Friday came early. I had booked myself on a day trip that left downtown at 6.30 am. This meant I had to be on the first Skytrain of the morning. It was really weird going out at 5.45. Still dark but the temperature was already around 30 degrees and today felt more humid than previously. I was glad that I would spend a lot of the day in air conditioned coaches. Stallholders were already setting up along the road to the Skytrain, preparing breakfast for whoever. Breakfast hadnt featured on my horizon. I had grabbed a bottle of juice and a ham sarnie from the hotel, and had yoghurt and fruit of my own. My tum was not that receptive after the illness of earlier in the week. I had enough with me. I must've cut an odd sight to the locals who clearly were not used to seeing 'farang' up so early. I arrived at the meeting point down town on time, although for the first time I had felt threatened as I walked to the meeting point, by an afro carribean looking gent who was hell bent on talking to me and even grabbed my arm at one point. I marched on without speaking so he had no idea what my nationality was, only letting out a loud screech when he touched me, which attracted the attention of several young locals. He disappeared. I was OK.
The target of today's expedition was the historic city of Ayutthaya, which had been the capital of Thailand in the mid 14th century for about 300yrs. Then it had a heavy Kyhmer influence as the 2 countries had been one. There is also some Indian connection due to its founder having been born in India. It is about 2 hrs drive due north of Bangkok along the Chao Phraya river. Our first stop was the palace at Bang Pa-in. Parts of it are used today as the residences of the Royal grandchildren, and other parts form part of the accommodation for international summits and entertainment of foreign dignatories. It is a most beautiful setting, and I could have done with more time than the 75 mins allocated on our tour. The architecture is fascinating - here a Chinese Pagoda, there an Italianate Villa, interspersed with a Thai temple or 2.
We moved on to the more historic sites and the ruined temples which were the main objective of the day out. This area is a UNESCO listed heritage site, and is absolutely vast. It is characterised by the tall stupas or reliquary towers. These towers are built to house the remains of just one person. They are a part of Bhuddist funeral tradition. In some cases there might be up to 4 sets of remains in one stupa. In other cases they maybe empty and are merely memorials. They have parallels with pyramids, but are memorials rather than vehicles in which to go into another life. Bhuddism teaches cremation at the end of this earthly life, and these days its often the case that the ashes are divided in 3 for disposal. A third to the family for sentiment, a third to a memorial for memory and a third to the land or water to return that energy to Bhuddha.
We visited several of the ruin sites including one with Elephant rides around it. They looked fun but were quite expensive, maybe something I can do when I am back in Thailand in March. Many of the temples had broken statues of Bhudda. In particular, one had his head embedded in the trunk of a tree, which to me has so much symbolism of nature entwining with spirituality. I will up load some photos here in due course. Most of my pics are going onto Facebook where I dont have to do much other than dump them into albums for later editing.
Having been up so early, I was ravenous by the time we got to the cruise boat to take us back to Bangkok. A wonderful, hot, eat all you like, buffet was waiting for us. The boat was top end luxury, and I thoroughly enjoyed the 2 hrs it took to get back to Bangkok. I made new friends with several of the others on the tour and with one in particular with whom I sat and chatted the whole time.
Sunday, 13 January 2013
Friday, 11 January 2013
Paradise mislaid
Coming back from the weekend at the beach, I knew I had a cold getting the better of me, but was round the corner really knocked me out. Monday, I decided to take things easy and just potter on my own, which was fine until early afternoon. Then my guts began to explode. Par for the course I guess in these parts of the world. I confined myself to quarters and decided to starve the bug out, The next day, I was worse, My temp was rising fast. Andy got some stuff from the pharmacy for me and I slept, thrashed around and ran to the loo for the next 18 hrs. Later on Wednedsay I began to feel better, and looked forward to a gentle day on Thursday, regaining my grip on things. I had spent 48 hrs being very ill indeed.
