When people at work asked where was I going on holiday they seemed disappointed with the answer of South East Asia. For most, they went before they were successful bankers and the appeal back then was affordability and group travel with friends. Now with families and money, why return? Except for the oldest one, who I am sure meant well when he cheerily exclaimed, “you’ll come back tanned and thin!”
It was my turn to choose a holiday after Dec chose Japan last year. Affordability, sun exposure and weight loss were not really factors influencing my decision come back to Thailand. I missed the intensity of Thailand. The time altering traffic. The clinging humidity. The endless variety of food and drinks and dessert. The poverty behind street food cart vendors. I feel freed by how different it is but how instantly you are part of it. Japan was different but it would never acknowledge you: a tourist was an observer at best and a nuisance at worst. In Thailand, from the moment you land you are involved and wanted and engaged. It makes the country seem so full of life that it is going to burst.
My favourite Anthony Bourdain episode is his Thailand one. He opens with this poetic pledge of love for the country: “It was like discovering a colour I never knew existed before”.
CR: I’m determined to pack light this holiday. DW: Somehow Caitlin was within spec at 19kg. Really makes you think about what she is not bringing… I was 13kg which obviously makes me the superior and cooler traveller.CR: Incredibly two weeks ago Gleebooks asked if I still wanted to order in Giovanni’s Room. I went home and checked my bookshelf to find that that special order had already come in, and they were trying to duplicate an old order. Little did I know hiding out in Randwick was yet another copy… So I almost owned three copies of this book. DW: The reader would not believe the amount of shit I copped for only bringing 4 books…CR: The lady checking us in at the airport complimented my Nancy-yellow suitcase. As the conversation wore on it was clear she didn’t actually like my suitcase, but thought we were two massive spergs in need of reassurance. There was an awkward moment where Declan got so nervous he declared he shouldn’t be allowed to go overseas. In an impressive show of professionalism, the check in lady politely ignored this comment. DW: Bad news Cait, the check-in lady was actually flirting with me and I was having to work overtime to rebuff her advances.DW: Insert obligatory aerospace engineer comment here. We flew an Airbus A350, which Caitlin disappointingly said might be her favourite plane to fly in. One design deficiency is the toilet door. I had a good view and nearly everyone who tried to enter took at least 3 attempts to open it. One man even somehow disassembled the ashtray in his efforts to open the door. CR: I didn’t even need to be in Bangkok to start experiencing the essence of Thailand. DW: The logic behind plane meals is baffling. We got two meals for a 9 hour trip and we took off at 10 and landed at 3pm. Are these both lunch?CR: It wouldn’t be an international plane ride without a rewatch. The plane departed at 10am and by 11am we’d been served lunch. At 11.30am all the cabin lights were turned off. This was a little confusing. It was like they were trying to expunge restless in the way they do with birds by putting a dark blanket over them to trick them into thinking it was night. DW: The movie selection was generally pretty poor. I made good progress through my downloaded YouTube backlog. Always interesting to go back and see what I thought I should watch. Highlights included a P25 radio network tutorial and getting up to date on the state of the art for LLMs in 2024.DW: On approach Thai Airways started to play songs over the PA. I can see this being a kind of weird reassuring welcome home if you fly internationally with them a lot.CR: Our cab to the hotel was difficult. The hotel is only 30km from the airport but it took 2 hours to get there in Friday evening Bangkok traffic. Declan is having a flare up because I have chosen a hotel not in the centre of the city so the directions are more confusing than the usual tourist. This climaxes in us being dropped off in a night market and traversing back alleys in the vague direction of the hotel, with Declan spitting, “this doesn’t look like a hotel entrance, does it?” In a stroke of luck, a hotel employee (with the demeanor of a henchman) stumbles on us and guides us through the warren of planks nailed over water inlets to arrive at the back entrance of the hotel. The manager looks at us aghast when we arrive, “did you walk? Actually our hotel is only accessible by boat.” DW: Caitlin was insistent on following the Google walking directions despite them obviously completely departing from any path and just taking a straight line through multiple buildings at one point. We also definitely overpaid the taxi fare by 2x, but the driver seemed so sad about having to go home through that traffic again that it softened the sting to the wallet.CR: Dinner at the hotel allows for a recovery and calm down period. DW: Our “one night in Bangkok” consisted of being zonked at 8pm and going to bed. I never did finish the video clip for the song, but I think it was pretty similar. CR: I think the song more relevant to us would be “one fight in Bangkok”.DW: After seeing the ChaoPraya Princess I, IV and VII go past in quick succession and competing with the cacophony of other catered boat tours, each one more gaudy and loud than the last, I was grateful our hotel was insulated from the wild madness for tonight.
