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After a fairly uneventful 2 weeks in Laos, I’m back in Bangkok, with lots to do. I have to check again on an airline ticket to Korea, something I’m starting to get a bit concerned about. Also, I’m still waiting on confirmation from Woosong University of my Korean visa number, which I need in order to get my working visa at the Korean embassy here in Bangkok. So, those two, very important items are at the top of my list. I also need to go to the American embassy to get some pages added to my passport–I’m running out of room.
Laos was pretty laid back, hanging around Vientiane and at Nai’s home. We took one trip up to Lake Nam Ngum, about 100 kms. north of the capital. We stayed in a small fishing village and dined on some pretty good catches from the lake. The only casino in Laos is located here, but we didn’t visit it. We had a couple of torrential downpours, so thick you couldn’t see the other end of the village. The lush vegetation in Laos and Thailand is very green right now, with quite a variety of shades–emerald green, yellow-green, palm green, rice-paddie green, a crayola box of green.
Depending on the arrival of my visa number from Woosong, I may spend a few more days in Bangkok before heading on down to the beaches of Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Phuket for 3 weeks of fun in the sun. I may also go right away and return early to Bangkok to complete the visa. Again, it all depends on when it arrives. More later.
I’m off north to Nong Khai tonight, feeling much better than I did yesterday. I woke about 12:30 a.m. Monday, shaking with the chills and feeling like I was running a fever, drained and very achy. I stayed in bed until about 2 in the afternoon. I finally dragged myself and my extra bags down to Bangkok Self Storage, where they’ll stay until I’m ready to leave for Korea. So, it must have been a short bout with Bangkok water, but I’m feeling pretty chipper right now.
I also checked about a ticket to Seoul today, and the agent said the flight was full, but she’d put me on the waiting list. Nothing unusual and I’m fairly certain I’ll get a seat on the flight eventually. I’ll check back with her when I return to Bangkok in a few weeks. Mad About the Mekong is a book I bought to read on the train and, perhaps later, the Thai beaches. It’s the story of the exploration of the river in earlier times. Looks like a good read. More later.
Ok, I made it to Bangkok in fine shape, more or less, after paying a HUGE overweight baggage fee in Casablanca. I know it has to be some kind of scam. Beware of too much luggage on Qatar airlines flying out of Casa. When I went to pick up my bags off the carousel in Bangkok, I noticed that many travelers were hauling off mammoth bags and there is no way that they were under the weight limit. NO way. Maybe they had to pay for the extra kilograms, but if they did, they went broke because these were some of the biggest suitcases I have ever seen and the people trying to pick them up looked like they were ready to burst blood vessels doing so. Qatar in Casa charged me about $60 per kilogram for being over the limit. $60 PER KILO (about 2.2 pounds per kilo). The lady behind the check-in counter told me that I was 10kg over, but that she would only charge me for 5. Come on now, if these people have that much discretion, they also can decide who to charge and who not to charge. My boss, also, told me he thought it was a big scam. One of my friends here in Bangkok, Eugene, said that he was charged a similar excess baggage fee just 6 months ago when he moved from Korea to Bangkok, but that Korea Airlines charged him only $7 per kg. So, Qatar Airlines is making out like a bandit and their rating, in my eyes, drops way down. Beware if you are flying Qatar Air and you’re at all worried about how many kilos you’re over their low 20kg limit for checked baggage.
Anyway, I got to the guesthouse ok in a typical monsoon deluge. It rained buckets again today for about half an hour, but now it’s down to just a light sprinkling. It’s not too hot, but very humid. I work up a sweat just pigging out on fresh fruits and seafood.
I did get to hang out with Eugene for a while, and we ate a rather large, 7-course breakfast at Crepes and Co. off Sukhumvit Soi 12. I’ve eaten there before and they have a great menu. A bit on the pricey side (over $14 for breakfast, but then again, I had the smoked salmon crepes as one of my courses), but be sure to give them a try if you get over this way. What the heck, here’s my complete breakfast, in case you’re interested:
1st course: choice of beverage–coffee and orange juice
2nd : choice of either fruit plate or fruit salad–fruit plate (mangos, watermelon, and cantaloupe)
3rd : bread basket–choice of 3 types of bread–I had croissants, toast, and English muffin
4th : choice of muesli, yogurt, or something else (I forget)–I had yogurt
5th : choice of eggs with many side portions, like smoked salmon, mushrooms, bacon, ham, etc.
I had fried eggs with bacon and mushrooms
6th : choice of pancake–I had one with smoked salmon
7th : choice of another beverage–I had tea
Excellent place to eat. What a life!! More later.
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