The HSBC 'sci-fi' building rises above the classic

Hong Kong from the Kowloon ferry

After reading Patrick O'Brian's books one has to seek tall ships

Micro whirlpool

Lunch in Hong Kong, sushi $18, Lahksa noodle bowl $58, ice tea $12

Familiar view from the Nonghoi apartment

The Moon was directly overhead in Hong Kong

Another trip to Asia

On Thursday 28th January I went to Boundary Bay to do some last bits of work in the morning and then in the afternoon caught the Cathay Pacific Airbus 340 flight to Hong Kong.
It was a long flight, thirteen and a half hours but as usual I managed to snooze a bit and so didn't have much trouble with jet lag.
Druvi is an old friend who now flies for Cathay and his flight arrived from Auckland just after mine.
The Customs and Immigration at Hong Kong Airport is very efficient and I was through quickly for a short wait for Druvi.
We took the bus to Discovery Bay where Druvi, Vanessa, their two children, and a Filipino home help live in a comfortable family friendly 'no cars except golf carts' community.

Up the funicular railway...

...to take pictures from above Hong Kong

I managed to see quite a bit during the three days I was in Hong Kong; it's a very easy place to get around with lots of signage, and choices of transportation.
You obtain an "Octopus" card and put some money on it in a 7-Eleven or ticket office or many other places and this card is used both for transportation costs and even purchases by simply placing it on a pad reader that subtracts money off it.
Such a device would be ideal in Vancouver... I remember Paris having a similar "Orange" card for public transport.

From Discovery Bay there's a fast ferry into Hong Kong every 30 minutes and there is the alternative of taking the bus and train.
Druvi had a few days off before he had to go to London on Tuesday and Vanessa had to go to Germany on Sunday night and so I benefited from their hospitality.

Shopping; most people's occupation

At 09:10 Tuesday morning I was on the Cathay B777 for Bangkok, arriving there to 30 degrees Centigrade under bright sunshine.
Thai Airways had a computer problem otherwise I would easily have caught the 12:15 flight to Chiang Mai... Instead I got the 14:00 flight which wasn't so bad.
So I got back to the apartment in Nonghoi and to John's Place pub that afternoon.
It's time to catch up with people...
I had coffee with Robert who is likely to put down some tarmac on his Ban Thi strip.
Things have improved for Nok as well and I met up with Koi who is now flying his Cherokee from there.
Chiang Mai Flying Club is now dormant, but they will be able to provide training at the newly paved Saha Group runway at Lamphun by positioning an aircraft from the school at Sri Racha.
Foreigners like myself are not allowed to teach in Thailand, and it will take the Thais a while to forgive what has passed.
Chiang Mai is very pleasant right now, cool nights with the windows open and warm but not hot days. No sweat!

I'll share a Lao beer with you

Lunch was vegetarian at the Khun Churn restaurant; beetroot juice!

Feed the turtles and catfish bread at Wat U-Mong

At Wat U-Mong even Jesus Christ among other religious personalities
was depicted in the school. I noticed several 'white' monks there too.

Confucius and a person we should not name as infidels could be murdered.
Hindu and Sikh religions were depicted as well,
Buddhism accepts all such religions as the basic message is the same.

Some horror too

Life's sexual struggle?

Taking pictures

An image of an image

He calls his work fat!

In Chiang Mai there's a flower festival with people showing the results of their efforts such as Bonzai trees, cactus, and other exotic plants, market stalls selling flowers and plants, and neighbouring provinces had stalls with their local 'OTOP' products.

Out with the Ox and in with the Tiger in 8 days

Friday 5th February

On Friday I went to Wat U-Mong with Mod and her sister on two motorbikes.
Wat U-Mong is an early form of air raid shelter in its architecture.
In the afternoon there was an art show at the Chiang Mai University and so I have included pictures on this page.

The art show opened with Thai dancing.

Each artist posed with his/her work

Very intricate art in a classical style

College times

Teacher's work

The rewards of one's efforts

One of many such creatures scattered on the floor

Saturday 6th February

I've got to get on with it and so I tried to book a flight to Bangkok online on Saturday morning... I wasn't able to because you're supposed to do it at least six hours in advance...
So I got on the motorbike, rode over to Chiang Mai Airport, and bought a 2,015 Baht ticket on the afternoon flight to Suvarnabhumi.
Ever efficient Maneeda sent a chap around to pick me up in a brand new Toyota Vios... Brand new cars here are given red licence plates until their proper plates are ready in one or two months.

After completing the paperwork and paying 2,600 Baht for two days rental and 10,000 Baht deposit I was off to the races down Motorway 7 to Pattaya.
Petrol has gone up and I out 500 Baht's worth in at 36.41 Baht per litre of 91 Octane.

I'd booked a room in the Eastern Grand Palace hotel in south east Pattaya, very close to and on the same side of Sukhamvit Road as Eastern Air Park. Agoda gave me the price of $85 CAD for two nights in this very comfortable hotel.
When I arrived several bus loads of Taiwanese tourists arrived too...

In the evening I met up with Alasdair and Gill for Thai food at the nearby Friendship Coffee place.
Afterwards I went back to their place for Christmas Pudding with burning brandy on it and served with custard. I'd missed out on this treat at Christmas.

The next morning there was a feeding frenzy in the cafe downstairs... But the Taiwanese are polite and don't push and shove like the Chinese mainlanders do.
I made do with a couple of slices of toast and marmalade and a cup of tea; I knew what I was in for later.

Jim roused Tik up to cook everyone's breakfast... He has trained his Thai help to cook a full breakfast and she does a fantastic job. Downstairs is now called "Khun Tiki Bar".
As before, after eating that breakfast I could not eat anything else for the rest of the day.

Neil and Dan flew the Corvus Phantom in from Pattaya Airpark which is a few kilometres south of Eastern.
After Alasdair had a go, (he thought it twitchy), I went for a flight in it. I climbed to 2,500 feet with the consent of U-Tapao approach and stalled it.
It is a nice handling aircraft very smooth and nice ailerons and elevators.
Like many of these light sport style aeroplanes the rudder is directly connected to a steerable nosewheel and if this is stiff the rudder is stiff!
This aeroplane has the 120hp, six cylinder Jabiru engine from Australia.

In the afternoon I drove the 60km back to Bang Phra and the Thai Flying Club. There was not much going on there and while I nearly went flying in the Beech Musketeer I decided to wait for a Cessna 150 or 172 to be available... Perhaps next week?

I drove back to Eastern Air Park and had a couple of beers with the two Jims and a visiting Swiss pilot.

This morning there was another feeding frenzy after which I drove back to Lat Krabang to drop the car off and be picked up by Pakorn.
Now I'm in the '24 Inn' hotel on Sukhamvit Road in Bangkok at 1,300 Baht for one night...
Tonight dinner is at the Robin Hood Pub.

I had lunch with Norm and Lec at the Bangkok Sports Club
It's an oasis in the city with a horse track and golf course,
driving range, lawn tennis courts and social amenities

Thai Airbus 300 on steep climbout after a flapless takeoff

Thursday 11th February

My trip to Bangkok and places south east was a busy one...
The night out in the Robin Hood pub was a good one and we didn't do too bad on the evening's quiz... We weren't last!
In the morning I took the skytrain from the station by my hotel window to Siam Centre and the MBK mall nearby.
I had a Pain au Chocolat with an English Breakfast tea at Starbucks and then walked to the Bangkok Sports Club.
It was hot in Bangkok though not too humid, and I built up a good sweat.

