Packing?

Or whatever, I mostly sit at the computer. I have packed the backpack, for medicines and laptop, not even looked in the big black one, Yui has handled that. I only have to remember to take the insulin from the fridge tomorrow morning - have to get up at 4:30, go down to the bus outside here around 7AM, train here in Lund at 08:30 to be in the airport at 09:02, they say 3 hours before departure at 12:10.

Then we have to wait for 6-7 hours in Istanbul, better too long than too short with my limited walking abilities. Leaving somewhat before midnight, and then 9½ hours to Bangkok.

Then we land in Bangkok or Krung Thep as all Thais say. Those who want to be really brilliant say Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit   of course.

Last time in BKK airport they immediately came with a wheel chair and nowadays I accept that gratefully, Suvarnabhumi is pretty big. I can manage in Copenhagen but if they come with one...., I think they did the last time in CPH, an electrical vagon to pick up us old and tired.

Ariving in Krung Thep you walk a bit to the passport check, then down to pick up the luggage, nowadays with my lack of balance I have always had to ask someone to take it from the delivery band, have not been out flying with Yui since we met for more than 5 years ago, so of course it is easier.

With or without wheel chair we go out in the hall, and fix Thai SIM cards for our phones, Yui got one when she was there 2 years ago, also usable for Internet via mobile, so I used the same when I was there alone half a year later. But by now I am pretty sure it has expired, ah well, we ask and then Yui buys one for us each, we have one laptop each and need internet.


[Klick the map.] Then walking out to the taxis avoiding all guys who want to offer us "professional drivers" for twice the price, there is an official line with registered drivers - where you can be cheated too, but be very quick to ask "taxi meter?!?" - probably noone tries tricks when I come with a Thai girl.

Then that guy takes us to the bus station in the northof BKK , where Yui's brother will wait to take us to the village Ban Mo. Marked in red at the map.

A week there, we will see how troublesome it will be for me, but I have not been there for 5 years, since I met Yui, and they want to see me again, for some reason. Yui has some pics from her trip 2009 at link.

Yui says her mother has planned this and that to look around the village with us, I have been as lazy as always with my book First Course in Thai, and I know it is very bad, but the book starts to look pretty worn by now. I still bring it along on every trip.... The people in the village barely know English, some kids in the internet age hangs on Facebook by now, but mostly in Thai. I get an occasional "Hello Santa"......

Village adventure over we will come back to Krung Thep one way or another, can take the bus too. And Yui wants to be there for a week of shopping and meeting friends, think she also talked about getting new glasses. So I suppose we go to my usual hotel. "5 day promotion" I see. If I am smart we could also look for a better one, it is on a byway to Khao San Road, not so noisy, with many guesthouses and small restaurants but of course we should look around somewhat to see if there is others we could enjoy for another time. But it is fun to hear people say "long time no see" from here and there along the little walking street. Away from the elegant quarters, backpackers and seasoned travellers are often there so I have met many enough interesting people.

Actually I prefer to go directly to Cha-Am and stay there, then Yui can take the bus those 2 hours up to BKK for her stuff, and probably stay over night with some friend. Let's see. One advantage with that is that Yui's parents had loved to come along over a night, they never had holidays really. But then I had to pay..... I do not know, have to talk about it. After all we travel on a budget. Most of the travel money went to the air tickets, then we have to live on my usual pension. Yui has saved a bit for things she plans to buy to her parents.

The only problem with that hotel in BKK is that the entry is slightly tricky for me, nothing to hold in so I always have to find a chair inside to hold in to get up.

Further plans. Ah well, nothing elaborate, only when Yui has shopped enough and got a new Thai passport we have to find transport to Cha-Am, can probably ask the girl in the travel agency in the hotel, hope it is the usual one as she is always very friendly and helpful, known her a number of years. Cost a little bit more than taking taxi to the right bus station but ah well, we will ask.

My usual kind of travelling is not as smooth as a standard charter trip from door to door but ah well - this time I am a bit more handicapped because of my diabetes ulcers in both feet - thou one is minimal by now. Because of those I have hardly been out walking for a year, and my condition is absolutely lousy but I see no way to get inspiration to go out here in Sweden and look at the same rental houses here around that I have been looking at since I moved into this apartment in 1982. So - I have to take a chance that I will manage. I felt similar when I went in 1999 after not being in Asia for 12 years - my body had deteriorated, I knew it but I went to Indionesia anyway. And had fun,.

So simply Google for pictures of  Cha-Am and agree it looks pleasant and restful. No wild night life, no shopping paradise, I can sit with the laptop where I feel comfortable and get inspiration from the view. On the balcony with a view over the sea, or go to some small restaurant or whatever.

I guess I will survive.

Wandering on with my stick

Like most people I get older.

Am I "old" ? Who decides? Me or others?

I am recently retired after 50 years of diabetes, but do not feel senile just yet - only somewhat slower. Brains still running and I am not supposed to be worse than normal in the cognitive, thinking, brain.

Should not complain - one of my standing "wise words" is that "hey you - who do you want to exchange your life with?" And honestly, that turns me cool. I want to be just myself!

I am basically a scientist, not a politician. I mainly blog about politics, Middle East Politics. Why? Because too many lies, especially in the Swedish media, irritate my scientific mind.

Some of my colleagues are now pretty rich and retired - with real good pensions because they had not taken any time for experiencing reality.Now they seem to be too old to dare to travel the more adventurous way that I have done for a couple of decades.

Last winter I sat thru the horror of Swedish winter weather, my body hates it. I love to walk out when it is nice and warm and something to experience - which the last decade has mainly meant Thailand, as far as I could in the winters, took out just about every holiday day then.

Actually I was in a lousy state when I, back in 1999, after not having been in SEAsia for 12 years, told myself: "either I go now or I do not go" - after having had a depression for 3 years including some medicine for that. So I went. Remember - at the time I had most of my penfriends in Indonesia for some reason, so I went there for a month in summer. Result, see the link. In short: I managed, well enough and besides, during autumn I was teaching a course that gave some extra money, enabling me to be back in Thailand already that winter. Link. Got the first serious - and not too good - experience of Thai girls...... And learned from my mistakes.

And then it continued. Go to the web site, http://ralphtheogre.dyndns.info/ and up in the menu you can find more pics from my winters in Thailand, without too much of an intellectual strain.

I got my Pig Pest vaccination two weeks ago, I got my hernia operation a week ago, on Monday I will go check ordinary vaccinations, should have at least hepatitis I think. Then on the 4th of Dec. Yui will help me down with the travel bag the three floors, to the bus, to the railway station, to the train, and then I am on my own. Unless she wants to accompany me to the airport - one hour on the train, let's see. Depends on her.

I have booked my usual hotel in Bangkok, for 5 nights. Feel safe - not so mobile nowadays to run around to places. I actually mailed two guesthouses in the area, one did not answer, the other answered something like "just a moment, we will answer"......

Depends how I feel, I have too often had a heavy cold at just that moment, like 2 years ago, when I even had to go to the hospital in BKK for two nights with a bronchitis, and sort of felt tired for a long time - in some way I feel a little bit stronger now - but when I feel for it, after those 5 nights, I book a minibus from the hotel to Pattaya and then it depends on Michael, hopefully he has found me a nice cheap room or apartment for 2½ months there, with Wi-Fi, and nice view over the South Chinese Sea and nice micro-environment, supermarkets, nice cheap Thai restaurants with good view, to sit and gaze and eat slowly in the warm night with a cold beer! A pleasure.

Coming to visit me?