Adventure

Hi,

Reporting from Pattaya, where the air is very hazy and humid.  The temperature is warm and the view of the Gulf of Thailand from our hotel room window is wonderful.  

Our ‘Zany Day’ song this week is from an album whose title would be a cool place to rest one’s head.  Still one of my favorites.  “And if you go chasing rabbits and you know you’re going to fall.  Tell ‘em a hookah-smoking caterpillar has given you the call.  Call Alice, when she was just small.”  Clue:  A very pale rodent is involved.

When we first came to Chiang Rai, our quiet little airport had two flights in the morning and two in the afternoon.  I believe Air Asia and Thai Airways were the only carriers and they flew shuttles between Chiang Rai and Bangkok.  This morning, when we went to the airport, there were two lines to check into the departure room.  There are now  about 6 or 7 carriers, many daily flights, and some now go to China.  Part of this traffic has to do with the ‘season’, but a lot of it is simply growth.  

After a long walk through the airport we had lunch and connected with our driver for the trip to Pattaya.  It’s not a scenic drive by any stretch of the imagination.  Lots of industrial things and what I like to call 'shipping container farms’.  Huge lots with stacks of containers looking like giant Legos.  When we reached Pattaya there was a feeling that growth had been a bit overdone.  There are overwhelmingly large condo structures, skyscrapers, and lots of heavy traffic.  At one point we had to stop for a train.  It was a General Electric Diesel that our driver said was very, very old.  

The hotel where we are is called the Asia Pattaya Hotel.  We went exploring, checking out the pool, and walking down to the beach.  It’s a short distance from the cliff to the water, so it’s a tiny space for those wanting to sun-bathe.  We knew there was something across the water, but the haze was too thick to see.  In the evening we could see lights from what we think is an island.  

By Monday I will have lots of photos of the hotel and surrounding area, but for today a few more from The Wanderer.  There are ‘coffee tables’ and then there is this beautiful piece of wood inside the coffee shop.  The second photo is for fern lovers.  

Have a Thrilling Thursday.

              Peace,

                        Danny

“Adventure must start with

running away from home.”

~William Bolitho