I returned to Ottawa as scheduled, December 12, all flights were on time, and because of the season, very smooth travel. My checked luggage was tagged all the way to Ottawa. But, with the need to clear customs in Toronto, I claimed it, cleared customs, and then put the luggage on a belt, and it went to Ottawa. I had a scheduled layover in Seoul, South Korea of twelve hours. I was offered a five hour free trip into the city, but declined. While there were several, of various hours, most involved quite some time shopping, a no no for me.One of several hours was a tour to some cave where a lot of gold was recovered...but, Mr Don does not go into caves more than ten feet, and then only if I can see the other exit.
Before departure from Korea, as we prepared for take-off, we were told by Air Canada staff that a hot dinner would be served an hour after take off, and that a snack would be served six hours into the flight, (scheduled for almost 13 hours), and a hot "Breakfast", would be served one hour before landing in Toronto. We were scheduled to arrive at five in the afternoon. We were flying in a Boeing 787-900 series aircraft. The 787s were the first in the world to have no blinds on the windows. There is a button below the window, top is white bottom half is black. To see out, one presses the white part of the button several times, and the window is clear. If you want to darken the window, one pushes the black several times, and total dark window..unable to see out. Now, this 787 and, I suppose all the 900 series have a crew override for the windows. As we departed Korea, even before the dinner was served, the crew darkened the windows, and one could not see out. The Air Canada crew kept the windows darkened until after breakfast was served at four Toronto time. They also darkened the windows for landing...which is a no no at least, has been a no no until now. They always ask to set seats in upright position and OPEN window shades at landing on all other carriers and flights.
Thailand had been ruled since May, 2014 by a military dictatorship, who imposed very strict laws on the people with their own so-called constitution. To talk or write anything negative about the government is, in the eyes of the Generals, a crime against the king...and if caught, one is jailed for up to 15 years. In addition, for Google, and probably many other companies to operate in Thailand, under the dictators, they had to give the army full control of the internet.
As a result, every outgoing and incoming email is read, and allowed to continue, or , it disappears
into thin air. The speed is controlled..to the point that it can take several minutes for a short four line email to be sent. This control is done by them detecting foreign owned computers from the computer I.P. address. The computer will often tell you that, "Google is using the web cam". In short , spying on you. As a so called, "election", is planned for probably February, and is already fixed according to some sources, the military is getting nervous and becoming more controlling. If I were to return to Thailand under this dictatorship, I will probably leave my laptop at home, just too much trouble.
I hope to post some photos, probably mid January, after the holidays, and when my techie is free to help. In the meantime, Happy Holidays to All/Thank you.
Sunday 23 December 2018
Monday 10 December 2018
Bangkok, Tuesday, December 11, 2018
I will keep this page very short. I have been having internet problems for all my time here in Bangkok, and have been erased, and delayed many times. I will comment more when home. I depart hotel in 12 hours for the return trip. Time here has been great/Thanks for understanding
Saturday 1 December 2018
So Phisai, December 2, Part two
The malls, the shopping and the specialty stores,
I have done this all, and, a whole lot more,
But, as the hours pass, and another month nears,
I look at my schedule, and I count the beers,
I look at my friends, and see no fear,
Because....Bedier was here.!!!
Back in Canada on December 12,
I will unpack my bags, get some sleep, have a long chat with my friends, and... yes;
Already, another adventure awaits,... to where.....that is anyone's guess!!
This is now Sunday, December 2. I will be departing here on Friday evening, and taking an overnight bus to Bangkok. One day to relax and two for seeing a few things, including the earlier mentioned Skywalk.
I will depart Bangkok at about eleven thirty in the evening of 11 December for Inchon/Seoul, South Korea. That is a six hour flight. I have a twelve hour stopover, may get a city tour, depending on Visa requirements, etc, then ....I will see what surprises Air Canada have in store for me...as we have a
twelve and half hour flight to Toronto, clear customs, etc and a short half hour flight to Ottawa.
........cold and snow awaits...
If time permits, I will do a short update before departing Bangkok.
I have done this all, and, a whole lot more,
But, as the hours pass, and another month nears,
I look at my schedule, and I count the beers,
I look at my friends, and see no fear,
Because....Bedier was here.!!!
Back in Canada on December 12,
I will unpack my bags, get some sleep, have a long chat with my friends, and... yes;
Already, another adventure awaits,... to where.....that is anyone's guess!!
This is now Sunday, December 2. I will be departing here on Friday evening, and taking an overnight bus to Bangkok. One day to relax and two for seeing a few things, including the earlier mentioned Skywalk.
I will depart Bangkok at about eleven thirty in the evening of 11 December for Inchon/Seoul, South Korea. That is a six hour flight. I have a twelve hour stopover, may get a city tour, depending on Visa requirements, etc, then ....I will see what surprises Air Canada have in store for me...as we have a
twelve and half hour flight to Toronto, clear customs, etc and a short half hour flight to Ottawa.
........cold and snow awaits...
If time permits, I will do a short update before departing Bangkok.
So Phisai, Thailand December 2, 2018 Part One
It is Sunday morning here, and I thought that I would do some creative work for this site, that some may find interesting. First off, This is now The Kingdom of Thailand, a title that has been in place since only 24 June, 1939. It did revert to the old for two years, 1946 to 8, but has stayed with the current title since. The term Siam, and Siamese is still often seen throughout the country.
Thailand never was occupied by any European country. England and France decided not to take it over, but to keep it out of their areas here....because they could not trust each other. France had Indo-China, England had whatever else they could get..between them, everything but Thailand. China was always alone....except for some areas like Hong Kong.
I have been here now, about ten or twelve times, and, on Friday, during some idle time, I came up with some recollections....
Here in So Phisai on the last day of November,
The treasures of Thailand, I try to remember
The Orphanage at Pattaya, it comes to mind first,
Two hundred kids, for love and compassion, they thirst
all of these, and a whole lot more, would have been left in the lurch,
If not for a lot of volunteers and the backing of the Catholic church.
Buddhists all, as they come and they go,
some will remain, while others to far away countries go.
I view the Temples, and the jewels they hold,
With statues made from Jade, Emerald and Gold.
In old Siam, I view the sights
for thirty days and thirty nights,
I take the photos and I sample the food,
I view a mountain where Buddha once stood,
An imprint in time from long long ago,
Millions come here, but there is no side show,
They walk up very very high, and come back slow
They saw proof in the rock, a footprint for sure
Six centuries till now, and for many more, it will endure
Historic places, and the history they hold
Like Chang Mai, a Capital once, a place to behold,
With orchid farms and many things cool, why, there is even a moat, and a monkey school
Then there is Chang Rai, at the top of the map, a triangle of sorts, they call golden, but watch the weather reports
When the temperatures drop to twenty degrees, all the locals think they are going to freeze.
Then when it drops to minus one, all the tourists to this city run, to see the frost before the sun.
Thailand never was occupied by any European country. England and France decided not to take it over, but to keep it out of their areas here....because they could not trust each other. France had Indo-China, England had whatever else they could get..between them, everything but Thailand. China was always alone....except for some areas like Hong Kong.
I have been here now, about ten or twelve times, and, on Friday, during some idle time, I came up with some recollections....
Here in So Phisai on the last day of November,
The treasures of Thailand, I try to remember
The Orphanage at Pattaya, it comes to mind first,
Two hundred kids, for love and compassion, they thirst
all of these, and a whole lot more, would have been left in the lurch,
If not for a lot of volunteers and the backing of the Catholic church.
Buddhists all, as they come and they go,
some will remain, while others to far away countries go.
I view the Temples, and the jewels they hold,
With statues made from Jade, Emerald and Gold.
In old Siam, I view the sights
for thirty days and thirty nights,
I take the photos and I sample the food,
I view a mountain where Buddha once stood,
An imprint in time from long long ago,
Millions come here, but there is no side show,
They walk up very very high, and come back slow
They saw proof in the rock, a footprint for sure
Six centuries till now, and for many more, it will endure
Historic places, and the history they hold
Like Chang Mai, a Capital once, a place to behold,
With orchid farms and many things cool, why, there is even a moat, and a monkey school
Then there is Chang Rai, at the top of the map, a triangle of sorts, they call golden, but watch the weather reports
When the temperatures drop to twenty degrees, all the locals think they are going to freeze.
Then when it drops to minus one, all the tourists to this city run, to see the frost before the sun.