Unfortunately an easy day on Thursday was not to happen. Weds eve Andy came over for a chat. he had chanced into his apartment during a break from work, and discovered Oi had left an email thread open on the laptop. She was obviously having an affair. Thursday was not peaceful as I found myself in the middle of 2 warring young people, disputing ownership of this and that. Andy spirited himself out of the city, which was an anxious 6 hrs for me as, through the tears and shouting from the guilty party, was the threat of getting him arrested. I didnt know where he was, or what he was doing. He got in touch later, saying he was OK, and I was happy. This was not my battle to fight or get involved in, and I was not happy to have been made to feel underseige in my own hotel room by Oi.
Moving on will be easy for Andy, and tomorrow I have a day trip planned. onward and upward!
Thursday, 10 January 2013
Beached
With the weekend upon us, and Oi working, Andy and I decided to clear off to the coast. We took a bus to Pattya (2hrs) on the Friday morning, and then headed for Jomtien. Andy had lived in both Pattya City and Jontien and was a great guide to have. We hadn't taken on board the fact that this was the peak weekend for Thai holidays and the place was packed. The place we were hoping to stay at only had one room which I took, and Andy was able to snaffle the last room at guest house right opposite. Actually he prob got the best of that deal in terms of facilities. My basic room was one of the cleanest I have ever seen even if the furniture was a bit tired. Lunch was long overdue and my knowledgeable guide marched me to a small cafe in an adjacent street. At first glance it was rather too English but then he pointed out the wording on the inside cover of the menu. This cafe did indeed cater for the Brits, but in doing so never added MSG to anything, I was sold. A toddle round the streets and a few of the bars re introduced Andy to some old friends. I then went for a dip in the clear turquoise sea and watched the sun begin to set over the warm horizon. Pinch me someone, I thought, this is Jan 4th!
Its worth reminding all that being so close to the equator the sun sets quite early as daylight tends to be around 12 hrs all the year round at such latitudes. It was certainly dusk by 7pm, and the streets were beginning to jump with the nightscene. It was quite obvious that this area attracted a lot of 50 & 60+ single white men who all seemed to have a native younger model in tow smiling happily at the income they were going to get from that encounter. Some of the ladyboys were obviously so, but many were not to my untrained eye. It amazed me when Andy pointed them out. I wonder how many others were in for a suprise that night too!
After a good few drinks, one of Andy's friends guided us to a great place for dinner where you could watch all the buzz of the non beach end of Jomtien, including the ubiquitous night market.
After a decent breakfast, the next day, we made tracks back to Pattaya and the quayside to take a boat to the island of Koh Larn. We were greeted by bike taxis who were keen to find us accomodation at the place where they got the most commission. It seemed like a good idea. They quoted 1000Baht a night and the brochure said it was a Resort Hotel. Sounded promising, since we had paid 700 the night before, but I didnt really expect a full on Resort. I wasnt disappointed. We arrived at the ramshackle collection of buildings and the owner guided us to the room she had saying there wasnt any hot water. This didnt completely scare me as tepid water is quite common in Thailand. However the abject squalor of it all did. Beds and pillows, no obvious quilts available in a dark room seemingly void of windows. The ensuite resembled a cowshed. The shower was a hosepipe on the wall. There was a hand basin in one corner, and in the middle, void of seat and all plumbing, a toilet pedestal. Given that Andy and I wanted separate rooms, this was one big No! We went back to the motorbikes and asked them to take us somewhere else. They conferred with a 3rd who said the rooms at the other resort were 2500 Baht. We agreed with each other that for one night we could share a room provided there were separate beds, and so we went to Xanadu. Perfect. http://www.xanadubeachresortpattaya.com/
Andy hired a motorbike, I jumped on the back and off we went to explore every byway on this small island. The day tired us out and we were glad to have an early night, especially as the entertainment was a dire karaoke show - Orientals singing 'I did it my way' etc badly.
Sunday morning was for the beach, and we decided that rather than make our way back to the quayside on motorbike taxis for the fast boat back to Pattaya, we would use the day trippers boat straight from our beach which would be a slower journey but would also take us round more of the island.
We then went back to Jomtien for late lunch and the rest of the afternoon, to say au revoir to friends. Night was falling when we took our leave, promising to return. By 10.30pm we were tucked up in our beds in Bangkok refreshed and ready to face to next week.
