Monday morning, Bangkok

I keep forgetting to put these two little fact in this blog.

1. Since I have been in Thailand and Laos, I have not had a bed with two sheets. The beds have all had a nice tight clean bottom sheet, and a thick quilt type cover folded on the end of the bed. I have a silk travel sheet (kinda like a sleeping bag,) and I have used it every night of the trip. It has come in very handy.

2. The eating utensils here are a large spoon (not a kitchen spoon but larger that a teaspoon) and a fork. No knives. If I need to cut something, I hold it with the spoon, and cut with the fork. Sometimes however the fork is so flimsy that the tongs bend, so I cut with the spoon.

If, however, you are eating Chinese or Korean food, they eat with chop sticks. .... My thought on this subject is that the knife, fork, and spoon we use in the US is a better system, but so far no one here has thought to ask me, so I'm staying silent.

Oh yea, one more thing that seems kinda strange. In some of the Guesthouses, you leave your shoes at the front door, as you do here in many stores, and all houses. But what's strange is that when I am leaving my room, and trying to make sure I am taking everything I need for this excursion, and I feel like am leaving something as I walk out locking the door behind me. What it is of course is that I am walking out of my room and locking the door barefooted!

Yesterday, Sunday, I went to church with my friend. There are three Protestant churches in Vientiane, Laos , all of them government controlled with no foreigners allowed in leadership.

It was a nice church service, with communion. Very much like a service in the States, and the back two rows had earphones for English interpretation. There were 200 or so people in attendance.

After church we had lunch and I went to the bus station to catch a bus to Nong Khai, Thailand. It is just inside the border and where the Thai train to Bangkok begins. Leaving Laos, you first go through Laotian immigration, then cross the "Friendship Bridge", (border bridges around the world are called "Friendship " ), then to Thai immigration. Always take off your dark glasses and hat at immigration so they can compare your good passport photo with your sweet face, and now most take a picture of you for their records .

I had an upper berth on this train, and that calls for good pre-planning. The upper berth is only about two feet high, so "squirm around" room is limited and strained. You kinda need to get everything for the night ready and in place before you crawl up into the berth and fix the curtain.

I got my socks and my windbreaker on, my water, my day bag, and my headlamp flash lite and book all in place, and snuggled it. It was very nice and I only woke up once. Oh yea, to get in the berth I had to climb this skinny little ladder with thin (narrow) steps that really hurt my feet when I climb the ladder. So this time I just wore my sandals up into the berth, then removed them. It was much easier getting down not worrying about my feet hurting.

The last train was 4 hours late. This train was on time so we arrived in Bangkok at 7:00 this morning. I had reserved a room in the "Your Place Guesthouse",just across from the train station, and up a little dead end street. Since I'll only be here til midnight tonight I got a room with fan and no bath. It only cost 320 baht, which is a little less than $10.00.

So, I checked in, took a good hot shower, turned my travel home clothes in for a good washing, had a good breakfast (egg,toast and coffee included with the room), and then just hanging out in Bangkok, waiting to catch an airplane to Atlanta!

I leave tonight at 5:30 a.m., fly to Japan, then direct to Atlanta I think, or I may go back to Detroit, not sure. It's not important, cause whatever it is that's the way I'm going , and I end up in Atlanta,..... that's important.
I'll write again from Moultrie telling about my flight.
Thanks for coming along with me.
Johnny Ray

Saturday morning, Vientiane, Laos

I sent some photos to Anna yesterday and she posted them. They follow this entry. They are not spectacular like so many of my photos are -lol!

Yesterday was a day for equipment maintenance. A hand strap on my backpack was about to strip out. It is a little hand strap on the top of pack that every bus man and baggage handler grabs to throw my pack around with. It's about to rip out. And then on my DAY BAG (man purse) the strap is pulling out of its seam.

So I set off from the hotel with two sets of directions, one close, one 10 to 15 blocks away. The one close did not do that type work, so off to the morning market to find the shoe repair man. I was told if I walked up past the "Black Dukka" - an ancient Buddhist temple, I guess - I would have no trouble finding the shop.

