Hi,
I'm writing to you from Pattaya, Thailand. Today we flew in a plane, rode in a bus, and saw a large expanse of water.
That 'Zany Day' song you were wondering about was "Summertime Blues" by Eddie Cochran. 'Old School Friday' is going to be a challenge for some of you, and probably unknown to others. It's been an easy week so far (555).
"The night was clear, and the moon was yellow, and the leaves came tumblin' down... I was standin' on the corner when I heard my bull dog bark. He was barkin' at the two men who were gamblin' in the dark. It was __ __ and Billy, two men who gambled late. __ __ threw a seven, Billy swore that he rolled eight..." Hint: The title is a name.
Our adventure began with a flight on an airline that just recently started flying out of Chiang Rai. Bangkok Air was an unknown to us, but won us over on the first flight. After we went through the final security check-in, we were invited to a little buffet serving free coffee and desserts. On the plane, before taking off, they played the usual video about the safety features, but it was preceded by a music video song and dance number promoting the airline. Most unusual and very creative. Once in the air, we got our special meals (unusual for a 1-hour flight) and they were better than most. We'll be flying with them again for local flights.
There is a bus company that has a monopoly on mass transit to Pattaya so unless you want to hire a car at a much higher price, you take their bus. We bought tickets and they told us the bus was ready to go. When we got to the bus the two seats were at opposite ends of the bus. What? We were told we could negotiate with the passengers. We went back to the desk and heard, "You didn't say you wanted to sit together". What? The next two hours were spent relaxing and having lunch before boarding a bus with two seats together.
There is a lot of truck traffic on the roads south of Bangkok. The area is a major shipping hub for Southeast Asia. We saw what looked like 'cities' of containers. Things are dry here. It's quite a contrast to our lush, northern green.
Pattaya is a very popular vacation spot for tourists from around the world, as well as some Thais. This is my third time coming here and I still don't find it appealing. It just rubs me the wrong way. Maybe I'm spoiled, living in Chiang Rai. There are so many Russian tourists visiting Pattaya that menus now feature Russian, Thai and English. The road along the beach front is lined with bars that look out onto the beach. Bar girls make sure the glasses stay full as the men stare at the passing traffic. Kind of a sad scene actually. There has been a crack-down on the taxi mafia by the new government and other clean-up measures are being taken. Away from this 'zone' there are some rolling hillsides covered with condos and beyond that it gets back to being Thailand as we know it. Hmm.
The photo for today was taken while riding through town this evening. It sort of sums up some of the sleaze factor.
Looking at the ocean at night, the horizon is dotted with the green lights of night-fishing boats. It's a beautifully eerie sight. Tomorrow it's meetings all day and a boat ride in the evening. Sunday we bus/fly home.
Have a Wonderful WeekEnd. Time for the 'Funnies'.
Peace,
Danny
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
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