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Written June 13th.
I saw on CNN a few days before I made my flight to Bangkok that Incheon Airport, outside of Seoul, was rated the overall best airport in the world, beating out perennial front runner Singapore. It’s certainly a huge, spacious, orderly and clean facility, and the personnel are mostly friendly. However, I didn’t do much to improve one security guard’s demeanor.
Earlier, I prepared to go through the security checkpoint. I took my paper money out of my bag and put it into my pants pocket (for whatever reason), and put my loose change and other metal items into my bag. Then I walked into the security area and put my bag onto the x-ray conveyor. The security guard told me to take the coins out of my pocket. I said that I didn’t have any coins. Again he repeated his order. Again I told him I didn’t have any. He was starting to get irritated. ‘Check your pocket and take out the coins,’ he ordered. Just to humor him (and not get into trouble) I reached into my pocket and, much to my great embarrassment, I found a handful of loose change. Wow, did I get red in the face and start apologizing profusely!
Apparently, I had forgotten to check my left pants pocket earlier and the security guy had seen the outline of the coins therein. Even with my apologies he was not happy with me, but he let me through without further incident. Geez, talk about getting old and senile. 
My excuse has to be that I had been awake for more than 24 hours. The 11 p.m. bus from Yeosu to the airport takes about 5 1/2 hours, and I find it impossible to sleep on a bus or plane or at an airport waiting for the check-in counter to open. Moral: Double check your pockets.
Friday night was a great time to leave Yeosu, though. All day it was as hazy as could be. You could barely make out the not-so-distant hills and downtown buildings. It wasn’t the dreaded Yellow Dust, but more likely a combination of pollution and fog with an inversion layer thrown in for good measure. Anyway, Incheon was very clear, and as I sit in Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok writing this, it is mostly sunny.
I’ve got a 6 hour layover, but I don’t know what I’m going to do to pass the time waiting for the flight to Vientiane. Just walk around the terminal, I guess, and wait for something to happen. Maybe I can find a security guard to pick on. 
More later.
At least not in Bangkok. According to this article in the Thai newspaper “The Nation,” authorities are banning elephants from the city. One of the fascinating things that I love about Bangkok is the chance that you can see one of the big beasts lumbering around some of the major streets at night. That being said, however, it is actually very cruel to the animals that their handlers put them in this position. The handlers try to get tourists to buy food from them to feed the elephants, thereby lining the handlers’ pockets. The city is quite a bad environment for elephants, so I hope the ruling has a good effect. Apparently, this is not the first time the authorities have tried to get the elephants off the streets and into their natural habitat. Let’s hope it works this time.
It looks like the strife in Bangkok is escalating, with reports that tear gas was used by the army to clear out protestors blocking some of the major intersections. To top things off, Apr. 13-15 is Songkran, Thailand’s New Year and one of its major holiday periods.
Laos also celebrates Songkran. I talked to Nai last night, and he has been hired to sing at one of the parties being held there today. This one is being sponsored by his brother’s construction company. I asked him to be careful, because many people are injured or killed in drunk-driving accidents this time of year, and knowing Nai’s penchant for getting into motorbike accidents, I am obviously worried. He told me “I cannot drink beer tomorrow. I sing a song for party.” Good. Keep it that way, Mr. Accident Prone. :satisfied:
I managed to get through another birthday last week, and my mother sent me an e-card which featured animated fireworks. Coincidentally, Yeosu held a Fireworks Festival the evening before, featuring a contest between teams from 4 countries–Korea, China, the Netherlands and France. (I don’t know who won.) Unfortunately, I had a night class to teach. Afterwards, however, I was able to see some of the higher bursts arcing above the mountain across from my apartment. Here’s one of them.
Nai has been voicing his annual complaint about how chilly it is at night in Laos (mid-fifties fahrenheit). His family doesn’t have running hot water and he says that when he takes a bucket shower “water is same-same eye.” (Most Lao people have difficulty pronouncing the “s” sound at the end of English words, so here he is saying the water is like ice.) Well, it’s about to get even colder. The weather forecast is predicting temperatures in the mid-forties next week, which is VERY cold for Laos. Luckily, it is also forecast that the low temperatures won’t last for very long. Good thing, because I’m heading there on the 14th.
I got quite paranoid about the recent problems in Thailand, with protesters closing Suvarnabhumi Airport. I was afraid it might still be shut down or closed for safety checks after the protesters abandoned their siege. So, I had my travel agent in Seoul change my itinerary. Instead of flying from Seoul to Hong Kong to Bangkok on Cathay Pacific Airlines, I’m now flying from Seoul to Hanoi, Vietnam on Vietnam Airlines and from there to Vientiane on a rickety old Laos Airline plane. Naturally, the airport authority in Thailand is now saying that the airport will reopen for normal business in just a few days. Bad timing on my part. Wish me luck.
My Transportation to Vientiane
Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family in and from the U.S. Unfortunately, I won’t be among you this year, but I hope everyone has an enjoyable holiday.
It’s not so enjoyable for people living in various locations around the world. I’m sitting here watching CNN International’s non-stop coverage of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. There are some spectacular shots of the fire at the iconic Taj Mahal Hotel, and the scene looks quite catastrophic.
