Vientiane, Laos

Laos...actually Lao PDR which stands for People's Democratic Republic is located to the north and northeast of Thailand. It is separated from Thailand on the north by the very famous Mekong River. The southern capital is the city of Vientiane and is located a short distance once you cross the river into Lao. The government is actually a soft form of Communism as a result of the change of government back in the mid 70's after the war with the Communist Pathet Lao who was backed by the North Vietnamese. This "secret" war took place in the shadows of the Vietnam war and as a result not many people in the U.S. were aware that is was even taking place. Now, thirty some years later this city is host to many travelers and tourists. It's very quiet and peaceful with many quaint French restaurants and bakeries. With the presence of Embassies of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand it is a destination and makes for a good stop-over for trekking back-packers and tourists making the circuits to these other close by countries. In fact, our trip to Vientiane was motivated in part by wanting to do some immigration business that required several visits to the Thai Embassy.

Our trip began Monday evening with an overnight express train to the northern border Thai city of Nong Khai. To start with Phyllis was not all too happy when we found that the only sleeping berths that were available were the upper ones. This meant she would have to climb the short ladder to her berth and since she usually has bathroom trips several times a night she indeed was not thrilled. However we didn't have a choice as we didn't know in advance when we were going, so we had to take what was available. Oh well...helps build character you know. I'm sure she wouldn't agree. Anyway, train departs about 8:30 and is scheduled to get in the next morning about the same time. Ended up though we were two hours late so that extended the trip to 14 hours. 14 hours on a roller coaster ride as Phyllis describes it was not to her expectations or enjoyment! I have to admit though she held up and did quite well under the circumstances. I couldn't resist taking a picture of her in her berth. As you can see, she's tolerating it very nicely...or not.

After arriving in Nong Khai we catch a ride with a "tuk-tuk" which is a hybrid of a motorcycle and a "song tail." He drops us off at the Thai border where we clear customs and immigration before taking a short bus ride across the Mekong River via the Friendship Bridge. This is somewhat of a lengthy process as there are many people doing the same thing. We had no problems with getting our departure stamps in our passports for leaving Thailand. We did have somewhat of a wait for a bus to take us across to the Lao side for immigration processing. While crossing the bridge I noticed that the Mekong was quite swollen and moving rapidly due to all the rain we've had so far as it is at the tail-end of the rainy season here. They've had more rain than normal and as a result numerous border towns on the Mekong have experienced heavy flooding. This was evident in Vientiane as one of their main streets runs parallel with the river and the street was lined with thousands of sand bags to aid in keeping the water back.

Once we arrived on the Lao side we filled out our visa application, and our arrival/departure forms. Then we joined the many standing in line and once we made our way to the window we gave them our forms and US $35 each for an entry visa. They take the forms and tell you to take a seat. Mind you...this is all outside, so, no air-conditioning. However, it's not too bad as we've grown accustomed to the heat anyway. After about 15 minutes or so someone at another window calls your name while holding the passport open to you picture so you'll know it's you. They usually cannot pronounce foreign names very well. So the clue is to look for your picture. Hey, it works. After receiving our passports back we check the visa stamps which takes up one of your entire pages of your passport. They give you 2 weeks. Next, we pass through the next station where they stamp you into the country which shows the date you're entering and the date that you must leave by. Finishing with this we're off and running again. Catching a small mini-van we're off for the city which is about a 20 minute ride or so.

I had researched several hotels before we had left Bangkok so we didn't have any problem as to where we would be staying. As it turned out we stayed at the Chanthapanya Hotel which was quite beautiful. The exterior as well as the lobby was constructed primarily of teak. The exterior doors as well as the lobby had lots of ornate carvings. The entire staff was quite pleasant and accommodating. Albeit we were not staying in what was considered a ordinary cheap Lao hotel. Their currency is the "kip," and at 8,500 kip to the dollar the room ran about 382,000 kip which converted was $45 US a night. Not being familiar with Lao like I was Thailand and not knowing the language we thought it best not to seek out cheaper accommodations. After visiting the city though, I don't think that would have been an issue. As they are quite similar to the Thais in their Buddhist culture.