I got to the suggested location and saw no sign of a shoe shop. I asked a lady shopkeeper, .... well I didn't exactly ask, ........ I showed her my pack, and the tear, and then did my finger up and down like a sewing machine (you just can't have any pride when you don't speak the language).... Since I have had a lot of experience in this form of communication she knew exactly what I wanted and pointed to some buildings across the parking lot and street. Saying "hobb chai" (meant to be 'thank you'), I walked over to where I thought she had pointed and there was nothing there but a parking lot, a coffee shop, and a closed store.

Not being discouraged, I went back to the lady, and shrugged my shoulders, pointed at my bag, and held my hands out palms up. She just pointed with more emphasis by harder shaking her finger at the building across the street, and smiling more.

So with another "hobb chai" I determinedly went back across the street and stood in front of the coffee shop (the entire front of the shop was open). Then I noticed a table and chair at the very front of the shop and a little man standing next to the table. I pointed to my pack and the torn strap, and he just beamed and started nodding his head up and down. I showed him the other bag, and he nodded and smiled. So I said in English, "I will come back in an hour", and he said in Lao something. We both nodded, and I went to get breakfast.

When I returned both bags were finished, and through many hand signals, I found the charge to be 20,000 KIP. Actually not hand signs - just me pulling money out of my pocket and him pointing to which bills he wanted. 20,000 KIP is $2.38. That's one of the things I like about this place. He was happy --- I was happy.

That evening I went to dinner with a friend and a Laotian couple. We went to a steak Restaurant and the dinner (steak) was delicious. Not sure what cut of
meat, but very tasty. I loved dinner. Then we went to meet with a man who works all
over the country drilling water wells and other community projects. He was very
interesting and amazing.

Now back to Friday. I went to a Christian wedding in the afternoon. --see photos.
--- The Church here is a government controlled church, but can operate freely as long
as the government approves of there activities.

The steak dinner Friday night had put in the mood again for rice and vegetables.
I found a little Lao restaurant that had written on a white board in the back the
restaurant with English names of there dishes. They were all soups, so I ordered rice
soup and pork. It was good and cost less than a dollar, and I got a glass of iced tea!
Now ... not southern sweet Lipton tea, .... but cold (that's good) and not bitter.
Then for dinner I had the ole stand by, Fried rice and chicken. It was good and cost
$1.15.

I leave for Bangkok tomorrow - Sunday night - on a night sleeper . So only one
more day here in Vientiane. It is , by the way a very nice city. Clean, and
prosperous.

okay - all for now - thanks for coming along with me on this trip.
I had dinner with a friend who lives here and a Laotian couple. We went to a steak restaurant

More Photos

here are some photos -- not without much agony til I got it going!!!
The wedding -



blind girl came with CP


ring ceremony


giving gifts to family


Train - my green backpack and how luggage is stored and what aisle looks like



train station in Bangkok


and temple in bangkok


In Myanmar - street vendor selling veges to housewife


shoes out front of church in Myanmar


the church


Picture of one plank, look at tables in background to see size of board


My favorite sign in Mai Sod Thailand

Vientiane, Laos - January 28, Thursday a.m.

From Bangkok, I took an overnight train to the Laotian border, across the river from the Laotian capital - Vientiane. The train was a non air conditioned 2nd class (my choice), was a 12-hour trip and cost 530 baht ($16.30). So that included my transportation and hotel room, and just like FIRST CLASS in an airplane, there was no shower, and the toilet was at the front of the car.

I love sleeping on trains, especially with the window open and the wind blowing through. At night, bedtime, the porters came and pulled down thick screens over the windows. You could not even see through them, but air flowed through it. This was to stop thieves from reaching in and grabbing a bag or whatever when the train stopped at stations.

The drawback to a non air conditioned car is - NOISE . At night when we would pass another train, it would sound like a tornado coming though my berth. Then in stations, it seemed every one we pulled into, the man with the PA system decided to make all his announcements while our train was in station! But I loved it all.

Getting off the train in Thailand I had to catch a bus to the Laos side, about a mile away. In Laos, I went to immigration, (I had gotten my visa in Bangkok for $30.00 at the Lao embassy there), and got checked into Laos. Then I went to the money changer for some Lao money. The exchange rate here is 8,450 KIP for one US Dollar, or 259 KIP for one Thai Baht.

Wanting to save my dollars as long as possible, I exchanged 1,000 baht, and I got 259, 350 KIP.