Norm and Lec are great hosts when I visit Bangkok.
During both sides of a good dinner at home we watched the whole series "Jetstream" about the training of Canadian Armed Forces fighter pilots (CF18).

In the morning I took the 300 Baht taxi ride to Suvarnabhumi Airport and got on a Thai Airbus 300 back to Chiang Mai... 2,710 Baht this time.
I had contemplated taking the bus but... maybe not!

My next seat passenger was keen about learning to fly as his two brothers already fly.
On arrival at Chiang Mai I was surprised to see the Fletcher 24 derivative (a PAC 750 XSTOL) above from New Zealand.

In the evening Mod put on her hooded jacket and I took her to John's place on the motorbike... She was smart, it was cold riding that motorbike!

Today I didn't do much, 'spent some time on the phone and then went to see Lilly in her new shop.
If anyone is interested in importing northern Thai clothing and footwear, let me know.

Lilly is very busy in her shop, exporting clothes and shoes to the world

The princess opened the school which is one of her projects


Mod and her family in Mae Taeng

It's been a very busy weekend with a lot of miles travelled

Friday 12th February

I got on the Honda Dream 125 and rode the long road up to Mae Taeng.
It was alright except for one period where I was surrounded by big lorries and buses, a little bit worrying...
Wearing my ear plugs on the way back cut down the slipstream noise considerably but this resulted in me going faster!

Mod's son was attending a sports day at the new village school. This is a very modern facility and is part of the young princess Sreerusphrawuarasaya's educational projects
There was one 'farang' english teacher there who was very pleased to be able to speak english to someone.

After school I followed Mod and her sister to a local resort that is offering Adobe House accommodation.
We were told the houses cost a total of 20,000 Baht to build, 'stay cool in summer and warm in winter.
The houses looked very comfortable inside, and rent was about 290 Baht per day so if you need to get away to somewhere peaceful this is good value.
Many of the houses had several beds for family accommodation.

Saturday...

...I was up early to catch the 08:20 Thai Air Asia Airbus 320 to Bangkok (2,100 Baht, booked online).
I was collected by one of Maneeda's staff and was on my way in the Toyota Vios at 10:05... I put 21.33 litres of 95 octane at 700 Baht in the tank and this turned out to be the perfect amount for the 313 kilometres I put on the car. It should have been cheaper 91 octane I put in, but I went to the wrong pump! (32.81 Baht per litre 95 Oct).

I drove down the motorway at 120kph and paid the usual couple of 30 Baht tolls and arrived at Bang Phra early for my booking.
At 11:46 I started the Cessna 150's engine and went for a checkout flight with Surapol (older Thai 'Air America' pilot).
He selected 10 degrees flap for takeoff and I selected them back up again... A slight difference of opinion.
I am always surprised that pilots don't seem to want to do their seat belts up tight, why not?
We went to the northwest where I did a couple of steep turns, stalls and then back to Bang Phra for a practice forced landing and four circuits. Then he insisted I go for one solo circuit, student pilot style...
It's usually a lonely journey for me as rarely does a friend have the time and inclination to join me on my travels, so be it, I'll do it anyway I have decided.
I think life is the experiences you can have, and you should get out and about as often as possible.

I had to do a check out in the Cessna 150

It's very sad that the Thai Flying Club like many aviation places has lost it's popularity as flying has become more restrictive in Thailand. I did not feel like hanging around there when there's a much more sociable place to be...
I drove the additional 60 kilomtres to Pattaya Eastern where one can shoot the breeze a little and share the company of our fellow aviators.
A friend of mine wouldn't make the effort to come down for this trip, his loss... Aviation is made up of the people who keep their enthusiasm and we should all put ourselves out once in a while to maintain what we have.
I met up with Alasdair and Jim, and a visiting Brit... I swung the propeller on the Piper J3 Cub for Jim to take an enthusiast for a flight and then joined Alasdair for a flight in his Pegasus flex wing:

Before flying in the Pegasus I took a drive down to the lake where there are a couple of resorts... I needed accommodation.
One was closed and the other was full of 'ignorant' Swiss... Some people really don't do anything to remove the stereotyping that goes on.
In contrast there are a few Swiss flyers here and they are always friendly.
Needless to say I did not and will not stay at this convenient resort.

It was a pleasant evening flight if slightly awe inspiring dangling under a hang glider wing while a Rotax 912 pushes you through the air.
From the air I could see the Baan Khun Poh hotel which is on Sukhamvit Road between Soi's 85 and 87 which I use to drive to the Eastern air strip. This turned out to be a very comfortable place at 790 Baht a night for a twin bedded room. I'll stay there in future when I fly out of Eastern.
I showered and went for dinner with Alasdair and Gill.

Sunday Breakfast

I was at the strip just after 08:00 ready for my breakfast... This breakfast consists of bacon, eggs, baked beans, a sausage, and a potato 'hash brown' followed by two slabs of toast and marmalade accompanied by orange juice and coffee... As before I could not eat anything else until breakfast Monday morning!

Five year permit:
Every five years you need to renew an additional document in Thailand, it's a five year permit that specifies who can fly the aircraft and where it can go. This permit can take a very long time to get, typically 6 months!
Without it the aeroplane is grounded except for when Thailand has an airshow when they want everyone to attend.
A few aircraft are grounded at both Bang Phra and Eastern awaiting this permit.
The Katana has been grounded for two years!

After I was fulfilled by my breakfast I flew with Addy to help him tune up his short field landings and slipping in the SportCruiser.
I used to do this with a Mooney pilot once in a while when his approach speed crept up too much (dangerous in this aircraft!).

I was back on the road again... I stopped at the Big C to buy the girls chocolates, it was Valentines Day and there's an obligation I suppose.
I was at Bang Phra for my afternoon booking at 12:30, but the HS SUN had had a total electrical failure so I booked HS ATD instead.
A German couple turned up wanting to fly but the Cessna 172 was booked and I am not checked out on the Beech Musketeer.
So Axel and I shared the cost of an hour in the Cessna 150 as we bumbled our way south to Pattaya and back.

Then after catching up with a few friends there I was on the road back to Lat Krabang... I dropped the car off at 17:30 and was in a Bangkok Airways Airbus 319 for the 18:30 flight to Chiang Mai (2,700 Baht).
The flight was OK but the landing was very rough... I didn't know an Airbus could rattle and shake like that!

I took the 120 Baht taxi ride home, dumped my stuff, got a Tuk Tuk to John's Place and dealt out chocolates to the girls there.

My day had begun early in Pattaya, and it ended in the pub in Chiang Mai with a lot of things done in between.

I'm taking it easy these days, no need to hurry, that's for the weekends!

So Monday was a leisurely day with not much to do until the evening when I went out to meet Mike who has his own airline in Ontario, and like many pilots who visit Thailand he is interested in operating some sort of flying business here.
I would love to do something here too, but Thailand is very protective and so you face mounting obstacles trying to do business if you are a foreigner.
I knew an American who imported his Cessna twin... He even managed to get a Thai Commercial Pilot's Licence, but his aeroplane remained in maintenance and nothing became of his ambitions.

Mike has a better idea, put up with the rigmarole, bring his own personal aeroplane here, and fly it for fun when the paperwork is finally processed.
Patience is all important in Thailand and it is worth it in the end to be able to fly.

We had dinner at the Riverside Restaurant, one place I try to go to at least once on every trip.

Wednesday

After a relaxing morning I went out for a bimble around on the motorbike.
I stopped by the railway station and climbed into the cabin of the steam locomotive... Though I display the picture below from the fireman's side it does not imply preference for this side... I took a picture through the driver's side as well but it wasn't so interesting.

