It has been a hectic time preparing for the trip. In my haste to begin my journey I did not allow enough time to accomplish everything that needed to be done in a timely and non-chaotic manner. I thought I finished more tasks than I had. Fortunately at the last week I decided to farm out the shrink-wrapping and engine winterizing of the boat. I also decided to maintain my storage shed, which was the only way I could have done it. After making very good friends with the Salvation Army, and taking many items to my daughter’s home that I hope they can use, my storage is still at least 50% full. Lastly I try to store my inflatable boat in the shed, and of course, it doesn’t fit. So I let the air out, do a little more shuffling, stand it on end and now it will live in there for a while.
After spending the night in the familiar Days Inn in Romulus I rush to meet the 7:00AM airport shuttle. Fortunately it is as late as I am. Although there is no line at the United Airlines ticket counter it is still rather time consuming. Before accepting my one-way ticket I must show Thai residence or an appropriate visa. After asking, I am told that if I did not have the correct visa, Thailand regulations would force me to buy a round trip ticket. I am then steered to the baggage x-ray machine where for some reason I am allowed to bypass others in line. Having passed, my luggage is accepted I continue to the gate.
At the security check point I am thoroughly searched. Even though I maintain an amicable conversation with the TSA agent about police work and such, I am not cut any slack. I think it is the curse of the one-way ticket “profile”
We leave the gate on time, only to be held on the runway for 20 minutes. Our pilot promises we will make Chicago on time. An uneventful and comfortable ride on a United 737 gets us to O’Hare.
I now transfer to a United 777. I just know I will be searched again. Surprisingly I get through without much problem. This turns out to be a great plane with plenty of room. Thanks to a very considerate agent in Detroit who booked my seats, I am seated in a row of only two seats, over the wing, that the flight attendants inform me is where they rest on longer flights. It reclines more than normal and actually has a mechanically actuated footrest. I sleep a good part of the way to L.A.
In L.A there is little direction but I figure that I must take an airport shuttle to the International Terminal and find Thai Airways.
There I first felt that I was leaving home and my culture. Surrounded by mostly Asian’s and listening to the multi-lingual announcements, I realized “this is it”. As the lounge filled up and the flight time passed, I remembered that I may already be on “Thai time”. Mae pen rai (it doesn’t matter) We board 40 minutes late.
I am now on Thai Airways and very content that I made this choice. The courtesy starts immediately with the greeting at the door by the flight attendants dressed in form fitting sarongs (and the proper forms to wear it), and giving the traditional wai. The plane, a 747-300, is not filled to capacity. In fact I think there are more people bound for Osaka, Japan than there are Thai. The food menu has multiple choices and drinks of any variety are free.
I have just finished my ‘Sweet and Sour Chicken”. Complete with salmon sushi and rice pudding. I am amazed that the first drinks they pass are your choice of white or red wine. My “seatmate” quickly devours his meal with a smacking of lips and an expedient use of spoon and fork. It is the ladies that are elegant not the men. My flight attendant has now completed the third trip of wine offerings and is passing a bottle of cognac as a dessert. I love this airline.
Well, I just went through a rather strange experience over the Pacific somewhere. I awoke from a light sleep in my seat, and suddenly felt extremely ill. Suddenly I started to feel very warm and faint. I decided I was definitely going to have an embarrassing situation if I just remained seated so I wrongly decide to try and make it to the restroom.
As I walk down the aisle I start to lose my vision and my balance. I fumble around and step through the curtains into the flight attendant/galley area but I am too late. I recognize a persons form but then I collapse onto the floor. Suddenly I have people hovering around me, flight attendants and a female passenger. I’ll do anything for attention. With cool cloths placed on my neck and chest ( the woman passenger seems to insist on unbuttoning my shirt), I start to feel better. I assure them I am not having a heart attack and that I will be fine. I am mostly embarrassed but otherwise OK. I talk quite a while with the woman passenger who is very helpful and reassures me that the Thai people always want to help. To make a long story a little shorter, I am fine, I have no idea of what happened, other then too long without sleep. I later give a NYPD 911 pin to the lady passenger who is very grateful. I feel a little less self-conscious when I realize that most everyone was sleeping or watching the movie and did not see my little episode.
We arrive at Osaka Airport in Japan and are delayed about an hour. We spend about two hours on the ground and are again airborne with a flight that is still not completely full. I try to drink as many liquids as I can (no alcohol) and I am fine. Still no explanation of what happened.