By the time we had checked in it had started to rain. It was a little disillusioning as we had brought our golf shoes and attire with hopes of playing golf. I had researched that before leaving and found that there was indeed a couple of golf courses that were available. So with the rain we were wary that it might continue for several days. Anyway, the rain did not deter us from exploring part of the city. That evening with umbrellas in hand we set out walking. Discovered that there were many French style restaurants and bakeries, as well as many foreigners walking about. I have a suspicion that there are many ex-pats that make Vientiane their home. You can sort of tell who the locals are at many of the places. We found a very nice multi-story bar/grill that was packed with foreigners. We figured this must be the place for good beer and food. Our first order was beer Lao which they are famous for. Like Thailand, they have very large bottles. One large bottle accompanied by two glasses filled with ice and you're set for the evening. After having a nice dinner we stopped by a bakery on the way back to the hotel where we shared a slice of "Mississippi mud pie." Still raining we made our way back.

The next morning we arose early to find that the rain had subsided and looked as though we were going to have a beautiful day. We wanted to be at the Thai Embassy by eight o'clock, half an hour before they opened. I had heard that depending on the day of the week and the number of people showing up for visas there could be a long line up to 50-100 possibly. We certainly wanted to avoid that if we could. After having breakfast at the hotel, which by the way was included in the room price, we bargained with a tuk-tuk driver to take us to the Embassy and wait while we completed our business. As it turned out we used him for the remainder of our stay. He was an older man in his late sixties who spoke good Thai, and had lived through the war in Laos. Being that I had spent a lot of time in Thailand during the mid 70's we had a lot in common to talk about. When we arrived at the Thai Embassy we were pleasantly surprised as there were only about 8 people already there before us. However, before 8:30 arrived there must have been about 30 or so that formed the line behind us. As we were standing in line we noticed that there was a large black man standing behind us, and as we were standing there an Asian man came up and stood behind us and in front of the Black man . We turned to look at him at the same time as the Black man tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the end of the line. The young Asian, I think he was Lao, reluctantly took his position way back in the line. I spoke to the Black man referenced what had just happened and found that he was from Nigeria and currently living in Pattaya, Thailand. He spoke excellent English. He was having some visa work done reference his business there in Thailand. It's interesting to also note that at border crossings and at embassies there are lots of "scammers." Always looking to prey and make money from unsuspecting people that are not quite sure of the processes that they need to go through. In fact, our tuk-tuk driver rescued us. The immigration official did not want our original documents that we obtained at the American Embassy, told us to go out and get copies made. Once we had them we could come back and not have to wait in line. He actually kept our passports and other paperwork that we had submitted. Once outside the embassy we were immediately surrounded with Laotians that were asking if we needed copies made. I thought that rather strange that they already knew, but I answered "yes," and they said that they could get it done for us at a price of 1000 baht. I suspected right away that this was going to be a scam. For one thing, having a few copies made doesn't cost no 1000 baht which is equivalent to US $30. And then they proceeded to say that they had to go alone, we weren't allowed to go with them. That they would take the documents and return with them and the copies. As I was telling them that there was no way this was going to happen our tuk-tuk driver showed up. He knew what was happening. We quickly left, went back across the street to his tuk-tuk and from there he took us a few hundred meters down the street to a small business that made copies. We got the copies made for for less than a dollar. Returned to the embassy, and turned them in. All was in order and we were told to come back the next day after one o'clock in the afternoon to pick up our passports. Then off we went back to the hotel.

