Saturday December 29 2007
Saturday-December 29, 2007
Bangkok, Thailand
As many of you know, I have resumed my peripatetic ways and have taken off for Thailand on December 24. The first flight-fourteen hours long into Narita, Japan was followed by a three hour layover and then a seven hour flight into Bangkok. It was a total of 26 hours elapsed time and a twelve hour time difference. Needless to say, it is/was an exhausting trip and the Jet lag really didn’t allow me to sleep very well for at least three days.
While waiting for the second leg of my trip, I composed a blog entry on my impressions of the Narita airport. I could not post it and was going to wait until I arrived in Bangkok to post the entry. My computer wouldn’t boot up and I spent the better part of the day trying to figure out the problem. Finally, I took the laptop to a Toshiba dealer and they told me the maotherboard was shot! I do have an product warranty, but there is no way I can get the machine fixed in a short period of time, so I just bought another laptop from Toshiba.
I will carry the broken laptop home as the warranty should repair the otherwise, very trusty and dependable machine. The new computer is quite good, the only drawback is the visual confusion on the keyboard with all of the Thai characters crowding the keys! Hunt and peck with English/Thai characters!
Yesterday, I took an excursion out of Bangkok to the sunflower growing region and my driver located a place for lunch that was incredible. A five fish course luncheon with beer for less than 7 bucks a person. The food was delicious overlooking a fish pond, outdoors and quite delicious. Afterwards, we visited Ayutthaya, the former capital of Thailand. There are impressive ruins if many “Wat” locations (temples) and to see the scale of the ruins was quite remarkable. A fun-filled day!
Today, I spent the day at the Weekend market of Bangkok and the array of cats, dogs, food, clothes, trinkets and mobs of people. It is a people watching experience as much of the merchandise for sale.
Originally, I was planning to stay four days in Bangkok, but I could not get a flight to Chiang Mai, so I am spending another night here. I stayed four nights at the Davis Bangkok, a very nice hotel, with huge living room, kitchen, bedroom in a central location in downtown Bangkok. Unfortunately, they did not have any rooms available for tonight, so I moved around the corner to the Four Wings Hotel. I leave at 8:40 P.M. for Chiang Mai, where I will be staying for a week.
At any rate, the first blog entry is lost as it resides in the old computer and I cannot retrieve it at this time. It is wonderful to be back in Thailand as the “Land of Smiles” is a most welcoming place. I will try and post blogs as my time and adventures allow. Journey well and Happy New Year to all!
posted Saturday December 2007