I'll get this decoded later! This year is 2553 and the loco' stopped in 2496

I carried on to the Carrefour Shopping Centre for a look around, and I had an ice cream.
Shopping centres (malls) in Thailand are very smart with a lot of choice for shoppers... Dare I say perhaps more choice than you find in a Canadian Mall?
I looked at shelving... and I bought sealable plastic containers... There's always trouble with ants here so you must exclude them from your food.

There was a car and pickup truck show on the ground floor with Proton, Mitsubishi, and Isuzu vehicles on show.
I am not sure what you wound pay for these cars elsewhere but the prices and the fact that there are a lot of new vehicles on the road is an indicator of how well people are doing.
629,000.00 Baht is $19,756.43 CAD at today's exchange rate, and 439,000.00 Baht is $13,788.67 CAD according to:
http://coinmill.com

Wednesday evening I went to John's place for a while... Pictures below.

Thursday

Lunch was at the Airport Plaza Mall, Thai food, 40 Baht and ice lemon tea 15 Baht... ($1.73 CAD), it makes up for the 270 Baht I paid for Chicken Cordon Bleu at the Riverside!

I have kept my Thai phone number for around three years now, but to do so you must not let it expire for more than two months. I lost my previous two numbers this way.
I like to have a consistant number and my experience recently with changing phone numbers in Canada has underlined my reasoning.
So today I went to the AIS office and sat down with a sales and service girl who rather than charging me a thousand or so Baht to keep my phone online for the next ten months instead put me on a different plan with 50 Baht = 50 Days but I have to pay 2 Baht a minute instead of 1 Baht per minute for the calls I make.
If I make or receive calls in Canada these will cost me 60 Baht a minute on the Rogers network! ($1.88 per minute).
It would probably work out cheaper for me than having a Rogers phone of my own???
There's no way I want my own 'Rogers' phone in Canada, I'm tired of being ripped off there!

"Welcome"

The girls like to work there though, like most girls working at Thai bars, they are not well paid.
Like anywhere it is nice to feel at home with familiar people so I go there often.

The girl dancing (right) is new, she comes from Isan but she has learned the local Lanna style of dance.

Pakorn has a favourite Island to go to whenever he has the time and this is Koh Lipe in the Andaman Sea.
I decided to join him and a fellow Air Asia pilot, Tom, for a trip this weekend.

Booking the tickets

I went online to check schedules and tickets for the flights to Hat Yai and back. I needed to be on FD3135 which was the same Thai Air Asia flight as Tom and Pakorn were to take...
Nok Air had the cheapest flights to Hat Yai and Thai Airways had the highest price overall.
I decided that rather than do the payment on the internet I would pay at the airport, I was not sure how much credit remained on my MasterCard...
At the airport Thai Air Asia wanted to charge me a lot more than their website price so since I needed that FD3135 flight I decided I would only use Thai Air Asia between Bangkok and Hat Yai... I hate feeling ripped off!

For the flight to Bangkok I wandered over to the Thai Airways counter, I bought my return ticket to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, and they charged me less than the price on their website!
So I paid Thai Air Asia more money @ 5,681 Baht (+589 Baht) and Thai Airways less money @ 4,980 Baht (-440 Baht).
Needless to say, I'll continue to use Thai Airways in preference for their lower prices and better, kinder service...

I appreciate the attempts people make to beautify an Airport

The flights were on time and I met up with Pakorn and Tom at the departure gate at Suvarnabhumi... As it turned out we ended up with different seats and the flight attendant wanted me to pay 250 Baht if I wanted to sit with my friends... So be it, I didn't bother.

Songkhla

We were picked up from Hat Yai by a friend of Pakorn's and driven to Songkhla which is also a base of operations for CHC for their oilfield operations.
We had a bite to eat, and then took a Song Taew to the airbase where we met up with Pich who did his training at Chinook Helicopters and Pro back in Canada.
He is now a captain and safety officer for a competitor to Thai Aviation Services/CHC and he looks well for it.
I always like to get the high view of a place I've never been and so we took the lift to the top of the nearby mountain to take in views of the city. Songkhla seems like a very nice place.
We finished the day in a "Wyoming" theme pub...

We arose early on Saturday morning to catch the 09:00 boat to Koh Lipe from Pak Bara... The Sun rose as we drove westwards...
We were too early, the speedboat to Koh Lipe did not leave until 11:30 and cost 1,200 Baht for the 1 hour 45 minute journey.

After arriving at Koh Lipe we were picked up from the bay off Pattaya Beach (what an unfortunate name!) and taken to the Tarin 2 Resort by long tailed boat (100 Baht). Cabins cost 600 Baht per night with no refund likely if you paid for two nights and only stayed one as I did!
[The next day the cabin was let to someone else and Pakorn was able to get 300 Baht of the 600 Baht refunded].

A walkabout of the island showed a lot of clearing for construction... I think this island may be worth visiting in a few years time when everything has settled down...

Pakorn had some Buddhist texts in English for the monk who looks after the tiny Wat in the middle of the island and so we went to see him.
The monk told us stuff we already know but sometimes need reminding of...

The island exists to fleece the foreigners it seems. Pakorn bought dental floss, this would be185 Baht for a foreigner, but only 65 Baht for Pakorn; Thai price! I suggest you bring as many supplies from the mainland as possible, or bring a Thai to do your shopping.

We went swimming in the cool clear water before dinner which was at the Pooh restaurant, 250 Baht meal, actually good value plus complimentary 10 minutes internet access. The serving staff included two ladyboys plus a very elegant lady... I suppose a real woman has to compete?

In the morning we went for breakfast at 07:30. There were few places open at this time, I had a pancake and Thai hot tea (with condensed milk and sugar: bleh!).
The cook was very shapely, nice hair, then she put on her headscarf, "I'm exclusive, you cannot know me, I was the property of my parents and will be/am the property of my husband".
It's strange being in a muslim area, I don't know if I'd ever get used to it; having to be very careful all of the time.

Pakorn and Tom were off on a longtail boat trip to some of the other islands, but I was off on the 11:30 speedboat to Langkawi Island in Malaysia. This cost 1,200 Baht (this trip is expensive!).
I'd placed this computer in my luggage and this was stowed somewhere on the boat. Out at sea the speedboat hammers along banging and jolting on the waves and I was very worried about how this computer would survive!
Take anything fragile in your 'carry on'.
It's important to know that Malaysia time is GMT +8 as is China, while Thailand and Vietnam is GMT + 7!

Customs procedures take an hour at Pantai Kok harbour and then you are free to go. There's no fee as there is at other country borders.
I was hoping to meet up with Peter who had recently renewed his Instrument Rating and Instructor Rating with us at Sea Land Air but he was called away to Hong Kong for a job interview... so he sent his girlfriend, Junko, to pick me up and show me around.

We had Indian food by the Pelangi beach... It seems everything is more sophisticated here on Langkawi compared with Thailand while the prices are perhaps cheaper.
Next we found a hotel, I stayed in the new Citin Hotel in Kuah Town that costs 100RM a night, about $30 CAD with breakfast.
I booked my boat ticket to Satun for 17:00 today... we had Baskin Robbins ice cream and iced drinks from Starbucks
Then we went to the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club for fish and chips.

I was woken up at this morning by the predawn chanting calling all muslims to prayer... There's a lot of this going on!