Friday 23 November 2018
So Phisai, Northern Thailand,November 23, 2018
Once again I am here near the border with Laos, at Sophisai, Thailand where we arrived late Wednesday evening....about eleven. One of the family members was moving back to Sophisai after a number of years in Bangkok, so a family member living south of Bangkok at Pattaya did the move on Wednesday. I helped with the loading, then rode with six family members in a two seater pickup truck for the eleven hours here. We stopped several times for refreshments, and made about half the trip in the darkness.
The driver decided to do a short cut, so we went right up to Kong Kaen, which is across the Mekong River from Vientiane, Laos, then south east to Sophisai..about two hours longer than the usual route. I do not ask questions when I am getting a free ride. I would like to point out also, that place names have different spellings...so beware...different map makers use their own way of naming places.
Last evening, after the truck was unloaded and we had assembled the furniture, we went to a water festival about 30 kilometers away. It was dark, and most of the water gun/spraying etc was over for the day. This is a Thai way of celebrating, and "making merit"....where they look at the good things life has to offer, and be happy. The use of a pickup truck to carry passengers is perfectly legal here, and even those in the back seat do not need to use seat belts. We had 18 in the truck...two seats up front with six, and about 12 in the back,,,on old mattresses, etc. It is 30 degrees, so no worry about the weather.
When we returned to this town, we went to a buffet BBQ, of the fish variety. We were seated at a long table, about nine to a side, and a briquette BBQ at each end, and four down the middle of the table. The idea is you go to the buffet, get what you want from crab to shrimp, squid, and all imaginable things, and cook it yourself...live music playing in the back ground. A great way to end the festival activities. We have it hard here!. All kidding aside, it is a hard life anyplace in Asia where rice is grown. Today, we went down to the farm, about four kilometers from the family home in the town. 12 ladies out in the hot sun, bent over and harvesting the rice crop....for about 12 dollars a day.and 12 hour days. Because this farm has no irrigation, they have one rice crop a year. Planting will begin in May, the wet season. Where irrigation is available, they get three crops of rice a year.
I will have more in about a week. Thank you all for the interest.
The driver decided to do a short cut, so we went right up to Kong Kaen, which is across the Mekong River from Vientiane, Laos, then south east to Sophisai..about two hours longer than the usual route. I do not ask questions when I am getting a free ride. I would like to point out also, that place names have different spellings...so beware...different map makers use their own way of naming places.
Last evening, after the truck was unloaded and we had assembled the furniture, we went to a water festival about 30 kilometers away. It was dark, and most of the water gun/spraying etc was over for the day. This is a Thai way of celebrating, and "making merit"....where they look at the good things life has to offer, and be happy. The use of a pickup truck to carry passengers is perfectly legal here, and even those in the back seat do not need to use seat belts. We had 18 in the truck...two seats up front with six, and about 12 in the back,,,on old mattresses, etc. It is 30 degrees, so no worry about the weather.
When we returned to this town, we went to a buffet BBQ, of the fish variety. We were seated at a long table, about nine to a side, and a briquette BBQ at each end, and four down the middle of the table. The idea is you go to the buffet, get what you want from crab to shrimp, squid, and all imaginable things, and cook it yourself...live music playing in the back ground. A great way to end the festival activities. We have it hard here!. All kidding aside, it is a hard life anyplace in Asia where rice is grown. Today, we went down to the farm, about four kilometers from the family home in the town. 12 ladies out in the hot sun, bent over and harvesting the rice crop....for about 12 dollars a day.and 12 hour days. Because this farm has no irrigation, they have one rice crop a year. Planting will begin in May, the wet season. Where irrigation is available, they get three crops of rice a year.
I will have more in about a week. Thank you all for the interest.
Saturday 17 November 2018
Bangkok Thailand Sunday, November 18, 2018
Here I am, seven days into a four week vacation, and reading reports of all that snow back in Ontario. Just got away in time.
Everything here is going great. Because of the rough trip here, the kids and all, I took one extra day to get fully on schedule with the 12 hour time change. BY Wednesday, I was up at the usual six, and out exploring this changing city. I had my Dental work completed as scheduled on Thursday morning...all done in one long session. As I have stated in another blog some time ago, here, you get a Dentist and an assistant for your full appointment...none of that having three or four on the go at one time, with dentist wearing running shoes and working on those patients, all on same time schedule. The staff never leave until finished. Oh, and the cost....less than one hundred Canadian dollars.
For something different, I would suggest that you go to Google, and see Mahanakhon Tower, or Skywalk. Many of you have seen my photos of this building that looks like it has lost big pieces of the sides. Well, on Friday, they opened to the public, a glass floored skywalk...great view of Bangkok. It was in news on TV and in all local papers, so I have held off going for the weekend, but will go with my Thai friends in the coming week. Should have some great photos, depending on sun or clouds that day. My friends get back here tonight from visiting family in Japan. We have some business to conduct over the next several days, then I will go with some of them to their farm in Sophisai, up near the border with Laos.
That is about all for this posting. I will try and update again next Sunday. The contact number to date is 8200. Have a great day, where ever you may be.
Everything here is going great. Because of the rough trip here, the kids and all, I took one extra day to get fully on schedule with the 12 hour time change. BY Wednesday, I was up at the usual six, and out exploring this changing city. I had my Dental work completed as scheduled on Thursday morning...all done in one long session. As I have stated in another blog some time ago, here, you get a Dentist and an assistant for your full appointment...none of that having three or four on the go at one time, with dentist wearing running shoes and working on those patients, all on same time schedule. The staff never leave until finished. Oh, and the cost....less than one hundred Canadian dollars.
For something different, I would suggest that you go to Google, and see Mahanakhon Tower, or Skywalk. Many of you have seen my photos of this building that looks like it has lost big pieces of the sides. Well, on Friday, they opened to the public, a glass floored skywalk...great view of Bangkok. It was in news on TV and in all local papers, so I have held off going for the weekend, but will go with my Thai friends in the coming week. Should have some great photos, depending on sun or clouds that day. My friends get back here tonight from visiting family in Japan. We have some business to conduct over the next several days, then I will go with some of them to their farm in Sophisai, up near the border with Laos.
That is about all for this posting. I will try and update again next Sunday. The contact number to date is 8200. Have a great day, where ever you may be.
Tuesday 13 November 2018
Bangkok, 13 November, page 2
With huge crowds, Shanghai was one lineup after another. I had to wait in line to run my checked bag thru the scanner, lineup again to have it checked in, then again because they wanted a second scan. I finally got that done and waited at the departure lounge until flight time. I went for a bite to eat, but...did not like the BBQ eel on rice, nor the several items that could not be reasonably identified. I did however see another little girl running wild, with no parental control. I was sure that the same thing could not happen twice on the same trip. How wrong I was. I am in seat 5A, window, and in 5D, E, and F, is the little one and three adults. It was the same crying for the next four hours to Bangkok. I swear that I saw more crying on these flights, than all the crying and acting up I have seen in my life...including when I was young.( I dont do that anymore), but may have once or twice when I was small.
Some words about the route here from Montreal. We departed and headed north, in a direct line to the North Pole, passing along the west coast of Greenland, and continued north over the Russian arctic. We then headed south east, down over central Russia. Eventually, we were over lake Bakal, and on to near Beijing, but not over it. We seemed to go westward and around all the major cities until Shanghai....with its massive airport. From Shanghai, we went over Da Nang, vietnam and into Bangkok. That is about all for now. I will try and do an update about once a week, unless something very exciting happens that is noteworthy. By the way, here we are having 30 degree days, and no snow in the forecast for the next month!!!.
Some words about the route here from Montreal. We departed and headed north, in a direct line to the North Pole, passing along the west coast of Greenland, and continued north over the Russian arctic. We then headed south east, down over central Russia. Eventually, we were over lake Bakal, and on to near Beijing, but not over it. We seemed to go westward and around all the major cities until Shanghai....with its massive airport. From Shanghai, we went over Da Nang, vietnam and into Bangkok. That is about all for now. I will try and do an update about once a week, unless something very exciting happens that is noteworthy. By the way, here we are having 30 degree days, and no snow in the forecast for the next month!!!.
Monday 12 November 2018
Bangkok, Thailand 13 November 13, 2018.
Hello All; I arrived here a few minutes early, at 01;00 BKK time,, which would have been one in the afternoon, Monday back in Ottawa. All flights departed on time, and arrived early. The Air Canada flight from Montreal to Shanghai provided the Adventure, for what was to be just a venture. I expect the unexpected with them, and they NEVER fail to do just that. It all started at the Ottawa airport at check in. I went to the check in machine...no people check in these days, just an ATM type machine, no personal contact. I put my passport in, face up, touch Air Canada, then answer two questions, while passport in machine...first name, flight route is displayed, then number of checked bags...one for me...two allowed.