Excellent first blog. The taxi ride story is funny from a long distance away but I can appreciate the stress after a long exhausting day. How much was the taxi and how long did it take from leaving the taxi to arriving at the hotel. I was having flashbacks to previous blogs re declan and flirting. Does this really happen or is this an over-active imagination.
Have cracked a Bilpin cider for episode 1 and what an episode!! I loved the photo of the Suitcase books and the wes anderson one of Declan on the lounge. I actually went to see Chess back in the day so very impressed at the reference. Very curious as to why you didn’t boat it to the hotel? So lucky the employee found you. You can’t fight yet because its Valentine’s Day which I am sure would be one of Declan’s most favourite and meaningful celebrations. Great start to the blog xx Mum
The taxi was 1300 baht.
Even this was a story… Declan wanted to book the taxi via the hotel so we didn’t get scammed at the airport. It was 1700 baht, which seemed a bit much, and there’s also the stress of if the plane is delayed, etc. So I pitched for us to get the airport taxi. When we got in the taxi, the man had a cloth over the meter which he wouldn’t remove until about 10minues in, and he’s obviously added 400 baht to the meter. Then he made us agree to a 300 baht ‘highway fee’.. so we definitely got scammed. But it was a less expensive scam than the hotel taxi original charge…
It was about 2 hrs in the taxi.
Declan ensured me that the flirt is real.
We only know Chess because Mimi showed us the One Night in Bangkok song the week before we left!
We didn’t boat it to the hotel… Because “you never research anything Caitlin, you just rely on luck. And one day it’s going to go badly.”
It didn’t cross my mind that the hotel was only accessible by boat… I just gave the taxi driver the hotel address.
Very happy you enjoyed the first post!
I’m just incredibly impressed that you got on an aircraft on Friday the 13th Caitlin.
I have to admit I did not watch the whole 43 minutes of the Anthony Bourdain episode (although the bit I did look at was interesting).
Very good reading.
Leo, it doesn’t need to be Friday 13th to spook me when planes are involved!
Glad you’re enjoying blog.
It’s not really a proper holiday unless you get scammed in a taxi on day one. Not getting scammed would be a bad omen that something worse awaits you on your journey. I just googled the cost and it told me $60:aus so he got a $30:present from some well off tourists. You should keep an official tally of how many flirts Declan receives over 3 weeks.
The combined lack of group research is concerning me for Laos
According to Declan the result would be the same as the number of female waitresses he meets in that three week period.
Laos is turning into a total mess.
A main activity we were booked to do – the hike where we were allegedly sleeping in hill tribe chief’s bed – has had to be cancelled due to polls for Laotian elections being held on one of the days. Then today our in Vientiane said our payment has been flagged as dodgy. Declan had to pay through some terrible Singaporean conduit to evade the fact we can’t pay in the local currency. So now we have to find accommodation on the day we arrive, and at worst Declan’s card might get blocked for suspected money laundering/fraud.
Wow. That sounds stressful. I’m confused about the money laundering. Is that his Australian bank doing this or at the other end in Laos.
Does this flirting situation apply in Australia or is it just an os event.
I thought Laos was communist so why are they holding elections.
Surely your Wise contact can help!! Do you need help???
*Revolute
The issue is actually with a Singaporean intermediary I suspect. There is no way to directly get money into the country.
Flriting is a problem everywhere.
There is nothing about communism that prevents holding elections. However Laos only has one party, so I am not sure what they are voting for in that context. Maybe a representative.
Obsessed with this first post. “Two massive spergs in need of reassurance” SENT me. And the Nancy-yellow suitcase compliment is so you it hurts (in a good way). Also La La Land on the plane… hope you thought of me when the yellow sundress appeared on the tiny screen
100% thought of you am very glad you got to see the post!! Only included it for you actually if I am to think long and hard about it.
I hate flying and to cope with it – well, really, to distract my mind – I do repeated things on long flights. One of them is watch La La Land!
Brilliant first post (bit late to the party – but now I have lots to keep me busy during a day I don’t particularly feel like being productive at work hehe)!
I agree with your dad, can you really call it a successful start to a holiday if you don’t get scammed by the taxi driver and have a fight? If tensions weren’t high then you it would mean that you guys weren’t sufficiently invested in the outcomes – which definitely isn’t the case here!
Great reference to Chess indeed – glad that my cultural education is going far 😛
Can’t wait to catch up on your adventures
Welcome MGC. Happy to have you also kicking back from work – that’s literally all the comments are on this blog 🙂
Oh no. Someone has jumped into comments 2 weeks late.
That means I have to go back and check all the old posts for funny observations.
I remember this is the day I had to google what spergs meant.
Good to see the English language continuously evolving.
