Porthole

33rd week of the year 179. 1st week in Thailand.

6 พฤศจิกายน

5 พฤศจิกายน

Up early but nothing planned yet.

4 พฤศจิกายน

To fathertymme: I'm struggling with the change of time zone, the mugginess, my body shutting down. My travel days may be coming to an end unless I can adjust and rationalize doing little or nothing in another country. I'm in Thailand.

Got lost... took boat down klong, took MRT, went through SiLom, visited Wat Po, saw Wat Arun, walked, walked, walked.

Spoke Spanish, Portuguese, French. Met couple from Boise, Idaho (she's Taiwanese from Taichung), a man from Sydney, Australia, another from Nottingham, England, Dutch, Swiss.

In hostel: Argentina (Patagonia), Germany (Dresden), Azerbaijan, Israel.

Wrote in journal. Took photos.

Old age seeped into my bones, my flesh, my foggy brain. I don't remember welcoming it to enter.

3 พฤศจิกายน

Heavy humidity hugs like an old auntie with bad breath that won't let go.

Welcome to Krungthep.

I took the skytrain for 35฿ (Ban Thap Chang to Phaya Thai. Very easy, smooth, busy but not overly crowded around noon.

At Pinto (think a stack of tin bento boxes) I tried to stay vertical. Still adjusting. Relaxed, got coins I was missing: 2฿, 25 and 50 satang. Nice chat with Kris. Wandered out and came across a night market of sorts. Saw kittens, barbershops, assorted food, had pork satay.

Pork on skewers: 80 baht for 10 with peanut sauce, cucumber, purple onion and chilies (that I didn't touch). I watched a couple eat to learn how-to. An old woman sat at a nearby table. She fell when she got up... flat on her face. Non-plussed, she got up, motioned that she had a bad leg/knee. I was startled.

Crossing streets is challenging. I try to cross in a group hoping others know what they are doing. Traffic fatalities are a major problem in Thailand, one of the worst in the world.

Beds are curtained. Place is quiet. Stairs are quirky and steep. Price was very reasonable, about 300฿ per night. Less than $10. Apparently just reopened post covid.

Pinto has a 70" screen. I watched a Thai BL series I've seen parts of... I'm used to my 11" chromebook .

I have little energy. Tried to stay up till a reasonable hour to adjust.

2 พฤศจิกายน

In Bangkok at Nang Ta Yon hostel.

When I get the chance... lost my debit card. Went back to airport and retrieved it.

Met Gift (age 37) and we had great chat.

After breakfast (chicken basil rice) I dressed up like a teacher (Gift's observation) and took train to airport. No problem. Got to K bank koisk but it wasn't the right one. However, teller made phone call and then went to look when another teller showed up. A man my age from Saskatchewan had also lost a card and we chatted as we waited. Lucky us! Teller found both cards.

Celebrated with an ice cream (30฿) at 7-11. Brunch was crab-rice (47฿).

At airport spoke to men from Iran, Turkey, MahaSarakham.

Stray dogs by Ban Thap Chang station. Fragrant... very much like Costa Rica, everything smells. Thailand seems dirty. But train was spotless.

Muggy, but room has a/c set at 21. I took a long nap.

Rachel arrived after midnight, so I don't have room to myself. Trying to catch up. Now 3 a.m. and I need to be up by 8 for breakfast.

Wrote in journal; catching up. My trip really begins 'tomorrow'.

1 พฤศจิกายน 2565 Arriving ICN-BKK

Do you really want to know? Incheon transfer was a nightmare.

No problems with my legs. Asiana has 33" legroom.

Food on flights? 1. Beef steak was good but difficult for me to eat. 2. Seafood and rice was a delight. 3. Korean rice bowl. I didn't like.

On long flight to ICN sat next to Alaskan from VietNam going back to Saigon for a visit. I barely rested. Watched Secrets of Dumbledore and the finale of Downtown Abbey.

Entry into Thailand was painless.

31 ตุลาคม 2565 Leaving MSO-SEA-ICN

Must be up early, leave at 08:30, flight at 11:20 to Seattle, 1 1/2 hour layover to transfer (A to S). 12 hour flight to ICN (Korea) where it'll be November 1st already. I doubt that I'll have wifi or the time to update this till later, tbh.

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