The denominations were 50,000, 20,000, 10,000, 2,000, 1,000. Needless to say, I got a handful of money, but the real problem was trying to convert cost in Kip to how much actual money that was in dollars!
I got a tut tut with 5 other Laotians to town, for 50 Baht ($1.50). All of them went to the central market, but my driver told me to stay in, and he would take me to my hotel. Okay, great I thought. Not thinking to ask how much for the next leg of this trip!!! ERROR.

When we got near where my hotel was - he had no idea. I asked how much. He said 75,000 kip!($8.87) ... now, how much is that I thought? and how does that stack up to 50 baht ($1.50) to the market?

Man, it's hard for me to think in situations like that, but I determined to at least try not to get ripped off too bad. A few minutes of negotiations where neither party involved understood the other party. I paid him 25,000 kip ($2.95), which was probably only a half dollar to a dollar too much. So I felt okay about that.

It was getting hot now, it was about 2 o'clock, (the train was 4 1/2 late) , so I went into the first hotel I saw, The Orchid Guesthouse. It was a very nice hotel - marble floors and teak wood walls and they had a room for $10.25 with fan, no air, and shared bath (down the hall).

I checked it out and was about to go somewhere else when I met two women (western) and one was flushed and hot and tired. I asked had they looked at other hotels, and they replied everyone was full! So.... I went down and took the room I had just looked at - no more questions. It is a good room - except it is on the 5th floor. They call it the 4th here... 53 steps up. My legs are burning when I get to my room. Free exercise gym.

For lunch, I had fried rice and vegetables - the usual. But there are a lot of western fare restaurants here.

oh yea, I finally got some photos up and out, they are below in previous blog.

All for now

Photos

Johnny sent these pictures with no information. So...I'm posting them and if I get information to go along with them, I'll add later. Enjoy.......

Crystal Gale


Medical Clinic words


Another fine eating experience.


100 blocks for school


Getting the blocks to school


Breakfast downtown


village view


another village view


drum set in bottom left corner.


mountain and village


the guestroom


my room


dinner is served


comforts of home

January 25 from Bangkok

I arrived here this morning at 5:30 a.m., having come in on a sleeper bus from MaiSod.

The sleeper bus was not like the ones in India with full berths, this bus was more like business class on an airline. Nice big chairs that laid back like a recliner, and we had a stewardess, got a bottle of water, a fruit drink in a box, and a box of goodies with Nescafe instant coffee, cream, sugar, hot cup, spoon, and several packs of cookies. I never saw any hot water, but I sure did sleep good. Past experience led me to wear socks, and carry my windbreaker, and sure enough it was - cold! The bus also offered a blanket.

So you may be wondering where have I been for the last 5 days, or maybe not!

I had hoped to show you via pictures, but as happened in India, I can no longer open my SD card from camera. I thought I had learned how to prevent that - but apparently not!

I have been over on the Myanmar (Burma to Gator nation people) border visiting refugee camps. I was traveling with a Burmese and a Thai young man. It was "quite" a trip, not only in seeing the camps, meeting the people, hearing their stories, but in traveling with and eating and sleeping with my host and the folks that put us up.

My sleeping was always good, but the mattress and bed may have caused a few a proplem. All my beds were a two inch foam pad, either on a tile floor, or a teak wood floor. It is a test to get up in the middle of the nite from the floor, then down steps, and one time, outside and down a hill to the toilet facilities. And cold showers - well, actually I only took one! - convinced me that the Lord didn't mean for my little bod to ever be in a lot of cold water! maybe that's why I get in so much "hot water" some times.

One place had hot showers and, man, - can I enjoy a hot shower! Now 'squat" toilets are another matter!! But you do what you gotta do!!

All of our meals were - what at least - interesting. I know one place had chicken so done it could not have been bad for you, and I've never had beef for dinner that was like eating jerky - weeelll done.

Then for breakfast - now, I don't want to sound negative - but as soon as I got Bangkok today, I went and ordered two fried eggs and toast. I have eaten some strange breakfasts, like rice and pork, which sounds good, except it was more like rice and hog jowl. And my buddies ate it all - so - I jumped right in and ate all the hog jowl - fat and skin and meat and rice.

