Back in the good ole United States of America

Tuesday, June 29, 2016

Below:  ANA/United 777 to Houston, TX from Tokyo.  Pilot:  Luke Skywalker




When I left to go to Thailand a month ago, I lost a day because of the International Date Line.  On my return flight, I was able to get to the United States in just a few hours (according to my watch and calendar adjustment) from when I left.  The trip was smooth on the way home until I arrived at Houston.  If you read the first page of my blog, you know that I was suspected of carrying some illegal substance that the Q-tip and analysis machine picked up.  I was detained for nearly 45 minutes.  Yesterday was worse.  Coming through customs, I was wearing a pair of shorts that I bought in Thailand.  They had two pockets on each side in front.  One overlapping the other making it necessary to stitch the shorts in way that created a bulge where the pockets were sewn together.  Security patted me down several times but were not convinced that there was nothing there, We went into the privacy room to take off my shorts.  Security guards Batman and Robin (that is what they called themselves) followed me into the room with great intrigue.,   I stressed that there was nothing in my pants (well, nothing illegal) but they wanted me to take them off.  In Thailand, it is against the law to go out into public not wearing underwear.  Being the law abiding citizen I am, I had on new boxer shorts and was able to show them off.  I had the dynamic duo inspect my shorts and they preceded to feel away at the seam of my shorts.  Batman ran his thumb down the edge of the shorts and said he felt something ("ya, stitching" I said).  Boy Robin left the room and returned a minute later.  He brought back Q-tips and a clothe iron.  These guys were a joke, but they could not take a joke when I said that I appreciated them ironing my attire, since they had taken everything out of my bag and wrinkled it.  Guys in general, do not fold clothe very well, me included.  "Sir, that is not the reason for the iron". " We heat the iron and if there is something there, we will use the Q-tip to pick any residue off the base of the iron".  They continued with their detective work, ran a scan of the Q-tip swab and said that it did not give an indication that there were any chemicals in the shorts and told me I could get dressed.  By this time I would have to hurry to catch my flight to Panama City.  I ran to the gate and as I stepped up to desk to check in the man said that the gate was just closed.  He called the crew and they said, "too late".  I literally missed the flight by seconds.  I respect what airport security does to protect us, but this seemed over the top to me.  When they were done ironing, I asked them to call the gate to let them know I was coming but they said I had time.  "Wrong".

Below:  A view from 35,000 feet over Montana.  The circles are from the circular irrigation

Below:  My luggage went through to the flight I was not on.  I needed to send a copy of my baggage claim so Deb could pick it up at the airport in Fort Walton Beach.  I always thought that if the person is not on the flight, their luggage does not go.

The weather became severe very quickly early afternoon and one flight after another was being cancelled.  Over 400 flights at George Bush International Airport in Houston were cancelled within three hours.  I was put on a 6 PM flight and as backup, I was put on the 7 PM flight to Panama City.  The website continued to show more and more cancellations and now there were only a handful of flights that were not cancelled.  The two Panama City flights were delayed over five hours when they finally cancelled both flights leaving me no option but to spend the night at the airport or hotel.  I was in the United Club business area when a guy sat next to me and I asked where he was headed.  He told me Jacksonville and his flight was on time.  Jacksonville is five hours from our home but I wanted out of Houston, so I had the United Club book me on the flight and took off at 8 PM for Jacksonville to rent a car and drive five hours to my home.  I took the very last seat on the plane and arrived at 10:33.  My luggage had already arrived at Panama City and my wife had picked it up.  I did not tell Deb that I was on the flight to spare her the worry of me driving five hours after traveling for nearly 40 hours to this point.  I went directly to Enterprise rental and picked up the car and began my drive home at 11:15 PM.  It was easy access to Highway 10 and there was not any traffic on the highway.  A distinct difference from Bangkok.  I listened to talk radio for five hours focusing on driving safely.  I arrived at my house at 5 AM without incident.  I unpacked my bags quietly so I would not wake up my wife, I was planning to stay up until she got out of bed.  I made too much noise and I woke her up, but she thought it was Dalton or a burglar was in the house.  She was relieved and happy (I think) to find out that it was me.

So, the long trip is over and will process the events of the month and write one more follow-up to the blog to assess in reality how productive, worth while the trip was.  As of right now, I feel as though the trip was a major success and I was able to give my twelve Thai students a clear indication of what they need to focus on to speak English well.   It was nice to see how confident my students were when they left my classroom on their last day of class.  They were remarkable students in accepting the constructive criticism.  Whether you teach adults or children, it is essential o develop a positive rapport with your students.  We all became very close and bonded well making it easier for them to ask questions that they otherwise would have felt uncomfortable asking.