On Monday morning I took the 24RM ($8) taxi ride to Langkawi Airport where I met the CFI of HM Aerospace a school training airline pilots to which a few of my Beijing Pan Am associates went to teach at.
Micheal does spell his name like that! I get annoyed sometimes when people spell my name that way, but not as annoyed as when 'hangar' is incorrectly spelled.
The school operates a fleet of Diamond DA40s and DA42 Twin Stars, all with the Thielert engines and they seem to be happy with these engines after they sorted the teething troubles out when they first got them in the early days of this engine.
They have five TB10 aircraft, all with low hours, and all for sale... I'm awaiting the specs for these aircraft should anyone be interested.
The Lycoming engine uses a lot of Avgas which is sometimes difficult to get from the Australian supplier and expensive to buy from Thailand.
The Lycoming is a very reliable engine, but it does require more maintenance... Like most engines it hates 100LL leaded fuel... I suggested they use Mogas, good quality 95 Octane unleaded is available here, but getting the Malaysian DCA to approve anything is difficult.
And so it is with many Asian authorities, they'd rather say 'No' and stifle a budding aviation industry.
I asked about cross border flying; the Malaysian DCA do not approve the school doing training flights into Hat Yai or even Bangkok in Thailand... What an opportunity for some real training to a World standard and the ability to attract people to Malaysia for training!
Thailand is slightly better in the way general aviation is treated, but is still not as good as it was becoming until my fellow farangs caused us so much embarrassment.

Micheal was an excellent host, we talked of many things and I learned about flight training and life in general in Malaysia.
He is of Chinese extraction, his grandfather came from China while his Grandmother was born in Malaysia and yet the Malays suggest he go 'back' to China, a country he has never been to!
Racism is a problem in Malaysia, Muslim Malays consider themselves to be superior to anyone else and recent news from this country has shown the religious strife over the use of the name of a god.
For me, being from a 'free' background, the constraints put on life by religion is hard to accept... I learned these constraints in a fashion myself in my upbringing, but I was released from them since I was told I would face my maker on judgement day and go to hell! The fear of hell gave me nightmares in my childhood, now I subscribe to Buddhist philosophy rather than the god nonsense.

Langkawi to Hat Yai

Hasim drove me back to Kuah in his minibus; born in 1950 he has 8 children and is very happy!
It was hard for him to understand how I was still alone and had no children at all... But that is the difference in societies.
Islamic people want children and they seem proud of them too.
The 'Christian' west has developed... When I was a teenager positive efforts were being made to get girls into technical training and onto career paths rather than the classic 'mother in the home' role and this has been successful.
So developed countries all suffer from a declining birth rate which must be replaced through immigration.
If you want to immigrate to live and work in an Asian country forget it! But if you want to immigrate to the West there's little problem.
I'm a believer in multiculturalism, I think all peoples should live in harmony with each other... But I worry about religion and it's serious effects against the harmony between natural peoples.

I took the 17:00 boat to Tammalang which cost 30 RM ($10). Due to the time zones going east from Langkawi it left at 17:10 and arrived at 17:10!
Customs and immigration only give you 14 days stay in Thailand unless you fly in, this discourages visitors from staying very long.
There is no bus to Hat Yai after 17:30 from Satun town. I took a Song Taew to Satun from the harbour (30 Baht).
I had an offer to share a 'taxi' with Amal, his wife, her sister, and two of his seven children. They were going on to Ranong by bus that evening from Hat Yai (7 hours!).
While his wife and he was dressed Arab style, the sister was not. She was not Muslim, so presumably the wife was converted.
We arrived in Satun to see an old Mercedes by the road with its battery on charge; this was our transport with its loose steering, and uncertain brakes but we got to Hat Yai bus station at 19:20. I paid my 200 Baht share.

I walked to the nearby TD Resident Hotel, I paid 480 Baht for the night plus a 300 Baht deposit, had some chicken noodle soup by the street, and went to bed early.

A perspective of Chiang Mai Railway Station


Construction work breaks the peace at Wat Doi Suthep


Ladyboy singer leads real girls in a dance routine

This girl's classical Chinese face is easily remembered
during the past two years I have visited this restaurant

Alex and Kristin Dennett

After updating this site on Tuesday 23rd February I went on a walk-about in Hat Yai...
I found my way to the Diana shopping centre where I picked up latest 'Pamela Bowden' album.
After two consecutive cold showers (it was hot!) I booked out of the hotel and took a taxi to the airport; 250 Baht in a slow Daihatsu mini truck, (mini Song Taew if you like!).

At the airport there is a good restaurant on the upper floor that is not so clearly indicated as the regular 'fast food' places on the ground floor.
I've seen this at other Thai airports as well and so it's worth checking around to find some cheaper 'quality' local food.

Thai Air Asia was only 15 minutes late departing, and it didn't matter.
Thai Airways was nearly an hour late leaving Bangkok for Chiang Mai.
Because I was changing airlines I had to go out to check in and then back through security again to the gate. There's no check-ins except for "International" connections in the departure terminal after the security checks so allow time to go out and come back through 'security' again if you connect two different airlines through Suvarnabhumi.
At Chiang Mai I was picked up by Mod, we had dinner in the Bavarian restaurant near Tapae Gate, and then walked back to John's place.

Visitors arrive, 24th February

The train was 20 minutes late arriving from Bangkok and Alex and Kristin had not had a proper night's sleep as the metre gauge railway carriage rocked and rolled and shook it's way north to Chiang Mai through the night.
So first port of call was the coffee shop next to the satani rot fai.

Now I assume the role of tour guide and I'm very happy to do this as "pleasure shared is pleasure doubled" and I believe in this.
So that afternoon we took a Song Taew up to Doi Suthep and visited the Wat with it's views of Chiang Mai.
I like to take people to 'favourite places' and there are many of these here.
So in the evening I took them to the Thai Country restaurant which few foreigners know about! But this place is value for money with good food and good entertainment, and I have written about this place on previous visits as is evident on this website.
The entertainers are the same people I saw two years ago and they still do a superb job.
http://www.thaicountryplace.com

On Thursday Alex and Kristin rented a motorbike and we went on a ride to some more favourite places...
First Baan Tawai where the furnishings you can buy for your home are beautiful... There are shipping agencies there as people find the products irresistible... Imagine shipping heavy teak furniture across the globe!
Next we went to Krisada Doi... As ever I couldn't believe how far it was on the motorbike as the first time I went there I was on a pedal bike!

Alex and Kristin had lost their digital camera in a loo in Krabi, they also had personal stuff stolen from their luggage in the bay of a bus they took to Koh Samui, so you need to be very careful in places.
So far I have found the Thais to be very honest but then I haven't spent much time in the south.
I am aware of the reputation King Power (Duty Free Shops) got through their attempts at extortion from foreigners through accusing them of theft and then demanding sums of money to keep the farang from going to jail!
King Power were giving out bargain leaflets when I passed through Suvarnabhumi, they must realise that a bad rap like that will cost them a huge amount of business... But the Thais are often stupid in business.
So after researching cameras on the internet Alex and Kristin bought a new camera which I tested at John's Place with them in the evening.
Today they have rented a car and are going on a round trip I suggested to Pai (mai chorp), Mae Hong Son (chorp mak mak), Mae Sariang (chorp), and Doi Inthanon.

Browsing the shops in Baan Tawai

Krisada Doi Gardens

Ice cream and ice tea at Krisada Doi

Friday 26th...

...for me was a motorbike ride with Mod up to Mae Taeng followed by a ride through Sankampaeng and out into the mountains north east of Chiang Mai.
So as I write this I am feeling the saddle sore effects of being too long on a motorbike! Sometimes a car is the only way to go!
We had lunch near Mae Taeng, out in the country where to my surprise a load of farm people, the local school band, and school children met to parade through their village.
Mae Taeng district farms grow food organically and they are proud of it... This parade was a celebration of the harvest they had.
Fridays are always very nice culturally as many of the children dress in their Lanna style 'national' dress, in their school colours and they look smart!
Imagine that in Canada!

