This is the end of a long weekend here in Canada. It is the date we celebrate the reigning monarchs' birthday, regardless of when it really is. The Queens' actual birth date is April 21, same day as mine, and in my view should be celebrated then. Most Canadians have no idea why they have this holiday.
I see from the statistics for this site that it has been viewed just over 7,200 times. It has been up and running for five years. I thank all from the many countries who continue to follow my experiences in foreign lands. As I have stated before, I log all my flights, and have done so since the third flight I ever made. As a result of my last trip, I now have 2008 hours of flying time. That is the equivalent of 83 days of continuous flying, plus 16 hours. I still enjoy travelling by air as much as always. These hours were accumulated in 67 different types of aircraft....and one balloon.
My next travels will be to Alberta and B.C., probably in August to visit family. Not much excitement there. I have three brothers who have never left the farms, so I will get updated on how all the animals are doing, and in particular, that old sheep that was sick when I was out there two years ago...gee, I can hardly wait.
I just today completed the task of placing all my recent photos in an album. I decided to make prints from all the photos, and then after doing some reductions for similar and duplicates, make one album. I ended up with around 275 keepers. I took 400 to a developer in Bangkok and had copies made at a cent each. They are 17 cents each here in Walmart. The problem is, there was an accident, and all were erased from the disk in Thailand.
A neat feature with the Cathay Pacific aircraft that I traveled in is the fact they are equipped with a camera in the front of the aircraft, just behind the front nose wheel. I keep my monitor to the flight path, and switch back and forth from that to the nose view. I know some folks could care less, and prefer to watch rerun movies, or cartoons, but I like to know where we are and all such information...like outside temperature at minus 85. By the way, if anyone would like a nose view of us over lake Ontario, wheels down on approach to Toronto airport, I have them, autographed at just 25 dollars each....limit two to a customer.
Three places that I attended while in Thailand , and which have great photos on the internet are; Wat Doi Suthep, and Wat Phatat Doi Kam , Royal Gardens Rajapruek, all at Chiang Mai. Included in the gardens which cover many acres is an area with over 1000 varieties of orchids.
The place is so big that it is easy to stay there all day.
The Wats are Buddhist temples, with fantastic artwork from hundreds of years ago. The first is gold leaf everywhere, and the second is white...unusual. Both are on mountains. Chiang Mai is a former capital city, so has many features not found elsewhere in the country. One of these is a canal, which 1200 years ago was a moat around the city. It is about 2 kilometers square and is a wonderful area for walking with many fountains and special features.
Thailand is still in a somber mood, as their beloved king passed away last October. They have a three day cremation service planned for the end of October this year. Millions are being spent on all the special feature facilities that will be used . As a result, many places are restricted for tourists, and I did not go there.
By the way, I am kidding about the photos for sale. I do have two, but only a Leafs fan would want one.
I will have an update of a western trip, and what that might entail by the end of May.
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