Chi Yute was a major highlight of my trip.  I spent many nights eating at the same restaurant eating "real" Thai food.  He made sure that I had the best shrimp, an immediate drink and a fan to stay cool.  Every time that it rained, he had the baggie hat on to stay dry(ish).  He was a huge bonus to me on this trip.

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Below:  My last walk down the street in the city of Bangkok, Thailand 

Thailand Facts:

 Though small, it currently ranks as the world’s second-largest exporter of rice. It held first place before losing to India in 2015.

Buddhists believe Buddha was an elephant before he took on a human form. An elephant tattoo is a powerful thing to have, so consider getting one if you’re in Thailand (or NOT).

Packing----------Leaving Day

June 27/28, 2016




Packing and gathering some odds and ends and my trip is just about over.  All but the long flight home.  I will be leaving Bangkok in one hour for the flights to Tokyo, Houston and onto Fort Walton Beach, Florida.  It was a very fast 30 days but I am more than ready to come back to the United States.  It is a shame that our country has become so disrespected by our own citizens and that many of the liberties we have are taken for granted.  Every time I leave the United States, I come back and feel fortunate to live in a democratic country where we are totally free.  Disagree if you want, but go to other countries in the world and draw your perspective from there.  

Below:  The restaurant that I ate at for 20-25 days had this one waiter, Brin, who worked very, very hard and earned several tips from me tucked under the lettuce or cabbage leaf.  The tips are all pooled and split at the end of the night.  Over a one week period, I gave him four dollars for his excellent service.  We have a great routine.  I slide the bill under the leftover veggies and he takes the plate to the pail to dump out the waste and gets to keep the money I give him and not split it with the others who just hang around while he is running from table to table.

Scooter traffic at a red light.  The green light is for the crosswalk, if you can squeeze through.

Below:  Some airport art that is really exceptional work.  They are working hard to make the airport in Bangkok the hub of Southeast Asia.

Below:  Darian street vendor on the main road of Sukhumvit 4

Below:  Any tobacco products are pictured with cancerous pictures to deter smokers.  They are very nasty, vivid pictures of health issues.

Time to board the plane for Tokyo.  I will close this blog in about 24 hours.  It has been a good voyage but I am ready to come ashore.

Thailand Fact:
Thailand is 12,000 miles from Panama City, Florida.

The time feels right to head home to America

Sunday June 26, 2016

It was educational while I was here, but I do love America and I am excited about going home!!!!

Thailand is a country of peace, smiles and is very inviting to all nationalities.  It went from a third world country to nearly to an international exporting country becoming nearly 100% self-sufficient in food production.  There is a distinct upper, middle and lower class, but the difference in the classes is directly related to the amount of education you are able to attain.  Education is free in Thailand, but as in America, it is difficult to break that cycle of what your family has been, from generation to generation.  Why don't we all want to better ourselves? We only know what we have been taught and many families are not educated enough to push their children to better themselves.  I attained a vast amount of information from other teachers during this trip to Thailand.

From what I have seen, heard and experienced, Thailand is now facing a crisis in education. Thai students are not taught to think for themselves so have no critical thinking skills. At government schools, more than 50 students in a class is the norm. Half the kids just sleep through class, as the teacher doesn't notice if they're listening or not.  As in America, the ones that sleep are not interested in learning and are usually forced to be there.  Books are limited, science equipment doesn't exist in a lot of schools, and Western teachers in government schools struggle with pay decent salaries.   The government can't afford to pay more than $750 a month and they get what they pay for.   

I am sure that was boring for some but interesting to others who work with kids.

I awoke at 8AM today and went golfing.   I went back to Panya Indra Country Club, PICC.  It rivals any American course and many say it is the Augusta of Southeast Asia.  It was beautiful today until the afternoon rains came and washed out the last three holes I was supposed to play.  Amazing how your golf game can change from being bad one day to great the next (or vise versa).  It was a shame that we were rained out.  There are three courses at PICC.  On Thursday, I played "C" course and shot an 89.  Today, after 15 holes, I was two over par.  All my puts were dropping and my golfing "buddies" were in awe.  I told them I was an 18 handicap when we began the round.  I looked like a liar, but some days are good and some are bad, but some are awesome!

Above:  Jon is is a very good golfer (but not as good as me, TODAY) and is a member at Panya Indra for a mere 17,000 dollars USD.