We never did get to the waterfall in the mountains Mod wanted to see... The poor motorbike had to crawl up some of the mountain slopes in first gear!
They were always another five or seven kilometres further... We stopped for iced tea at the Tharnthong Lodges Resort and then pushed on to where the falls should have been, but it was too late in the afternoon and we both had had enough of sitting on a motorbike. I rode us home...

Enroute to Koh Chang







The ground is so close but the glide to the field is assured


On the way back we circumnavigated Koh Samet

We changed the batteries and flew to Bang Phra Sunday afternoon

Early Saturday morning I got up and for once had cereal rather than making porridge; I had little time...
I froze on the motorbike ride to the airport to catch the 07:00 Thai Airways Airbus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. (2,015 Baht).
The flight was on time and I was soon driving down the M7 to Pattaya Eastern in a Toyota Vios at 1,200 Baht a day.
I put 600 Baht's worth of 91 Octane petrol in it at the motorway services and this was enough for my two days driving, 270Km.
I arrived at Eastern and Alasdair was already to go... Alasdair had waited patiently for his five year permit to arrive since October, it arrived on Friday and he was able to fly on Saturday morning for a quick test.

We took off at 11:38 local time and found the Microair radio did not work... The transmit light went on but there was no audio reception and it would occasionally only transmit carrier wave...
The Microair radios are not well liked here in Thailand as their reliability is suspect.
We landed and inspected the antenna connections and all the electrical connections but could find nothing wrong.
So I became the radio operator using an ICOM handheld radio... Not ideal but we hoped we could do it. You're supposed to always be in radio contact with someone when flying cross-country in Thailand.

Fly-Out, Fly-In

The other aircraft tended to go to 5,500 feet for their flights to Koh Chang but I like to see something so we flew at 1,200 to 1,500 feet under the scattered marine stratus to the coast east of Rayong and then passing south of Trat to Koh Chang.
Radio work with U-Tapao was not much of a problem but with Trat it was. ATC had difficulty understanding us... Mai ben rai, we got clearance through the airspace.
ATC are not used to large amounts of light aircraft flying around with eight of them going to the same place over a period of a couple of hours.
One airliner was held on the ground while a light aircraft passed well clear of its departure path at 5,500 feet. But two aircraft within ten miles is too much to risk!
I think things will get better as light aviation grows in Thailand and ATC get used to us.
The Koh Chang airstrip looked a lot smaller from up there... and the approaches were not so easy... We did an inspection pass and landed on 22.
Takeoff from Pattaya was at 13:04 and landing at Koh Chang was 14:26.

After signing in and a long call to try to close the flight plan [one wonders whether SAR would ever be initiated if you did not show up?] we were driven to the posh Sea View Resort and Spa which is owned by the owner of the airstrip and we got our rooms at half price.

Now what???
A quick shower and I put my shorts on! It's very very rare to see me wearing shorts!
Lunch was kao pad gai as usual for me and then we looked for a lift back to the strip, 200 to 300 Baht we were quoted... A commercially registered car did show up to drop some passengers off (green number plates), but he was not authorised to give us a ride...
So we walked, slogging up the steep hill out of the resort... The green plated car pulled up and gave us a lift, he didn't need to be authorised once clear of the hotel grounds.
The lift was free and the friendly driver dropped us off by the strip.

The mission was to do some circuits and practice short field landings.
Since the ground rises with obstacles to the northeast you fly a contact style approach close to the obstacles then over the wires in a slip to plonk it down as soon as possible.
A flight test showed the following power off indicated stall speeds (Kilometres Per Hour): Flap -6 = 85, 0 = 85, +15 = 82, +20 = 82, +28 degrees = 80 KPH, meaning a safe approach would be at 104 KPH. There's possibly a leak in the pitot static system and so these figures may well change. Certainly the difference in indicated cruise speed and GPS groundspeed showed a healthy tailwind both ways!
Some of these LSA style aircraft from Eastern Europe are not what they might be, they still needed development, and in this the Ekolot JK05 Junior is no exception. Stalling the first time showed a shocking wing drop with flaperons set for landing, not desirable. With the vortex generators now fitted the aeroplane is very stable in the stall, prefering to sink wings level rather than drop a wing.

The high palm trees at the departure end of 22 are a bit intimidating, you certainly need the reliable 912 engine on a lightweight airframe to operate in these conditions.
A 'Group A' Super Cub would be alright, but a Cessna 172 or smaller would not be a good proposition.

In the hangar the mechanics were busy removing the wings off a Pipistrel Virus aircraft from Slovenia, to sort a fuel pipe problem out. This highly efficient aircraft has won awards from NASA no less, and what a quality aeroplane it turns out to be.
The second generation LSA style aircraft have grown up with quality, performance, and safety often better than the certified aircraft on the market.

As ever there were a lot of spectators while a few mechanics were doing the actual work!
So we soon got a drive back to the hotel for another shower, (it's hot in Koh Chang this time of the year), and I put my proper mosquito unfriendly long trousers back on... Sorry you missed my shorts!

There's a funicular lift to the Lighthouse restaurant and more hotel rooms further up the mountainside.
I introduced Khun Neil (operates Pattaya Airpark) to Tiger beer, in fact three Tiger yais were shared between us.
For everyone else the food was not very good, certainly poor for such a posh hotel, but I had fish in lemon sauce and this was very good... We whiled away the evening as aviators do and then went to our rooms for a shower and bed.
I slept in to nearly 07:00, then got up for a walk on the beach in my shorts again... I had no sandels, so wore my laced up black shoes. I think this is alright as the army wore shorts and shoes in the same fashion in the "Bridge on the River Kwai".
Sorry, you missed it again... It was long trousers for breakfast up the funicular in the Lighthouse restaurant.

I found porridge up there for breakfast but had to get one of the nongs to pour boiling water on my oats for me... I still try to eat healthy but I have put on a few pounds this trip! No bicycle riding, that's the problem!

It's better to fly early in the morning before Sun and the consequent thermals roughen up the air a bit.
Fernando in the CTW was airborne first with Alasdair's wife Gill on board.
I had learned that Alasdair and Gill are a marriage success having been married a very long time, having shared flights all over Scotland in flex wing microlights, having been separated by the Tsunami in Koh Phi Phi, and now with life too short to waste they live in Thailand and fly their flex wing and the Ekolot.
Alasdair and I were airborne at 11:32 and had an easy flight back though the power supply to the ICOM did not work while the same source kept the GPS going happily... So by the time we got to the U-Tapao zone the radio had died... We circumnavigated the zone in a large [DME] arc and then landed in a crosswind at Pattaya Eastern.

There was another battery pack available and so we were able to fly on to Bang Phra and check in on the happenings there... Not much happening, but they are breaking ground in the NE corner of the airfield to put in some more hangars.

Back at Eastern I was now conscious of the time.
I had some, enough to treat Alasdair and Gill to roast chicken with all the trimmings, stuffing and even brussels sprouts, followed by ice cream at the Friendship Coffee House...
Now time was running out and I took to the road and into the heavy slow traffic on Sukhumvit Road... Oh no! It was so slow, stop and go, with thousands of motorcycles weaving in and out, antarai! be careful... I was looking at my speed, estimating the time to Lat Krabang... Oh dear, oh dear...
But once free and on the M7 I was rolling, 120 KPH or faster, stopping for the two toll gates (30 Baht each), and then off on On Nut Road and back to Maneeda's office.
No damage, my 10,000 Baht deposit returned, and I was at Suvarnabhumi an hour before my 21:30 flight back to Chiang Mai.
I froze again on the motorbike going home...