Its worth reminding all that being so close to the equator the sun sets quite early as daylight tends to be around 12 hrs all the year round at such latitudes. It was certainly dusk by 7pm, and the streets were beginning to jump with the nightscene. It was quite obvious that this area attracted a lot of 50 & 60+ single white men who all seemed to have a native younger model in tow smiling happily at the income they were going to get from that encounter. Some of the ladyboys were obviously so, but many were not to my untrained eye. It amazed me when Andy pointed them out. I wonder how many others were in for a suprise that night too!
After a good few drinks, one of Andy's friends guided us to a great place for dinner where you could watch all the buzz of the non beach end of Jomtien, including the ubiquitous night market.
After a decent breakfast, the next day, we made tracks back to Pattaya and the quayside to take a boat to the island of Koh Larn. We were greeted by bike taxis who were keen to find us accomodation at the place where they got the most commission. It seemed like a good idea. They quoted 1000Baht a night and the brochure said it was a Resort Hotel. Sounded promising, since we had paid 700 the night before, but I didnt really expect a full on Resort. I wasnt disappointed. We arrived at the ramshackle collection of buildings and the owner guided us to the room she had saying there wasnt any hot water. This didnt completely scare me as tepid water is quite common in Thailand. However the abject squalor of it all did. Beds and pillows, no obvious quilts available in a dark room seemingly void of windows. The ensuite resembled a cowshed. The shower was a hosepipe on the wall. There was a hand basin in one corner, and in the middle, void of seat and all plumbing, a toilet pedestal. Given that Andy and I wanted separate rooms, this was one big No! We went back to the motorbikes and asked them to take us somewhere else. They conferred with a 3rd who said the rooms at the other resort were 2500 Baht. We agreed with each other that for one night we could share a room provided there were separate beds, and so we went to Xanadu. Perfect. http://www.xanadubeachresortpattaya.com/
Andy hired a motorbike, I jumped on the back and off we went to explore every byway on this small island. The day tired us out and we were glad to have an early night, especially as the entertainment was a dire karaoke show - Orientals singing 'I did it my way' etc badly.
Sunday morning was for the beach, and we decided that rather than make our way back to the quayside on motorbike taxis for the fast boat back to Pattaya, we would use the day trippers boat straight from our beach which would be a slower journey but would also take us round more of the island.
We then went back to Jomtien for late lunch and the rest of the afternoon, to say au revoir to friends. Night was falling when we took our leave, promising to return. By 10.30pm we were tucked up in our beds in Bangkok refreshed and ready to face to next week.
Monday, 7 January 2013
1-2-3
The first and second of Jan are public holidays in Thailand. 25th & 26th Dec are just any other day to them and they work. Despite the weather being around 35 degrees c during the day, the Thais still put up Xmas decorations in an attempt to woo tourists and make them feel at home. We spent the first 2 full days of my stay chilling and staying fairly local. Jan 1st could almost have been a day at home since the highlight was a trip to.... wait for it.......... Tesco's!!!! Lunch in the food hall was however, nothing like Brooklands, Weybridge or Addlestone. We proffered my clubcard on my smart phone app to see what would happen. The poor girls didnt know what to do and was going to find the manager to get it sorted, but Andy quickly saw when the joke had gone far enough, and proffered his local one. Dinner was at Best Beef, a BBQ kind of system, where you can eat all you want within a 2 hr frame liit. Oi, as is common with all Thai's loves this system of dining. I have put a review of it up on Trip Advisor, for those who want to know more.
I used the pool at Andy and Oi's condo as my hotel doesnt have one, I decided on Jan 2nd I wanted to go on one of the water taxi's that we saw plying the river alongside the pool, so late afternoon, this is what we did. For something like 50p each we had a long ride.It was maybe for an hour that the small boat plied its way through waterways that interconnect with the Chao Phraya river forming what is technically the Chao Phraya watershed. We wound our way down the backs of properties ranging from the lush and rich riverside mansions to the downright squalid shanties. Herons, dragonflies, lizards and rats were to be seen. I mused on the fact that one of my ex's got referred to as 'The Rat' amongst certain quarters, and wondered if in fact this does rats a disservice as they go about their business not intending to harm unless confronted or endangered themselves. We arrived at the end of the line and wandered down the road, which as it was dusk was beginning to come alive with one of the many night markets to be found in Bangkok. When we had seen enough, we jumped on a songthaew that took us right back to my hotel (http://www.thebedroomsbangkok.com/) where we had a meal together.
