Ottawa, Ontario, December 8, 2022

 Hello All. This will be a short report, as not much travel-wise has happened since my last update in November. I will be departing here during the noon hour Friday, December 9, and travelling via the VIA Rail system to Dorval, then a shuttle will take me to the airport. This ticket is included in the rail fare to Montreal. I will have a few hours at the Montreal airport, then at ten P.M., we will depart for Istanbul on Turkish Airlines flight  TK 36, for the estimated nine hours and three minute flight. 

My friends in Turkey have arranged for me to rent an apartment that is about three transit stops from where they live. My Turkish friends and another friend of theirs, (and now of mine), from Morocco, will be making plans for what activities we will get involved with. On January 5, a friend of mine from Warsaw will come over for a few days to visit that area for the first time. I have been kidding them that there will be three people bossing me around .

For those who wish to do so, you may wish to Google some of the places we see, and will do again; The Istanbul Chocolate Museum, The Pierre Loti Cafe...(the views from above an old Cemetery are outstanding on a clear sunny day.). and MiniaTurk, which is a large area of miniature models of many scenes from within Turkey.

 I should point out that now, we are seeing the modern name....Turkiye on many documents and in the newspapers.    I will report in after I have arrived in downtown Istanbul. 

Ottawa, Ontario November 3, 2022

 Hello All. It has been some time since I last had an update, however, my work and other activities have kept me very busy up to now. The Civic..(city) and school board elections in Ontario were scattered over three days in October, and I always work at them if I am in Ontario. I worked this year on October 7, 14 and 24th. My specialty was operating the voting Tabulator machines. These machines did all the counting, after voting closed on the 24th...no more counting by hand.

As soon as the election was over, it was time to start planning and booking all the components for my next adventure out of Canada. The final step was completed yesterday, when I got my Turkish Visa. I will be going to Turkey for almost six weeks starting December 9. I take the VIA rail train to Montreal in the mid afternoon of December 9, and, go to the Dorval station. At the Dorval VIA (west side Montreal) station, VIA have a shuttle every fifteen minutes to the Montreal airport. This shuttle fare is included with the main ticket. At ten that evening, I depart for Istanbul on Turkish Airlines flight TK 36.....for a flight of around nine hours. I may have mentioned before, but Turkish is the oldest established airline in the world. It started service in1933. (There is  now a ladies perfume called TK 33in Honor of that.) I will return with Turkish Airlines to Montreal on January 15, overnight at a hotel at the airport and return to Ottawa the next morning on VIA. The last train from Montreal on January 15 is too close to my flight arrival time to make the connection.

My friends in Turkey are looking after arrangements there and all the activities that we will be doing. My next update will probably be after arrival in Istanbul. Take care, and enjoy the holidays.

   

Ottawa, August 13, 2022

 I have now recovered from the long trip home, and am about up to date with the work I had waiting for me. From the time I departed my hotel in Bangkok to arrival at my Apartment was 36 hours, with very little sleep. As one gets older, the body takes more time to recover from the change of routines, and the different meal times, and so on. 

My time in Bangkok was limited to the times required for the dental work which in the end was five different days  spread over a month. I returned to Bangkok from Pattaya, (two hours south), to meet one appointment. This was a bus trip which cost about three dollars Canadian each way. One of the most interesting places we visited this time is a Tropical Garden known as..Nongnooch. It is located just outside the city of Pattaya, and is easily found on Google. One could spend several days there and still not see it all. In my view, they have gone overboard with the number of model birds and animals....but, who am I to say. It was very enjoyable , and, if the opportunity arises, I would go again.

My friends also took me to a mountain where an image of Buddha is carved in outline on the mountain face. This image can be seen for miles, however we drove very close and posed for photos. I am attempting to find a name for this mountain...in English. 

In the south-center of Pattaya is a range of very high hills with a huge Buddha that can be seen for miles. We drove up there and took photos out over the beach and sea, probably the best views of the area . The sight is simply called...The Big Buddha.

I had prearranged a visit to the Pattaya Orphanage, so we went there one afternoon and had a good visit with the staff. Because of restrictions around Covid, we did not interact with the children.

I knew when I booked the trip that it would be the rainy season, however, after waiting almost three years for the major dental work, decided to go anyway. The rain was no problem...mid afternoon each day, it came down so hard that all traffic just stops for the 20 to 30 minutes then out comes the sun until tomorrow, then the same all over again.....lots of water.

Hello From Ottawa, August 6, 2022

 Yes I am back in Canada, and am sorry that I could not post any stories while in Thailand. My last blog where I reported my arrival in Bangkok was an alert to the Thai government and as a result, they banned my entrance to my blog...that's a fact. In January, after working with techies and attempting to obtain a Thailand Pass, I quit in disgust, and wrote a letter to the Bangkok Post Newspaper...titled...Its Time For a Change....the letter was published. Some background...when the army took over about eight years ago, as I understand the situation, they...(army) insisted that if certain internet companies wanted to operate in Thailand, the army ... or government, would need to have control.....within Thailand. Next came a law that sets prison terms or fines for people who may criticize the government....within Thailand.

A friend in a high position in the Bangkok Tourism Office had informed me, prior to my letter to the newspaper, that over 90 thousand people had complained about the same issues that I raised. I did not know that such information was not public, and I guess the brass got excited. I was able to use my computer all the time I was away, but was not able to get onto my blog page.....my Thai friends were able, and had lots of comments about the issue. I will say no more.

My trip went  mostly as planned, no other travel problems with the exception of the time that Canada was undergoing the internet outages. I had four dental appointments set for my time there, and had all the dental work I needed completed with a smile. When Booking.com, the company I use to book hotels tried to clear my credit card for my next hotel, it was rejected and my reservation was cancelled. I contacted the hotel and they reinstated my reservation without any problem. 