This morning I was up at 07:00, downloaded the pictures, made the porridge, put the laundry out to dry, paid the rent, dealt with an Aussie neighbour over his visa problems, and then had a bite with Alex and Kristin Dennett who had returned from a drive to Mae Hong Son. They now regretted booking this afternoon's Nok Mini flight to Udon Thani (they go on to Vientiane) as like me they like this place Chiang Mai.

I left them to their business and went into the shop across the road from their B&B.
Da was suffering from a lack of business, not many foreigners passing her shop and stopping to buy her clothes... I used to walk past her place every morning when I stayed in the Anodard hotel, I would have breakfast at the Smile House next door.
Then I went to Lilly's shop on Chang Moi Road... It was a busy place with a huge order to be sent to France. Lilly and Da are in the same business, but Lilly is busier than ever!
Lilly was very pleased with the 'English' wording I had given her for her sales notices and said she always remembers me when she reads them.
I sat down and wrote some more catchy phrases for her sales efforts, and even wrote a 'policy' statement for her.
then an American girl from Colorado came in, she too was having visa problems as she had come in on a two month visa, they gave her one!, did a trip to Laos and only got 14 days, and now was overdue leaving while wanting to stay longer.
Thai regulations are always subject to change without warning and so you have to be very careful. While many countries here will give you 90 days, this is not true of Thailand which seems to be bent on reducing tourism!

With Khun Nine, Khun Koi, and Khun Brayond at Lamphun

Kraidej (Koi) flies his Cherokee very well




The two strips co-exist... Ban Thi will have its runway paved next month


Thai Country Restaurant on Thursday night

En was in the seat of authority at John's Place Thursday night

Busy times in Chiang Mai

It's been a busy week and tomorrow morning I leave Chiang Mai for Bangkok to buzz around the southeast this weekend and then I'm off to Vietnam.

On Wednesday I met up with Khun Nine who is working to rebuild the Chiang Mai Flying Club and we went to the old Lamphun Airfield where I had flown from and taught from during my first visits to the north of Thailand.
Both a Cessna 172 and a Cessna 152 will be brought up from Sri Racha to be operated for training from Lamphun as a satellite field. Training will be done with and rental will be available for members of the Chiang Mai Flying Club.
I met with Khun Brayond who is a ground instructor and Khun Koi who is an aircraft technician.
Lamphun has been redeveloped and the old buildings have been replaced with new... It looks like there will be a much better facility for the training of pilots than there was when I was there... It should be more 'professional' as well.
Two of my fellow Brit's continue to disappoint me; they let the side down badly, very badly!
A third Brit, Dave Eastmond, will return to continue his excellent groundschool teaching.
Wednesday night I met up with two of my students for a beer at the Ancient Thai House a couple of miles up the road.

On Thursday I went flying with one of those students, Koi, in his Cherokee which he flew very competently.

Thursday night I went to the Thai Country House Restaurant again, it's one of the best kept secrets in Chiang Mai!
Then a quick check in at John's Place...

Friday has been a day of meetings...
The first was at Black Canyon Coffee at Chiang Mai International Airport with Khun Dr Jain who is one of the big bosses at SGA.
SGA needs a training Captain on the SAAB 340s for three months from April...
He asked me why foreigners like Chiang Mai so much?
It's easy to answer that when you come from an anti social country where many people sit and watch television in their own homes while losing the ability to converse and have their own opinions too!
Go to the pub in Ladner, sit down by yourself and if you have no pre-arrangement it's unlikely anyone will talk to you except to take your order. Here there's entertainment and friendly people from everywhere with interesting conversations in a place that is warm in more ways than one.
Second was to have coffee with Robert who operates Ban Thi aerodrome. He's a very easy going Swiss architect who was unfortunately embroiled in an argument for a while... Now he enjoys his flying without much trouble with the neighbour.
Third was to have lunch with Khun Nine and to discuss Chiang Mai Flying Club and its aspirations for the future.

We had Tom Yam Pla Dam and the other unique items above in a restaurant west of Chiang Mai on the road to the Rachapruek Gardens, it was named for the owners two daughters.

Then I went to the AIS building on Tapae Road (mobile phone company) and for 300 Baht ($10) I have paid the service charge for my phone for the next 11 months!
It puts Canada's Rogers into context when you see how cheap the phone system is here in Thailand... It is already a better system than Canada and yet it costs a fraction of the price.
I am willing to bet that it is cheaper to roam in Canada with my Thai phone than having a native Rogers phone there!

I use a company phone in Canada, I cannot afford my own phone.

Beer Chang girl serves while the wind ruffles her hair in Chiang Mai

Ban Chang beach reflected in her sunglasses
But what story would be told by the eyes behind?


Look at this picture from low and high angles; interesting effects

There was a food fair at the university grounds together with a show sponsored by Chang beer so Mod and I went there.

I've been asked why Thailand attracts me among many others... Canadians as a whole live in their own homes, watch their televisions, have few of their own opinions, always afraid to be different by stating them, it's a place without the amount of life Thailand has, where people live out, they socialise, there's always something to do and see and it doesn't cost a lot.

So I had my rice, with seafood, and a bottle of Chang beer and watched the show on the stage and the people too...

Saturday morning I was on the TG101 Airbus 300 at 08:00 on my way to Bangkok, on time.

Was picked up promptly by one of Maneeda's staff, and I was on my way down the motorway.
I had asked the person who owns my heart whether we could meet for dinner that evening, she could not, but she could do lunch, and so I passed the Pattaya turn-off and took the Rayong motorway instead... Did the U turn to come back past the Asian University and via the Sattahip/U-Tapao 331 road I was in Ban Chang in good time.
We met at Tesco Lotus and she was every bit as beautiful as the day I met her...
I drove us down to the seafront where there was a restaurant she had not tried... We had good food and a Sea Bass... It was a lot of food.
We watched the people digging for shellfish amongst the rocks between the sands and discussed life.
All too soon I was dropping her off, absence had not made the heart fonder, but seeing her again has had an effect on me.

Back to Pattaya-Eastern I drove with a Pamela Bowden CD repeating itself. It was an easy drive along the Sukhumvit Road with a pause as the police controlled the traffic and the local soldiers stood to attention as a VIP motorcade drove past...

The pitot static system had been looked at in the Ekolot and so with U-Tapao's agreement we climbed to 3,000 feet to conduct a series of stalls. Then I tried stalls while banked in a turn and she was docile and easy going... Non of the nasty stall characteristics of the time before vortex generators... All the indicated stall speeds were higher than book and we carefully recorded them.
We did them with the GPS both ways to measure the wind and get an idea of how far out the two airspeed indicators might be.

Then we dropped into the resort strip by the lake at Dok Krai for a short visit before following the setting Sun back to Pattaya-Eastern.

Alasdair and Gill fed me 'Toad in the Hole' on Saturday evening followed by syrup pudding covered in custard. English cuisine at its best!
I slept at the Baan Khun Poh hotel on Sukhamvit Road conveniently between Sois 87 and 89 which are the turn-offs you use to go to Eastern Air Park. 750 Baht a night.

In the morning Khun Tiki made everyone's breakfast at the Air Park... Jim had to go to work and so he was absent most of this weekend.

Sunday was a hot day... We climbed into the Ekolot and flew to Bang Phra where Fernando was having trouble with his transponder... Someone had broken the antenna off the bottom of his CT-SW and a quick check of my picture of him taking off from Koh Chang showed that it was missing then!
Alasdair and I took off to do a few circuits... It was hard to get down to the runway as on base following the slope of the mountain there was a good updraft and the aeroplane wanted to climb power off with full flaps rather than obediently sink!

