My Uncle Conril used to say that when he asked his Charleston friends where they were going on vacation, they replied, "We're already here." Maybe that is my problem. I live in such a nice place, I cannot be pleased when going on vacation.
Seriously, though, this place is a big disappointment compared to what I had pictured. Goldenbear70 did not even mention in his post about the 1/4-inch-long hard-shelled beetle-like insect that flew into my eye last night. And that smell? Well, I was not the only one that noticed. When the team of staff members came to check out our malfunctioning TV and safe, one of the ladies went out and came back with several little sachets which she proudly hung all around the room. No mater how many sachet pouches you hang, sewerage still smells like sewerage.
The rock-hard bed was not too bad. I think I turned often enough to prevent bruising, and I safely passed the night without any "skeeter" bites. When I showered this morning I was pleasantly surprised as I stepped into the rock-lined stall with exposed aggregate floor. It was like standing outside in the rain. Then I looked up to see an entire squadron of mosquitoes swarming and ready to make a dive for the kill.
Breakfast was very nice - lots of tropical fruits. I think they grow the bananas right here on the property. The gardens surrounding the cabins are beautiful. Homeowners in the States pay a fortune to have their place landscaped like this, and I think it is natural. They like to serve baked beans here along with eggs, sausage and cereal. The pool looks pretty inviting, and I think the sun is trying to peek through the canopy.
This post is starting to sound like the song "Hello, Muddah, Hello Faddah." I do feel a little like I used to at summer camp. "HELP!"
Still goldenbear70's honey
Day One of our Week-long Sentence Here at Phu Pha Ao Nang, Krabi, Thailand
("Krabi" is pronounced krahBEE - not CRAbee)
Friday, March 25, 2011
We Put Ourselves Down for the Week
Well, today we left the comfort and opulence of the Renaissance Bangkok for a trip south to the resort town of Krabi. We spent a few hours at the airport before boarding a Thai Airways jet full of crying babies and tourists from all over the world.
Our taxi driver was waiting for us when we exited the baggage claim, and his only words to us were “long way,” indicating how far away he parked. Nothing else was said on the 40 minute drive, even when he ran three red lights or crossed into the oncoming traffic lane to pass a slower car. Quite an experience.
When we arrived at the rustic resort centered on a swimming pool about a mile form the beach, Debbie said, “I thought it was on the beach!” Other comments were: “there’s a mosquito in here,” “the TV doesn’t work,” “how much did we pay for the flight here?” “are we committed for the whole week?” “the bed is like a board,” "there is actually mold on these pillows" and “if we come back (to the restaurant we ate at tonight) tomorrow night do you think they’ll play a different song?” Or how ‘bout this—“what’s that smell in the bathroom—did you flush?” Not a very auspicious start to our vacation.
Now there’s a monkey or some other animal running around on the roof of our cottage—“what’s that noise, a rat?” Oh boy—it will be a long week…
goldenbear70, himself - she's not speaking yet
Our taxi driver was waiting for us when we exited the baggage claim, and his only words to us were “long way,” indicating how far away he parked. Nothing else was said on the 40 minute drive, even when he ran three red lights or crossed into the oncoming traffic lane to pass a slower car. Quite an experience.
When we arrived at the rustic resort centered on a swimming pool about a mile form the beach, Debbie said, “I thought it was on the beach!” Other comments were: “there’s a mosquito in here,” “the TV doesn’t work,” “how much did we pay for the flight here?” “are we committed for the whole week?” “the bed is like a board,” "there is actually mold on these pillows" and “if we come back (to the restaurant we ate at tonight) tomorrow night do you think they’ll play a different song?” Or how ‘bout this—“what’s that smell in the bathroom—did you flush?” Not a very auspicious start to our vacation.
Now there’s a monkey or some other animal running around on the roof of our cottage—“what’s that noise, a rat?” Oh boy—it will be a long week…
goldenbear70, himself - she's not speaking yet
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
We Have Arrove!