Finally six hours later we arrive BKK. Now everything starts to go well. I leave the plane pretty much toward the front of the crowd. It is at a different gate location then when I came before and I have long walk to immigration. I proudly present my O-A Long Stay visa to the lady immigration agent who seems a little uneasy. She apparently has not dealt much with this type of visa and is forced to ask questions of the nearby agent at the next counter. After a short time I am on my way. All stamped, sealed and delivered.
My luck holds out, my baggage arrives on the conveyor quickly. I had brightly colored straps around each one as I had learned previously that all lugage on the conveyor starts to look alike. This works well. I load it on a cart and I am now off to customs.
As before, I go to the “Nothing to declare” gate and with barely a glance at my forms I am passed through. I found that a “Sawasdee Khrup”, Hello in Thai, seems to catch them off guard and elicits a smile and quick approval.
It is now Friday, October 04, and again I am losing track of days. We spent the last two days talking, getting reacquainted and wandering the shops and streets of BKK. It is even more hot and humid than I remember, but the constant hustle and bustle goes on everywhere. We had a very hard downpour of rain last night and it is pending again to night. There is extreme flooding in the Northern areas of the country and parts of Bangkok, but we have not been affected.
Nothing really earth shattering going on now. I have not made any more firm plans. I did find a motorcycle that is priced incredibly low and I am fighting the temptation. I plan to buy one after we go North, so I will resist a little longer.
Another day of shopping and wandering Bangkok. After about an hour of walking I find what I am looking for. Of course completely the opposite direction of what I thought I was supposed to be going.
This is an unbelievable shopping plaza. Panthip Plaza Computer Center. It is 8 floors of nothing but computer shops and software mania booths in the mall areas. There are literally hundreds of computer, parts, accessories, camera, cable, you name it, shops.
Every conceivable type of software is sold by the vendors in the mall. So many racks of software and programs that they put together flip folders that you look through to find the product you want. Of course they are all totally “legitimate”. Would you believe Windows XP Professional, in a package with serial numbers for $6.00? Me either. I buy a couple of neat “computer gadgets” and head back to our meeting place.
Tuesday morning we decide to head to dad’s house. Leaving Jane’s apartment we are in the middle of a torrential monsoon downpour. The streets are half flooded and the taxis full. As we are both stubborn there is a little conflict on how to deal with this situation. Let’s just suffice to say, soaked to the skin we finally get a taxi.
After surfing through flooded streets for about 45 minutes we reach the bus terminal. A major mode of transportation here, it is fairly modern. Boarding the bus to Chaiyaphum I notice things I missed last time. The bus is a little old but is typical Greyhound style except for the “crew”. There is of course a driver. Then there is a second person, I guess he is the co-driver who handles the luggage. Also there is a female “flight” attendant who sees to everyone’s needs, blankets (hot out, but the air conditioning is kept at high), and she also serves glasses of Pepsi and snacks as we travel. We sleep for a good part of the 5 hour drive but we stop once for a lunch break.
In Chaiyaphum, although it seems unusual to me, there are no rental car agencies. There are a number of car dealers and motorcycle dealers as it is a fairly large city but no rentals. As is common practice here, we hire a private driver at the bus station who takes us in his Ford Ranger to Jane’s father’s. It is about an hour drive and costs $7.50.
Jane’s house is about as I remember except maybe a little cleaner and they have planted more flowers. They are now selling candy and chips and things from the main room of the house to the villagers that stop by.
We take her father’s motorcycle and go for about a half hour ride to Tatong Waterfall and Park. It is a small falls but rather picturesque. Jane steps into the water above the falls and goes for a short swim wearing her jeans and blouse. It is a little cold out and the sun is setting, but she is enjoying herself. This is the same girl who hours before complained that the stupid falang did not know enough to get out of the rain. OK, I said we won’t go there. Anyway I get a couple of great photos.
The ride home is rather chilly and dark. I am not real kean on the condition of this little motorcycle and we have to push it part way up one of the hills. I am pelted by bugs and dare not open my mouth for the rest of the ride, but we arrive safe and sound. We watch my pictures after I connect my laptop to the TV and have dinner.
Dinner is with the neighbors. We sit on the floor and there are two bowls of some kind of soup with chicken and other “things” in it. They remove the chicken feet and place it on a separate plate. We each have a bowl of rice but the rest is “family style”. Either take from the bowl and put on your plate or just eat the soup straight from the bowl. We all share. I am offered a glass of beer and share it with my neighbor. Table manners are non existent and any noises or burps are permissible. But still, I am mildly chastised for again pointing my feet in the wrong direction. I have to get more limber and get this sitting on the floor perfected. It is a quiet evening and we hit the bed about 9:00PM.