It was a hazy day, not very good for taking pictures, and we wended our way home staying west of Sri Racha's airport.

The drive back to Lat Krabang was quick, very quick, 120 KPH all the way...
I turned off on On Nut road and delivered the undamaged car in return for my 10,000 Baht deposit.

The taxi driver took the slow but direct route down On Nut road and then into the Bangkok traffic to deliver me to Sathorn Soi 7 where I joined Norman and Lec in their apartment for dinner.
It was a comfortable night here, and later today I fly to Saigon.

The Chinese like to bury, some sort of grotesque religious idea of being
raised from the dead. These graveyards consume land as well as money

Ben Thanh Market; you too could take a Vietnamese girl home

French architecture

Like all American Consulates there's a lot of security,
provided by Communist Vietnamese troops


Aerodynamics from the good old days of motoring



This type is usually flown for a different purpose

Pakorn picked me up from Sathorn Soi 7 and we went for lunch at a very posh Italian restaurant in Bangkok...
After a bit of shopping and some ice cream I was dropped off at Suvarnabhumi from where the on time Thai A300 took me to Saigon Airport.
At SGN Airport there was a mass of people at the visa on arrival office and it took a while to get through customs and immigration...
I walked out and got a taxi downtown, this was not a meter cab and it cost $15USD, I probably made a mistake but the driver was at least honourable... He took me to a hotel, it was OK but not the best for the money, and the hotelier said he'd get me a woman if I wanted one!
In the meantime I was texting Mike Flynn in Thailand for advice and he advised going to the Saigon Sports 2 Hotel on Le Lai Street. My driver took me around to try to find the place... Couldn't find it, so I asked to be dropped off, there were lots of small hotels to choose from. I walked across the street and straight into the hotel I was looking for! $22 USD a night, right up at the top.

They said it was safe to go out in Saigon at night, but I just wanted to shower and go to bed. I skipped supper.
It's noisy here, but I'll sleep through anything!

Walkabout

Tuesday morning I was up early, and checked my e-mail on the WiFi.
You can't get on to Facebook in Vietnam, it appears to be censored...

Breakfast was three slices of toast and a glass of hot tea, black, and a conversation with a bunch of Australian tourists.
Then I was out the door.
I walked into Ben Thanh Market where they tried to sell me anything... Here the people always want to sell you something, polish your shoes, or take you on their motorbikes or bikeshaws!

I had a good walk about the town, crossing many roads in a way that would horrify any crossing the road instructor! You simply step out into the traffic and hope it all goes around you.
There's a lot to see.

I walked and walked and the energy was draining and so I stopped in a café for an iced cacao (32,000 Dong)... There was no food on offer and so I wandered on.
I found the War Remnant Museum and it was closed for another 10 minutes until 13:30 so I walked around to find a restaurant to eat at. In the end I sat at a corner Café and had seafood rice with iced lemon tea.
I think I'll lose the 3kg I put on in Thailand, here in Vietnam!

Both the consulate of the USA in Bangkok and the one here in Ho Chi Minh are heavily guarded and fortified. In Bangkok people have to wait outside in the heat as the USA does not provide a waiting room!
Why has the country that promotes Freedom and Equality become the most disliked nation in today's world?
Perhaps it's their mistake after mistake after mistake in foreign policy, their greed, and their lack of values.

A trip to the War Remnant Museum will make anyone understand... It is atrocity after atrocity displayed in photographs on the museum walls.
Like for every loser, the USA's war crimes are shown... As the German and Japanese war crimes are also depicted by the winners of the Second World War.

It all started with the triumphant return of the victorious French who should not have been allowed to go anywhere... They did capitulate after all, and left it to the British to continue the fight against Hitler and then the Japanese...
The British ceded many of their territories after the war as colonialism was a dying thing with civilised Europeans.
The British did fight the Communists in Malaya, and they did win.
Malaysia has done well so far, but there's an undercurrent of racism and religious domination that threatens to ruin this nation in the future.

Religious intolerance never did anyone any good... My family was ousted from France in the biggest brain drain ever when it was decided that country was a Roman Catholic only country... By 2015 they say France will be majority Muslim and so that will put paid to that notion!

The French made a right mess of things in the 1950s and like they always have, the Americans followed the French into a stupid war. (They attacked Canada the first time!)
Communism was the great enemy of the USA before Islam, but what have they achieved by fighting it?
Communism in Russia and Eastern Europe had a limited life, albeit a cruel one for some... 'Pure' Communism won't survive here as the people are too capitalistic by nature. Vietnam seems to be a happy place inspite of its politics.

Why did the picture at left ever have to happen?
Do we human beings not prefer the right?

The USA is seen by many in the World as the aggressor rather than the defender of freedoms and I'm not sure how they will ever change that point of view.

So my impressions of Saigon are of a people full of life, very friendly and usually smiling, while they are aware of their violent recent past.
The Vietnam War proved that however much bombing and destruction a super power can do, the will of the people will ultimately win. The Vietnamese seem to have a lot of good will!

Many people who do go are hypocrites!

Tuesday night I ate at an Irish Pub, I didn't know until I saw the Irish flag
and the Dublin flag! Saigon beer is as strong as American beer....

Tan our tour guide...Note Kuan Yin,
Vietnamese venerate the Chinese Goddess of Mercy

Unlike the Chinese, the Vietnamese use tombs placed in the fields!

Tan continues his amusing diatribe on the boat to an island in the delta

Yui gets to try Royal Jelly straight from the hive

Paddling down a canal in the Mekong delta

...and she runs a restaurant on Pham Ngu Lao Street on the other side of Park 23-9... She wants me to go back there for another Tiger beer tomorrow night...
It's an interesting place where loud Germans carried on at one table with one of them making sure everyone in Saigon can hear him sneeze, the Russian prostitutes yak behind me, some Vietnamese slobs left a real mess when they left their table, and some innocent North American girls turned away a street person pulling a set of scales and offering to measure their body mass indices.

I had chicken with pineapple on rice, it was good... With the beer it was 61,000 Dong, about $4!

I have never before been propositioned by so many prostitutes... Saigon is a cruder place than parts of Bangkok, and Chiang Mai doesn't rate at all in comparison for such things.
I'm not biting, never been there, and don't want the deseases.

A trip to the Mekong Delta

Today I was up early, 06:00 and ready to go at 07:30 on a trip to the Mekong Delta; cost $25 USD.
I was met downstairs and escorted across two busy roads to where the tour bus was waiting to take me and others on a two hour drive, 75km, to the Mekong.
The road was very rough and yet not old... Someone needs to show the Vietnamese how to lay roads!
I remembered China as I looked out the window at the passing mess.
Buildings here are often very narrow, I think it's because of the size of the lots they are built on. The hotel I'm in is maybe 25 feet wide and I'm on the fifth floor!
While riding in the bus I observed that there are dead Vietnamese everywhere with tombs littering the countryside... Will there be enough space for the living in the future?

We bumped and honked into My Tho where we were transfered to a boat and taken to one of the islands in the delta.
First we were given honey tea with the honey coming from Longhan bees...
They tried to sell us honey and an aphrodisiac liquor. The liquor was in bottles containing either Cobra snakes or lizards. Everywhere they try to sell you something.

Next we were taken for a paddle to where we picked up the boat to go to another island for lunch...
After lunch those of us taking the 'speed' boat back to Saigon had an hour to play with while the bus passengers had two.
I went with one of the Japanese girls, Yui, on a bicycle ride to the local village and to find some ice cream.
This gave me another look at Vietnamese life.

