A new adventure- Morocco here we come

Dec 22 JFK. Morocco here we come- well...at least we are hoping to come. Our plane has mechanical difficulties and they have found a replacement plane- but it needs a part.... Projected take-off 2 hours late- so we will miss the connection from Madrid to Casablanca. But it wouldn't be an adventure without these small set backs n'est ce pas? Just warming up my French for the trip. Your motorcyclemamama is no longer solo. My entourage includes my first and third born sons, one girl friend, and her mother. We are the true new modern family. Proper introductions will follow in later posts. There are also no motorcycles on this trip.  We believe we have arranged a driver and SUV and 5 camels. Some of us are enjoying the champagne sampler, some finishing up work, some already starving. A demain tous le monde. 

Almost the end-

Perhaps some might find this entry a bit graphic- nonetheless I have to report on the toilets in the ladies bathroom of the JAL lounge in Narita (Tokyo) airport. First impression, the seat is heated. Very relaxing. Next one notices that in the location where you would expect to find the toilet paper, there is a square control panel (see photo ). I clearly understood the button that said stop. The bigger issue was whether I should start whatever I could in theory stop with the stop button. You can probably guess what Miss Curious did. I proceeded to try all the buttons. It was a good thing I had 3 hours before my next flight! I have no idea how much these toilets cost, or if they are readily available in the USA- maybe I'm behind the times in toilet couture. Definitely a thumbs up product.

Some of my favorite signs from the temple complex

You have to laugh!

Royal Palace Complex

All I can say is that my photos don't convey what it is like. It is so overwhelming. Spires and gold and jewels everywhere. This is the first tourist site where there have been loads of people. Also my first encounter with a con artist. Upon approaching the place , a fellow in what looked like a police uniform said that the palace was closed to non-Thai from 11-1 do they could pray in peace. This seemed totally reasonable. He suggested going to another temple complex which he said was open. Then a tuk-tuk driver offered his services for a ride and guide. While I totally believed this story, I decided just to walk a bit further up the side of the palace wall (the whole complex has a wall)..... A few minutes later I was at the main entrance and it was clear that the whole story had been BS....

Wat "Pho" Reclining Buddha temple

So massive.

Bangkok scenes from the street and from the water

Bangkok is very clean and orderly. The water ferry works very well. As does the subway. I love the colorful cabs. Terrific contrast of old and new.

Cool technology

Many streets are 5 or 6 lanes wide and are one way. Similar to Vietnam, traffic lights have LED screens which count down how long until the light changes (120 seconds was the longest I have seen). Major roads also have LED screens which show if any roads have traffic problems (like a traffic phone app). I wonder if anyone is looking at these helpful items because most major intersections also have HuGE video screens with advertisements. In the photo the screen looks like a billboard, but it's a video.