The refugees come from Myanmar and are mostly Koren tribe people. The refugee village is very old, and has cement sidewalks up the hills (steep hills), but all the houseing is traditional bamboo, with roofs of leafs. I have never seen 'leaf' roofs before, but seem to be very effective, and are very "quaint" "native" looking. You ought to see my Pictures!!! Oh, that is so frustrating.

In one village we went to a new house dedication . This is a Koren tradition, all the neighbors come and bless the house and then have a big meal. They have another tradition that is when a person dies, they have a memorial for the dead person a month after he dies and this also includes a large meal. Well, at this house on this day, it was memorial to the dead owner and a house dedication all in one. There must have been a 100 people crammed into the house, and then the dinner was large.

The meal, however, had hard rock chicken, scalding hot (seasoning) beef tips and boiled vegetables, and raw cabbage, and white rice, and beef jerky beef. The hostess fills your plate up with rice and you then scrap off what you think is too much into another bowl that stays on table if anyone needs more rice. The water here is good to drink, I guess, cause everywhere we went I drank the water poured for me. That was nice, but I also had a bottle of water if I wasn't sure.

Then we went over to Burma - Myanmar - to a church service. Myanmar is the typical 3rd world country. Trashy streets, horrible streets in residential areas. The money changers at the border are sitting with stacks of 1000 kyats bills. I mean stacks as large as say four shoe boxes put together. The exchange rate that I got was one dollar to 1,000 kyats.

At the church - after the service we had lunch. Before lunch they served a bowl of COLD thin milk with all kinds of gummy bears stick things in it. Eaten with a spoon, it was very good and refreshing, and very colorful - purple, bright green, hot pink, and kinds of things and stuff. Lunch was about the same - hot beef - stewed fish - dry chicken, fried vegetables and white rice. My staple was fried vegetables and rice.

all for now

Johnny

Call from Johnny

I got a call from Johnny. He's fine and is at a refugee camp on the Myanmar border. He does not know when he'll have access to a computer again but will be in touch when he does. Please pray for his safety. Thank you, Anna

Still in Chiang Mai-The Food Channel!

I am enduring 3 "slow" days.

On Wednesday, tomorrow!, I will travel with a Burmese expatriate, (actually a "hill Tribe" refugee), over to the Myanmar border.

My contact, I'll call him Chou, has many charitable organizations in the refugee camps along the border. The refugees are mostly "Hill Tribe people" (we would call them Indians) that have been and are being persecuted by the Government in Myanmar (Burma). It is difficult to get into the camps unless you have Thai government permission.

I submitted my papers last Friday, and should get them today, and leave tomorrow for the border.

Waiting for time to go has presented interesting problems, SUCH AS WHAT TO DO! But yesterday I was glad I had nothing to do because I had a terrible back ache and could barely walk. I know I looked like a really decrepit old man hobbling around town to restaurants and cyber cafes.

Today, I'm almost healed of the pain, so I am just happy to be up and around, and having nothing particular to do is just fine, as long as my back is okay. Good health is a blessing we too often take for granted.

This morning I was telling the lady at my guesthouse that I wanted to pay for today. Not realizing, but understanding, that her limited English consist of knowing: 1. numbers, 2. yes,
3. room here, 4. no water hot , and a few other necessary words for a guesthouse manager.

So this morning I said I wanted to stay today, what she heard was TWO DAY. I did not realize until I got my change back and saw that I was short 120 Baht's. (about $2.75). We got it straightened out with no problem.

The room has a private bath which allows me to wash my clothes, but it has no hot water.
I thought to myself surely it won't be that cold. Well, to me it was "that cold" but I eventually splashed my way through a shower.

So anyway - tomorrow I'm off on a new adventure - The Myanmar refugee camps on the border.

hopefully there will be internet shops around.
Johnny

Photos...

Cook in his kitchen where I ate dinner last nite.


Crispy noodles, this is my most favorite meal so far.



The picture of fried rice is what I had this morning, but I ordered 2 fried eggs and toast.


Ronald McDonald showing the traditional Thai greeting with hands together in front of your chest.

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Friday Jan. 15, 2010

(I am now lost in a time warp!! This blog got lost somewhere between here and Moultrie, so this is what I did 2 and 3 days ago.

