Only Four Days Left in Bangkok

I know I am in one of the most interesting cities in Asia, and we only have four days left here, but I am devoting today to watching The Royal Wedding. That’s right – “The Game Day Show,” pregame, game and post-game. This only happens every thirty years or so, and all those football shows come on once a week for months every year! Alan will not be able to take it, so he will probably go down to the river and watch boats and fish, but I will be glued to BBC.

I see that we have only a few days of vitamins and other personal items left of the six weeks’ worth of supplies we packed. In spite of depleting those items, as well as unloading a suitcase-full of things we brought to family in Australia, we have had to purchase another large piece of luggage to take things home.

Even though it is the hot, dry season here, we have had several days of rain – (aside from the monsoon week we spent in Ao Nang/Krabi). The weather has also been cooler than it usually is at this time of year, but goldenbear70’s passport became permanently warped from spending a day in his sweaty pocket, and my lippy melted during one of our day trips. In spite of the uncomfortable weather, the food is delicious, the people are so gracious and delightful, and the shopping is phenomenal. Anyway, since we live in Charleston now, this weather just gets us acclimated for our summer at home.

Especially for our Asian friends, we have taken photos of our food. I must say that I like the Thai custom of eating with a large tablespoon and fork, better than I like using chop sticks. I am so uncoordinated with the latter, using them would be a great means of cutting calories for me. For rice and noodles, nothing beats a large spoon.

I also have had a few pieces of clothing tailored. Having things made sure beats hours of unfruitful shopping, but it still takes a lot of energy to select styles and fabrics.

We have had a wonderful time touring – especially with our friends, Toy and Bee. Check out our Flickr photos for updates that are worth many thousands of words.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21984041@N08/

Let us know if you have trouble viewing the photos.

Noon, Bangkok Time
Sawasdee Kah/Krup The Honey/goldenbear70

Ubon Day Trip

Almost 40 years ago, I used to fly into Ubon Ratchathani to buy jewelry from B Jewelry, a small store located on the Royal Thai AFB, Ubon. I visited regularly, and purchased hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of jewelry, Thai silk, bronzeware, and souvenirs for the ship's store aboard the USS Coral Sea (CVA-43). I didn't realize at the time what a privilege it was to do this, and what good friends I would become with the store manager, Toy Supakorn (nee Tantasirikorn). I decided to pay a short visit to Ubon for old times' sake, so Sunday night I took the train from Bangkok to Ubon for a day's outing.

Well, the night train really was an experience--rocking from side to side, banging and clanking continuously, and (worst of all) suddenly lurching forwards or backwards when the engineer decided to slow down or accelerate. I rode First Class, which meant I shared a sleeper compartment with another person, who decided not to show up for the trip--he must have known what I was in for and skipped the whole affair! We left Bangkok 30 minutes late, were sidetracked at least three times for 30 minutes each, and arrived in Ubon 2 1/2 hours late. With all the noise and rocking, I didn't sleep at all, but I was glad to finally be back in Ubon after 38 years.

That is, I thought I was glad to be back, until I took a ride around town and didn't recognize a single thing, was denied entrance to the Air Force Base (where the B Jewelry store was), it started to rain ("big raining"), and my desire to return to Bangkok ASAP was thwarted by a lack of seats on any of the three airlines serving the Ubon-BKK route. I took some pictures and headed back to the train station so I could be sure to get a ticket in the First Class car. Oops--no such luck--"sorry, sir, all full." OK, so Second Class is sounding better all the time, and I could save 600 Baht--woohoo!

I waited about 2 hours for the train to come, big raining all this time, so I sampled some of the food vendors' delicacies. The only one I liked was the plain rice. I did have some fried rice at one stall, but it included a mystery meat that I avoided--the flies wouldn't even land on it....

The train arrived about 1 1/2 hours before departure, so I thought I'd get aboard and find my seat. I found it, all right--next to the leaking roof from the big raining. I found the conductor to ask if I could change seats, but he just got a rag, wiped the seat and windowsill, and said, "you OK now--sit!" Of course, it only stayed dry for about a minute. I went back to the conductor, who then stuffed a rag up between the window and the frame and said, "OK."

By this time I noticed the few people in the car were all coughing, and I realized that the car was filled with diesel smoke from the generator which powered the on-board A/C unit, which was located beneath the car. I left the car, and the only place I could find to wait that didn't involve inhaling tons of diesel smoke was out in the rain--the covered areas were containing the smoke from five generators. What a revolting development this was!

I boarded again with a minute to spare before we left the station, and was looking forward to relaxing in the seat and getting a free shower, but the conductor immediately started pulling down the beds and making them up. Since I was assigned an upper bunk, I had to climb up into a coffin-like area and lay down on the pallet, even though it was only 6:30 PM. It was a hard day's night, those 13 hours back to Bangkok, for sure.