I’m also keeping a close eye on the current unrest in Bangkok, Thailand, where protesters have shut down Suvarnabhumi Airport. I plan on taking a short vacation in December to that part of the world, but it looks like not everyone is happy in the Land of Smiles.
In other depressing news, the Korean won resumed its precipitous decline, breaking through the 1500 won/dollar psychological barrier a few days back. It has since strengthened a bit to 1470, but that is still a backbreaking rate. If it stays like this far into next year, I’ll be leaving the “Land of the Morning Calm” and heading for greener pastures. I’m already looking into positions in the Middle East, where the currency seems to be more stable.
I’ve just posted a bunch of Yeosu photos to the Photo Gallery, some of which I have posted on the blog and some of which are new. You can take a gander here.
Gotta go take my morning jog, but more later.
It’s been an uneventful trip so far. The flight over to Thailand was long, but there were plenty of entertainment options (movies, games, music) on board the China Air plane, though the food wasn’t up to the standards of my usual carrier, Thai Airlines. I learned that the Taipei airport was shut down several hours after my flight left there, due to a Category 2 typhoon that hit the island.
I spent a pleasant Monday evening in Bangkok with my former Moroccan supervisor, John Scacco, and his wife, who invited me to their condo apartment for a delicious home-cooked meal. Then, on Tuesday evening I took the overnight train to Nong Khai, where I met up with Nai.
There has been plenty of rain here in Nong Khai, but not enough to prevent me from going to my favorite massage parlor, Healthy Garden. If you’re ever in Nong Khai, I highly recommend that you visit the place. Another nice business is the hotel that I stay at when I’m in Nong Khai– The Pantawee. Good rooms for $30 a night, free internet, nice cafe, close to the Mekong. Give it a try.
Ok, so today we’re heading into Laos and I don’t really know when I’ll be able to post again. Perhaps in a week or so, hopefully. More later.
P.S. I’ve turned on comments again, in case OGM wants to say something about the Manny Ramirez trade (snicker).
Thanks to avid reader OGM, I was asked to post that I was ok, in light of the tragic airline crash in Phuket. I didn’t know about it until I got an email from my mother telling me what happened. Quite chilling, since I was there less than a week ago. Anyway, I’m back in Bangkok, safe and sound (more safe than sound, I suppose). Thanks, OGM and others, for your concern.
Now, perhaps Red Sox fans should be a little concerned about the dwindling lead over the Yanks. Actually, I prefer the NY nine to take the wild card spot, so they don’t have to face the Thorn-in-the-Side Angels right away. At any rate, watch out Bosox. More later.
EDIT: I just looked at the standings and it seems to be a toss-up, right now, as to who will face who. Pulling for an Indian-Yankee, Angel-Red Sox alignment in the first round.
Today is Buddhist Lent in Thailand, Laos and elsewhere, and it is probably the main reason I couldn’t get a train ticket to Nong Khai until today. At any rate, I leave this evening at 8:45 and arrive in Nong Khai at 9 a.m. tomorrow.
I forgot to mention that I left my big camera, the Digital Rebel, back in the States. I love the equipment, but it tends to get to be a bit much to haul around after awhile, since I hate leaving it in guesthouse rooms, susceptible to theft. So, while in Montana I bought a new Canon Powershot SD800 IS, a small point-and-shoot that’s very portable. I’m also able to upload photos to the blog because I purchased a memory card reader here in Bangkok (only about $4). Hopefully, I’ll put up photos as I go along. Unfortunately, they may not be as high quality as I like, but I think they’ll be acceptable. 
So, here’s one of all the rain we had, taken while I was sitting on the veranda of the Suk11 guesthouse.
Speaking of the Suk11, I’ve mentioned how quirky and eccentric it is. Here are a couple of inside photos of its dark, mysterious interior.
Looking down the corridor to my room.
One of the nooks and crannies in the corridor.
Another interesting corner.
The day before yesterday, I did a lot of walking, mainly to go to the Panthip computer plaza to look for a card reader. Along the way, I stopped at Central World Plaza (aka World Trade Center), a huge, upscale shopping mall that I hadn’t visited before. This area of Bangkok is filled with shopping malls, including the previously mentioned MBK mall and the extremely upscale Siam Paragon. Here’s a shot of the outside of the Central World center, with the Amari Watergate Hotel and the Baiyoke Sky Hotel in the background.
Inside the mall, the Bangkok International Film Festival is running (ends today), and the central corridor is suitably decorated.
Also along the way is this interesting clock. What time is it, anyway?
Ok, I’ve had my fun for the day, uploading photos and killing some time before the train leaves in 6 hours. Hopefully, I’ll be able to show you more photos as I travel around over the next few months. Keep your eyes peeled. More later.
Take a look at the time stamp at the bottom of this post. If you add 11 hours to it, you should come up with a time of about 6 a.m. Actually, I was up about 3 a.m. this morning, after finally succumbing to jet lag around 5 yesterday afternoon. I’m feeling pretty good today, so far.
