Ottawa, Monday, December 7, 2020

 Hello All

Normally at this time of the year, I would be in Asia, probably Thailand for about six weeks. However, as we all know, the covid-19 virus has put a damper on most foreign travel for almost a year now. It is expected that Thailand will, early in the new year open to tourists from Canada, albeit with restrictions. At this time, a quarantine period of 14 days will be required, along with a lot of other security measures. It appears that there will need to be some major changes to the present rules before many of us go there, at least for now. For example, Thailand, at this time requires that as part of the Visa application process, a copy of the prospective traveler's Bank Statement be provided. This is against Canadian law, and, as my bank confirmed, they will NOT protect anyone who submits this document, then loses money by doing so. Even after a Visa is granted, one must then request a Certificate of Entry, which seems to be another name for another Visa type document. To get this, one must register at a Government approved hotel for the 14 day quarantine period, paid in full by credit card....on an unsecure website. Some of my contacts in Thailand have suggested to me that the hotel assigned is directly related to the amount in the bank statement. I have no evidence of this. I have been in email contact with the Tourism Authority of Thailand in an attempt to get these issues corrected, if possible. Another problem is the fact that some travel insurance companies will not cover the expenses for the airfare, hotel and related charges, if the Certificate of Entry is not granted. 

With the Canadian winter holiday season well upon us, time is running out for those who had intended to do a trip to Thailand this fall and / or winter....we can thank "The Virus", for that. I believe Cuba or another southern destination will be the benefactor of all this....from the people who have contacted me for information.

I hope to do an update in mid January, once we know how the Vaccination programs go, and rules change to take that situation into account....maybe no quarantines, etc.

Have a safe happy holiday season.  

 

Ottawa, August 2, 2020

I returned from my trip to Western Canada on 28 July, and will now do an update regarding travel in Canada during this virus. Several days before my scheduled flights, I went out to the Ottawa airport by regular bus service and spoke with Air Canada staff during a quiet part of the day. They advised me that food would not be served, and, assured me that the Air Canada Enroute Magazine, the on board publication would be available in the seatbacks  as normal. I therefore decided not to take reading material with me. I was also informed that masks were required in the terminal buildings and on the planes, so I had my own for the trip.

My reserved Uber ride arrived as scheduled at 03;00 and I was at the airport in 25 minutes at a cost of about 35 dollars. A regular taxi is 40 dollars more. Normally, I would have gone out to the airport around midnight on a city bus, but due to the virus, went by Uber. Using my Passport in one of the many automated machines, I obtained my Boarding passes for the west bound flights, but the machine did not print the baggage tag for my one checked bag. A few minutes later, at 04;00, staff arrived and I was given a baggage tag, my Boarding pass was authenticated, and I was soon cleared by security and at the holding area for my 06;00 flight to Toronto. The flight to Toronto took 39 minutes from wheels up to touchdown, and, in just over an hour, I was again airborne for the three hour and fifty two minute flight to Edmonton. There were no Enroute magazines on either aircraft. Upon boarding each flight, and also on the return flights, we were given a ziplock plastic bag with 250 Mil of water, earbuds in small bag, sanitized in a small bottle, and a mask and some salty pretzels...that was it. The flight to Edmonton was normal, and upon arrival and baggage retrieval, I went to the Budget counter to pick up my reserved vehicle for the drive to Dawson Creek, a trip of about 600 kilometres. It was 11;00A.M. in Alberta. My vehicle was a new Hyundai Kona, with 22 kilometres on the dial, and a full tank of gas.

I stopped in Devon, 22 km from the airport, where I met a lady friend for lunch, then drove to Dawson Creek, with two brief stops along the way...one at Tim Horton's, the other an A and W. I arrived at Dawson at 6;30 P.M., they being one hour later than Alberta. 

The week in the Peace River area including Ft. St John was to visit family, and look into estate issues.

I spent some time with one brother overlooking the controversial "Site C", hydro dam project on the Peace River just south of Ft St John. 

I drove back to Edmonton Airport on July 27, and returned the car to Budget with 1620 new kilometres, or, just over 1000 miles on it.

The following morning, I departed Edmonton at 08;30, one stop and plane change in Calgary then on to Ottawa, another 1890 air miles. The same routines were followed, no food, or service, but two problems...at Calgary we waited over ten minutes at the gate for an Air Canada agent to meet us

(the captain came on and told us that it was illegal to disembark without an agent present). On arrival at Ottawa, we waited over ten minutes before the flight could move up to the gate...again, no crew to direct us in .   All in all, a very good trip.

At this time, I have made no plans for travel, but will do so if and when Thailand opens for tourists from North America, (Canada) and Europe. I would like to go there for December and January. Thailand hopes to open in October for such travel.