Goldenbear's Honey made the right choice in staying at the Renaissance and not accompanying me to Ubon.

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21984041@N08/sets/72157626414033571/

Where You Need Both Hands to Say "Hello/Goodbye"

Just as a PS to our Australia stay, one of the many things our Aussie cousins taught us this trip is that "Entree" on their menus is equivalent to "Appetizer" on our menus. Knowing that can make a big difference when you order your meal. Also, a sidewalk is a "foot path." The expression is not "How are you doing?" or "How is it going?" but "How are YOU GOING?" I could go on and on - both countries speak English, but the accent and the vocabulary differs. Please say "Wau-tuh" rather than "Wah-trr."

Our flight back on Thai Airlines was pleasant - we watched three good movies, ate a delicious meal, and here we are. I especially like watching movies on flights, because they edit out a lot of gore and foul language that I did not want to see or hear in the first place. Here's a clue, Hollywood, the plot, acting, and scenes are just as good without all that stuff - actually, they are better.

So we are - back where we need both hands free to greet people - I have to remember to put my purse on my arm so I can place both hands together in front of my nose and mouth and slightly bow my head ("wai") as I say "Sawadee Kah." It is a very nice custom - showing respect for another as you come and go. I notice the locals also reverence their Buddhist shrines with the same gesture as they pass them on the sidewalks.

In case you missed it - be sure to check our Flickr account for the video we made of our room here in Bangkok this time. We were struggling to suppress our country bumpkin response when the front desk clerk led us to our room which he stated had been upgraded by the manager to a suite. Gomer Pyle's "Go-o-ollee!" sums it up pretty well. The rooftop pool here is equally spectacular, so we will try to get a photo of that posted soon.

We arrived on the second day of Thailand's New Year Holiday - Songkrahn. To celebrate and wish each other well on this three-day holiday, people throw water and white mud on each other. There were otherwise perfectly normal people running around the streets and parks with huge water guns (think Hasbro "Super Soakers") and pails of water and mud. Stands were set up everywhere selling bottles of water and bags of white clay for throwing and face painting @ 10 bht each ($0.33 US). White clay residue was splattered all over cars, buses, taxis and people's clothing. It is a BIG deal hear - reminded us of the sale and use of fire works near Independence Day in the States. Goldenbear70 got doused and gently slapped on the face with clay as he walked a few blocks to get a haircut, manicure and pedicure on our second day here. That's right, you heard me right - mani-pedi for my man.

Traffic was light due to the holiday, but we notice it is also lighter (and there is less air pollution) than nine years ago due to completion and increased use of the Skytrain and Subway, as well as elimination of the 2-cycle motorcycle engine. We notice more people wearing helmets when riding scooters and motorcycles (it's the law here now), but the incidence of serious and fatal accidents involving motorcycles is still startling.

Of course we visited Toy's new jewelry store, Chin. She flew here from Phuket our first day, sent a car for us and entertained us at her store. They sell not only jewelry but many typical souvenir items - and she gives us a 40% discount. It's one-stop shopping that wore us out - and we were just looking. She greeted us with gifts from Phuket, including a beautiful straw handbag, a pashmina, and for goldenbear70 - his favorite Thai pastries - sort of mini-crepes stuffed with coconut, pineapple and mango. Right away, she wanted my rings to have them cleaned - now they sparkle like new. She uses a special sonic cleaning machine, but she said boiling water and a drop of dish soap will work too.

She is back in town today, and we will go back to her store to actually purchase a few items and spend some more time with her. In the meantime we are enjoying the always-delicious Thai food, our gorgeous room, the hotel pool and nearby shopping areas. Sunday we took the train and then a taxi to church - same place where we attended nine years ago. We even ventured to a dentist here where we each had a cleaning, x-rays, and exam and a couple of fillings each. We could actually afford the dental work here without taking out a loan.

My eczema flared up again last summer, and it has been worse since Ao Nang, so Toy made an appointment for me at her doctor. She had a car come for us to take us there, and we were seen about a half hour late, but the facility was very modern and clean. It could not have been more conveniently arranged: you see the doctor in his office, where there is a small exam room curtained off; there is an assistant there who handles the paperwork for prescriptions etc. right in that office; and you walk down the hall to have your prescription filled (cream compounded on-site); followed by walking to the final window where you pay. I think the whole deal including two prescriptions and the exam cost us 1100 bht (~$38). The best part of this story is that I am getting better. I've been to two different dermatologists in the US with no improvement.

Alan fulfilled a burning desire to travel to Ubon Ratchitani, but I will leave it to him to post that story.