Out comes the three boarding passes for the full route, and the tags for the luggage. BUT, the baggage tag is good only to Shanghai, while I get the boarding passes all the way to Bangkok. With all other companies, I would not see my checked luggage until destination. I know about a thousand airport codes, so no doubt about this tag. I question an airline representative, and am told that there is no baggage arrangements for automatic transfer at Shanghai with that airline. Anyone not knowing the code would probably have missed this. Ok, look forward to a surprise at Shanghai. Flight to Montreal is short, 20 minutes. Arrival and departure gates very close, so no problem there. I notice a young girl, about two, running rampant in the waiting area, and she shrieks and whines when her parents stop her. I pray that she is in the back of the plane to Shanghai. On Board, my worst fears are realized...I am in row 35, seat 35A, a window seat on left, (port) side of aircraft, and guess who is in 34A....the seat directly in front of me. For over 13 hours of the 14 hour flight, she did a rant about every five minutes, until we landed in Shanghai and she fell asleep as we taxied to the terminal.
Shanghai airport is huge, and thousands of travelers at any one time, half looking for directions.
Since I was in transit, with no plan to leave the airport, I did not require a visa, but did require a landing/departure card. All onward passengers, about 20 on our flight, were directed to a special check in.... for customs and immigration to fill out the cards and be finger printed, photographed, etc. This took over one hour for me, as only one counter open, and half the group were behind me.
After that, I had to try and find my checked luggage, as the conveyer belt had finished unloading.
That process took another hour, and my luggage was with a lot of other baggage that was left because people did not know they had o claim and rebook their bags...from my flight.
I will do another page of this saga later today.
Out comes the three boarding passes for the full route, and the tags for the luggage. BUT, the baggage tag is good only to Shanghai, while I get the boarding passes all the way to Bangkok. With all other companies, I would not see my checked luggage until destination. I know about a thousand airport codes, so no doubt about this tag. I question an airline representative, and am told that there is no baggage arrangements for automatic transfer at Shanghai with that airline. Anyone not knowing the code would probably have missed this. Ok, look forward to a surprise at Shanghai. Flight to Montreal is short, 20 minutes. Arrival and departure gates very close, so no problem there. I notice a young girl, about two, running rampant in the waiting area, and she shrieks and whines when her parents stop her. I pray that she is in the back of the plane to Shanghai. On Board, my worst fears are realized...I am in row 35, seat 35A, a window seat on left, (port) side of aircraft, and guess who is in 34A....the seat directly in front of me. For over 13 hours of the 14 hour flight, she did a rant about every five minutes, until we landed in Shanghai and she fell asleep as we taxied to the terminal.
Shanghai airport is huge, and thousands of travelers at any one time, half looking for directions.
Since I was in transit, with no plan to leave the airport, I did not require a visa, but did require a landing/departure card. All onward passengers, about 20 on our flight, were directed to a special check in.... for customs and immigration to fill out the cards and be finger printed, photographed, etc. This took over one hour for me, as only one counter open, and half the group were behind me.
After that, I had to try and find my checked luggage, as the conveyer belt had finished unloading.
That process took another hour, and my luggage was with a lot of other baggage that was left because people did not know they had o claim and rebook their bags...from my flight.
I will do another page of this saga later today.
Thursday 1 November 2018
Update November 01, 2018
What a difference a day makes. I went for my laser Retina work on October 15, and everything went very well. In fact, it was better than I had expected. While the doctor was going over the work he was to do that day, he asked if we could do the lens brushing that was scheduled, (with another doctor), for January 31. I was only too happy to agree. After the deep laser work on the Retina, with a bright green laser, we went into the next room, where there was a a different laser machine. Once I was settled in to the chair and adjustments for height, etc, the doctor used a very low power laser and cleared the film from the lens in both eyes in a procedure that in total was about one minute. What a difference. With the gradual deterioration of the eyes, one does not realize what they are missing until the problem becomes very noticeable. I had a follow up check on 29 October, and everything is now back to normal. As A result, I can fly again, and intend to do so very soon.
I will be departing Ottawa on November 11 at nine in the morning, with Air Canada to Montreal, then, after a change of planes, etc, off to Bangkok, with a three hour stop over in Shanghai China.
I will get to Bangkok at one in the morning of November 13 their time, one in the afternoon of November 12 here....27 hours. The flight to Shanghai is 14 hours.
I have some business matters to finish up, and also will be having dental work done while there. In fact,I have just received confirmation of first dental at ten on morning of 15th. I will be busy in Bangkok for about ten days before going to see family friends in the northern part of the country.
I return to Ottawa on December 12, departing Bangkok at 11:40 in the evening of December 11, and, travelling via Seoul, (Inchon), South Korea, and Toronto, should arrive about 10:15 in the evening.
I have found a computer techie who will show me how to post photos on this site when I return. I will plan to display some of those after returning home. My next update will be an arrival report from Bangkok about November 14. Thank you all....now 8109 contacts to this site.
I will be departing Ottawa on November 11 at nine in the morning, with Air Canada to Montreal, then, after a change of planes, etc, off to Bangkok, with a three hour stop over in Shanghai China.
I will get to Bangkok at one in the morning of November 13 their time, one in the afternoon of November 12 here....27 hours. The flight to Shanghai is 14 hours.
I have some business matters to finish up, and also will be having dental work done while there. In fact,I have just received confirmation of first dental at ten on morning of 15th. I will be busy in Bangkok for about ten days before going to see family friends in the northern part of the country.
I return to Ottawa on December 12, departing Bangkok at 11:40 in the evening of December 11, and, travelling via Seoul, (Inchon), South Korea, and Toronto, should arrive about 10:15 in the evening.
I have found a computer techie who will show me how to post photos on this site when I return. I will plan to display some of those after returning home. My next update will be an arrival report from Bangkok about November 14. Thank you all....now 8109 contacts to this site.
Friday 28 September 2018
UPDATE, September 28, 2018
I have completed the checks at the Ottawa Retina Center, and it was discovered that yes, there was one location where a Retina detachment happened on a very small corner. I have been scheduled for that laser surgery on October 15 at the Riverside hospital here in Ottawa. Since the Riverside is where my family doctor is located, and my diabetic team....they monitor me and check on what I eat, etc every six months. Both have decided to see me after the eye surgery, so I will be there for three appointments on the same day.
I will also still have the lens cleaning, or brushing, on January 31.( I have had both terms used).
The follow up to all that, just for checking, that all is ok, will be February 27. At that time, they will do a check and prescribe new glasses, if required. All this means that I will not be travelling very far until after next March.
will probably do an update in late November if there are no significant changes.
I will also still have the lens cleaning, or brushing, on January 31.( I have had both terms used).
The follow up to all that, just for checking, that all is ok, will be February 27. At that time, they will do a check and prescribe new glasses, if required. All this means that I will not be travelling very far until after next March.
will probably do an update in late November if there are no significant changes.
Thursday 20 September 2018
What a Difference a Day Makes; Ottawa, September 20, 2018
There has been a very abrupt change to my travel plans caused by medical priorities.
I had my annual eye examination on September 10, and during that examination, my Optometrist found a film build up on my right eye lens, with some also starting on the left eye. She also found some possible Retina damage, and ordered a follow up with the Specialist. I will be doing that visit
to the Ottawa Retina Center tomorrow morning at 0835. The Retina Center is a ten minute walk from where I live.
The lens cleaning work will be a much longer wait. I have been given an appointment with the specialist for that work on January 31, 2019.!!! I am still cleared to drive a vehicle, but long flights are discouraged, and the Travel Insurance Companies do not like clients travelling with what is now a "Pre-Existing Condition".
As a result of these developments, I will not be crossing any oceans until at least next March. With friends, I am looking at a possible trip to Cuba before the January appointment, but that will depend on many issues, including any need for followup to either visit.
I will now have to stay in this area and try to tolerate any snow and nasty weather with everyone else unable to escape. I will probably not do another update until late November. The "Reads", on this page is now well over eight thousand. Thank you, all.
I had my annual eye examination on September 10, and during that examination, my Optometrist found a film build up on my right eye lens, with some also starting on the left eye. She also found some possible Retina damage, and ordered a follow up with the Specialist. I will be doing that visit
to the Ottawa Retina Center tomorrow morning at 0835. The Retina Center is a ten minute walk from where I live.
The lens cleaning work will be a much longer wait. I have been given an appointment with the specialist for that work on January 31, 2019.!!! I am still cleared to drive a vehicle, but long flights are discouraged, and the Travel Insurance Companies do not like clients travelling with what is now a "Pre-Existing Condition".