I am surprised at how cold it is. I know it is cooler in this area but I would say it is in the low 60’s.
10/7/2002
There was a loud sounding of horns outside and I later learn it is one of the merchants selling food. After I stagger out of bed I find the neighbor men sitting outside drinking beer and the ladies cleaning.
I go back into the bedroom to get some other clothes. On the floor is what looks likes a small strap or something from my camera. So I reach and pick it up only to have it uncoil and give me as startled a look as I must have on y face. Very unmanly I launch him to where he came. After composing myself a little I decide to pick him up again, but he is smarter this time and slithers off before I can get him.. Informed of the snake in the bedroom, Jane tells me “Oh that is good luck”. OK, I’ll have to digest that thought a little. (Note to self: Get book on “Snakes of Southeast Asia”).
So I have had my cold bath or bathing, I cannot find any more snakes in the bedroom so I will see what the day brings. I have not yet tried Jane’s meal and we are waiting for a Songtaw to come and take us to town.
OK I thought we were waiting for a Songtaw. Instead the neighbor brought a big, old, farm truck. You can emphasize either word and be correct. Straight out of a Southeast Asia farm documentary. I will have to include a photo because it cannot be described. The driver, his daughter, Jane and I in the front, Dad and some friends in the back we head for town.
Along most of the roads in Thailand are police checkpoints. They can stop traffic at any time and check for drugs, alcohol, license, etc. Not a bad system really. Today must be a hot tip day or something. We approach the checkpoint and pull off to the side of the road and I see no less than 8 police. Two sit under a tent at the side of the road and apparently issue orders by radio to the others. Well guess what? “Our” truck does not have a license or permit or something. So I get my first chance at using my Falang police connection in dealing with the locals. After about 5 minutes of Jane negotiating and 2 Romulus PD pins we are fined 1,000 baht instead of 1,400 baht. That means they reduced the fine by about $10.00. The pins were worth that much so I did not accomplish much except to get a nice salute and handshake, and we are allowed to continue.
We parked the truck in an open area in town and went by somlaw to the hotel. Reasonable at about $12.00 a night, until I learn that it does not have hot water. I have not had a hot water shower since I left the U.S. I guess I have to splurge and get the $14.00 rooms.
10/08/02
Today we decide to cut our visit short here in Chaiyaphum and head for Chiang Mai so we can see the house. We call and are told the staff made a mistake and this home is NOT available, it was rented last week. I am very disappointed and do not hesitate in getting hold of the manager and telling him what I think. They say they have one similar that they will send a picture. We will see. So now our plan is to take the bus back to BKK in the morning.
We spend the evening walking around Chaiyaphum. I wander around looking for an internet shop. Not too many Falangs in this area so I get stares every step of the way. For you guys out there, Chaiyaphum is noted for it’s beautiful woman and that belief is not wrong. There are so many beautiful, thin, smiling woman it is amazing. The style everywhere in Thailand is very tight form fitting clothes. Even the school uniforms have white blouses that are as tight as one can get.
10/10/02
Our final day in Chaiyaphum was uneventful. Actually I met a very friendly Toyota dealer who showed us a number of pickups and I was surprised at how inexpensive. He also says I can finance here which I was told before I could not. This is for future reference. I will need a vehicle somewhere down the line.
Well this morning we are spending the day local and resting up. Oh yeah, the reals estate agent called and has many good deals to show in Chiang Mai and wants to know if want an appointment now. We told them we MAY come next week. I am still pissed.
My favorite “chef” in the market has cooked my Gai pat met mat mueng (Chicken, vegetables, rice and cashews) , I am typing and eating fresh mango..
I figured I would close this out and send it out for you who are interested. I hope it is not too boring and is decent reading. I know it is rather mundane but for me now everyday is an adventure.
Oh yeah some asides that I find interesting:
Department store rest rooms ( clearly labeled Toilet) each have their own attendant. They actually spend their work day posted outside and their picture is on the wall of their designated toilet. They maintain them all day, but toilet paper is generally about 3 baht and must be purchased from a machine outside. (Note to self: In the future purchase paper FIRST!)
Gas stations are very similar to U.S. except that each gas pump island has its own attendant similar to Toilets, who dutifully sit and wait for a customer.