As the day was turning out so beautiful we decided to change to go play golf. Talking with our tuk-tuk driver we found that he knew where the golf course was that we wanted to play at. Again, after negotiating a price with him he agreed to take us, and return four hours later to pick us up. The course was about an half hour ride from the hotel, and we had a quick stop for him to fill up with gas at a Shell station. In true fashion he took us right there. We paid our green fees, and our caddy fees, rented our clubs and we were off to the first tee. The price was comparable to that of the courses in Thailand with one difference. The courses in Thailand are a lot nicer for about the same amount. However, it was a beautiful day with a bright blue sky, and plenty of sunshine. We were happy "campers."

The golfing started out a little slow and questionable as our caddies were not very friendly and didn't have a word to say. However, after a few holes when we shared some of our dried apricots with them they took on a whole new aura. Suddenly they had nice big smiles and were friendly. At one stop between holes I bought them both Pepsi's. Over here they pour the whole bottle into a plastic bag, pop in a straw, then tie one end of with a rubber band so that it can be held with the fingers and then hung on the pull cart. Notice the picture with Phyllis and the caddies as she is holding her Pepsi. A few more dried apricots and we were all one big happy family. Come to find out that the young girl caddy could speak some Thai. But my caddie the tall boy could speak very little. He was quite pleasant and actually a little funny. It must have been on the final few holes when I noticed him limping a little. He had on these old white golf shoes with metal spikes. It wasn't long after that he had taken one shoe off and was inspecting it. The sole had come apart back by the heel and he could actually peel it forward towards the toe. Being now that he couldn't walk with them on he removed them and continued on barefooted. He didn't seem to mind and it didn't dampen his spirits as he continued on with a nice smile and attitude. All in all we had a great day on the course. A couple of interesting pictures taken on the course was of a worker cutting the grass. Make note of his lawn mower. The other was of a young family that was doing some landscaping.

Coming up the 18th fairway as we're approaching the green here comes our tuk-tuk driver walking out to join us. Right on time!Even though our score wasn't the greatest and that was partly due to the length of the course. For Phyllis it was close to 5900 yards, and for me it was over 6700 yards. Too long for a couple of old retired farts!

After returning to our hotel we enjoyed a cold Beer Lao next door at a quaint outside restaurant.

After 4 hours of golf in the hot heat there is nothing more refreshing than an ice cold beer served in a frozen mug filled with ice! And...Beer Lao packs a punch! Following was a refreshing shower and nap.

The next day we returned to the Thai Embassy picked up our passports as they were ready. After which our tuk-tuk driver took us to the Lao border. It was sort of like leaving a new friend. We said our good byes, I paid him and included a nice tip which brought a smile and a look of appreciation. From there we proceeded to get stamped out of Lao. Caught a bus back across the Friendship Bridge and to the border of Thailand. Passing through immigration was smooth, in fact, when I spoke Thai with him he became quite friendly and pleasant. As with most immigration officials they are not usually the friendly type. So this was indeed a pleasant experience. Even though Lao was nice it was nicer being back in Thailand.

After catching a tuk-tuk to the train station I acquired our tickets to Bangkok, and once again the only sleeping berths available were the upper ones. However, this time I was able to get the berths across from each other in the center area of the car. This was important as we had learned from previous trips that if you were towards either end of the car then you would experience the "roller coaster" effect as Phyllis would say. The suspension is worse, the noise is much louder and the people traffic is greater as they move from car to car and the door leading to the outside between the cars is continually being opened and closed and usually with a "bang." We found being in the middle the ride was so much smoother and much quieter and, there are less diesel fumes than being close to the door. Takes a while to learn these things but when you do they can make a big difference. Although Phyllis was still up much of the night as we had eaten at the train station at an outside food place. She had commented that her fried rice didn't taste very well and ended up only eating about half of it. She shouldn't eat any of it as she made a few trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night to get rid of it. Listening to her describe being in that tiny bathroom while the train was swaying back and forth was incredible. She is amazing. I didn't find out about this until the next morning. It took her a few days to recover but she's back at 100% now.