As a result of these developments, I will not be crossing any oceans until at least next March. With friends, I am looking at a possible trip to Cuba before the January appointment, but that will depend on many issues, including any need for followup to either visit.
I will now have to stay in this area and try to tolerate any snow and nasty weather with everyone else unable to escape. I will probably not do another update until late November. The "Reads", on this page is now well over eight thousand. Thank you, all.
Thursday 6 September 2018
Ottawa, September 6, 2018
I do not have set plans yet for my next adventure, however, the picture has changed.
I will only be out of Canada for a maximum of 40 days, due to our medical insurance rules. For me to stay another 30 days or so would cost over two thousand dollars more than the 40 days. At my age, I can go out of country for as often as I wish for up to 40 days, and the yearly cost is just under 500 dollars. That jumps thousands after the 40 day period. The insurance companies are all in cahoots on this, so I decided not to play their game. I could come back home for 24 hours and go again, at a thousand or more LESS that the insurance cost!!!strange but true.
I will depart here around December 25, and fly into Europe, probably Frankfurt, Germany, meet my Friend, and go on to Bangkok. When they return home, I will visit with my Thai family for the remainder of the available time. We will take the kids and go to a beach for a relaxing week or so; Will go into the Philippines another time.
The plan is that upon my return, I will go with a friend to Cuba for ten days or so, to get away from the cold.
This site now has well over 8000 reads, and I again thank everyone for their interest.
As soon as my friend in Europe is able to get confirmed vacation dates, in a week or so, we will do the bookings, and I will have an update....before the end of September. Fall is here. In two days we are expecting lows of about 5 degrees for two nights. Time to think Asia and Cuba!!!.
I will only be out of Canada for a maximum of 40 days, due to our medical insurance rules. For me to stay another 30 days or so would cost over two thousand dollars more than the 40 days. At my age, I can go out of country for as often as I wish for up to 40 days, and the yearly cost is just under 500 dollars. That jumps thousands after the 40 day period. The insurance companies are all in cahoots on this, so I decided not to play their game. I could come back home for 24 hours and go again, at a thousand or more LESS that the insurance cost!!!strange but true.
I will depart here around December 25, and fly into Europe, probably Frankfurt, Germany, meet my Friend, and go on to Bangkok. When they return home, I will visit with my Thai family for the remainder of the available time. We will take the kids and go to a beach for a relaxing week or so; Will go into the Philippines another time.
The plan is that upon my return, I will go with a friend to Cuba for ten days or so, to get away from the cold.
This site now has well over 8000 reads, and I again thank everyone for their interest.
As soon as my friend in Europe is able to get confirmed vacation dates, in a week or so, we will do the bookings, and I will have an update....before the end of September. Fall is here. In two days we are expecting lows of about 5 degrees for two nights. Time to think Asia and Cuba!!!.
Sunday 22 July 2018
July 22, 2018
This will be my last posting until about the first week of September. At that time, I expect to have some definite plans for going into Asia in the winter...(here). Always summer over there.
It is my intention to go into Bangkok and from there, into other Asian places about the first of January. I intend to stay for 75 days without returning to Canada. I had mentioned this very basic plan to many friends over the past few months, and am now working to pull it off. I have a very good friend residing in Europe that will be also visiting Asia for a period of time in the winter. While we do not expect to be booking flights until late September or early October, the plan is simple. The intent is that I will fly into Europe, and meet up with my friend, then travel to Asia on the same flight. We will spend a month, or whatever time my friend has, then they will return to Europe and I will join up with some of my Thai friends.
My Thai friends and I will go over to the Philippines for several weeks and visit there for the first time, for any of us. Whatever time is left will be spent back in Thailand. I will return to Canada via Europe around the middle of March.....about the time the snow starts to go away.
There are many details to work out for this to happen, but there is no doubt that it will. The concept is outlined here. Now, we will define what area we will visit in Thailand, so my friend will have a good look at Asia. While there are over 30,000 temples there, we will limit our visits to three or four, although most are fabulous to see. I usually take guests to see the Golden Buddha, which is tons of pure gold, and is part of the Royal Palace, and the nearby Buddha, of pure jade.
This is my plan to avoid most of the cold weather that we get here in Ottawa. I hope to return to this site in September, (which is just over a month away), and put up some photos of my last trip. I need to find someone to come over and walk me through the process with Windows ten and this website.
At that time, I should have more details of the next adventure.
See you in September.
It is my intention to go into Bangkok and from there, into other Asian places about the first of January. I intend to stay for 75 days without returning to Canada. I had mentioned this very basic plan to many friends over the past few months, and am now working to pull it off. I have a very good friend residing in Europe that will be also visiting Asia for a period of time in the winter. While we do not expect to be booking flights until late September or early October, the plan is simple. The intent is that I will fly into Europe, and meet up with my friend, then travel to Asia on the same flight. We will spend a month, or whatever time my friend has, then they will return to Europe and I will join up with some of my Thai friends.
My Thai friends and I will go over to the Philippines for several weeks and visit there for the first time, for any of us. Whatever time is left will be spent back in Thailand. I will return to Canada via Europe around the middle of March.....about the time the snow starts to go away.
There are many details to work out for this to happen, but there is no doubt that it will. The concept is outlined here. Now, we will define what area we will visit in Thailand, so my friend will have a good look at Asia. While there are over 30,000 temples there, we will limit our visits to three or four, although most are fabulous to see. I usually take guests to see the Golden Buddha, which is tons of pure gold, and is part of the Royal Palace, and the nearby Buddha, of pure jade.
This is my plan to avoid most of the cold weather that we get here in Ottawa. I hope to return to this site in September, (which is just over a month away), and put up some photos of my last trip. I need to find someone to come over and walk me through the process with Windows ten and this website.
At that time, I should have more details of the next adventure.
See you in September.
Sunday 15 July 2018
Ottawa, July 15, 2018
I have some comments about the services that are supposed to be provided by Canadian Embassies in other countries. The first requirement is to serve the needs of Canadians in those countries when requested. By and large, the majority of senior officials in those embassies are family, friends and hacks of the senior government officials. This applies to most countries. My experience when visiting a Canadian embassy was in most cases, a waste of time. The only Canadian Embassy that I can speak good about, in all my experiences, is the Embassy in Paris.
Back about 2000, the government greatly increased the price for passports, using the false story line that it was necessary because of the great number of lost passports and the cost to replace them. In the same line, they said that replacements would be easier and at minimum cost. Not True.
I was in Paris with a small group of friends after having been in London for a week. We took the Chunnel across the channel, and had been in Paris for about five days. We were in the last evening in Paris. Our return train was at noon the following day. While having dinner, someone took one of the lady's purses off the chair she was sitting on...the back had a horn on which she hung her purse. In it were her passport, money and credit cards. I took her to a nearby police station where we reported the theft, and the police could not have been better. They gave us an office with a phone, and told us to call any place in the world we needed to. They spoke English fluently. We called Visa in Canada, her Bank and so on to have the cards cancelled....all at no cost to us. We were not far from the Canadian Embassy, and at 09;00, we were at the Embassy. There were a lot of people there for documents to Canada, and what not. As soon as we went in, an official came to us, found our problem, and started the process for a temporary passport. They demanded one hundred dollars cash...and photos to proceed. We were directed to a near by photo shop, and a bank. I had to take out money for the passport, and photo...the Embassy could not help!!!. However, in just over an hour, we had the temporary passport, good for one year. When I asked about the things we were told back in Canada, the man laughed, and said...don't believe anything the government tells you!.
We had ample time to get to Gare du Nord and the train back to London. The embassy staff were great, and most polite.
I was in Brasilia, Brazil a few years later and went to the Canadian Embassy....only to fine one local lady at the front desk, and told that all Canadians were taking time off, and were at the golf course...
not sure about tomorrow!.
My experience in Bangkok on July 3, was not good. All information we were given at the front desk....15 floors below the Embassy was useless. The two email contact numbers were dead, and the phone did not work.
My advice is to avoid our overseas offices unless it is a dire emergency. They do not want to be bothered. While External Affairs, (now Global Affairs under Trudeau) ask us to tell them where we go, it is a waste of time, in my opinion!.
Back about 2000, the government greatly increased the price for passports, using the false story line that it was necessary because of the great number of lost passports and the cost to replace them. In the same line, they said that replacements would be easier and at minimum cost. Not True.