Sorry, Mark, I know this has been a long post. We enjoy talking to our family on Skype and occasionally hearing from them via e-mail. We love and miss you all.

goldenbear70's Honey
1040, Renaissance, Bangkok, Thailand
Photos:

Bittersweet

As posted earlier, just prior to our arrival, my Aunt Muriel suffered a serious stroke and was hospitalized, so Lynn was tied up tending to her mother. Her sister Ali was on an international trip, Aunt Val was on a cruise to New Zealand, and sister Christine was wrapping up her affairs on the East Coast preparing for her move back to W.A. Lynn had the whole burden of her mother's situation on her shoulders, including Muriel's 14 year-old deaf (but cute) dog, Ollie.

Aunt Muriel rallied for a couple of days - Tuesday we had a great visit with her. She recognized me (said "you look like your father," and "sorry," apologizing for her ill health interfering with our holiday). On Wednesday 6 April, however, she suffered another stroke, and never regained consciousness. She passed away early Sunday morning, 11 April, with her three daughters by her bedside. It was a bittersweet experience for us, as we were there during her last hours and were able to help comfort Lynn and the family, but it was sad to realize she had gone.

Our trip to Perth was not what we had expected when we set out, but we were so glad that we were able to be there to see Aunt Muriel once again before she left us, and to bond even more closely with Lynn, Russell, and the extended family.

We met Elliot (Ali's oldest son); Christine (Lynn and Ali's sister) for the first time, as well as her grandsons (Nathan and Leanne's sons, Lochy and Jack); and Chili and Ruby (Russell's grandchildren) --all for the first time. We also saw Aunt Val, cousins Gary, Sam, Holly, and Tyler (Ali's husband & children), and Aunt Eva (Uncle Stanley's youngest sister).

We enjoyed seeing Ali and Gary's new kitchen and Lynn and Russ's new house and dog, Teddy. We rode the new rapid transit into downtown Perth; toured Mandurah, Freemantle and the coast between there and Perth with Russell; had two fabulous dinners with Dean and Glenda (Russell's daughter) and Russell, and one with Leanne, Nathan, and boys, at their home, and in general just had a wonderful time visiting with the family.

Our visit ended all too soon, but we had an unchangeable ticket, so off we went, back to Bangkok on 13 April.

See Photos at: http://flickr.com/gp/21984041@N08/Rh95K6/

Goldenbear70 & His Honey
Bangkok, Thailand 2219, 04/15/2011

Down Under

Thursday morning we had to get up and out of our room in Phu Pha by 0630 to grab a bite of breakfast from the buffet before our car picked us up. One last large bowl of those luscious fruits, and we said "Goodbye" to Phu Pha at Ao Nang. Most of the flooding had cleared on the roads, but we learned seven people were killed in Krabi from the mud slides. As we drove to the airport, our driver pointed out where a road had been washed out. When we saw the newspapers at the airport we realized many tourists had been evacuated, so our situation, while uncomfortable and boring, was at least not dangerous.

We had a pleasant flight from Krabi to Bangkok, where we arrived about mid-morning. Because there was such a long layover, we had to exit the secure area of the airport and wait six hours to queue up to obtain our boarding passes. Our sweet Thai friend, Toy, called as she had done each day twice a day. She suggested we avail ourselves of the beauty salon and massage services at the airport. I thought that was a splendid idea - had my hair washed and styled dry for $10 - then went next door for a $5 pedicure! I would have signed on for the afternoon of massage if I had been left alone.

The Phu Pha cook, "Rahm," had made goldenbear70 a special treat for the journey, sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves - some just plain and others with pineapple, mango and coconut. We snacked on those at the airport in Bangkok, as well as finding a few delicious menu items at the airport food shops and the duty free food demonstrations.

We even found a lounge full of recliners where we took a little nap while people milled around staring at us (at least it seemed like it). Finally we went to our gate after more than a 12-hour layover we boarded our flight to Perth. We both slept most of the way, and what a treat it was to emerge from the airport into the crisp sunny morning in Perth! The weather here is much cooler than it would have been if we had arrived in February when we first planned to be here.

Our time here has been filled with family just like we had hoped. Russell and Lynn make us feel so welcome, and we have been able to visit Auntie Muriel in the hospital. She had a stroke a few days before we arrived, and it is sad to see her sick, but at least we are able to visit.

Yesterday Holly (Ali's daughter) gave a beautiful "high tea" in honor of Lynn's birthday. There was delicious food, and Ali's family was there (Ali, Gary, Elliot, Holly of course, Sam, Tyler and the dog, Scruff), Auntie Eva came too. Nathan, Leann and their darling two boys (Lochy and Jack - so cute!) came by Lynn's house and brought her flowers. My gift was to blow dry her hair after she washed it and paint her nails, and we all succeeded in making it a very special day for Lynn.

Goldenbear70 has been busy doing projects around the house here - painting, washing and waxing cars - today he even baked a bread pudding. We are having fun just being together. The weather is mild and sunny - love it!

goldenbear70's honey
Perth, Western Australia 1601, local time