Excellent first blog. The taxi ride story is funny from a long distance away but I can appreciate the stress after a long exhausting day. How much was the taxi and how long did it take from leaving the taxi to arriving at the hotel. I was having flashbacks to previous blogs re declan and flirting. Does this really happen or is this an over-active imagination.
Have cracked a Bilpin cider for episode 1 and what an episode!! I loved the photo of the Suitcase books and the wes anderson one of Declan on the lounge. I actually went to see Chess back in the day so very impressed at the reference. Very curious as to why you didn’t boat it to the hotel? So lucky the employee found you. You can’t fight yet because its Valentine’s Day which I am sure would be one of Declan’s most favourite and meaningful celebrations. Great start to the blog xx Mum
The taxi was 1300 baht.
Even this was a story… Declan wanted to book the taxi via the hotel so we didn’t get scammed at the airport. It was 1700 baht, which seemed a bit much, and there’s also the stress of if the plane is delayed, etc. So I pitched for us to get the airport taxi. When we got in the taxi, the man had a cloth over the meter which he wouldn’t remove until about 10minues in, and he’s obviously added 400 baht to the meter. Then he made us agree to a 300 baht ‘highway fee’.. so we definitely got scammed. But it was a less expensive scam than the hotel taxi original charge…
It was about 2 hrs in the taxi.
Declan ensured me that the flirt is real.
We only know Chess because Mimi showed us the One Night in Bangkok song the week before we left!
We didn’t boat it to the hotel… Because “you never research anything Caitlin, you just rely on luck. And one day it’s going to go badly.”
It didn’t cross my mind that the hotel was only accessible by boat… I just gave the taxi driver the hotel address.
Very happy you enjoyed the first post!
I’m just incredibly impressed that you got on an aircraft on Friday the 13th Caitlin.
I have to admit I did not watch the whole 43 minutes of the Anthony Bourdain episode (although the bit I did look at was interesting).
Very good reading.
Leo, it doesn’t need to be Friday 13th to spook me when planes are involved!
Glad you’re enjoying blog.
It’s not really a proper holiday unless you get scammed in a taxi on day one. Not getting scammed would be a bad omen that something worse awaits you on your journey. I just googled the cost and it told me $60:aus so he got a $30:present from some well off tourists. You should keep an official tally of how many flirts Declan receives over 3 weeks.
The combined lack of group research is concerning me for Laos
According to Declan the result would be the same as the number of female waitresses he meets in that three week period.
Laos is turning into a total mess.
A main activity we were booked to do – the hike where we were allegedly sleeping in hill tribe chief’s bed – has had to be cancelled due to polls for Laotian elections being held on one of the days. Then today our in Vientiane said our payment has been flagged as dodgy. Declan had to pay through some terrible Singaporean conduit to evade the fact we can’t pay in the local currency. So now we have to find accommodation on the day we arrive, and at worst Declan’s card might get blocked for suspected money laundering/fraud.
Wow. That sounds stressful. I’m confused about the money laundering. Is that his Australian bank doing this or at the other end in Laos.
Does this flirting situation apply in Australia or is it just an os event.
I thought Laos was communist so why are they holding elections.
Surely your Wise contact can help!! Do you need help???
*Revolute
The issue is actually with a Singaporean intermediary I suspect. There is no way to directly get money into the country.
Flriting is a problem everywhere.
There is nothing about communism that prevents holding elections. However Laos only has one party, so I am not sure what they are voting for in that context. Maybe a representative.
Obsessed with this first post. “Two massive spergs in need of reassurance” SENT me. And the Nancy-yellow suitcase compliment is so you it hurts (in a good way). Also La La Land on the plane… hope you thought of me when the yellow sundress appeared on the tiny screen
100% thought of you am very glad you got to see the post!! Only included it for you actually if I am to think long and hard about it.
I hate flying and to cope with it – well, really, to distract my mind – I do repeated things on long flights. One of them is watch La La Land!
Brilliant first post (bit late to the party – but now I have lots to keep me busy during a day I don’t particularly feel like being productive at work hehe)!
I agree with your dad, can you really call it a successful start to a holiday if you don’t get scammed by the taxi driver and have a fight? If tensions weren’t high then you it would mean that you guys weren’t sufficiently invested in the outcomes – which definitely isn’t the case here!
Great reference to Chess indeed – glad that my cultural education is going far 😛
Can’t wait to catch up on your adventures
Welcome MGC. Happy to have you also kicking back from work – that’s literally all the comments are on this blog 🙂
Oh no. Someone has jumped into comments 2 weeks late.
That means I have to go back and check all the old posts for funny observations.
I remember this is the day I had to google what spergs meant.
Good to see the English language continuously evolving.