I was in Paris with a small group of friends after having been in London for a week. We took the Chunnel across the channel, and had been in Paris for about five days. We were in the last evening in Paris. Our return train was at noon the following day. While having dinner, someone took one of the lady's purses off the chair she was sitting on...the back had a horn on which she hung her purse. In it were her passport, money and credit cards. I took her to a nearby police station where we reported the theft, and the police could not have been better. They gave us an office with a phone, and told us to call any place in the world we needed to. They spoke English fluently. We called Visa in Canada, her Bank and so on to have the cards cancelled....all at no cost to us. We were not far from the Canadian Embassy, and at 09;00, we were at the Embassy. There were a lot of people there for documents to Canada, and what not. As soon as we went in, an official came to us, found our problem, and started the process for a temporary passport. They demanded one hundred dollars cash...and photos to proceed. We were directed to a near by photo shop, and a bank. I had to take out money for the passport, and photo...the Embassy could not help!!!. However, in just over an hour, we had the temporary passport, good for one year. When I asked about the things we were told back in Canada, the man laughed, and said...don't believe anything the government tells you!.
We had ample time to get to Gare du Nord and the train back to London. The embassy staff were great, and most polite.
I was in Brasilia, Brazil a few years later and went to the Canadian Embassy....only to fine one local lady at the front desk, and told that all Canadians were taking time off, and were at the golf course...
not sure about tomorrow!.
My experience in Bangkok on July 3, was not good. All information we were given at the front desk....15 floors below the Embassy was useless. The two email contact numbers were dead, and the phone did not work.
My advice is to avoid our overseas offices unless it is a dire emergency. They do not want to be bothered. While External Affairs, (now Global Affairs under Trudeau) ask us to tell them where we go, it is a waste of time, in my opinion!.
Monday 9 July 2018
Ottawa, Canada July 9, 2018
This update is a bit later than I expected. I did not have the time to do an update while in Bangkok for a short stay.
The return trip to here was not without some unexpected events. The trip from the town of So Phisai on July 1 to Udon Thani is, as I have said only 127 kilometers, but the bus took us almost four hours. The only things that did not pass us were two men walking, and someone with a motor bike that had broken down. We stopped many times to pick up and drop off passengers, in an air conditioned...Thai style bus....all windows open four inches, and a door at the front and back open all the way.
A Tuk Tuk, (took took), was our ride from bus station to the airport, and a good 45 minute back to Bangkok's second airport, on the north side of the city known as Don Mueng. It serves most of the domestic travel. It was dinner time when I got to the hotel. The following day had been reserved for dental appointments so that went good, got excellent report, good for another year.
I wanted to do some work at the Canadian Embassy, so did a short walk over there on July 2. Despite all the crap that the Government tells travelers about checking in and being welcome, that was not the case. I do a good amount of Travel Consulting work, so do visit many embassy's here and in other lands. With the exception on our Embassy in Paris, I have not a good word for Canada. More on that in another post. In this instance, I wanted to talk to the people in the Visa section. The Canadian Embassy is on the 15th floor of what is said to be the most expensive office building in Thailand, known as Abdulrahim Place. Security inside the door directed me to a counter where a Thai told me I could not go up, then told me the Visa section was about five kilometers away, and not easy to get to. They had no cards or any document to give, but a plastic coated sheet that one could take a photo of, with the contact information; I wrote that info down, held up the line to do so, then, back at the hotel, found all information was outdated, and emails all returned as "unable to deliver."
July 4 was a day to do a bit of small item shopping, and relaxing, and on 4th, had a massage and readied for trip home. I went to the hotel lobby at midnight and read until three A.M., when I took a taxi to the airport.
Upon check in, I was given the three boarding passes and, only then discovered that United had changed my flight from Newark to Ottawa, almost two hours earlier than original.
The flights with All Nippon and United to Newark were great and on time. While flying over Sault Ste Marie, we were served a "lunch snack", in a bun...the food was totally unidentifiable. Later, as we were going through the security checks at Newark, for the first time in my travels, ever, by carry on bag was taken from the x-ray machine, and I was asked to step aside for a check.
This big chap, with a Brooklyn accent asked me if I had any "Unidentifiable food", in the luggage, because there was something inside they could not identify. I told hem, "No, United served us that over the Soo, and I gave it back to them". He had a good laugh, then I opened the bag and showed him.....the found nothing unusual.
We finally got on the flight to Ottawa, and returned to the terminal after twenty minutes due to thunder storms in Ottawa, Toronto area. We finally arrived in Ottawa, a bit later than the original schedule.
I will do a fill in blog by the end of this week, and also outline plans for the next adventure, which will be in the winter for 75 days.
The return trip to here was not without some unexpected events. The trip from the town of So Phisai on July 1 to Udon Thani is, as I have said only 127 kilometers, but the bus took us almost four hours. The only things that did not pass us were two men walking, and someone with a motor bike that had broken down. We stopped many times to pick up and drop off passengers, in an air conditioned...Thai style bus....all windows open four inches, and a door at the front and back open all the way.
A Tuk Tuk, (took took), was our ride from bus station to the airport, and a good 45 minute back to Bangkok's second airport, on the north side of the city known as Don Mueng. It serves most of the domestic travel. It was dinner time when I got to the hotel. The following day had been reserved for dental appointments so that went good, got excellent report, good for another year.
I wanted to do some work at the Canadian Embassy, so did a short walk over there on July 2. Despite all the crap that the Government tells travelers about checking in and being welcome, that was not the case. I do a good amount of Travel Consulting work, so do visit many embassy's here and in other lands. With the exception on our Embassy in Paris, I have not a good word for Canada. More on that in another post. In this instance, I wanted to talk to the people in the Visa section. The Canadian Embassy is on the 15th floor of what is said to be the most expensive office building in Thailand, known as Abdulrahim Place. Security inside the door directed me to a counter where a Thai told me I could not go up, then told me the Visa section was about five kilometers away, and not easy to get to. They had no cards or any document to give, but a plastic coated sheet that one could take a photo of, with the contact information; I wrote that info down, held up the line to do so, then, back at the hotel, found all information was outdated, and emails all returned as "unable to deliver."
July 4 was a day to do a bit of small item shopping, and relaxing, and on 4th, had a massage and readied for trip home. I went to the hotel lobby at midnight and read until three A.M., when I took a taxi to the airport.
Upon check in, I was given the three boarding passes and, only then discovered that United had changed my flight from Newark to Ottawa, almost two hours earlier than original.
The flights with All Nippon and United to Newark were great and on time. While flying over Sault Ste Marie, we were served a "lunch snack", in a bun...the food was totally unidentifiable. Later, as we were going through the security checks at Newark, for the first time in my travels, ever, by carry on bag was taken from the x-ray machine, and I was asked to step aside for a check.
This big chap, with a Brooklyn accent asked me if I had any "Unidentifiable food", in the luggage, because there was something inside they could not identify. I told hem, "No, United served us that over the Soo, and I gave it back to them". He had a good laugh, then I opened the bag and showed him.....the found nothing unusual.
We finally got on the flight to Ottawa, and returned to the terminal after twenty minutes due to thunder storms in Ottawa, Toronto area. We finally arrived in Ottawa, a bit later than the original schedule.
I will do a fill in blog by the end of this week, and also outline plans for the next adventure, which will be in the winter for 75 days.
Friday 29 June 2018
So Phisai Thailand, June 29, 2018
I have some quiet time this afternoon, so will do an update now. Unless something great arises, I will not be doing a further page until I am back in Ottawa after July 6.
We finished the painting at noon on June 28, after spreading over six U.S. gallons of paint. In Imperial terms, the main living area is 18 by 34 feet, with ten foot walls. It is open beam ceiling. At times, we had six people working on the project, none of whom had ever done painting before. Two said they had a lot of experience, but I knew we were in trouble when they insisted in dipping their rollers into the large paint can, and not using drip sheets. I finished off the walls after they went home.
There was one surprise at the start. The bus that was to pick up Omah, had informed her that they were going to be three hours late.....and paint and supplies arrived as planned for, half an hour after she was to depart. There was some discussions, the subject of which I can only guess. In any event, when she returned today, she was extremely happy at what we had done...and stated that her fear was what her family would do to the house...as she knew they did not have a clue.
I have one more day here, then back to Udon Thani by bus for three hours or so on July 1, then one hour to Bangkok.with Nok Air. While here, I am at a motel which has all conveniences except a stove, at a great price...twelve Canadian dollars a night...including maid service.
On checking the readership on this blog, the numbers stand at 7919 reviews....thanks to all.
My stay in Bangkok will be short, really only four nights as I must be at the airport 0300 for my six A.M. Thursday flight to Tokyo, then after two hours, on to Newark, and then Ottawa...arriving just before midnight, still on 5th July, what I call "A day twice lived". The time in Bangkok will be
mainly for dental work on second, and if any need for more time, on either of next two days.
