Grounded Again March 27, 2025

 Hello all;  As I indicated in my last posting, I had developed what appeared to be a hernia. This has now been confirmed, and the w a i t i n g starts again. I have another medical with a doctor next week, however it will be months before I have the surgery....unless there is a cancellation, and I can get in. As I understand the system, there are several factors in play when operating room time is allotted. One is the hours required for specific types of surgery. For example, if a hernia surgery is allotted three hours, then it would need to be a three hour  type surgery cancellation for them to schedule a hernia surgery.

My granddaughter and her boyfriend that live in Calgary recently cancelled their wedding, so that is off the table. 

As many know, Canada is now into a General Election for April 28. I have been asked by Elections Canada to apply to work for them, as I have done election work many times before. I had actually applied almost three months ago when they opened a site for applications. I received an acknowledgement at the time, however, that application appears to have been lost, as I  received a new  request two days ago. I sent in a new application. I have left messages at the local Riding office here on Draper avenue, but so far, no calls with a job offer.

Take care, and I will update you when I have an idea of when I will be able to travel again.

Ottawa, February 10, 2025

 Hello All; This update is about a month late from my plan.  The reason is the fact that I may be grounded again this spring and, thus unable to fly. For several weeks, I have had pain from time to time on my lower left side, similar to what I had on the right side last spring. This could be the forerunner to another hernia...just like last year. This side it is called..a  femal hernia. I am waiting to see what happens.

If is does not develop, I plan to attend my second eldest granddaughter's wedding in Calgary on May 17. It is my plan to travel to Turkiye in late June. My little friend, Hussian will be nine on June 24, and I would like to be there for that. By mid April, I hope to be able to make final decisions on both trips...go, or, no go.

Here is an interesting, and true story about myself. Just before my friend Hanan and her son Hussian returned to Turkiye in October 2021, we visited a store here in Ottawa called Canada's Four Corners. In that shop, she found a sweater with 12 lines of Canadiana on the back. She asked my permission to take a photo of me reading those 12 lines so she could send the clip to her family in Europe.(All are refugees from the mid-east). I had no problem with that, so she made the clip on Snapchat. I only remember the first three lines....I am a Canadian/ I do not live in an Igloo/I do not travel to work in a dog sled. Some where along the line as family passed that along, someone put it on Facebook, and translated into Arabic at the bottom. 

Two times in the last ten days, I have been approached by ladies I did not know...saying....YOU ARE THE CANADIAN ON FACEBOOK.! They tell me it has been viewed over three million times in the mid-east. Thursday, I went to the 4 Corners shop to buy one, but the store did not continue that item.

Take care, I will update in a month or so, as soon as I have some answers

  

Ottawa Ontario December 14, 2024

 Hello All; I had a great trip home on 11 December, with a surprise ending at the Ottawa airport. I was up at 04;00 on that morning, and at the airport and checked in at 05;00. They need three hours for International flights. Since we had a tail wind all the way to Vancouver, this leg of the trip was just over 13 hours. While we were still climbing to our assigned altitude of 33,000 feet, a meal was served. At 09;00, one would expect breakfast...but no, Air Canada served a very large dinner!. Twelve hours later, breakfast was served.  Upon arrival we had to claim our checked luggage, then go through Customs and Immigration which was very quick....two people on duty, but dozens of machines for passport checking and declarations of purchases. I was through the process in less than five minutes, and gave the printout to a staff member on my way out of Arrivals. We then went to a counter where our luggage was to be put on a conveyer to be routed to our respective aircraft.  At that counter, there was no one on duty....they admitted later to forgetting to staff it. I found that we could go up three floors to a check-in counter and place our luggage on a conveyer, which I did, with several others following...over a hundred waiting at the first location.

As soon as we departed Vancouver for Toronto, just after 09;00, breakfast was served. Everything went smooth for the Toronto flight, and the transfer and flight to Ottawa. I waited until the last piece of luggage was delivered on the conveyer, but...mine was not there. I went to the Air Canada counter in the luggage area and discussed the situation with the chap on duty. He checked my receipt on the system and informed me that my one piece of luggage was in Toronto, and was already loaded for the next flight to Ottawa. It would arrive, if on schedule at 01;30. It was 11;30 already, so I took a taxi home, and my luggage arrived at 09;00 in the morning. All in all, it was a great vacation.

I had one day to relax and sort out a number of things, then on Friday, I worked two hours on the Salvation Army Christmas Bells, at a Loblaws Superstore. I will be doing a shift each day until 23 December.

Take care, and have a great holiday season. I will do an update around mid January, as to where and when I will travel next.   