We had about a 3 hour wait before leaving for Bangkok. The time went by fast as we met three other American men that were also headed back to Bangkok. Two of them live in Chachoengsao which is a city located about an hour east of Bangkok. One of which has lived in Thailand about 19 years. We had quite the interesting conversations while waiting. They have invited us to visit both of them and have extended an invitation to show us the city in depth as well as housing opportunities that would be available to us should we decide that it would be a good place to relocate once we decide to move from Bangkok. So...stay tuned as that may be another adventure in itself. While sitting there at the food store I snapped this picture of a small boy sitting on the table pretending to cook.

We arrived back in Bangkok on Friday morning and made our way back to our condo via the MRT subway and the BTS Sky Train. It was nice being back home with time for Phyllis to recouperate and get ready for the next one.

Lop Buri Monastery

On our second day in Lop Buri we ventured outside of the city in search of a Buddhist Monastery that I had read about while in the States. My research stated that it was built into the side of a limestone mountain and the inside of the monastery had areas that descended down into the mountain itself. However, both finding it and getting there would be a little difficult.

I inquired around until I found someone that knew some basic directions. We were recommended to take a "songtail" out of town to a specific highway which would eventually lead to a split in the road. That was where we were to get off. A "songtail" is a form of public transportation. It's basically a converted pick up truck. The tailgate is left down and to it there is welded a small step to access the bed of the truck. On each side of the bed there is a long bench seat running the length of the bed so which you now have two opposing rows. There is also welded to the bed frame a metal cover which provides protection from both the sun and rain to its passengers. These "songtails" are plentiful and each has specific routes that they run. Standing on side the road all one has to do is wave them down and they'll pull over.

After finding the right "songtail" and explaining to them where we were trying to go they agreed to let us off at the right area. From there I was suspecting that we may have to do some walking but didn't say anything to Phyllis just yet. Sure enough after about a 20 minute ride the "songtail" pulls off the side of the highway and driver points to the road we are to take. Standing there looking down the road we both got the feeling that it was a road that wasn't traveled much as the lush vegetation was hugging the sides quite close. So with little reluctance we continued on. After about 30 minutes we could see a monastery off in the distance hugging this mountain. If that was it then it was way too far away to even think about trying to get there. We decided to go a bit further as the road seemed to end not to much further and if by then things still looked bleak then we would return to the main highway. And sure enough at the end of the road we found that it turned sharply left and on the right was a large reservoir. We could see down the road that there were various little food vendors along one side. As we continued our walk a lady appeared and started walking up to greet us. We explained to her that we were headed to the large monastery and she suggested having her friend with a scooter take us. At this point it sure sounded good to us. She proceeded to yell out to her friend and soon here was this man on a scooter coming to fetch us. With all three of us on the scooter he started out. And within 10 minutes or so he delivered us right to the steps. I asked him to give us about half an hour or so and return which he agreed.

The monastery was quite large and did extend on into the mountain. While wandering around we stumbled onto a resident monk. After speaking with him awhile he asked if we would like to see more of the areas inside the mountain. He then proceeded to guide us. He had a flashlight with him as some of the areas were quite dark. One area in particular he turned his light on the ceiling and we were greeted with thousands of little eyes glowing from the light. The ceiling was covered with bats. With the light disturbing them they began their little "squeals." The air was quite pungent with all the bat guava that covered the stone floor beneath our feet. It didn't take long before Phyllis had seen enough and was ready for some fresh air.

He continued to lead us to yet another chamber that happened to be quite small. He explained to us that this one was used for meditation. Then he led us back out into the monastery and took us to an area that had the remains of a venerated monk. The body was lying in a glass coffin which was open on the top. He had me stand beside him and reach down and touch the arm which looked as though it had been preserved as you could discern the ligaments that covered the bone. This entire chamber was a memorial to this monk. As we stood there I had Phyllis take a picture of us together. It wasn't until after I saw the picture that I realized that he had his arm around me. Being inside this monastery was quite a humbling experience. I felt so fortunate to have had this resident monk take enough interest in showing us about.