Just after posting at NRT, we felt another earthquake - I did not hear what the magnitude was, but it lasted a good 15 seconds and made the building creak and lights sway.
Our flight on Thai Airlines was great with excellent service. My only complaint: too many announcements over the PA. You know how it goes. Your pilot makes the announcement about the anticipated duration and altitude for the trip (as if that information makes a difference to the passengers?) and then tells you all the places you will be flying over and what the weather is like at the destination. All I really needed to know is how long the flight would last. Instead we had to hear him babble on and on, first in Thai - then in Japanese - and finally in English. It was useless information to know that we would be flying over Viet Nam, the Me Kong River, Laos, etc., because it was dark the entire flight, and the shades were down. It would not have been so bad, but we were trying to watch a movie at this point.
We are now settling in to the Renaissance Hotel on Ploenchit Road in Bangkok. It is one of the newest hotels here - if not 'the' newest. The candies at the front desk were wrapped in pink paper in honor of it being Tuesday.
goldenbear70's honey
0015, Renaissance Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
Our flight on Thai Airlines was great with excellent service. My only complaint: too many announcements over the PA. You know how it goes. Your pilot makes the announcement about the anticipated duration and altitude for the trip (as if that information makes a difference to the passengers?) and then tells you all the places you will be flying over and what the weather is like at the destination. All I really needed to know is how long the flight would last. Instead we had to hear him babble on and on, first in Thai - then in Japanese - and finally in English. It was useless information to know that we would be flying over Viet Nam, the Me Kong River, Laos, etc., because it was dark the entire flight, and the shades were down. It would not have been so bad, but we were trying to watch a movie at this point.
We are now settling in to the Renaissance Hotel on Ploenchit Road in Bangkok. It is one of the newest hotels here - if not 'the' newest. The candies at the front desk were wrapped in pink paper in honor of it being Tuesday.
goldenbear70's honey
0015, Renaissance Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Never Have So Many Done So Much For So Few
Here we sit for a little under an hour at the United Lounge in Narita. Our flight on ANA was exceptional! There were less than a dozen people in our class, so the service was superb - young ladies strolling the aisles ready to attend to our every need before we even knew we had a need. As our Thai friend says, the definition of perfection = "Japanese wife, American house, Thai food." If you cannot have a Japanese wife a Japanese flight attendant is the next best thing.
I think we ate about 3000 calories in the 14-hour flight. We had the sirloin steak meal, which was billed "Beef is from U.S. and has the original taste of beef."... er- as opposed to what? I was so comfortable, I did not want to land - slept about six-to-seven hours and watched "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" and "Life As We Know It." Both movies were delightful. Arigato gozaimasu, ANA!!
Not only was the plane uncrowded, but the airport here at NRT is very quiet. One of our flight attendants told us she was at her Tokyo home during the quake and had never before experienced such a long or strong temblor, even though she is used to earthquakes. She said that the day of the quake some of the ANA flights had to do touch-and-go and land at other airports. Incidentally, there was another quake (aftershock) measuring 5.9 today.
I looked so fresh as we boarded, but after sleeping in my clothes and makeup, I am not fit for a photo. Suffice it to say we shall shower and freshen up when we get to our hotel in Bangkok.
goldenbear70 & his honey
1607, local time, Tuesday, 22 March
Narita Airport, Tokyo, Japan
I think we ate about 3000 calories in the 14-hour flight. We had the sirloin steak meal, which was billed "Beef is from U.S. and has the original taste of beef."... er- as opposed to what? I was so comfortable, I did not want to land - slept about six-to-seven hours and watched "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" and "Life As We Know It." Both movies were delightful. Arigato gozaimasu, ANA!!
Not only was the plane uncrowded, but the airport here at NRT is very quiet. One of our flight attendants told us she was at her Tokyo home during the quake and had never before experienced such a long or strong temblor, even though she is used to earthquakes. She said that the day of the quake some of the ANA flights had to do touch-and-go and land at other airports. Incidentally, there was another quake (aftershock) measuring 5.9 today.