Yesterday, I got checked into the guesthouse ok and after cleaning up, I went next door and had a nice, relaxing Thai massage–NOT! Good Thai massages are not relaxing, since you get pushed and pulled, twisted and turned, kneaded and prodded. I opted for a 1 1/2 hour massage, and checked to make sure that the masseuse, a young lady, could give a strong massage (and no hanky-panky, if you know what I mean). She could and did. Though it wasn’t relaxing, it sure helped relieve some of the muscle tension built up from the long flight over. During the massage, a vicious thunder and rain storm broke out. It sounded like it was directly overhead, the lightning flashing and then followed by almost instantaneous cracklings and boomings of thunder. The rain lashed the city, and the side street the guesthouse is on was ankle deep with water. It was an astonishing display of nature, but not all that unusual this time of year.
After the massage, I went to the Sizzler Restaurant in Mahboonkrong Shopping Plaza to take in the salad bar. I made a couple of trips to the greenery and when I left, I found myself very tired, in a sleepy drowsy way. Still, I had to make my way to the Hualamphong train station to buy my ticket to Nong Khai. Once there, I found that the train was already full until the 29th, so I have to delay my trip until then. I’ll get into Nong Khai on the 30th, instead of the 28th, so that gives me a few extra days to goof around in Bangkok. After purchasing the ticket, I went back to the guesthouse for some much-needed sleep.
Ok, I promised the Thai Air menu in my last post, so here it is:
Dinner:
Thai Salad with Chicken Sausage and Garnitures
Beef Bourguignonne with Steamed Parsley Potatoes and Mixed Vegetables OR Stir fried Seafood with Garlic and Pepper and Steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice
Roll, butter, cheese and fresh fruit
Breakfast:
Fresh fruits and yogurt
Creamed Scrambled Eggs, Chicken Sausage, Fried Gem Potatoes and Cherry Tomatoes OR Chicken Yakitori with Yakitori Sauce, Japanase Rice, Sauteed Mixed Vegetables Oriental Style
Roll or croissant, Danish Pastry, butter, cheese
Snack:
Mixed green salad with olive oil and vinegar dressing
Spaghetti Napolitan with Meat Ball Tomato Sauce and Green Beans OR Thai Fried Rice with Shrimp Paste, Dried Baby Shrimp and Chinese Chicken Sausage
Roll, butter and assorted petite fours
Very delicious and just listing these has started to make me very hungry. Breakfast is on the way. Well, actually I have to go to it. I think I’ll head over to Crepes and Co., which makes a marvelous, huge and expensive breakfast. I’ll need to get stocked up, though, for all the potential activities to do: cruise the river, take in a wat or two, go to Chinatown, get another massage (perhaps at Wat Pho), eat real Thai food instead of Sizzler and Crepes & Co. stuff (like at the Suda restaurant, an outdoor eatery on Suk Soi 14 that has a huge menu of cheap Thai and Chinese goodies), etc. Too much to do and not enough time. Better get to it. More later.
After a very long flight (17 hours), I finally arrived in Thailand at 6 o’clock this morning–that would be about 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Montana time. (Ignore the date stamp at the bottom of my posts for the next two months–just add eleven hours to it to get the correct time that I’m making the entry.) I can always tell I’m in Thailand by the smells that greet me when I walk outside the airport to catch the bus into Bangkok. Mostly it’s gas, diesel and airplane fumes, mixed in with a bit of a sewer smell, especially in Bangkok. In the Big Mango itself, I’m surrounded by the smells of the various foods being cooked by the street vendors–grilled chicken, beef and seafood, corn on the cob, noodles and other Thai delicacies. There’s also the exhaust from the traffic, but also the sounds–a steady noise from all the automobiles, buses, tuk-tuks and motorbikes, sort of like a background white noise, always there. There are also the human noises from the densely packed sector of the city in which I’m staying, Sukhumvit, as I’m accosted by tuk-tuk and motorbike drivers, vendors trying to sell me shirts and what-not, beggars on the sidewalk, and others. Chaos incarnate. I love it!
I left for all this madness on Monday morning, Missoula time. I made a last minute stop at the bank to buy some travelers checks, and the haze from the past few days had dissipated somewhat. I had a one-hour delay in Salt Lake City, so I “only” had a 6-hour layover in Los Angeles. The Thai Airways flight was about half an hour late getting started, but we arrived in Bangkok right on time, 6:10 a.m. It was exciting to be in a truly international airport (LAX) once again, surrounded by different languages and clothing. The new Thai airport, Suvarnabhumi, is also quite interesting and beautiful, a step up from the older Don Muang Airport. I don’t feel as affected by jet lag as I did last year after flying from Bangkok to Montana. Hopefully, though, I’ll get a good night’s sleep later.
I was going to write down the menu we were offered on the flight over, but I seem to have left my complimentary copy back at the guesthouse. Yes, everyone was given a menu to choose from, with two choices for each of the three meals we had. I’ll post it here later if I can find it. I also had a choice of about 25 movies to view and, between catnaps I watched “The Last King of Scotland,” “Blades of Glory,” “Disturbia,” “The Incredibles,” and a Thai movie. As always, more later.
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