Ottawa, June 6, 2020

Hello all;  here we are into month five with the virus situation, and activities are beginning to open up. The situation as you know is different in each country, and here in Canada, it differs by province.
We cannot get hair cuts in Ontario, but some food outlets are open for takeout only...no dining on the premises....but each week brings a few new openings. Canada is open for travel within the country, but still opening at a slow pace.
I have booked a flight to go out to Northern B.C., specifically Dawson Creek and Ft St John during the last week of July...(21 out, 28 home). I will do the usual trip...fly into Edmonton, pick up a car and drive up. I have one sister, three brothers and cousins, etc all living in that area.

If foreign travel gets back to anywhere near the situation before this virus mess, I will return to my favorite second home, Thailand, for the months of December and January. I will probably not know for sure about the details, but should have that resolved by August. Thailand expects to open to foreigners in July, and thereafter the flight patterns should become clear. Because of the political situation in China/Hong Kong, and Korea, I will attempt to go via Europe. Time will tell.
At this time, I am not aware of anyone who has had the virus, and I hope you all can say the same.

On a sad note to end, my friend from Sophisai Thailand, whom I returned in December to see, has lost his seven month long battle with Leukemia, and leaves three children under the age of 14.

Stay safe, follow the social distancing, and enjoy family, friends and life as best you can.

Ottawa, March 31, 2020

Hello All.  I do not have much to report at this time, due to no travel, as a result of the current virus situation. I have several ideas of places to go when the situation returns to normal, and will update this site at that time.
My youngest sister passed away last October 8, shortly after I was there for a visit. The family were planning a Memorial service for June 28, out in Dawson Creek, B.C., but that also is not going to happen...at least not at that time. Everything is on hold, with no idea when we will be back to normal.....here in Canada or elsewhere in the world.

Take all the precautions were are being asked to do, stay safe, and where you can, help your neighbors!.

Ottawa, February 7, 2020

Before going into the subject of this blog, I thought that I would give you some numbers that will show the extent of my travel activities. I did not log my first few flights because I was not sure that my plans for the future would materialize. When I was accepted into the Canadian Air Force, I began to log all flights, and have done so to this day. As the aircraft starts the take off run, I note the time, then also note the time when the wheels touch the pavement...or in some cases, gravel. The type and make of the plane,airline flight number, if applicable, and if possible, the identification number is noted. I have logged 1230 flights, in 70 types of aircraft, several helicopters and one hot air balloon.
The total flight hours is 2230, or 93 days.!

About five years ago, the Thailand Army took over the government, and has been in charge since that time. An election was held last year, fixed in the military's favor, and after several months, the ballots showed that...guess what...the party led by the same General of the last four years won!. Generals head most Departments, and the constitution was amended so that anyone with opposing views was deemed to be critical of the king, and subject to up to 15 years in jail...military brass do not like criticism.
Soon after the Coupe five years ago, the "government", required Google to allow the military to run Thailand Google, or shut down. The military took over.
All computers and laptops, etc, have an Internet Protocol Number, and this number can be used to track computers at any time they are in use. The I. P. number sequence is different for regions similar to telephone numbers. I found that frequently, when I would try to log on to the internet, I would be asked " Google Thailand wants to know your location...Allow....or Deny". The first time, I said to Deny, and could not get on the web.  After moving in the country, When I tried to go on the web, I allowed, but still often could not get online, even though several other persons could do so..as we were in the hotel lobby.....they were Thai. I even had smut material put on this blog, but only in the manager location where I could link to the sites, but you people would not see that link.
A computer shop told me it could only get there by the Google Thailand managers.
Smut is "officially illegal", in Thailand, so I must assume it was an attempt to trap me. As soon as I departed Thailand, all the false information disappeared. To avoid any entrapment, I packed my laptop in my checked luggage, so, at departure inspection...no computer. This is why I was unable to do any updates in Thailand...unable to get on line for any amount of time...often cut off after two lines.   

Ottawa, February 4, 2020

I am now back home, and recovering from one very long trip. I arrived here at 09;30 February 03, after spending an unscheduled night in New York , (actually across the river in New Jersey, just off the Newark airport). This delay was caused by the Ottawa airport being fogged in, and no expectation of that changing until the next morning. I had been up and going for 40 hours by the time I arrived home.
All in all, the entire trip went very well, with the exception of the internet service in Thailand. I will discuss that later. On the outbound journey, I cleared Security and United States Customs and Immigration here at Ottawa airport, and was in secure travel status all the way to Bangkok; This included a bus transfer from arrival terminal A in Newark to departure terminal C , a stopover and change of planes in Tokyo, and then clearing arrival procedures in Bangkok. On the return, my flight arrived in Newark about 4;15 in the afternoon, February 2, and it was 6;45 before I cleared Customs and Immigration. There were around 700 passengers from several flights in the lineups, and for most of the time, only three Customs Officers. As with most North American airports now, one has to use a machine to self check in and answer questions before taking a print out and seeing the officer. I also then had to claim my checked luggage, take it to a special area, and place it back on a belt from where it was taken to my aircraft, since I had nothing of value to declare. I then took an elevated rail system, called a Sky Train, and went from Terminal C to Terminal A, go through two different security checks, then go to my departure lounge. I had packed my laptop in my checked luggage to speed up my security checks.