I looked so fresh as we boarded, but after sleeping in my clothes and makeup, I am not fit for a photo. Suffice it to say we shall shower and freshen up when we get to our hotel in Bangkok.
goldenbear70 & his honey
1607, local time, Tuesday, 22 March
Narita Airport, Tokyo, Japan
Monday, March 21, 2011
Two Steps Forward - One Step Back
After two or three frustrated attempts since the first of February to go west of California, we are on our way once again. It seems that everything has combined against our going to Australia - runway repairs at Travis; an unusually high number of Space A travelers; even an earthquake and tsunami - c'mon!
Packing has become a Groundhog Day-type chore - you would think I could have just left everything packed, but the dynamic changes with a seasonal adjustment and flying commercially vs. Space A. There is now no need at all to wear warm layers as we do for the military flights. And since we are flying most of the way Business Class, we do not need to pack any snacks!
We had a very smooth Space A trip to McGuire, arriving in time for Chase's baptism in Newtown, PA on 13 March. Afterward Andrew drove us to Dover on his way home [sort of] to Williamsburg from there. We stayed a couple of nights at the Air Force Inn and took a flight back to Charleston. In fact we were the only passengers on that plane. The next morning we attempted to get the scheduled flight to Riverside, but it was canceled and so was a subsequent flight to Dover, where we thought we could connect to a California flight. Carson has just moved to Los Angeles, and it would have been fun to spend a little time with him there but the AMC gremlins had other ideas.
Goldenbear70 always finds things to keep him busy with the yard, the pool, repairing a hole in our screened porch that a critter tore open, and even having a couple of attic exhaust fans installed in our roof. His biggest project, however, was to arrange a flight to Bangkok with frequent flyer miles and then a flight from there to Perth! Hooray, we are finally booked, and it looks like it might be a great trip after all.
This morning we flew to Dulles, where we are waiting for our connecting flight through Narita and on to Bangkok. Mark says I must keep these posts short, or he will not read them. How's this length, Markie?
goldenbear 70's honey
Packing has become a Groundhog Day-type chore - you would think I could have just left everything packed, but the dynamic changes with a seasonal adjustment and flying commercially vs. Space A. There is now no need at all to wear warm layers as we do for the military flights. And since we are flying most of the way Business Class, we do not need to pack any snacks!
We had a very smooth Space A trip to McGuire, arriving in time for Chase's baptism in Newtown, PA on 13 March. Afterward Andrew drove us to Dover on his way home [sort of] to Williamsburg from there. We stayed a couple of nights at the Air Force Inn and took a flight back to Charleston. In fact we were the only passengers on that plane. The next morning we attempted to get the scheduled flight to Riverside, but it was canceled and so was a subsequent flight to Dover, where we thought we could connect to a California flight. Carson has just moved to Los Angeles, and it would have been fun to spend a little time with him there but the AMC gremlins had other ideas.
Goldenbear70 always finds things to keep him busy with the yard, the pool, repairing a hole in our screened porch that a critter tore open, and even having a couple of attic exhaust fans installed in our roof. His biggest project, however, was to arrange a flight to Bangkok with frequent flyer miles and then a flight from there to Perth! Hooray, we are finally booked, and it looks like it might be a great trip after all.
This morning we flew to Dulles, where we are waiting for our connecting flight through Narita and on to Bangkok. Mark says I must keep these posts short, or he will not read them. How's this length, Markie?
goldenbear 70's honey
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Home Again Home Again Jiggety-Jig
We took the flight on Monday from Travis AFB, arrived at Norfolk NAS at midnight and stayed at the base hotel. The hotel, Ely Hall, is an old Bachelor Officer's Quarters and reminded me of my old dormitory at FSU - no elevators, radiator heating, and the hallways smelled of mildew. Fortunately the rooms did not have any unpleasant odor. The hotel was decorated beautifully with lots of Southern Charm; someone spent a fortune on lavish draperies with upholstered cornices and tassel fringe galore. The bathrooms were updated, and the bed was super comfy. The gift shoppe was more like a gallery filled with lovely items to browse through.