Jan 3rd, arrived and I wanted to do tourist things. Oi was meeting her sister, so Andy and I got the Skytrain to Saphan Taksin via the large shopping mall at Siam. By the river at Spahn Taksin, the great tourist rip off began. It sounded so good to go to a floating market by dragon boat, and even if £10 each was expensive, we were promised so much in a trip that would last between 90 mins and 2 hrs. we were ushered into a boat with 2 Hungarians. 4 up seemed to be the norm, but this was no dragon boat it was a slow and noisy river taxi type of boat. We spent 2 hrs doing much the same as we had done for 50p the previous day, but on a different river stretch. One big difference was that the temples are 2 a penny here. The floating market turned out to be one woman with a junk full of overpriced junk. I did however give in to a folding sun hat at 3 times the going rate for a couple of reasons. Firstly that I felt ineed of it then and there, and secondly it was such a good colour match to the outfit I was wearing, and indeed several others in my cases. We opted to get off the boat before the complete circuit at Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn), an amazing structure covered in ceramic pieces that glisten in the sun. The whole complex is vast; dozens if not hundreds of prayer halls with their own buddhas inside for public use . Many had ceramics on the outside, and encircle the main 'pyramid' which dominates the skyline in this area of Bangkok. We found shires to Ganesh, demonstrating the Bhuddist acceptance of all religions, and felt if we looked long enough we would find one of my beloved Kwan Yin, but the heat was getting the better of me and I preferred to sit with an iced coffee and reflect on the beauty of the shrine as a whole. Andy went off to explore for a while and came back declaring he had found the perfect place to eat. Just outside a side entrance to the Temple were some Thai cafes. Theres no way you would've eaten there without some local knowledge. Without a word of English exchanged I had a delicious plate of glass noodles with prawns and veg with a welcome bottle of water, easy on the chilli and with no MSG for £1.50. Andy speaks Thai but isnt up to explaining the MSG thing. Luckily, as we were ordering a Thai friend of his called him and he asked him to translate for us!
We took a taxi back to Andy's, a slow long trip, that with reflection should have been better if we took the taxi to the Skytrain and then slummed it back across town. We cooked a chicken dinner English style back at his flat and so manged a full day without MSG. Oi was working so we left her a portion of sprouts, 'white carrots (parsnips) and stuffing (All brought with me from UK) to try. Nice enough was the verdict but why no chilli??
So now it was time for Andy to see me home to my hotel. Its not really far - under a mile perhaps, but in this heat its not easy to walk far. Motorbike taxis hang around outside many condo blocks. You dont have to be a passenger even, you can send them to pick up a pizza for you or get some shopping at a about 40p a mile. Andy asked me if I wanted a taxi car to get home (£1) or if I wanted to climb on the back of a bike it would be quicker and cheaper. Something told me to go for it, and I jumped on the back (well not quite as agile as that) and off we went down the busy Sukhumvit Road - no crash helmet or protective clothing, wind tussling my hair. It was an amazing few mins for me and I again experienced a freedom I have not had since I was about 17, and found myself watching dawn break over Skipsea Sands, with Bob Dylan's Mr Tambourine Man playing in the background, perfectly summing up the situation and emotion of the moment.
<<<<<<
Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship
My senses have been stripped, my hands can't feel to grip
My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels
To be wanderin'
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it.