In Tokyo, one Canadian was quite chatty, telling one and all of the great time he had in Southern China for several weeks, and that he had just flown in from there to return home to Ottawa. He was on my flight, and upon arrival in Newark was four ahead of  me in the lineup. He was apprehended by security after answering about two questions, and was not seen again. He may have been the person who made the news that night as the "first Canadian arrested at the Northern Boarder, for trying to enter the U.S. after having recently visiting China", as the tv stated.

Our flight was to depart at 10;15 P.M., and all boarding and checks were completed, and the aircraft doors were shut....we waited for 15 minutes without starting the engines, then the Captain announced that we would be waiting for another half hour as Ottawa was fogged in, and they would decide then on further action.In 15 minutes, we were informed that the flight would not go, all checked luggage would stay on board, and we would depart at six in the morning...same boarding passes would used.
Inside the terminal, we were given hotel and meal vouchers, and asked to be back at 04;00!!!.
It was 1145 P.M. when we got to the hotel..by shuttle bus. I just refreshed, relaxed and read a newspaper, then back to the airport at 2;30...security, etc and from then on, everything was fine.
Customs and Immigration went quickly, we were the only arriving international flight at that time.
A bus, then the train, and another bus and I was home.09;30.
I must state that in the several times that I have had flight delays, or similar problems, United Airlines have been absolutely fantastic in solving the problems.

I will do another page on February 6.





   

Udon Thani, Thailand, January 25, 2020

I am now into my last week here in Thailand, more specifically at Udon Thani. On Friday, I return to Bangkok, and on Sunday, spend the longest day travelling home. Except for a couple of cases at resort cities, we have not been hard hit with the coronavirus. There were five flights daily from Wuhan,where the virus started, to hot spots here in Thailand,  but all have been cancelled, with that city and others in a lock down. Reports here indicate that the virus began when a man ate a rat, which is a delicacy in China. Interesting, since this is the year of the rat on the Chinese zodiac, and today is in fact their New Year's day. Celebrations were quiet here last evening, in respect to those who could not celebrate.

My friend has not improved; in fact he is quite low, has high fever, and feels cold all the time.

I will have some blog pages to do when I return home,as the internet here is not reliable, and I have some things to say from a tourist point of view.

It is my intention to do an update from Bangkok, before I depart for Canada on February 2. 

Udon Thani, Thailand January 8, 2020

It is a quiet afternoon here, about 34 degrees, and very dry. I was out for a while this morning, and find the place very active. Udon Thani has a population of around 400 Thousand; ..that depends on whether you believe the Chamber of Commerce equivalent, or the tax collection people.
One block from my hotel is a lake of just over a mile square area containing a great park. The park is called Nongprajak Park, and contains wide bike/walking trails, hundreds of assorted palm trees and others, as well as plants galore. I did a two hour walk there yesterday morning...many bike rental posts, paddle boats etc. It is one of the nicest city parks that I have ever seen. At the entrance is a kids zone called Dino-land, with huge dinosaurs, birds etc, such that kids do not want to leave....even the big kids.
The hospital where my friend is faces this lake and park, so staff and patients that are able can go out for strolls as they feel like it. The hospital complex is huge, connected buildings for more than a kilometer along the lake and off to the side.
Family and friends from the family's home village..So Phisai is three hours away; They drive down, visit for an hour or so, then have lunch and return home. Someone is with him at all times.
The hospital is just one block from my hotel, so it is very convenient for visits, and a drop in for family if they wish.
At this time, there is no indication of how long I will be here, it will of course depend on how my friend recovers. At this time, it looks like a very slow recovery,,some days good, others not so good.
In any event, since this is the closest airport to the family farm/village, I am booked to start my trip home  from here on January 31 at noon. I have two nights booked in Bangkok, and fly out of there to Tokyo and on at six in the morning, February 2.
Before starting this page, I checked the statistics for this past week...this blog read by folks in Canada, Thailand, Brazil, Ukraine and Portugal.

I will do an update in about a week 

Report from Bangkok January 4, 2020

I am enjoying the relaxing pace, and the 34 degree, dry temperatures. Spent quite some time yesterday exploring a huge temple area not far from the river. Found out after that I had actually been at two temples, not far separated!.
On Monday at noon, I will fly north to the city of Udon Thani, where my friend is hospitalized. At last report, he is still in intensive care, differing points of view as to whether he is getting better, or just eating well and going down hill. His kids come for visits during the weekend, so I will arrive after they have gone home....school and such to do for them.
I am enjoying the slow pace, and visiting some areas here that are new for me...still a lot of Christmas music, and amazing pine trees....made from empty water bottles...not a real tree among them. The Reindeer are also fake!.
Wi-Fi continues to be a problem, but is good at the breakfast dining room, from where I am sending this update.
I do not expect to do another update for a week or so, when I determine what is happening up north.
I hope all had a good, safe new year celebration......I went to bed at nine.....very quiet night.