We have all been watching the events in Chiang Rai province where the 12 boys and football coach are trapped in a cave, since filled with water...six days now and looking grim.
As stated above, I will do an update soon after returning, and if I can find someone with Windows ten knowledge, post some photos.
In the meantime, I am going to enjoy my remaining time here with friends that look up to me......I am at least a foot taller that anyone here and to my knowledge, the only non Asian in this town of about five thousand.
We finished the painting at noon on June 28, after spreading over six U.S. gallons of paint. In Imperial terms, the main living area is 18 by 34 feet, with ten foot walls. It is open beam ceiling. At times, we had six people working on the project, none of whom had ever done painting before. Two said they had a lot of experience, but I knew we were in trouble when they insisted in dipping their rollers into the large paint can, and not using drip sheets. I finished off the walls after they went home.
There was one surprise at the start. The bus that was to pick up Omah, had informed her that they were going to be three hours late.....and paint and supplies arrived as planned for, half an hour after she was to depart. There was some discussions, the subject of which I can only guess. In any event, when she returned today, she was extremely happy at what we had done...and stated that her fear was what her family would do to the house...as she knew they did not have a clue.
I have one more day here, then back to Udon Thani by bus for three hours or so on July 1, then one hour to Bangkok.with Nok Air. While here, I am at a motel which has all conveniences except a stove, at a great price...twelve Canadian dollars a night...including maid service.
On checking the readership on this blog, the numbers stand at 7919 reviews....thanks to all.
My stay in Bangkok will be short, really only four nights as I must be at the airport 0300 for my six A.M. Thursday flight to Tokyo, then after two hours, on to Newark, and then Ottawa...arriving just before midnight, still on 5th July, what I call "A day twice lived". The time in Bangkok will be
mainly for dental work on second, and if any need for more time, on either of next two days.
We have all been watching the events in Chiang Rai province where the 12 boys and football coach are trapped in a cave, since filled with water...six days now and looking grim.
As stated above, I will do an update soon after returning, and if I can find someone with Windows ten knowledge, post some photos.
In the meantime, I am going to enjoy my remaining time here with friends that look up to me......I am at least a foot taller that anyone here and to my knowledge, the only non Asian in this town of about five thousand.
Wednesday 20 June 2018
So Phisai Thailand, June 20,2018
I arrived here with friends on Saturday afternoon after a 45 minute flight to Udon Thani, then a three hour bus ride at a cost of 2.50 Canadian. The bus stops along the country roads to take on and let off passengers. The distance is only 137 kilometers. I am here until July one, when the trip back to BKK is started....same route in reverse.
I had a surprise in the plans for painting the inside of the family house. (Grandmother, Omah in most Asian countries), owns the house and her grown up children have tried to paint it several times. Omah has always said No!. Spend your money elsewhere. The house is over 40 years old, and badly needs paint. The family agreed that if they could surprise Omah, she would be happy, but do not tell her in advance. During a heated family discussion on what to do, I did the manly thing....took the two youngest kids, five and eight for a walk. As luck would have it, we just went two blocks, and there was the ice cream shop. When we returned to the house, the problem was solved, at least for a while.
Unbelievable, as it may sound, while the discussion was going on, a government agency called to offer Omah a four day trip to a resort south of Bangkok, from June 25 to 28. That is when the job will get done. I expect to be back at my motel when she returns home. I see tape, scrapers, brushes, etc in places that I guess Omah never goes, so plans seem well in place.
I am enjoying the time here, on the edge of the forests. I can walk half a kilometer and see mango, papaya, lychee, rambbutan, and all sorts of fruits to which I do not know the name. I also see the apple, to which the cashew nut grows outside at the bottom.
I have known some of these folks for six years, and it is just great doing things with them. Thai people do not keep much of a schedule in the countryside, so one never knows what is next. I have breakfast at the motel, then get picked up and go to the family home each morning....on a motorbike.
All is going great and I get a lot of requests for information and advice, so there are some people who listen to me....and act on that advice!.
I will probably do an update when back in BKK, soon after July 1.
I had a surprise in the plans for painting the inside of the family house. (Grandmother, Omah in most Asian countries), owns the house and her grown up children have tried to paint it several times. Omah has always said No!. Spend your money elsewhere. The house is over 40 years old, and badly needs paint. The family agreed that if they could surprise Omah, she would be happy, but do not tell her in advance. During a heated family discussion on what to do, I did the manly thing....took the two youngest kids, five and eight for a walk. As luck would have it, we just went two blocks, and there was the ice cream shop. When we returned to the house, the problem was solved, at least for a while.
Unbelievable, as it may sound, while the discussion was going on, a government agency called to offer Omah a four day trip to a resort south of Bangkok, from June 25 to 28. That is when the job will get done. I expect to be back at my motel when she returns home. I see tape, scrapers, brushes, etc in places that I guess Omah never goes, so plans seem well in place.
I am enjoying the time here, on the edge of the forests. I can walk half a kilometer and see mango, papaya, lychee, rambbutan, and all sorts of fruits to which I do not know the name. I also see the apple, to which the cashew nut grows outside at the bottom.
I have known some of these folks for six years, and it is just great doing things with them. Thai people do not keep much of a schedule in the countryside, so one never knows what is next. I have breakfast at the motel, then get picked up and go to the family home each morning....on a motorbike.
All is going great and I get a lot of requests for information and advice, so there are some people who listen to me....and act on that advice!.
I will probably do an update when back in BKK, soon after July 1.
Friday 15 June 2018
Bangkok, Friday, June 15, 2018
After a good flight back from Phuket, I got to my hotel after a one hour taxi ride...and another fight with a driver who thought he was getting a sucker. I made note of his license information and after calling in to get instructions as to where my hotel was, we were on our way. I told him where the hotel was, and showed him on the map, but he then played the old game of not understanding English.....which I pointed out was a condition of his license. It was a silent ride into the city.
Phuket was very nice, but with the forecast for lightning every afternoon, we did not go on the water at any time. We never got the lightning. The temperature was in low thirties every day...quite nice.
Saturday at noon, we fly to Udon Thani in the North East, then take a three hour bus trip to the village of So Phisai where my Thai family friends have the farm. I was informed today that I was to lead the team to paint six rooms in their house. It is the rainy season all over this part of Asia, but it really is hit and miss. Some will be in the rice fields planting the new rice crop, and I guess some will be painting...I agreed, on the condition that I do not pick the colours.
I will be in the north eastern area until July 1, when I return to Bangkok and begin some dental work on July 2.
We have temperatures in the low thirties here..just a couple degrees more than at Phuket, which is on the Andaman sea coast...and a bit cooler. I see that the weather back home in Ottawa has not been so great, and I also keep up with the news there, so am well up on the happenings there.
That is about the end of the news for here, under the Code of Rome Rules. For those that do not know, it means that "What happens in Rome, stays in Rome". One can have a lot of fun, and no one knows who you are...like today...we were getting on an elevator that only went up one floor to the train level....and I said, "Ten Please". You soon see that many people understand more English than they let on.
If the wi-fi is working, I will do an update from the farm in a week or so.
Phuket was very nice, but with the forecast for lightning every afternoon, we did not go on the water at any time. We never got the lightning. The temperature was in low thirties every day...quite nice.
Saturday at noon, we fly to Udon Thani in the North East, then take a three hour bus trip to the village of So Phisai where my Thai family friends have the farm. I was informed today that I was to lead the team to paint six rooms in their house. It is the rainy season all over this part of Asia, but it really is hit and miss. Some will be in the rice fields planting the new rice crop, and I guess some will be painting...I agreed, on the condition that I do not pick the colours.
I will be in the north eastern area until July 1, when I return to Bangkok and begin some dental work on July 2.
We have temperatures in the low thirties here..just a couple degrees more than at Phuket, which is on the Andaman sea coast...and a bit cooler. I see that the weather back home in Ottawa has not been so great, and I also keep up with the news there, so am well up on the happenings there.
That is about the end of the news for here, under the Code of Rome Rules. For those that do not know, it means that "What happens in Rome, stays in Rome". One can have a lot of fun, and no one knows who you are...like today...we were getting on an elevator that only went up one floor to the train level....and I said, "Ten Please". You soon see that many people understand more English than they let on.
If the wi-fi is working, I will do an update from the farm in a week or so.
Monday 4 June 2018
Addendum to June 4 update...June 4/18
After posting the first page, I realized that I missed some information.
