17/12/2013 - The Grand Tour.

My first couple of days were spent visiting shops and markets in search of a silver bracelet of such quality that it would be able to adequately serve as an 18th birthday present in a far off land. Also I had been keeping an eye on travel agent boards as a way of just formulating ideas of what I might be able to do away from the relatively small hub of the old city, and gayer much perusing I eventually found myself sat at a smaller, low key travel agent having a relaxed conversation about our recent histories, including the health reasons as to how I had ended up in that place, and at that time. With the information that I had divulged completed, Moon suggested several trips that she thought I might find suitable, ruling out day trips to Chiang Mai and Laos mainly due to my lack of desire to endure the amount of travel time that would required in a potentially cramped MiniVan for a relatively short time at each of the stated locations. Instead I picked out a tour that would be more local but still away from the city that promised to incorporate visits to some interesting places, try some different foods and hopefully get a bit of a walk in too, but hopefully nothing that was too strenuous. 

    I was one of the earliest passengers to be picked up by the van when it dutifully arrived at 7:30 am, a small blessing as this gave me nearly free reign in choosing where I thought would be a good place to be sat for the coming travels. A preferable situation than being one of the later collections and running the risk of then getting shoe horned into a seat that no one else fancied being in. I picked a single seat on the left hand side and one back from the sliding door entry point. This would allow any groups of two or three to occupy some appropriate seats without the need to be break up their group, and I (with a little bit of discretion) would be able to take injections and do blood sugar.testing without anyone seeing enough as to be offended or faint if they so happened to be triggered by seeing such things. It seemed quite logical to me, but unlike my maths homework of old, I didn't have any place to scribble down and explain my inner workings. Maybe it is time to start carrying a chalk board with me.   

With the van fully loaded and everyone on board, it wasn't long before we were well on our way to our first stop. A gas station with numerous shops and food stalls was lying-in wait for us 19km and 45 minutes after I first got on board. Despite the options available here, there was only the one place that was serving up hot drinks, an Amazon Coffee unit with a queue stretching out of the door and out toward towards the carpark. I decided to give that one a miss and take the opportunity instead to walk a bit more, stretch my legs while I could and visit the mens room. Preventative action incase anything unexpected happened on the next part of the trip which could extended the time as to when chance might arise. 

    Returning back to the seat that I had vacated just twenty minutes before, I was surprised to see the bag that I had left behind earlier had magically turned into a slightly portly, middle-aged lady. Probably down to me looking a little more confused than usual, the bag then started to talk at me, bluntly stating that my stuff had been moved to her old seat right at the front as she didn't think that I would mind changing. Truthfully I kind of didn't really care too much about the positional change, but I did still feel a little put out by her assumption that her needs were greater than anyone else's. If she had simply just asked then I would have likely said "yes, no problem" and thought little else of it. I did find myself giving her daggers though over the way that it had been done. 

    With the non musical chairs finished for now and the door firmly closed at an arms length away, I perched at the edge of the 3 seater bench as we began out trip to the next point of interest. I soon adopted a position with my left leg braced out to the left in order to lessen the chances of my ass finding the floor as we drove up over inclines and around many bends, reaching Wachirathen Falls at just under the hour mark. 

I am not someone who has been overly impressed with waterfall visits in the past, especially ones that I have been to as part of wider organised tours such as the one on my inaugural visit to Asia in 2013. At this place though I did find myself being taken aback more then I thought I would, with the rising vapors from the long drop fall combining with the rays of the morning sun to help clad the scenery in misty rainbows. That spectacle aside however it was a standard enough tourist affair, with carefully positioned platforms that could be utilised for the composing of posed photos and admiration of the view at hand, when gaps in the others that were gathered at the same spot may allow for it. 

Moving back down towards the van pickup point and being careful not to slip on any of the damp logs that were scattered along the way, another shop selling coffee and food grabbed my attention and had me contemplating as to whether it was time for a little extra sustenance to help with the day. Unsure as to how long I would have to consume anything before we started off though, and also not wanting to risk any spillage of hot drink onboard whilst travelling, I chose to forgo any intake bar a couple of sips from my bottled water. I then waited patiently beside the vehicle until it was again time to go. 

With everyone ready and boarded, the side door was slid closed and we set off, making our way up through Dot Inthanon National Park until we reached a traditional village at Ban Luang. Here we were able to see garments being weaved and purchase any of the ones on display if desired, but no pressure or sales pitches were being employed. The visit to the village as a whole felt more like an education rather than anything else, and we were able to walk around for a time taking in the sights and sounds before being led towards a small roastery where we were able to try some coffee or tea. 11:30 am and I had my first brew of the day and it was one that was well worth the wait. I'm not entirely sure whether the mug design had any secondary meaning behind it, but I do admit to liking that little place far too much.   

    At Pa Tueng another 45 minutes drive away, we were treated to a basic but delicious meal comprising of soup, egg and a selection of meats and vegetables which we consumed as we sat around a long table and conversed with those around us. The couple opposite however seemed to be more concerned in trying to work-out between themselves which pronouns might be used for our guide for the day. I think the young man was getting confused by the guides decision to decorate his fingernails with varnish, but maybe that is still a no-go or contentious issue for those who live in Canada.    

The main part of the day was to be taken up with a stop at a point declaring itself as "THE HIGHEST SPOT IN THAILAND" at "2,565,3341 Meters Above Mean Sea Level" for a quick photo op. This was to be followed by a hike around the Kew Mae Pan nature trail which was a reported 2.6km with elevated forest trails and picturesque hillside paths. The views from the highest point on this loop when we arrived were largely obscured by thick, drifting clouds, but it was still something rather special. Perhaps it was a feeling brought on by exertion, the cooler temperature and atmospheric conditions, or simply the result of the low blood sugars that I had been combatting over large parts of the walk to get there, but as I stood back and rested in preparedness for the next stage, there was a sense of calmness to it all that felt almost transcendental.