Our time was running short so I explained to him that we had a friend returning to pick us up. Before departing he led us back to his room so that he could give us a pamphlet on the monastery. Of course it was all in Thai. Since I did not have a picture from afar I decided to take a picture of the cover which is the shot I used for this post. He then pointed us the way and we said our goodbyes. Sure enough once outside our friend with the scooter was waiting. And without saying a word he proceeded to take us all the way back out to the main highway where we had originally been left by the "songtail." I paid him for his service, waved goodbye, and then patiently waited for either another "songtail" to come by or a returning bus to the city. It happened to be a bus which Phyllis didn't mind as it had padded seats and proved to be a much more comfortable ride. What started out as a questionable adventure turned out better than I had anticipated. This one experience will always stand out when I recall Lop Buri.


It was time to head back to our hotel, the ThepThani. This hotel is a nondescript, very common, Thai hotel located on the main street adjacent to a university. We found it to be very clean, with air conditioning, running hot water, all for 400 Baht per night which is about $12.00 U.S. Mind you it was nothing fancy by no means. How could it be for that price...right? Anyway, it turned out to be a great day, and a great adventure. This evening we'll say goodbye to all the monkeys and head back to Bangkok.

City of Monkeys

Lop Buri, Thailand is known as the "City of Monkeys." And rightfully so, because at the center of this city is located an ancient Khmer ruin called Phra Prang Sam Yot. It occupies a large area that has been preserved and over hundreds of years monkeys have come to call this place home. They run freely throughout the ruin area while modern streets surround its perimeters.

I first visited Lop Buri in January 1974 while living in Khorat, Thailand. See the photo..yes, that's me with the leather travel bag I had made with a python head attached. As you can tell it was quite the object of attention. Now, some 34 years later I'm on a bus again headed for Lop Buri.

I had shared my stories about this city with many friends over the years, and then recently The Discovery Channel aired a special on it. It was filmed as a documentary but with a special "twist." It was a story of "Romeo & Juliet" and true to Shakespeare, it had all the romance and drama one would expect. Over the passing years there evolved another area that found home to the monkeys. Across the street and not far from the ruin grounds is the Lop Buri Train Station. Between the ruins and the train station is now home for a another entire group of monkeys that have nothing to do with the so-called temple monkeys. In fact, they are rivals and do not intermingle. This had all been well and good up until "Romeo" from the temple group fell in love with "Juliet" from the city group. Their relationship caused quite a stir and literally ended up causing an outright war between the two groups. For several weeks there was bloodshed and deaths on a daily basis as these groups would collide. The fighting spilled onto the streets and created problems for the local residents and business owners. Seeing that there was no end in sight the local residents decided to take matters into their own hands and devised a way to bring an end to this outright war. Both sides were beginning to feel the effects of all the fighting and bloodshed and were starting to suffer from lack of food. It was decided to close down the main street and use it as a central point where any of the monkeys could come for food. It wasn't long before the street was full of tables and plenty of food. This seemed to be the turning point as both sides were literally starving to death. They had to unite if they wanted to eat. It also helped that both Romeo and Juliet left town and no one knows what became of them. But the fighting stopped and life started to return to normal. Today their division still exists and they actually have two separate areas where food is laid out. Both groups co-exist but in there own areas, and they do not intermingle with one another. It truly is a sight to behold. Standing there on the temple grounds and watching all the monkeys and then looking across the street and seeing the city monkeys each in their own separate environment.

Upon entering the temple grounds there is a small manned booth where one can buy small bags of sunflower seeds for feeding the monkeys and also receive a verbal recommendation that you remove anything that can be easily stolen by the monkeys, and to take precautions in safe guarding your purse as we were warned that they were "little thieves" and very good at their jobs. We were also each given a long thin piece of bamboo that we could use to "switch" them away if they were to become to friendly. Phyllis by now had already had a close encounter. Before entering the compound one of the small monkeys that had been sitting on the fence decided to fly through the air and attach himself to the front of her shirt which immediately prompted a shriek from her. What a sight seeing her pounce around screaming with this monkey clinging to the front of her. Maybe it was his way of greeting her. He was harmless and I was so busy laughing that I didn't have time to snap a picture.