And when this blog does post, the date is for yesterday, not now, it's Sunday morning here. I am in the future - so to speak. The international date line does wonders to change one's perspective on what we think today is!)


Yesterday I took a bus from Chiang Khong back down to Chiang Mai, where I was 4 days ago!
The bus yesterday was actually a "tourist van", very new, clean, air conditioned and full of tourist. ..13 actually. There was one other American, a single woman traveling alone, from Oregon.

As on my other travels, the largest group of travelers are single women! Very few Americans, most are Europeans. On this van there were three.

I arrived in Chiang Mai about 5:30 p.m. This is a bad time to arrive as most good inexpensive (BUDGET) guest houses are taken. This was true yesterday. My first 3 choices were full, so I went to my "book" and found one that was on the edge of town. I called, it had a vacancy. I jumped on a tut toot, and went there.

The place, the DUN DUN Guest House, had a good restaurant but dumpy "budget" rooms.
275 Baht ($8.33) for a plywood box with two windows, a bed and a fan. It had shared toilet and showers which were in good shape.

Now the good part was it was run by and American, married to a Thai, and the restaurant showed his influence. They had a hamburger on the menu and I discussed this with the owner, about how the bun had to be correct for it to be a good burger. He agreed and showed me the buns - they were genuine sesame seed hamburger buns!! I ordered one for supper, and it was DELICIOUS.

Today, I left early and walked back into the center of town and found a nice place for 180 baht ($5.45) with an attached bath and hot water and a pretty courtyard. Much better. But I can only have it for two nights, and I will need to find another place.

I have pictures today of my Breakfast and lunch plate I spoke of yesterday. Chicken and rice picture is what I had for breakfast, then went back for lunch and ordered the special and got the same thing.


Also, a picture of an American breakfast


and a Thai breakfast.



One picture is of Buddhist monks coming by the restaurant I was at in morning for their daily Alms, I guess. They had the owner's full attention for a while.



The last pictures are of my $5.33 guest house that I got today. The room showing the fan and bath,


and the room showing my bed,


and one showing the garden court yard.


at the barber's



Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand.

I am here waiting to get a permit that will allow me to travel to and into the refugee camps along the Myanmar (Burma) border. The camps are for "Hill Tribe people" that have been run out of Myanmar due to civil war and a harsh and violent government. There is a real human tragedy going on in that country so when an opportunity arose that I could travel there, I decided to go.

So - all for now
Johnny

Chiang Khong

(Johnny is 12 hours ahead of us. He sends blog and I post it here usually at night so his yesterday is our today.)
Yesterday in Chiang Rai (the day before in Chiang Mai, and today in Chiang Khong) I met with two old friends that I had traveled with in the past. It was good to see them and hear of them all being successful in their chosen work.
Then I went to the bus station to get a bus here.
It was amazing. I asked a person where the bus to Chiang Khong was and he pointed thataway and held up 4 fingers. So I walked thataway and came to platform sign 4, and there posted on a column, was a sign stating Chiang Khong, then a schedule of departures, the time of travel and the price.

In all my travels, I have never gotten so much information so easily from one source as I did in Chiang Rai yesterday. Now the bus wasn't so hot, maybe that is not the right word, it was HOT, but it wasn't very NEW. And with no AC all the windows were opened up 3 inches at the bottom of the window. For the entire trip no one raised a window any higher, and in fact some people closed their window!

The bus left on time. In front of me was a Buddist Monk dressed in his Orange robe, an Indian mother with a crying baby, and across from me a student with her I-Phone. All kinds of folks. The bus had wood plank floors. I've never seen that in an actual bus before. And, oh yea, there were vendors outside the windows trying to sell us a mixture of everything - chicken to kleenex.

The bus assistant who takes up the fares.... the trip cost 69 baht, about $2.25 and took a little over two hours.... is also the package (like UPS) delivery man. We stopped 4 or 5 times, and she would jump off bus with an envelope or package and deliver it to a business.

Arrived at Ching Khong about 5:30 and had a short walk into town where I found a nice guest house. Actually it was a beautiful little place. I got a room with a fan but no bathroom for 200 baht. $6.00. But the bath and toilet facilities are nice, and it has hot water showers.