During my travels, I met some new friends and at all times was treated to the great hospitality that Thailand is known for. I had a taxi reserved to pick me up at my Bangkok hotel on August 4 at three A.M. At Midnight, the power went off on my floor, but stayed on in the rest of the hotel. I went to the lobby and with others stayed there until the taxi came. After returning home, I received an email from a  counter staff member expressing her regrets of the incident....that's Thai hospitality.

I will end here for tonight, and will have more travel information in a few days as I get back to speed here at home.   

Hello from Bangkok, Thailand.......July 6, 2022

 I arrived here at midnight on July 4, Bangkok time , after a six hour flight from Tokyo. My departure from Ottawa was on July 2, at 0745, and five hours to Vancouver where I had to stay overnight. We could not get connecting flights for my westbound to Vancouver. The hotel prices in Vancouver are very high for anything within 50 miles of the airport. I was told by people at the airport that they paid 110 dollars for a taxi to the cruise ship terminal from the airport. My hotel cost for the one night was more than I will be paying here in Thailand for a ten day stay at any  of the hotels  all rated at four star. 

After a days rest, I had my first visit to my Bangkok Smile dentist this morning. After almost two hours, most of the fillings have been done, and one root to be removed....we will discuss that tomorrow. When I am finished the dental, and on July 11, I and some of my Thai friends will go two hours south of here to Pattaya for ten days. It will be seaside activities and I will also visit the Orphanage where I have worked in the past. This will be a social visit  with the staff , and I will have some time with the kids, and I will have a story about that later.  

This trip to date has gone as planned with no problems, as I did my research, and had all the papers for vaccinations, etc. From the plane to baggage pickup here was about ten minutes with the Customs/Immigration officer welcoming me back after he saw all the Thai Visas in my Passport. I do not have a Visa for this trip as I will be here only 30 days. I will update from Pattaya..                                                                    

Ottawa, June 28, 2022

 Hello all; It has been some time since my last report, but there are several reasons for that. The most important, as many of you may know, was a statement by the authorities in Bangkok that their borders would open on July 1 to all foreign visitors. That happened in the third week of June. After three days of late hours and assorted travel issues, I now have confirmed travel dates for my first trip to Thailand in two and a half years.

I will proceed to the Ottawa airport late on July 1, and at 07;00 in the morning of July 2, I will fly with WestJet to Vancouver. I must stay overnight in Vancouver, as connecting flight space was not available. This is the first time that has happened  to me in all my travels. At noon on July 3, I will fly with All Nippon airlines to Tokyo Narita airport, and after a change of planes, will fly on to Bangkok, my final destination. I will arrive there at midnight on the 4th. Remember, when we cross the International Date line at approximately 180 degrees west, we pass into the next day. On my return flights, which are the same carriers and routing, we go back a day. That will be August 4, which I will live twice.

While the "Rules of Rome", will apply to some of the activities in Thailand, I can say that I have dental appointments at my Bangkok Smile dental office on July 6, and then one or two other dates to be determined. After a week in Bangkok, I will go with Thai friends to Pattaya, which is a beach city, and while there, I will also visit my friends at the Pattaya Orphanage where I sometimes do volunteer work. For this trip, the visit is social only, as I did not get a work Visa. In Thailand, one must pay 80 dollars for a work Visa even to do volunteer work. The last ten days or so will be spent at a resort just north of Bangkok  (sixty miles or so), called Baan Dala.

 Because of medical Insurance rules, I can only be out of Canada for 40 days at a time without having to pay extremely expensive additional days. I will be doing updates as my trip unfolds.  

  

Ottawa, June 5, 2022

 Hello all; I arrived home Monday May 30, and have been extremely busy since then, so now have time to do an update. My last ten days or so in Istanbul were very relaxed and the most exciting time was on May 27 when we celebrated Hussian's birthday. His actual birthday is in the third week of June, but we had it early so that I could be present. His mother had made arrangements for a dinner party for the three of us at a famous Lebanese restaurant in Istanbul called Arada. We went by the Metro lines to this place in a busy tourist location. The restaurant staff were not busy that evening, so they went all out. They had a small cake with candles and this was on a nice tray, with Happy Birthday Hussian  in icing on the tray. At two times during our time at the table they came with bowls containing dry ice, so it set a very unique scene. The second time was when they brought the cake to the table.

 Hussian's mother and I had bought him a nice blue scooter which I had assembled in my hotel room. We returned to my hotel by taxi, and while they waited, I went and brought the scooter down...he went wild...the best thing we could have got for him.

 On May 29, I flew with Turkish Airlines to Montreal and stayed overnight at a hotel near the airport. The flight was on time, and as with all my travels with this carrier, the service on board was the best one could ask for. My Travel Agent had tried to get me connections from Ottawa to Montreal for my departure and to return here upon my return to Montreal, however they wanted 900 dollars for that, and I opted to take VIA both ways instead...at a cost of 90 dollars.

One hour after my arrival home, I had a call from Elections Ontario to go the next morning for refresher update so I could work the election on June 2. I then worked the assigned poll the next day. I worked in a Seniors Retirement home. Upon arrival there, we were told that none of the residents had received a Voter Identification card. This caused many problems for the poll staff. Upon complaining to the Riding Headquarters, I was told that no one in the province in care homes or assisted living centers and so on were issued VICs . 

I had a dental problem just two days before returning to Canada, so will have that looked at on Tuesday. I need the roots of two teeth removed. 

At this time, it is my intention to go to Thailand in July if they return to normal travel rules by then as is expected . I will do an update when I know what is happening in Thailand.