Firstly, at the Ottawa airport, the only contact with an airline staff member is when one goes to put their luggage on the conveyor belt. Near the belt is an agent with a hand held scanner to read the Bar code on the luggage. That is a control to ensure all luggage gets on the right plane.
United flights from Canada arrive at a domestic terminal in U.S., as customs and security has already been done. Most then must take a train or bus to another terminal...not very convenient. We must again clear security.
United airlines no longer go west of Tokyo for most countries. Instead, they buy seats on another carrier by longstanding interline agreements. My flight from Tokyo to Bangkok was on All Nippon airways, which carried passengers with United, Thai air and, yes even Air Canada. One could fly Air Canada from Toronto or Vancouver, and on to Asian cities, never having been on an AC aircraft.
The Thai Baht, (Bat), is about 25 cents Canadian. So a 100 THB note is four dollars Canadian.
With respect to the Bangkok taxi matter, 400 THB is about 16 dollars, so the guy wanting 1200 was a real rip off... 48 dollars versus 16 legal rate.
Phuket is 421 miles South-west of Bangkok, on the Andaman sea. It is one of the top tourist stops in Thailand, and as a result, everything is on sale here...hawkers selling anything you want and, much more.
This note will fill in some of the blanks.
Firstly, at the Ottawa airport, the only contact with an airline staff member is when one goes to put their luggage on the conveyor belt. Near the belt is an agent with a hand held scanner to read the Bar code on the luggage. That is a control to ensure all luggage gets on the right plane.
United flights from Canada arrive at a domestic terminal in U.S., as customs and security has already been done. Most then must take a train or bus to another terminal...not very convenient. We must again clear security.
United airlines no longer go west of Tokyo for most countries. Instead, they buy seats on another carrier by longstanding interline agreements. My flight from Tokyo to Bangkok was on All Nippon airways, which carried passengers with United, Thai air and, yes even Air Canada. One could fly Air Canada from Toronto or Vancouver, and on to Asian cities, never having been on an AC aircraft.
The Thai Baht, (Bat), is about 25 cents Canadian. So a 100 THB note is four dollars Canadian.
With respect to the Bangkok taxi matter, 400 THB is about 16 dollars, so the guy wanting 1200 was a real rip off... 48 dollars versus 16 legal rate.
Phuket is 421 miles South-west of Bangkok, on the Andaman sea. It is one of the top tourist stops in Thailand, and as a result, everything is on sale here...hawkers selling anything you want and, much more.
This note will fill in some of the blanks.
Sunday 3 June 2018
Phuket, Thailand June 4, 2018
After about 23 hours in four aircraft, I arrived here with family friends on June 1 at about four in the afternoon.
I went out to the Ottawa airport at eleven in the evening of May 28, and found myself with about eight very unhappy campers....or travelers. These people were from Florida, and were going home. They had been "Assured", by Air Canada in Edmonton that they would be in Ottawa in time for their flight...the last United of the day, to Newark, and then they were onward to Florida. Good old AC got them to Ottawa one hour after the flight south. They did not have a single paper among then...all tickets were on cell phones. They booked again to Florida, but did not check times in Newark and when we got to Newark, the Florida flight was gone. Talk about hostility. I did not help the matter for the first and only time in my life, I found myself defending AC. At first I was just kidding, but one guy got quite hostile, and nothing went right.
Tim Horton's has reduced the overnight counter to four small tables, two chairs each, so I went to a lounge area upstairs and that is where the Americans also came to.
Now, at Ottawa, there is no staff at the counters until 0400, but almost all check ins are by the traveler anyway. I went over to a United machine, put in my passport, answered two questions...name and number of baggage pieces to be checked. Out came my three Boarding Passes and the baggage tag.
All flights, except the one to Newark were ahead of time at arrival. We were held for 30 minutes, about 100 miles out.....thats when the Florida folks realized what had happened...some were just behind me on the plane.
For the first time in all my flights into and out of Asia, we did not have a headwind at any time, so were well ahead of schedule in Tokyo and at Bangkok which is another six hours from Tokyo.
At Bangkok, I had a dispute with one taxi driver who wanted 1200 Baht for the ride to the city. I know government regulations only allow for maximum of 400. We had words and I suggested I would report him to the Tourist Police....and took his number. I got another car, who said he did not know the cost because he did not know where the hotel was. I was in the car, and while he called, he saw me....it was intended that he would...make note of his number. He screamed..."What you do?",and I told him that I knew the rules and would be reporting him....he then said 400 baht, and we were on our way.
I had 24 hours in Bangkok to rest and allow for any flight delays, and was met by friends and all ended well. It was 0100 Thursday morning.
I will do an update in about ten days...around June 15.
I went out to the Ottawa airport at eleven in the evening of May 28, and found myself with about eight very unhappy campers....or travelers. These people were from Florida, and were going home. They had been "Assured", by Air Canada in Edmonton that they would be in Ottawa in time for their flight...the last United of the day, to Newark, and then they were onward to Florida. Good old AC got them to Ottawa one hour after the flight south. They did not have a single paper among then...all tickets were on cell phones. They booked again to Florida, but did not check times in Newark and when we got to Newark, the Florida flight was gone. Talk about hostility. I did not help the matter for the first and only time in my life, I found myself defending AC. At first I was just kidding, but one guy got quite hostile, and nothing went right.
Tim Horton's has reduced the overnight counter to four small tables, two chairs each, so I went to a lounge area upstairs and that is where the Americans also came to.
Now, at Ottawa, there is no staff at the counters until 0400, but almost all check ins are by the traveler anyway. I went over to a United machine, put in my passport, answered two questions...name and number of baggage pieces to be checked. Out came my three Boarding Passes and the baggage tag.
All flights, except the one to Newark were ahead of time at arrival. We were held for 30 minutes, about 100 miles out.....thats when the Florida folks realized what had happened...some were just behind me on the plane.
For the first time in all my flights into and out of Asia, we did not have a headwind at any time, so were well ahead of schedule in Tokyo and at Bangkok which is another six hours from Tokyo.
At Bangkok, I had a dispute with one taxi driver who wanted 1200 Baht for the ride to the city. I know government regulations only allow for maximum of 400. We had words and I suggested I would report him to the Tourist Police....and took his number. I got another car, who said he did not know the cost because he did not know where the hotel was. I was in the car, and while he called, he saw me....it was intended that he would...make note of his number. He screamed..."What you do?",and I told him that I knew the rules and would be reporting him....he then said 400 baht, and we were on our way.
I had 24 hours in Bangkok to rest and allow for any flight delays, and was met by friends and all ended well. It was 0100 Thursday morning.
I will do an update in about ten days...around June 15.
Monday 14 May 2018
Monday, May 14, 2018...Ottawa
My next report to this Blog will be to report my arrival in Phuket, Thailand. I depart from here two weeks today. I return to Ottawa on July 5, late in the evening. I expect to be on time as I am not travelling Air Canada.
Three weeks ago, I received a call from the TD Bank, to inform me that my Visa Credit Card had been skimmed and someone had attempted to buy gas down at Markham, Ontario. To those friends from outside Canada, Markham is about 500 kilometers from Ottawa. The bank refused the transaction, and cancelled the Credit Card. A new one was issued. My credit card had been in a safe since I returned from Asia last December 5. We believe that an employee at one of the hotels where I stayed during my trip to western Canada last August copied the card numbers and made illegal copies. I was further surprised when I called the Bank telephone number to activate the new card, the call was hacked..... by someone giving me a "free trip". I hung up and called again and got the bank that time. Since I used the redial to make the second call, I know it was not a dialing error. The bank were informed.
I have made some internal travel changes, and as a result, will only be spending five days in Bangkok. I will go immediately to the Island of Phuket, (a resort where I have never been), for two weeks, then go to northern Thailand, some areas where I have been before. There have been some instances of Malaria reported near where I will be, so I have consulted a Travel Medical Clinic, and received a prescription for anti-malaria pills. One takes these pills two days before entering a malaria area, and continue one a day until seven days after departing the area. I will need 30 and they come at a cost of five dollars each.
I will return to Bangkok July 1, for four nights, and return to Canada on July 5. That keeps me within the 40 days allowed for medical insurance protection.
I have a dental office in Bangkok where I get any dental needs attended to, and have an appointment for July 2. I will have two additional days if needed, and if not, will do the usual touristy things.
I am away from here on May 24, to attend my grandson's wedding on May 26 in Orillia Ontario, about 100 miles north of Toronto. I will be returning to Ottawa that evening, and have two days to finish any loose ends and head out for vacation.
To answer your first question; "Do you ever slow down?", the answer is No.!
I was wrong on the hits to this blog...they now stand at 7863.