Last night I decided to stay here tomorrow and hit the road again Thursday. This morning I went for a walk and found another interesting guesthouse, and inquired about a room, and for 200 Baht they had a room with a bath. The guesthouse also has a large "veranda" that overlooks the Mekong River, so this morning I left where I was and moved to the new place.

The pictures are of my bus,



my hotel Tuesday,


and my hotel Wednesday,


the lobby,


just to show you what you get for $6.00. and the restaurant I ate in this morning. For breakfast I had chicken over rice, plus some kind of tasty thin soup, and a warm weak cup of something to drink. It cost $1.00.



This restaurant where I ate breakfast and had rice with chicken, well, I decided it was a good place to eat so I went back for lunch. There was another lady there, and she came to my table with no menu, but asking did I want fried chicken and something else. I figured it was the special for the day, so I said, 'yea, great' . When she brought me my fried chicken lunch. It was boiled chicken over rice - just what I had had for breakfast! Glad I liked it the first time - and it was good a second time, but tonite I am going to another restaurant and order something with pork in it!

Also, I tried to take a picture that would show the floors in this guest house I am in now. The boards are all at least 18 inches wide and are really beautiful wood, furniture grade wood!


All for now -

Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai-Monday

Monday morning I set out to find a bus to Chiang Rai. I got a "red taxi" which is something between a real truck and a motor scooter. It has a truck bed, with a shelter over the top which comes down so far, you can really see out except the road right next to truck. You must bend way over to see any sites - unless you just look out the back where you've just been.

The bus station was very nice, with clean bathrooms for a 3 baht charge (about a dime), but well worth it compared to some places I've been! They also had a "left luggage" room where for 50 cents you can leave your backpack. Because of bomb scares, these are no longer available in the U.S., and they are very nice.

I found the Chiang Rai bus ticket office, got in line and soon had a ticket on the 11 a.m. bus. It left in 2 hours, so I was glad of the left luggage place. Ticket cost 156 baht, a little over $5.00, was air conditioned and I got an assigned seat.

I found a restaurant close by and ate a Brunch meal before traveling. The travel time was said to be three hours, but having just come from Africa a few months ago, I decided to eat before travel.

I got a plate of fried vegetables and white rice for 30 baht, ($1.00). That is quickly becoming my favorite meal. Then back to the bus station and onto my bus.

WOW - it was delux! The Air conditioning really worked. The bus even had seat belts, though no one wore them. I finally decided I wasn't going to be the only one to use them, so - no seat belt for me.

There was a stewardess, and she passed out bottled water and Oriole cookies. The highways were excellent and travel smooth and on time, 3 hours. We stopped midway, a fairly nice station, with traditional food stall and stores around the edge.

All in all - what a country. Beautiful, clean, efficient, and inexpensive.

Pictures are of my breakfast at Bens Guest house - very nice,



and the bus station,



and the clock tower in ChiangRai.



I met with some friends last night, today hope to meet with two men that I traveled with in Laos several years ago.

Today, Tuesday, I will move on to Laos or at least to the Border.
all for now.
Johnny

Train ride to Chiang Mai

I hung out in Bangkok, mostly in the lobby of the hotel I had stayed in the night before. They let me leave my pack there during the day. But at 9 I went to the train station and my train was there and ready for boarding - so on I went. The berths were already made up so there was no sitting area, just sleeping and/or laying down. I was kinda bushed from a day on the street, so up into my top berth I went with my new book. OOOHHHH it was so comfortable and cool. I had a 2nd class sleeper with AC.

I had a cup of coffee at the hotel before I left, and it must have been super caffeine because at midnight I was still awake and reading and felt great. I think if Anna had a cup of that coffee she would be awake for five days!

This morning, while still in my berth, I got a cup of coffee delivered, and then about 8:30, when the berths were put up and the seats and tables were back in place, I had a good breakfast.

The train was on time leaving - but we managed to get an hour and half behind schedule, so did not arrive in Chiang Mai until 1:30 p.m...

I got a room at Ben's Guest house with fan and hot water and bathroom for $6.20.

Am meeting some people here tonight, then tomorrow onward to ChiangRai.

Pictures are of a small train station on the way to Chiang Mai

inside sleeper car

....my little world.

later

Johnny