We enjoyed a nice meal for lunch Tuesday at the Officer's Club, complete with the bread pudding that sets the standard for all other bread pudding anywhere. We had stayed in Norfolk with the family in 1992 during goldenbear70's ACTDUTRA, and we had that bread pudding every day for dessert. We have been talking about it ever since.
Tuesday afternoon we waited four hours for a flight from Norfolk to Rota, Spain but did not make the flight - there were too many active duty people flying with a higher priority. We met a sweet couple on the flight who joined us for lunch and spent the afternoon waiting with us. They were celebrating their fifty-seventh wedding anniversary! They have been everywhere! It was inspiring to hear of their many Space A trips. A family joined us in the DV Lounge who are on their way to live in Bahrain for a tour of duty - the dad will be Chief of Staff there. He was just relieved as CO of The Enterprise. It is interesting and fun to meet new people and share stories as well as pick up travel tips.
We rented a car and drove to Charleston today only to find out that there was a direct flight from Travis AFB to Charleston today. Waaaaaaaaa!
Although we are disappointed to be postponing our trip to Australia until March, someone recently reminded me that Dorothy was right, "There's no place like home."
We enjoyed a nice meal for lunch Tuesday at the Officer's Club, complete with the bread pudding that sets the standard for all other bread pudding anywhere. We had stayed in Norfolk with the family in 1992 during goldenbear70's ACTDUTRA, and we had that bread pudding every day for dessert. We have been talking about it ever since.
Tuesday afternoon we waited four hours for a flight from Norfolk to Rota, Spain but did not make the flight - there were too many active duty people flying with a higher priority. We met a sweet couple on the flight who joined us for lunch and spent the afternoon waiting with us. They were celebrating their fifty-seventh wedding anniversary! They have been everywhere! It was inspiring to hear of their many Space A trips. A family joined us in the DV Lounge who are on their way to live in Bahrain for a tour of duty - the dad will be Chief of Staff there. He was just relieved as CO of The Enterprise. It is interesting and fun to meet new people and share stories as well as pick up travel tips.
We rented a car and drove to Charleston today only to find out that there was a direct flight from Travis AFB to Charleston today. Waaaaaaaaa!
Although we are disappointed to be postponing our trip to Australia until March, someone recently reminded me that Dorothy was right, "There's no place like home."
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Space A - The Anti-Plan
One never knows from day-to-day where one will fly via Space A;
Plan as you might, there may be no flight that takes you on your way;
Stuck in a terminal days on end;
If you're lucky you may find some friends;
At TLF and BX you will spend, spend, spend;
But if per chance your flight does not slip;
There's adventure ahead as you go on your trip.
OK so it is painfully obvious I have TOO much time on my hands. The best laid plans of these Space A travelers can be dissolved with one phrase, "That flight to Charleston has slipped from Tuesday to Wednesday." The AMC is losing credibility with us, so we are taking the bird in the hand - the flight to Norfolk today. We'll spend the night in Norfolk, maybe check out the NEX there, rent a car, and drive home to Charleston.
Anyway, it is raining in California today, and it is 70 degrees on the East Coast, so time to relocate.
We are excited we will be there to see Drew and his friend, John, when they come through Charleston later this week. Maybe I can reclaim my Relief Society teaching assignment that my friend, Marilyn, was kind enough to agree to teach. We can do our taxes too - what fun!
Next week we might head for Europe again to see more of Southern Spain. Gibraltar is not far from Rota. Neither is Lisbon.
Happy Valentine's Day to all our followers - belatedly to those who celebrated yesterday.
goldenbear70's honey - out
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