Bangkok Thailand December 10, 2024

 Hello all. I am now at a hotel close to the airport, where I will depart for Vancouver at 08;30 tomorrow morning.  The stay at Pattaya was great, but time has run out for this trip.  I received an email from AC this morning, so I have already checked in and have my boarding pass. I had to call the Air Canada office here in Bangkok this morning, as they had made several omissions. They still had me in Economy, to Vancouver and then on to Toronto. It was a small omission, but their request to me for meal selection only applied to the flight from Vancouver to Toronto. While speaking with the AC agent at the Bangkok office, they confirmed I was in Premier Economy for both legs. Their  system was ahead of the Head Office. I explained the meal issue and said they would pass it on. The problem nowdays is the fact that technology  is replacing people, so at times we see many issues when machines talk to each other. 

I brought my winter parka with me because I expected cold wet snow when I returned to Canada, and it looks like I will not be disappointed.

I will do a follow up from Ottawa before long after I get there. I am volunteering again for the Salvation Army Christmas kettles, so will soon be back to working a few hours a week until December 24.

Take care

Pattaya, Thailand December 3, 2024

 Hello all; Greetings from a 33 degree Pattaya.  The weather here continues to be dry, and quite warm. One week from today, I will be starting the return to a much cooler Canada. I have made the decision to treat myself to a seat upgrade , for just 300 dollars plus tax, for the flights from Bangkok to Vancouver, then the flight to Toronto. I will be in Premium Economy. This move also takes me from near the back of the aircraft, behind the wings and engines,  to 14 rows from the front, well ahead of the engines.  The aircraft for these flights is the Boeing 787-900 series. The flight to Ottawa will be a regular seat in Economy, and a much smaller aircraft.

We have here at this large hotel a nine hole par 27 golf course. Because of the heat, we have not tried it yet, but I will take two of my Thai friends out there one evening and we will give it a try. The same friends must leave here this afternoon for a ten hour drive into the north of Thailand to a city called Udon Thani. They received the sad news yesterday that an aunt had passed away. The funeral will be there on Thursday afternoon....then they will drive back here.  Some live here. I declined the invitation to go with them.

This afternoon, I will go shopping for vitamins for myself and friends back home. These are the same as available in Canada, but less than half the price.

Take care, I expect to do an update before my departure from Pattaya.

Pattaya Thailand, Wednesday, November 27, 2024

 Hello all, from a warm...34 degree Pattaya. I arrived here at noon today, after a two hour drive from Bangkok with some Thai friends. Since this a high tourist destination this week, the highway was very busy.  We found out upon arrival that Friday and Saturday will feature an International Fireworks Competition.

On Monday , I had my appointment with My Dental Team at Bangkok Smile. One full hour cost me 68 dollars Canadian. As I have said before; when one sits in that chair, you get the full attention of the dentist and an assistant. They do not have five or six chairs going at the same time. The charges here are so much less than in Canada. What makes me a bit annoyed is the fact that the dental association in Canada and many of the Insurance Companies there have become buddy-buddy and now, the insurance companies will not pay a claim from outside of Canada unless the dental work was the result of an accident. One would think that it would be more economical to pay the cheaper claim. 

I and my Thai friends will be here until the 10 day of December. We will return to a hotel near  the Bangkok airport on that day, and I will return home via Vancouver with Air Canada, then on to Toronto and then Ottawa. The flight to Vancouver will be around 15 hours. I did not mention the route here to Bangkok from Vancouver on 20th of this month. From Vancouver we flew up over Palmerston Alaska, down over the Aleutian Islands to Tokyo, Hong Kong and on to Bangkok entering Asia midway between Hue and Da Nang Vietnam. A total of around 8500 Nautical miles, according to the Air Canada route map that I followed.  I will do an update in about another week. Take Care

Bangkok, Thailand November 23, 2024

 Hello all ;  I arrived here as scheduled on Friday morning after a 16 hour flight from Vancouver; As we were departing from Ottawa, the massive storm with 200 kilometer winds that had hit the B.C. coast for several days had diminished to nothing. We were in a 300 seat Boeing 787-900 type aircraft from Ottawa to Vancouver, and another of the same type here. There were no empty seats on either flight. A great many of the passengers were American, who came up to Vancouver and enjoy the long, non stop flight to Asia. Most of those I spoke with were going onward to other countries.

Upon arrival at Bangkok, we were put into a subway  car and taken at high speed for a three minute ride to the main terminal. There, I was treated to a big surprise. A Customs officer whom I had spoken with several times here was at the main entrance to the Customs/Immigration stop point. Here there are two routes to Customs/Immigration...one for Thai Passports, one for All other Passports. When he  saw me, he said...''you Canadian Thai, go to Thai Passport gate.''  I had three ahead of me....hundreds in the other line up.

Another big surprise at the hotel. After I checked in, the lady at the counter gave me a large vase of very colourful flowers. On the vase was a note...''Well come back Kuhn (friend) Donald Bedier, nice to have you back''. This morning several of my friends from the north of Thailand arrived here, and on Wednesday, we will go to Pattaya. This morning, I walked the one block to Bangkok Smile, my dental office, and confirmed that I am here and will see them Monday morning at ten.

My next update will probably be from Pattaya, a two hour bus ride south of here.