We ate what we were given, pork, fish paste etc

Ice cream, 1,000 Dong each!

Village pictures:

The boat trip back to Saigon took a couple of hours but the water was a lot smoother than the road!
There are a lot of ships plying the waterways here, loaded to the gunnels the ships looked about to sink, and when the same ships return, their height on the water was dramatically different.

The river was clean until we arrived in the region of Saigon where the shore was littered with corregated shacks and people had dumped their rubbish in the water.
People are the most filthy of animals it seems...

From a waterway we entered the port of Saigon...
I spied the hydrofoil boats that once offered speedy journeys; now they are parked out of the water...

It was a quick trip, and well organised.

From my hotel window at 10:20am

Long's bar

Chicken in coconut

Green curried chicken and tom yam goong

Bronwyn and her mum from Sydney

I will not likely be coming back to Ho Chi Minh - Saigon!
It is a place where you have to be very very careful and so be on your guard at all times.
Because of this it is not a 'vacation' destination.

On Tuesday I met some Philipine people close to the church... They are devout... I was invited to lunch at their house.
I had time on Thursday and so I agreed.
But I had reservations about it, I don't normally accept invitations from people I do not know.
So I left my credit and debit cards at home and I am very glad I did.
I was put in a compromising situation that tested my morals and I refused to bend them... I felt awful afterwards, and a little sick at allowing myself to trust people because of their reputation. Filipino people are not always straight in spite of their religious devotion.
It's not been a good day; I have seen the worst in people.

The taxi driver from a taxi company (Vinasun) recommended in the guide books took a long way around to the Filipino house and the cost was 69,000 Dong. The cost back to the same place was 35,000 Dong! Beware of taxi drivers ripping you off!

I was really fed up this afternoon. I want to see the best in Saigon and I was hoping to see the best in people here, but all I want to do now is leave this place.

Hungry I went in search of food... Not much real Vietnamese food to be found in this district and so I wandered the streets and met two of the people from the Mekong Delta trip.
We went across the street to their hotel and the people there found a Thai restaurant just around the corner.

The Silver Elephant served us excellent Thai food... it was good and the place was full of visiting Thais!

It's not easy to find ice cream here so we walked to the Coffee Ice Cream shop and sat down to a bit of cold pleasure there.

I walked them back to their hotel and then went to the Huong Vy restaurant bar and had a beer with Long as I said I would... She'd had too many and wasn't in a good mood... 'complained of Thai girls doing boom boom for free!
I told her I didn't care about boom boom... Everything in the bar world has something to do with prostitution and I don't care to experience that side of the business!
I think she was offended that I wouldn't do it with a Vietnamese prostitute while assuming I would with a Thai!

I walked across the park and to my hotel.

I don't care if I ever come back to Saigon.

Other points:
Watch for theft, the Vietnamese are not as honest as many.
Do not wear black shoes, you'll be pestered for a shoe shine where-ever you go.
The Vietnamese are very pushy when they are trying to sell you something you do not want.
If you buy a book you should realise that it is a cheap copy and not an original and wrapped in plastic it is not easy to inspect first.
It's a dirty place like China. Be careful walking the streets.

If the Thais come the food must be good!

 
Cong Hoa roundabout

Viet Nam Quoc Tu Pagoda

Nice sight in Tao Dan Park

Park maintenance

The people were very friendly and helpful at both Saigon Sports Hotels

Friday morning I walked across the park to the ABC bakery for a croissant, a pain au chocolat, and a pot of Lipton tea.
Then it was back to the Sports 2 Hotel for a shower and to check out... I walked to the Sports 1 Hotel and they gave me lemonade and a banana. After consuming my refreshments I was shown to my new room.
Still priced at $22 USD a night, this room was better than the one I had before and I could sleep without the cat meowing all night!

Walk to pagodas

I decided to walk some of the 3kg off by taking a trip to see the pagodas.
The first one was the Viet Nam Quoc Tu pagoda in District 10 and it took about an hour to walk to from the hotel. I took a long way around!
Kuan Yin, or Quan Am as the Vietnamese call her, is the most celebrated of the bottisavas. She is the goddess of mercy.
The Quoc Tu pagoda provides a place for people to worship Quan Am.

I carried on my walk and by now it was 13:30 and I was hungry so I stopped by a Vietnamese restaurant.for prawns and rice in a coconut, plus two iced teas, 73,000 Dong. The place was full of Vietnamese so it couldn't be a bad choice.

The next pagoda is in District 3 and I made it there easily.
Again a statue of Quan Am was prominent... I sat there for a while before continuing to Tao Dan Park.
There are many parks in this busy city where people meet, sit for a while, and exercise.

After all this walking and stepping out to cross streets in Saigon I must remember not to step out into the street in Canada... I'll get hurt. It's amazing how all the traffic misses you as you do a steady walk across the road covered in a stream of motorcycles and vehicles... I must say I was still concerned about stepping out in front of a bus!

I walked back to the hotel for a shower and then out again to shop at Ben Thanh market. The market opens at 08:00 and closes at 18:00, I got there just before closing time.

In the evening I went to the Silver Elephant Thai restaurant again and had Tom Yam Gai 112,000 Dong with two small Tiger beers.
Early to bed, I got a good sleep as it was much quieter.

People exercise in the early evening in 23/9 Park with Ben Thanh Market in the background
In SE Asia people are always out and about, it's a very social part of the world

In the morning I had a coffee shop breakfast; muesli followed by a croissant, a walk about the lanes and then a couple of showers while I packed.
The hotel arranged for and charged me $9 for the taxi ride to the airport. I gave a 50,000 Dong tip to the driver.

Sandwiches in the check in coffee shops are $6 USD!
I was told they would be more expensive when I'd passed through immigration and was on the departure gates side, but this was not true.
Something must have upset the immigration officers, they all seemed so glum... The guy who stamped my passport was not a happy person at all!
There's a customs and immigration declaration card you have to fill in on entry... They didn't want to take this from me and I stiil have it!

The shops downstairs in the departures area sell their goods at the same prices as in Ben Thanh Market! So if you forget a few gifts you won't be ripped off.
BUT, upstairs there are shops selling some items at $5USD more than the shops downstairs!
I went to one of the upstairs restaurants and the sandwiches were indeed the same price $6, but why would you???
I had a big bowl of Vietnamese chicken noodle soup with trimmings, and two glasses of lemonade for $10USD.
There's free Wifi there too.

It was a long ride back to Vancouver on China Airlines, and the service was very good, better than Cathay Pacific between YVR and HKG on this trip, and as good as Cathay on HKG to BKK.
I snoozed some of the way, I watched the 2012 movie (not very good!), and a couple of other, better movies... The business man flying everywhere, and the old man journeying to see his grown up children...
Russell picked me up from YVR and we went to Speeds pub... Last night the clocks changed to Daylight Saving Time, 'suits me fine!

Conclusions from this trip

I had a bad experience in Saigon with a Filipino person which left a very bad taste in my mouth... But Saigon itself is not that bad a place to be. Chiang Mai it is not, but there are friendly people to be found and there are things to do.

I am often asked why I have this website?
I once wrote an essay for school homework, it was late, and I would have been in serious trouble if I didn't brng it in the next day. The teacher asked me if I'd copied it and then gave me 9/10 knocking off one mark for not having it in on time.
When I want to I can write...
I also live a paradox. I am the single traveller who would rather share, as pleasure shared is pleasure doubled, and I'm a sharing sort of person.