>>>>>>>
I used the pool at Andy and Oi's condo as my hotel doesnt have one, I decided on Jan 2nd I wanted to go on one of the water taxi's that we saw plying the river alongside the pool, so late afternoon, this is what we did. For something like 50p each we had a long ride.It was maybe for an hour that the small boat plied its way through waterways that interconnect with the Chao Phraya river forming what is technically the Chao Phraya watershed. We wound our way down the backs of properties ranging from the lush and rich riverside mansions to the downright squalid shanties. Herons, dragonflies, lizards and rats were to be seen. I mused on the fact that one of my ex's got referred to as 'The Rat' amongst certain quarters, and wondered if in fact this does rats a disservice as they go about their business not intending to harm unless confronted or endangered themselves. We arrived at the end of the line and wandered down the road, which as it was dusk was beginning to come alive with one of the many night markets to be found in Bangkok. When we had seen enough, we jumped on a songthaew that took us right back to my hotel (http://www.thebedroomsbangkok.com/) where we had a meal together.
Jan 3rd, arrived and I wanted to do tourist things. Oi was meeting her sister, so Andy and I got the Skytrain to Saphan Taksin via the large shopping mall at Siam. By the river at Spahn Taksin, the great tourist rip off began. It sounded so good to go to a floating market by dragon boat, and even if £10 each was expensive, we were promised so much in a trip that would last between 90 mins and 2 hrs. we were ushered into a boat with 2 Hungarians. 4 up seemed to be the norm, but this was no dragon boat it was a slow and noisy river taxi type of boat. We spent 2 hrs doing much the same as we had done for 50p the previous day, but on a different river stretch. One big difference was that the temples are 2 a penny here. The floating market turned out to be one woman with a junk full of overpriced junk. I did however give in to a folding sun hat at 3 times the going rate for a couple of reasons. Firstly that I felt ineed of it then and there, and secondly it was such a good colour match to the outfit I was wearing, and indeed several others in my cases. We opted to get off the boat before the complete circuit at Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn), an amazing structure covered in ceramic pieces that glisten in the sun. The whole complex is vast; dozens if not hundreds of prayer halls with their own buddhas inside for public use . Many had ceramics on the outside, and encircle the main 'pyramid' which dominates the skyline in this area of Bangkok. We found shires to Ganesh, demonstrating the Bhuddist acceptance of all religions, and felt if we looked long enough we would find one of my beloved Kwan Yin, but the heat was getting the better of me and I preferred to sit with an iced coffee and reflect on the beauty of the shrine as a whole. Andy went off to explore for a while and came back declaring he had found the perfect place to eat. Just outside a side entrance to the Temple were some Thai cafes. Theres no way you would've eaten there without some local knowledge. Without a word of English exchanged I had a delicious plate of glass noodles with prawns and veg with a welcome bottle of water, easy on the chilli and with no MSG for £1.50. Andy speaks Thai but isnt up to explaining the MSG thing. Luckily, as we were ordering a Thai friend of his called him and he asked him to translate for us!
We took a taxi back to Andy's, a slow long trip, that with reflection should have been better if we took the taxi to the Skytrain and then slummed it back across town. We cooked a chicken dinner English style back at his flat and so manged a full day without MSG. Oi was working so we left her a portion of sprouts, 'white carrots (parsnips) and stuffing (All brought with me from UK) to try. Nice enough was the verdict but why no chilli??
So now it was time for Andy to see me home to my hotel. Its not really far - under a mile perhaps, but in this heat its not easy to walk far. Motorbike taxis hang around outside many condo blocks. You dont have to be a passenger even, you can send them to pick up a pizza for you or get some shopping at a about 40p a mile. Andy asked me if I wanted a taxi car to get home (£1) or if I wanted to climb on the back of a bike it would be quicker and cheaper. Something told me to go for it, and I jumped on the back (well not quite as agile as that) and off we went down the busy Sukhumvit Road - no crash helmet or protective clothing, wind tussling my hair. It was an amazing few mins for me and I again experienced a freedom I have not had since I was about 17, and found myself watching dawn break over Skipsea Sands, with Bob Dylan's Mr Tambourine Man playing in the background, perfectly summing up the situation and emotion of the moment.
<<<<<<
Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship
My senses have been stripped, my hands can't feel to grip
My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels
To be wanderin'
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it.