Once inside we were greeted by a teenage boy who said his name was "Boy." He lived there with the monkeys and helped the tourists if there was need. He promptly started escorting us about to show us the ruins from both outside to inside. He showed us where he slept at night, and if it happened to be raining then he had an area inside that that he used. He spoke very little English so most of his explanations were in Thai. At one point when I was taking pictures I heard Phyllis scream. Turning I found there were several monkeys hanging on to her back and from her hair. Running over I proceeded to "switch" them off. After which we discovered what they were doing. She had a white hair tie that was holding her hair in a pony tail and now it was gone. One of them managed to get it out and steal it. However, not to worry as "Boy" was on to them and he quickly disappeared only to reappear again up near the top of the temple with the elastic tie in hand. He had chased the monkey up there and retrieved it for Phyllis.

It was an invigorating afternoon and the monkeys proved quite entertaining. We finished our small tour of the ruins and "Boy" accompanied us back to the entrance. He seemed to truly like our companionship even though it was for only a short time. He never once asked or implied for any money. However, before leaving I did give him 100 Baht which was about $3.00. It doesn't sound like much but here in Thailand they can make a 100 Baht go a long way. He was most appreciative and after receiving it placed his hands together in prayer like manner, held them up to his forehead and "waied" me as he said, "kop koon mak kop." Thank you very much.

With that we were off to further explore the city.

"Time to go, the monkeys are starting to get to me..."

Bangkok Golf

The Bangkok area is a golfing paradise with more than 36 golf courses to choose from. However, on our retirement budget and with both of us golfing we try to be selective to those courses that we consider reasonable. Generally the courses we choose have green fees ranging from 400 - 900 Baht which in U.S. is $12 - $26. Add to that the normal Caddy fee of 220 Baht which is U.S. 6.50, and afterwards if they have done a good job then we tip them up to about 220 Baht. So all in all it usually averages about less than $30. U.S. each. Which isn't at all bad considering that you're able to walk the course and have a caddy to hand you your club selection, clean your club after your shot, repair your divots, carry your umbrella, mark your ball on the green, clean it, and replace it. Give you guidance on reading the green, and on especially hot days as you're standing there you discover a nice breeze on your neck only to find she is standing there fanning you. Most of the caddies know the courses very well, and when you hit an errant shot and it heads into the trees and you loose site of it...not to worry, as she will usually walk right up to it and point it out. They really are amazing. And, even though it is hot out you will find them covered from head to toe, as they do not want to be exposed to that much sun. They prefer lighter toned skin and do not want to get dark. Opposite from the thinking of most westerners as they want the darker tanned skin.

There are some other differences as compared to golf in the U.S. Here most everyone walks the course. And they can have up to a max of what they call a 6-ball which basically means a 6-some. Imagine if you will, 6 golfers and 6 caddies. Your own gallery at every tee box and on the green! One would think with that many golfers that it would take forever to play a round. But it doesn't. Play moves right along and it goes surprisingly quick. As you walk down the fairways and look around at the course it appears to be a giant park with lots of people out for a leisurely stroll.

Another little quirk is when you play the Par 3's. These are what they call "Call Hole." Once everyone is on the green the caddies look back at the group that is waiting on the tee box and if that group wants to call then one of the caddies will signal. At which time everyone walks off the green. Their balls have already been marked by the caddies. You stand off to one side or behind the green allowing the group behind you to tee off. Now, again imagine the gallery that has assembled. There are not only 12 people on the tee box, but there are 12 people standing around the green. Hmm...talk about pressure! Once the group tees off they begin their trip up to the green while your group walks back onto the green to finish the hole. Sometimes the group behind is up by the green before everyone has finished. So now, we have 24 people on and around the green. What a party! Feels like you're playing on tour.