Below is our threesome.  You can tell from Terry's face that he was not happy after 12 holes, since we played 40 Baht per hole.  It almost paid for my taxi ride home from the golf course.  

My caddie was a sweetheart and very cute.  That was the only thing that she had going for her.  It was her first week and she did not have a clue how to read greens or select clubs.  The golf courses usually spends weeks training their caddies, but Pong Pin was not very well trained.  Our first 100 meters, she ran into a 4 foot cement wall at 10 mph.  Luckily she hit the front right tire as she turned but if we had airbags, they would have deployed.   This was before I learned that she was new to driving golf carts.  She told me she had a scooter and it made me glad I was taking a taxi cab.  

                                             

Caddy Pong Pin in front of the Panya Indra entrance.

Abover and Below:

 These Noks feed on the shell fish that are in the fresh water ponds throughout the golf course.

Below:  The golf course had an extensive menu and after the deluge of rain, it was nice to sit and eat. I had shrimp fried rice and spicy sweet and sour shrimp.  Again, delicious!!!!!!!!!!

Below:  This is a Durian at a grocery store.  They are banned in hotels, taxi cabs and the airport in Bangkok.  Google Durian .

Below:  After three straight birdies, who would not be smiling?  Thailand, "the land of smiles"

Thailand Facts:  "Just say NO"

  Thailand has one of the strictest punishments for drug trafficking….a death sentence. Many tourists and foreign nationals are currently serving long terms for minor offenses related to drug use. 

It is illegal to be shirtless in public in Thailand, and driving a car without a shirt on can land you in jail. This means you should always carry spare shirts if you’re renting a car, in case you find yourself with a sick baby or too much sweat from exposure to the scorching Bangkok sun.

FYI...There was an American walking on the sidewalk yesterday without a shirt on.  It created an amazing commotion from the Thais that saw him.  My curiosity was intrigued and I looked up this fact today.  

Getting a few things in Order....

Saturday, June 24, 2016

I got up early to get as much into a day as I could.   To run efficiently all day, I knew that I needed to eat a big breakfast that would keep me going all day.  I had shrimp Pad Thai, shrimp fried rice and 6 shrimp weight 14 ounces batter fried.  I don't know if efficiently was the correct word.  I was very full and slow to get up and get moving again.  It was another gourmet meal at a local market nearby the hotel.  I can understand why my students laughed when I told them that we eat cereal in America.  But..........if you were to have this meal at a restaurant or even at home, it would easily cost over 20 dollars, maybe 30 dollars.  I paid 6 dollars for all that food and I had to take some home with me for a snack later on.  Not the most exciting blog, maybe even on the verge of being boring.  Remember, take the good with the bad.  It can't always be good.

Below:  The Euro Cup is the Soccer championship for the continent of Europe---2016  There are 16 teams still in the tournament.  Most of the games will be starting at 11 PM or 2 AM.  Football is so big in Thailand that the government has approved bars being open 24 hours during the tournament.

 Below:  How many spelling errors can you find on the sign posted outside a nearby bar?  Obviously this person was not in my English class at the International School.  

Geography Quiz:  What's the difference between people from Dubai and people from Abu Dhabi?  People from Dubai don't like the Flinstones and people from Abu Dhabi Doo!

Below:  My new North Face back pack since I have accumulated too much stuff to carry home.

Dalton and Garrett.......STOP!!!!!!

You are NOT to READ ON.  SURPRISE 

Do not look at any more of this blog today!

I took the BTS to pick up some gifts and and my new backpack.  I mailed a couple packages out today to make room in my bags to haul everything home. 

Elephants are the National Symbol of Thailand 

Below:  Dalton and Garrett are starting to collect scarves from various soccer teams around the world.  I picked up a couple to bring back to the USA.  I went to a dozen stores but could not find a Thailand scarf.  

Facts about Thailand.

Thailand's current population of domesticated elephants is about 2,700. After a precipitous decline from about 100,000 domesticated elephants in 1850.  

About 95% of Thai elephants are in private ownership, with the Thai Elephant Conservation Center's 80 elephants being Thailand's only government-owned elephants apart from a few in zoos and the King's ten revered 'white' elephants in the Royal Elephant Stable.

What’s so special about a white elephant?

