Hey, blog readers!  I notice when I get this blog in my email it only seems to show single pics.  Some of the sections of most posts have a slideshow imbedded.  Please let me know if you are seeing the slide shows.  If you are not, try viewing the blog in your browser.  This is easy to do by clicking on the title of the blog in your email.    
You can always visit our website- www.sailgirldesign.com  and check out the last page of the site which is the blog.
Thanks!!  Just wanted to make sure you were seeing all the fun pics.
Cheers,
Peggy and Corey

So, I do keep a fairly regular blog on this site.  It's primary purpose is to keep family and friends up to date on our wanderings.  As a somewhat regular "tweeter" I ran across a contest for amateur photographers and figure, why not?  
The mission is to create a blog with photos that fall under these categories...  
Let's see what Black's thinks of my examples of Wild, Fast, Panoramic, and Epic:

WILD!

FAST!

PANORAMIC! 
This was taken from a beach in the Similan Islands, Thailand.  We were on a live aboard dive boat over Christmas.  
A gorgeous place, where even mermaids may be spotted...

Songkran is Thailand’s lunar new year’s celebration and has been going on for centuries.  It is celebrated across the country, from small villages to the alleys of Bangkok and there are two main themes- water and powder!  

"The throwing of water originated as a way to pay respect to people, by capturing the water after it had been poured over the Buddhas for cleansing and then using this "blessed" water to give good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring it on the shoulder. Among young people the holiday evolved to include dousing strangers with water to relieve the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand (temperatures can rise to over 100 °F or 40 °C on some days). This has further evolved into water fights and splashing water over people riding in vehicles. 
Although many people are focused on dousing each other with water, there is another way of marking someone and blessing them, by putting powder on their face. 
Songkran is traditionally a time to visit and pay respects to elders, including family members, friends, neighbors, and monks. 
Thais often travel back to where they grew up for family reunions and especially to visit and pay respect to their elderly.  A visit to the temple is always important to ensure the upcoming year is blessed and bountiful." (Wikipedia)

This year’s Songkran found Corey and I in Phuket.  Corey had been lucky enough to experience Songkran once before but it was my first.  Hopefully it will not be my last.  We packed a supposedly-waterproof bag, dressed in clothes that we hoped may dry at some point,  and jumped on our scooter.  I have to mention here that we both were wearing flowery shirts as this is another symbol of Songkran.  

As we rode carefully into Patong from Kathu, armed with super soaker water guns, Corey kept a steady hand and navigated past a few “wet” spots.  Families and neighbors, including kids come down to where their side street meets a main road and set up soaking stations.  Many put ice in their water.  The first ice water splash definitely got my attention!  On the way to town we stopped by our last apartment.   The kids we had befriended were standing on the side of the road, they recognized Corey and started yelling "Mac, Mac!"  They truly enjoyed soaking us as we feebly attempted to give them a bit of a watering down.

The town of Patong is a crazy frenetic place at the best of times, at Songkran it is absolutely nuts.  We again carefully made our way past multiple soaking stations to the WE Hotel, our hangout for the night.  The WE is on Bangla Road, but the calmer section.  It was a perfect place to play from, and use as our home base.  We had a rooftop pool and our rooms looked out over Bangla Road.  We were only on the second floor so we sprayed people from our window.  

After getting settled at the WE, we took our first stroll up Bangla towards the beach.  Throughout the day it just got crazier.  You can see the pics, which although fun, don’t really do it justice!  You really have to experience Songkran at least once yourself.  

After we wore ourselves out playing in the waterfight in front of the WE and cruising Bangla, we made our way to the clubs, ending up at the TaiPan.  Since we were also celebrating Mon’s birthday, we had champagne and not sure what else.  Long story short, I ended up being invited up on stage with the performers.  Luckily there are NO pictures of this…  

Enjoy the photos.  This is one festival that has to be experiences in person.  Preferably on Bangla Road!

As you all have figured out by now, I travel, a lot!  Mom spent her last week in Singapore with Corey and I.  We did as much as we could cram into those few days including the Cable Car that flies from Sentosa to Mt. Faber and a fun day trip over to Pulau Ubin.  I would bet you haven't heard of Pulau Ubin unless you've spent more than a few days in Singapore.  More on that in a bit.

Corey helped Mom get on her plane home as I had to leave for work in Australia prior to her flight.  

I hated to see Mom go but knew she had to get home to enjoy spring in the Tri-Cities.  I am sure she has memories to carry her a ways!   I hope you all have enjoyed her adventures written here!

If anyone fancies a trip to SE Asia, let us know so we can figure out what country we will be in so you can find us!  

As I mentioned, Corey, Mom and I crammed quite a bit into her last week.  The cable car that runs between Mt. Faber and Sentosa is fun way to see some of the island.  We took the subway to Harbourfront station and from there we flew up to Mt. Faber.   After having a snack at the top over the top of a couple of cruise ships, and landed in Sentosa.  Sentosa is an island off the southern tip of Singapore that has been turned into a destination.  It has hotels, a casino, Universal Studios, beaches, and more.  It's a fun place to go for the day.  Mom and I spent a day at the beach there a few weeks earlier.  See below for that adventure.  Here are some pics of our cable car ride and more.

Pulua Ubin lies a short boat ride off the NE corner of Singapore.  It's truly a step back in time.  Instead of traffic noise, there are crickets.  The pace is as fast as you choose to pedal your own bicycle.  It's a welcome escape from the city.

The picture to the left is Mom and Corey riding the bumboat over to our island adventure.  Getting to this little ferry was a trek in itself, as it was a long bus ride from our apartment.   The ferry doesn't have a schedule.  It leaves when enough people show up.  Luckily, we weren't the only ones looking for a ride.   The primitive wooden boats hold about 12-20 people and most are brightly painted.  They sputter smoke as they carry you across the small expanse of water between the islands.  We were one of a couple groups of tourists joined by some shoppers that had obviously gone over to Singapore to grab some things that likely just aren't obtainable on their small island.

Upon arrival to the island, we rented bicycles and took our time riding along shady roads.  It felt a bit like riding in a sauna but the pace was leisurely.  We ended our day at one of the seafood restaurants near the wharf where we caught a return ferry back to the mainland after a tasty lunch.