One other thing about the golf courses...like Thailand, there is food everywhere. The golf courses are no exceptions. Every couple of holes there is always some type of stopover for either a snack, or even a quick meal. Especially around the par 3's when it sometimes can get backed up. This presents the opportunity to get a quick bowl of noodle soup, or rice dish with a curry of some sort. Additionally there are plenty of other types of food ranging from fried chicken drumsticks, to hard boiled eggs, to sweet snacks along with a variety of drinks including ice cold Singha beer. You might even see a small stand set up selling small clear plastic bags of golf balls, usually 6 to a set. These are balls that have been retrieved from the water hazards which there are always plenty of. The balls are retrieved by hand. It's not unusual to see Thai men in their colorful straw hats in the lakes with long bamboo poles that they use to retrieve the balls from the bottom. This in itself is an art to watch.

After what usually is a four and a half to five hour round you find yourself back at the clubhouse which are usually quite massive and large. All have both men and ladies locker rooms where you can shower and change into fresh clothes. Some even have on site massage parlors. After refreshing and depending on the time, you can sit in the clubhouse or outside on the covered terraces and have a cold beer and more food! What a way to end a round of golf!

Golf here is to enjoy, relax, and have a good time. Unlike the U.S. where we tend to ride carts with GPS systems that keep track of you and tell you when you're a few seconds or minutes behind and ask you to pick up the pace. And if the GPS isn't enough, there are plenty of course Marshall's that are ever present to make sure you play in the allotted time. Here it doesn't matter if you shoot a 115 or an 85 just as long as you enjoy. Enjoy, and relax...or as the Thai's would say Sabai, Sabai.

Train to Chiang Mai

While golfing a couple of weeks ago we were paired up with an American man named Bruce, and his Thai friend whose name is Pete. Pete went to college in San Francisco and speaks excellent English. Bruce lives up in Chiang Mai which is about 400 miles north of Bangkok and has lived there for about 10 years or so. He invited us to come up for a visit. Since we had not been to Chiang Mai since May of 2004 and that we're considering the possibility of relocating there once we finish our year here in Bangkok we decided to take the overnight express train up for a weekend with Bruce.

The train departed Bangkok about 7 pm and arrived in Chiang Mai the next morning about 8 am. We spent the extra money for an air-conditioned car with a sleeper that had both an upper and lower berth. Round trip each was less than $50. Once on our way they came around with a menu for us to select our dinner and then asked us at what time we wanted it served. Our two opposing seats was set up so they could attach a table between us. We told them the time that we wanted to sleep and they came back and made up the berths for us. Phyllis was a little concerned at first as she thought she might get motion sickness due to the trains constant movement and rhythm. However, she did fine and the trip went well.

Bruce met us at the train station the next morning. We didn't need to be concerned about transportation as he had his own car. After going to breakfast the remainder of the day was spent going to the various golf courses and scouting them out as to their green fees and possible membership considerations if we were to move there. After being in Bangkok we found the traffic to be a non-event. Getting around was quite easy, but one would definitely need a car.

By the end of the day we were back at his house. He is currently renting a large 3 bedroom, 3 bath, with formal dining room, living room, kitchen, and a study. It has an attached 2 car carport. Nicely furnished and the rent is less than we are paying for our small one bedroom condo in Bangkok. Like I've told many people Bangkok is to Thailand what New York City is to the U.S. Expensive.

We were able to play golf a couple of times but it was in between the rain. We had a lot of rain while there and Phyllis could feel the effect on her allergies. Not sure whether being that far up north would be a good thing. However, Chiang Mai is a lovely city as it is referred to as "The Rose of the North." There are many places in the country to consider, and we have a year to explore so at this point there is no rush to decide. We're retired...so what's the hurry?

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.