I will next report in from the shores of the Andaman Sea, at Phuket, about June 2.
Three weeks ago, I received a call from the TD Bank, to inform me that my Visa Credit Card had been skimmed and someone had attempted to buy gas down at Markham, Ontario. To those friends from outside Canada, Markham is about 500 kilometers from Ottawa. The bank refused the transaction, and cancelled the Credit Card. A new one was issued. My credit card had been in a safe since I returned from Asia last December 5. We believe that an employee at one of the hotels where I stayed during my trip to western Canada last August copied the card numbers and made illegal copies. I was further surprised when I called the Bank telephone number to activate the new card, the call was hacked..... by someone giving me a "free trip". I hung up and called again and got the bank that time. Since I used the redial to make the second call, I know it was not a dialing error. The bank were informed.
I have made some internal travel changes, and as a result, will only be spending five days in Bangkok. I will go immediately to the Island of Phuket, (a resort where I have never been), for two weeks, then go to northern Thailand, some areas where I have been before. There have been some instances of Malaria reported near where I will be, so I have consulted a Travel Medical Clinic, and received a prescription for anti-malaria pills. One takes these pills two days before entering a malaria area, and continue one a day until seven days after departing the area. I will need 30 and they come at a cost of five dollars each.
I will return to Bangkok July 1, for four nights, and return to Canada on July 5. That keeps me within the 40 days allowed for medical insurance protection.
I have a dental office in Bangkok where I get any dental needs attended to, and have an appointment for July 2. I will have two additional days if needed, and if not, will do the usual touristy things.
I am away from here on May 24, to attend my grandson's wedding on May 26 in Orillia Ontario, about 100 miles north of Toronto. I will be returning to Ottawa that evening, and have two days to finish any loose ends and head out for vacation.
To answer your first question; "Do you ever slow down?", the answer is No.!
I was wrong on the hits to this blog...they now stand at 7863.
I will next report in from the shores of the Andaman Sea, at Phuket, about June 2.
Friday 30 March 2018
Ottawa, March 30, 2018
Today, I went into this site and removed a number of the postings prior to 2017.
If I do not keep it up dated, the Administrator will do that. There have been just under 8900 views to this site.
60 days from tonight, I will be in Thailand, just two months away.
Further to my posting of February 8, I have reservations in place to spend just over half my time away in Phuket Thailand, which is about an hour south west of Bangkok by air. I have friends who will be with me, and there will be some boating and exploring For anyone who has seen the films, "On The Beach", those scenes and events were filmed on an island called Phi Phi, not far away, and with many boat and ferry connections.
The remainder of my five weeks will be spent in Bangkok city, with a possible side trip to the site of "The Bridge On The River Kwai", which will be over the July 1st holiday...Canada Day, here at home. The city at that bridge site is Kanchanaburi, about two hours by van from Bangkok, near the border with Burma (Myanmar). When I return from this rip, I have someone who will come to my place and show me how to post photos to this site with Windows 10.
While in Bangkok, I will find a suitable apartment for my trip back there in December. This is a very inexpensive way to live there for a few months, which for me will be about 75 days. I am going to get a two bedroom unit with kitchen, so that friends from different countries can come for a visit to that part of the world if they so choose. I will also have some more dental work done while there in June.
At this time, I am looking at the probability of visiting Indonesia (read..Bali) next winter, and also a visit to Manila, Philippines. From Thailand, these places are not far away. In fact, we often go over Manila on the flight from Tokyo to Bangkok, depending on winds and runways in use at Bangkok.
Those plans are in the developmental phase. We had a major Travel show here on March 17-18, with exhibitors from over 200 embassies, agencies and travel industry firms. I picked up the latest info on both places at that time.
I will do a final posting around mid May, before departing Canada.
If I do not keep it up dated, the Administrator will do that. There have been just under 8900 views to this site.
60 days from tonight, I will be in Thailand, just two months away.
Further to my posting of February 8, I have reservations in place to spend just over half my time away in Phuket Thailand, which is about an hour south west of Bangkok by air. I have friends who will be with me, and there will be some boating and exploring For anyone who has seen the films, "On The Beach", those scenes and events were filmed on an island called Phi Phi, not far away, and with many boat and ferry connections.
The remainder of my five weeks will be spent in Bangkok city, with a possible side trip to the site of "The Bridge On The River Kwai", which will be over the July 1st holiday...Canada Day, here at home. The city at that bridge site is Kanchanaburi, about two hours by van from Bangkok, near the border with Burma (Myanmar). When I return from this rip, I have someone who will come to my place and show me how to post photos to this site with Windows 10.
While in Bangkok, I will find a suitable apartment for my trip back there in December. This is a very inexpensive way to live there for a few months, which for me will be about 75 days. I am going to get a two bedroom unit with kitchen, so that friends from different countries can come for a visit to that part of the world if they so choose. I will also have some more dental work done while there in June.
At this time, I am looking at the probability of visiting Indonesia (read..Bali) next winter, and also a visit to Manila, Philippines. From Thailand, these places are not far away. In fact, we often go over Manila on the flight from Tokyo to Bangkok, depending on winds and runways in use at Bangkok.
Those plans are in the developmental phase. We had a major Travel show here on March 17-18, with exhibitors from over 200 embassies, agencies and travel industry firms. I picked up the latest info on both places at that time.
I will do a final posting around mid May, before departing Canada.
Thursday 8 February 2018
Ottawa February 8, 2018
Hello all; It has been a very busy few weeks for me here in Ottawa. We have had a very cold winter since around Christmas week. We are still well below zero at nighttime. In the midst of the cold weather, one of my baseboard heaters quit working. The apartment manager loaned me a portable for a few days until the old heater was replaced. I also came down with a nasty cold during that time, although it was not caused by the heater problem.
I retired from the volunteer driving, after 19 years on January 30. It was the third time I had retired there. On each occasion, previous, they talked me into coming back when they heard that I was back from some trip, once being the on where I went around the world.
On February 2, my oldest Granddaughter, Stephanie was married here in Ottawa, so, never a dull moment.
I took my Travel Agent friend to lunch on Tuesday of this week, and gave her some options for my next trip to Asia. I have now confirmed booking for departure from here on May 29, and will return on July 5. We got in on a special deal, and the total cost is just under 830.00 dollars. I cannot go to Vancouver and back for this price!!!. I will be travelling with United Airlines, and going via Newark, New Jersey, and Tokyo.
More on the plans for this trip in a later blog. There is some coordination to do, and that will take some time.
To avoid the cold winter here in Canada, I am looking at going back to Asia for December, 2018, January and possibly up to mid February. This is very early in the planning process, but the general idea would be to get an apartment in Bangkok, for the total time, and operate into neighboring countries from that home base. I must study the insurance for out of Canada medical, as the general rule is that I can go for 40 days at a time, but one must come back for at least one night. If the insurance cost is greater that a round trip airfare, there are options.
If anyone out there would like to make a trip to Asia, and know someone there, I would be glad to see you. But, you must let me know, even if it is just a thought at this time. If there is interest, I would check out two bedroom apartments when there in June. There are lots for rent to tourists.
Just send me an email at; Donbedier@gmail.com.
I will do an update about mid March.
I retired from the volunteer driving, after 19 years on January 30. It was the third time I had retired there. On each occasion, previous, they talked me into coming back when they heard that I was back from some trip, once being the on where I went around the world.
On February 2, my oldest Granddaughter, Stephanie was married here in Ottawa, so, never a dull moment.
I took my Travel Agent friend to lunch on Tuesday of this week, and gave her some options for my next trip to Asia. I have now confirmed booking for departure from here on May 29, and will return on July 5. We got in on a special deal, and the total cost is just under 830.00 dollars. I cannot go to Vancouver and back for this price!!!. I will be travelling with United Airlines, and going via Newark, New Jersey, and Tokyo.
More on the plans for this trip in a later blog. There is some coordination to do, and that will take some time.
To avoid the cold winter here in Canada, I am looking at going back to Asia for December, 2018, January and possibly up to mid February. This is very early in the planning process, but the general idea would be to get an apartment in Bangkok, for the total time, and operate into neighboring countries from that home base. I must study the insurance for out of Canada medical, as the general rule is that I can go for 40 days at a time, but one must come back for at least one night. If the insurance cost is greater that a round trip airfare, there are options.
If anyone out there would like to make a trip to Asia, and know someone there, I would be glad to see you. But, you must let me know, even if it is just a thought at this time. If there is interest, I would check out two bedroom apartments when there in June. There are lots for rent to tourists.
Just send me an email at; Donbedier@gmail.com.
I will do an update about mid March.
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