The expression “white elephant” refers to a gift, typically cumbersome and large in size, that is difficult to dispose of and exorbitantly expensive to maintain. Like, say, something that eats 200 to 600 pounds of food in a single day. Legend holds that the king of Siam would bestow white elephants upon his wilier courtiers, in hopes that the high cost of handling would bankrupt them—inspiring the modern Christmas party-game of “White Elephant,” or “In old Siam, it would have been the grossest of discourtesies to decline such a gift. The white elephant—which was more often than not stricken with albinism, and thus more a ruddy-pink color—was, and remains to this day, a symbol of success. To possess a white elephant connoted political power, wealth and prosperity, great wisdom, and the love of one’s people.If a member of the king’s court had somehow landed on his majesty’s bad side, and lacked the funds to properly care for such a beast, the status afforded by ownership was nonetheless too great to refuse. To reject a gift of a white elephant would have been illogical if you valued your reputation. And your head.

Last few days to live Thai--June 23, 2016

Friday, 23-6-2016

It was absolutely pouring rain last night and I was supposed to meet Rocky and Rose at the front door to Siam Mall.  Siam Mall is the same size as the New Orleans Super dome, 13 acres. A football field is just a little more than an acre, so Siam Paragon Mall is 13 football fields in size, the largest mall in Thailand until the mall in Bang Na opens and is in South Bangkok and will be three time the size of Siam.  I the pouring rain, I walk nearly the perimeter of the mall to find the "Front" door of the Siam Paragon Mall.  All I had to go on was the memory from the photo that Rocky sent me a week ago.  I went in six doors looking for my companions to no avail.  Now I  am fifteen minutes late, having walked 25 minutes in the pouring rain searching for the elusive front door.  I finally went into the mall and asked information where the main entrances are for the mall.  Finally, I took the escalator upstairs to the second floor entrance from the BTS station and I heard "Brandin".  Forty-five minutes of searching paid off.  I have been here for a month without a cell phone.  This one incident would have made a Thai cell phone worth it.  I think Rocky was surprised by my happiness in finding him.  Hallelujia!!!!

Above:  We had a delicious meal with eight various Thai dishes.  It scored a 9/10 and the company was "the best".  Rocky is Chinese and married a Thai wife.  The have a soccer camp business where young players come from Asia to learn skills. (Mainly potential Chinese superstars).  The evening was a 10 out 10.  Thank you Rose and Rocky for a great meal.  

One for the memory bank!!!

 I had a wake up call at 5 AM today.  I wanted an early start to go to a golf course considered one of the nicest in Southeast Asia.  It is usually 170 USD but a June special (off season) allowed me to play for 45 dollars.  Golf is very comparable in price to America.  Thailand has over 200,000 millionaires.  Nearly two-third of those are in the Bangkok area.  Golf is considered essential among businessmen in Thailand.  It is truly a "rich man's game" here in Thailand.  There is a huge barrier between economic classes and entrance into a number of places is not allowed socially.  I do not want to start a discussion on Thai culture, but a caddy, taxi driver greens keeper would NEVER enter the club house with the "elite" clientele.  

I went to Pandra Indra Country Club in southern Bangkok.  It was beautiful!!  The driving range was a LAKE!!  The distance markers were floating in the water.  All the balls floated on top of the lake and were collected by swimmers with snorkels.  

 Above and Below:  Driving range was a lake and the balls floated to be picked up later by swimmers with snorkels.

Below: Boney Beak Nok.  The driving range markers in the background.  There are three golf courses, A, B and C.  I played C today.

My caddy's name was Fone (Phone).  I asked if she would call my home..........Joke.  She spoke very little English but was a pleasure to have as a caddy.  We did quite well with her little English and my native Thai tongue.  Each caddy has a number from 1-700.  There are 700 caddies at this golf course.  That is a staggering number of caddies at one golf course, 

(there are 3 courses in one).

 The golf course was manicured and gorgeous!  The trees has a tree well around each one.  It was manicured by trimming the grass in a perfect circle with a slight height difference  for the grass.

It threatened to rain all day with thunder rumbling.  There were only a couple rain drops but the city of BKK has several inches of rain, again,  Pictures are a little dark but still very pretty.

Below;  Clubhouse restaurant at Panya Indra Golf Course.

Below:  What a cool looking bird with the hooked beak.  

Black Faced Spoonbill

I had an appointment this afternoon at Bangkok Hospital for a migraine follow-up  Everything went well and I have had a great day!

Thailand Facts:16. The Thai national anthem is played every day at 8am and 6pm. Every TV and radio station plays it. When the anthem is played, everybody has to stand up still until the end of the song if it is convenient.  If you are in a public place, you may notice the crowds also stand up to pay respect, you should follow suit.

Thailand’s national flower is Ratchaphruek or golden shower tree , not the orchid although Thailand is the world’s number one orchid exporter.