>>>>>>>
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Food Problems
Having serious probs with Thai food. We always knew that my aversion to green Thai Curry and things high in chilli didnt forebode well for my stay, but I am suffering with 2 other ingredients. Sugar - they add it to everything!!! Last night I sent salad back several times before they got the message not to smother it with sugar sauce. Its added to fried rice, all savoury sauces, fruit juices and soup. So far I have only had one really high blood sugar reading but you have to be on your guard the whole time. Its really worrying me that I wont get through the rest of my 3 weeks here without a serious problem. Right now I am wide awake again after just 2 hrs sleep. This happened last night, and I put it down to jet lag and my body clock thinking it was not bed time. I have been tired all day, had an early meal and half a bottle of wine. Again after 2 hrs sleep, I am wide awake. Tonight I realise that I am also sweating like a pig despite the air con keeping the room at 22 c. I now can see that this my allergic reaction to monosodium glutamate kicking in. I specifically asked that they kept it out of my meal tonight. To be honest it has to be a really high level for me to react like this, as I cope with small amounts of it OK.
I know that Thais find it difficult to understand European food preferences. For instance tonight beautiful bottle of red wine (Chilean Cab Sauv) turned up in an ice bucket and the 3 wine glasses were full of ice. Hell did I shout! Luckily the wine was not poured and it soon recovered. Maybe they didnt realise the requests for leaving out flavour enhancers were for serious health issues. The only solution I can think of right now is self catering, which was not what I wanted. Blood sugar is 8.5 which is just marginally above limits.
I know that Thais find it difficult to understand European food preferences. For instance tonight beautiful bottle of red wine (Chilean Cab Sauv) turned up in an ice bucket and the 3 wine glasses were full of ice. Hell did I shout! Luckily the wine was not poured and it soon recovered. Maybe they didnt realise the requests for leaving out flavour enhancers were for serious health issues. The only solution I can think of right now is self catering, which was not what I wanted. Blood sugar is 8.5 which is just marginally above limits.
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
New Year's Eve
When midnight came I was drinking, and laughing with smiling young Thai's who were the colleagues and friends of Oi. Happy New Year everyone!
Getting There
I had wanted to visit Andy in Thailand ever since he went there to work just over 2 yrs ago. Finally it was beginning to look like I could afford it for a couple of weeks. I had tentatively earmarked a fortnight in Nov, when my luck began to change rapidly. The first thing was work, took off madly. It meant that taking time off in Nov or Dec would not be possible, so I began to look at Jan. With the work, it would mean I could definitely afford it. Then an amazing stoke of luck involving auctioning something a friend was throwing out brought in enough income to double my holiday fund. I decided to spend longer in Thailand, and to go even further to Australia and New Zealand where I had friends and relatives.
Finally Dec 30th arrived, departure date. Work and Christmas meant I hadnt had time to work myself up into a panic attack of excitement. Half an hour before the taxi came to take me to Heathrow James and I were still doing a repack of my case to shed weight that would put me over allowance. Somehow we lost another 5 kgs and everything was fine. I had gone to town buying gifts, which was a mistake but we didnt have to sacrifice them.
My Air India flight via New Dehli was delayed by over an hour, but it didnt seem to matter to me, excitement was setting in and I was on my way. Unfortunately the plane was packed, and I had a screaming child in front of me clearly distressed about the ear discomfort she had. I had to feel sorry for her. The one thing that was really worrying me was that the last time I flew was 2 1/2 yrs earlier on a trip back from Spain. (This trip had been extended by 10 days due to a volcano with an unpronounceable name in Iceland closing EU airspace with fallout ash. Totally irrelevant to this story!) On that trip both my eardrums ruptured and permanently damaged my already compromised ears. I had been banned from flying by the hospital until late summer of 2012 as a result.
I was sat next to a distinguished looking Sikh gent who didnt have a word of English to his name, so didnt have a conversation companion. He did however, feel free to help himself to my wet wipes anytime he wanted to freshen up!! Another distinguished person on the flight (in first class tho') looked a lot like Noel Feilding, with 2 female companions one of which might have passed for Courtney Love. I thoroughly enjoyed my inflight meal of Chicken tikka massala, but I had to wonder if 80% of the flight found it a little disappointing as they were all sub continental ethnicity. The tea they served was truly wonderful - Brit style, well brewed with milk. Theres nothing like a cuppa English tea, unless of course its Indian.
