Bangkok Zoo

On one of our first free Sunday's we visited the Bangkok Zoo. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We took the BTS Skytrain to the last terminal on the north side of the city. From there we took a taxi that took us past the King & Queen's Chitralada Palace and on to the zoo. We found it very peaceful, quiet, and relaxing. There was so much to see and it took us most of the day to take everything in. We were thoroughly entertained by all the various species of monkeys as well as the elephants. The one picture shows an elephant getting a bath by its trainer. It was amazing to see the relationship between the two. Also this was taking place right on the sidewalk so they were literally just a few feet away from us. While there we had plenty to eat and drink as this is Thailand and food is everywhere you turn. Can't help but try the various items that are always available. By the end of the day we started our journey back home only to end up at a massage parlor where we both had one hour foot massages! In case you were wondering, a one hour foot massage is 200 Baht which is equivalent to $5.88 U.S. Oh, what a way to end a day! As they say in Thailand..."sabai, sabai."

Sukhumvit Hospital Visit

Wednesday, July 16th, Phyllis had her first hospital visit. Prior to leaving the U.S. Phyllis had surgery to implant (2) permanent tubes in her ears. She has always had chronic problems related to getting infections and having fluid build-up behind her eardrum. After several years of having temporary tubes they finally recommended that she have permanent ones. Even though we had insurance it was still a couple thousand dollars. Just days before departing the U.S. on July 4th she started having problems in one of her ears. We went to her ear specialist and he removed some residue crap that had resulted from the surgery. Thinking it was taken care of we were off to Thailand on schedule. Less than two weeks after arriving she again started having problems with the same ear. It continued for days so we decided to go to the Sukhumvit hospital which is not far from where we live. They had a resident ear, nose, and throat doctor. Well...what an experience it turned out to be. They took her right in and after examining her we were told that her tube had dislodged and had come out. We immediately told him that these were "permanent" tubes. His reply was that there was no such thing as permanent tubes. "All tubes can come out." With our permission he removed the tube quite easily and showed it to us. Well, you can imagine how we felt after going through all that in the States. The examining room was state-of-the-art with a ceiling mounted TV monitor in which we could observe the work he was doing in her ear. After removing the tube he gave it to us and then recommended the inner ear be cleaned thoroughly. When he inserted a tube and applied a solution I thought Phyllis would come up off the table! After the cleaning you could see the inner ear on the TV monitor, it was nice and pink the way it should be. However, now came the real problem. When he was finished he asked that she sit up, and upon sitting up she quickly experienced vertigo. Thinking that if she just sat for a few minutes everything would be alright...wrong! This vertigo was so severe and lasted for hours. When we got her into a wheelchair and into another room she could barely move without vomiting. Then she had to go to the bathroom but couldn't because she couldn't move without vomiting. They kept bringing her fresh bags and she was so loud that everyone on the floor heard her. They finally gave her a shot of Dramamine thinking it should help...wrong again! All in all we were there for about four hours at which time they were talking about admitting her. When she heard that all she wanted was for me to get a taxi and get her home. They wheeled her down to the main lobby where they waited with her while I settled the bill. The bill, in Thai Baht was 1,400. In U.S. dollars that mounted to $41.79 After the taxi arrived they helped her in and we were off to our condo which was only a short distance. Arriving at our condo I had to assist her and her "puke bag" out of the taxi. It was interesting to watch the expressions on our doormen as they held the door open for us to enter the lobby. Phyllis later said that they probably thought she was drunk. It wasn't until after midnight that she started to feel better. So much for having "permanent" tubes placed in your ears! She is much better and has no plans to return to the hospital, even though they had done a good job.

Walen School of Thai

Now that we were settled into our condo it was time to start school. Monday, July 14th, was our first day of school. We were given Book I and to our surprise found that it was all written in Thai, all 123 pages! That's when we found that their method to speaking is based on learning to read. Then came suprise # 2. After taking our seats in the classroom along with about 12 other students, our teacher, a young lady named Ploy, began class by having everyone turn to page 42. What?! Phyllis and I looked at each other like "what the hell is going on?" The surprise was that we just happened to join the class in progress. She started instructing in Thai and as she asked questions she would rotate from student to student for their responses. They were reading the answers from their book in Thai. So when it came to us I thought she just might pass us by, but no...we were to answer her questions as well. She did come over to help us with the questions and answers that were written out in the book. She said for now that we should just write each Thai word out phonetically in English to start with. Okay...nothing like jumping in the middle of things. We did manage to get through the first day, all 3 hours. We started our schedule with classes on Monday, Wednesday, & Friday and figured we would reserve Tuesday's and Thursday's for golf. Well this had to change as we knew that in order for us to catch up and continue on that we would need a lot of home study time. By the end of the second week we had changed our schedule to 2 hours a class, 2 days a week. That way we could still play golf and have plenty of study time. At this writing which is September 3rd we have completed the remainder of Book I and have started from the begining. Which now seems quite easy. I guess it was just getting over the initial shock. However we still spend a lot of time studying. But that is ok as that's why we're living here in Bangkok. Our priority is school for this first year. เราเป็นนักเรียน (we are students).

Condo Hunting

One week after arrival we moved into our new home. Didn't think Phyllis would be able to "hang in there" due to all the walking that we did. Even though public transportation is plentiful, there are still 47 steps up to the first level of the Skytrain platform which is the ticketing level, then another 42 steps up the 2nd level where you actually catch the train. Repeat this again when you arrive at the station that you are going. This was done on a repeated basis numerous times a day, and add to that all the walking down various streets and small "sois" which are sub-streets. But...she hung in there and we were fortunate by the end of the fourth day we had located a one bedroom condo in a new low-rise 8 story building within walking distance of the BTS Skytrain. We met with the owner, signed a 1 year lease, and moved in on Saturday July 12th. You do a lot of walking in Bangkok and it doesn't take long to understand why there are so many massage, and foot massage parlors everywhere! The pictures are Phyllis on the steps up to the Skytrain , one from the platform looking back at our condo buildings, and a couple of interior shots.

Bangkok Arrival

After more than 21 hours of flying time from West Palm Beach, Florida via Korean Airlines we touched down in Bangkok about midnight on Saturday. Exhausted and jet lagged we were still glad to arrive in the "Land of Smiles." Particularly happy that all our connecting flights went well and we arrived along with our luggage and golf clubs in tact! I had arranged for a driver with a van to pick us up as I knew that we and all our luggage would not fit in those small Toyota taxis, so after clearing Customs and Immigration I was relieved to see a Thai smile holding a piece of cardboard with my name on it. Upon exiting the airport there was no doubt that we had arrived...the heat hits you right away, and the feel and smell of the air is distinctive to say the least. Yes...we had arrived!