags but we made it. Then we sat for 45 minutes while the back up brakes were worked on.

Alas we arrived home on Dec 21st around 6:00. It was dry and cold but we were grateful to be here. We froze our first two nights and couldn’t sleep well but then, duh, we realized we could turn up the thermostat at night and put flannel sheets on the bed. We stayed up to midnight and slept until 9:00. We continue to do that as we have been sleeping much better.

Our shipment arrived today and we had fun unpacking it. The glass in three photos broke and our treasured antique mask had a piece broken off but all else survived in tact. Now to find space for our new treasures. More old stuff to Goodwill. As part of our reestablishing ourselves, we have exhibited some nesting behaviors: cleaning our drawers. God we have a lot of junk. But we took a healthy load to Goodwill and I think we will have another before Dec 31. As for adjusting, the weather is an issue as you would expect. Coming back to our house, we have forgotten where things are. I had to open three drawers before I found the knives. They hadn’t moved, I just couldn’t remember. We have had two families stay in our house since last November and everything is in tact. We are very grateful to them for their stewardship. And the Nazi left when his lease was up and he didn’t torch the place. We are very grateful for that. Maria comes tomorrow to clean the apartment and then we will look for a new tenant. If you know anyone who wants to rent an adorable studio apartment with great landlords, let us know. It rents for $500 a month with all utilizes but gas and phone included.

The fast-paced retirement of the Bergmans continue. We spend the New Years week-end at the Oregon coast with long time friends. When we come back, we have projects galore. First we need to paint the downstairs as its never been painted in the time we’ve been here… almost 13 years. Ron also wants to build a bed and a chair for our grand daughter, just as we did for her brother. We also plan to take a “road trip” across the US to visit friends and family… as well as to deliver the building projects. Ron has a meeting in Dublin in April as well as a two week consulting assignment in Serbia for the UN in February ( doing similar things there as he did in Sri Lanka ). An of course we want to reconnect with friends in the Portland area. Oh, so much retirement and so little time! And that’s the story from Paradise now 45 degrees above the equator.

We're now off for our traditional New Year's event with 3 other couples. We've shared a beach house in Waldport, Oregon at New Years for the last 17 years. Obviously we missed last year, but we're happy to renew the tradition. Our plan is to post one more blog with our descriptions of re-entry and adjustment. Here's a preview: I can tell you right off, we've got sticker shock!!!! Things cost SO MUCH MORE here than we remembered.