After about 8 hrs I found that New Dehli transit arrangements were a shambles. We had made up the lost time and arrived on time. This meant we had 2 hrs 5 mins to get the connection. It wasnt enough, and they had to delay the departure 40 mins to get us all on. We got off the inbound flight and instead of being directed to the transit area, had to wait until the plane was empty and we were then escorted to the transit area where we had to queue to go through security again. Everyone went through the inductive loop gateway, was patted down and scanned with a had held device. Ladies had to go into a tent for this, men were done in the open, such is the delicacy of such things in India. Personally I would not have minded being patted down in full view of everyone to have speeded up the procedure. So several hundred passengers arrived at security at the same time for this. had we been allowed to make our own way the 500 yards along the walkways from arrival point to security rather than going in one mass, we could have saved at least 15 mins, probably longer.
Visibility was poor across the tarmac due to fog, so I cant comment on anything I saw of India.
Once on board the flight went well. I again enjoyed my meal - vegetarian rice with dahl this time, and settled down to snooze. We made up lost time and 3 1/2 hrs later touched down bang on time. I had arrived in Bangkok on New Years Even 2012 at 7.33pm.
Finally Dec 30th arrived, departure date. Work and Christmas meant I hadnt had time to work myself up into a panic attack of excitement. Half an hour before the taxi came to take me to Heathrow James and I were still doing a repack of my case to shed weight that would put me over allowance. Somehow we lost another 5 kgs and everything was fine. I had gone to town buying gifts, which was a mistake but we didnt have to sacrifice them.
My Air India flight via New Dehli was delayed by over an hour, but it didnt seem to matter to me, excitement was setting in and I was on my way. Unfortunately the plane was packed, and I had a screaming child in front of me clearly distressed about the ear discomfort she had. I had to feel sorry for her. The one thing that was really worrying me was that the last time I flew was 2 1/2 yrs earlier on a trip back from Spain. (This trip had been extended by 10 days due to a volcano with an unpronounceable name in Iceland closing EU airspace with fallout ash. Totally irrelevant to this story!) On that trip both my eardrums ruptured and permanently damaged my already compromised ears. I had been banned from flying by the hospital until late summer of 2012 as a result.
I was sat next to a distinguished looking Sikh gent who didnt have a word of English to his name, so didnt have a conversation companion. He did however, feel free to help himself to my wet wipes anytime he wanted to freshen up!! Another distinguished person on the flight (in first class tho') looked a lot like Noel Feilding, with 2 female companions one of which might have passed for Courtney Love. I thoroughly enjoyed my inflight meal of Chicken tikka massala, but I had to wonder if 80% of the flight found it a little disappointing as they were all sub continental ethnicity. The tea they served was truly wonderful - Brit style, well brewed with milk. Theres nothing like a cuppa English tea, unless of course its Indian.
After about 8 hrs I found that New Dehli transit arrangements were a shambles. We had made up the lost time and arrived on time. This meant we had 2 hrs 5 mins to get the connection. It wasnt enough, and they had to delay the departure 40 mins to get us all on. We got off the inbound flight and instead of being directed to the transit area, had to wait until the plane was empty and we were then escorted to the transit area where we had to queue to go through security again. Everyone went through the inductive loop gateway, was patted down and scanned with a had held device. Ladies had to go into a tent for this, men were done in the open, such is the delicacy of such things in India. Personally I would not have minded being patted down in full view of everyone to have speeded up the procedure. So several hundred passengers arrived at security at the same time for this. had we been allowed to make our own way the 500 yards along the walkways from arrival point to security rather than going in one mass, we could have saved at least 15 mins, probably longer.
Visibility was poor across the tarmac due to fog, so I cant comment on anything I saw of India.
Once on board the flight went well. I again enjoyed my meal - vegetarian rice with dahl this time, and settled down to snooze. We made up lost time and 3 1/2 hrs later touched down bang on time. I had arrived in Bangkok on New Years Even 2012 at 7.33pm.
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