On the way back as we walked along the blanketed hillside, I was struck by the beauty of a red rhododendron set out against the obscured backdrop. I still dont know why it caught me like it did. Horticulture isn't anything that I have ever shown much particular interest in, but there was something about it being there at that time, in that location in in those conditions which made it impossible not to notice. I made my feeling known to those around me and was able to take a few photographs before we moved on again, not knowing if the images I had taken would be able to do the justice to the scene I had been trying to capture. I hoped I would not be dissapointed, 

At the end of the trail I took a brief moment to dive into the restrooms and change over my now sodden top with a fresh, dry one that I had in reserve in my bag.  I then set about catching back up with the others in the group, only to find which direction to head thanks to one of the ladies in the group who could see that I lost my way and could also whistle very loudly. A skill that I am still yet to master.     

Following a quick stop at Pagodas Naphamethanidon and Naphaphoiphunisiri (a pair twin Pagodas that I had also visited in 2016) which lay nearby, we headed for one final stop at the Thai Hmong Community Market where we would be able to buy some snacks and refreshments for the journey back if wanted. I bought a hot coffee from a vendor which was actually pretty nice, but the guide was less enamored with the hot chocolate bought at the same time that eventually made its way into his hands. I think it was the lack of sugar content that caused his facial contortions, but I do not have any hard proof to back up those suspicions. 

The journey back to the hotel took just over 2 hours in total with me being dropped back to my hotel shortly before 7pm. The more negative flip side to being one of the earliest people to get picked up in th morning is that you will also likely be one of the last to disembark also. The day had been a long one in places, but overall it was one that I had enjoyed. All that remained of the day now was to get showered, change into to some fresh clothes and head out to find somewhere to eat. 

Kats Kitchen once again ended up coming to the rescue.   

 

14/12/2023 - Krabi to Change Mai.

After a prolonged ten days in Krabi and feeling like I was mostly recovered from my recent misadventures, the time had come to try somewhere else. Location wise it would have been fairly easy to jump to one of the nearby islands for a few days and locations such as Koh Sumui or Koh Lanta are well enough known that getting to such places wouldn’t have been a problem. All would be easily booked at one of the many, many stalls in and around the town that sold local experiences and onward travel. However I know by now that whilst the idea of relaxing by the beach with a book in one hand and cold drink in the other might seem appealing in thought, in reality I know that I would lose interest in such non-activity within matter of minutes. Instead I decided to fly up to Chiang Mai which was still located in the north of the country, unless someone had moved it since my previous brief visit in 2016 and whilst my back was turned 6000+ miles away.

My reason for this choice of destination was pretty much the heat levels that I had been enduring since I had  arrived from the UK at the end of October. Whilst the temperatures there had dropped into single figures in the run up to departure, almost everyday since landing had felt like a bit of a scorcher. Now with recent temperatures having been sat at around the 32 to 33 degrees mark, I had been feeling genereally unwell in myself. Chiang Mai on the other hand, whilst not cold by British standards, was currently sitting at a few degrees cooler. This I hoped might just be enough to get me out of the worst of it for a little while and allow my core temperature to settle down for a few days. I booked the flight online as usual and as the time to leave, I carefully packed and weighed my “feels heavier that if should be” luggage and took myself in the hotel lobby in preparedness for the obligatory 300 Baht taxi ride to the Airport. Obligatory for tourists at least.  

The flight itself was uneventful, Leaving at around 2pm and landing at Chiang Mai at just after 4pm. Luggage collection was quick and painfree, and as the airport itself is fairly small and compact I was very quickly conversing at the exit with a couple of ladies who helped to organise a taxi ride to the booked hotel. For me (and I think anyone going to the walled area of the city) the fare was a reasonably sounding 90 Baht, although this could have been due to my 300 baht fare mental condition of recent times. The ride was 1.5 miles from Airport to Hotel and took barely fifteen minutes, It had taken just over thirty minutes from touching down on the runway to reaching the door of my hotel room after check-in. I would be nice if all arrivals at all destinations could be so quick and pain free. 

The room at the hotel was fine, especially considering the price paid. It was large space furnished with a a good sized, comfortable bed, chair and had a nicely designed well laid out shower room that was separated from the bedroom by a glass panelled sliding door.  The shower itself was worthy go note, providing a powerful flow of water and positioned high enough to meant I did not need to contort my body to simply have a top to toe cleansing experience. There were a few negative points however. The desk space wasn’t anywhere that I felt comfortable working at for any period of time and there wasn’t much natural light that was able to come into the room itself. This lack of light also meant that a dark desk in the darkest part of the room made it so that object could easily disappear from view, but it seems churlish for any real criticism to be levelled against it for the money paid (around 750 Baht per night), It was somewhere that would be able to serve as a perfectly adequate space for a few days at least. The hallway outside though, that was womewhere that did troubled me a little being that there was a certain resemblance to a certain hallway in a certain Stanley Kubrick film that had been adapted from certain Stephen King novel. Once noticed I found that a little bit difficult to simply look past.  

      
As evening fell and the light faded, I walked around a good portion of the old city's walled perimeter, stopping after around an hour to get a Penang curry at “Kat’s Kitchen”, a simple looking eatery that had a positive overall rating on google and my second Penang in as many days, I guess we are creatures of habit after all, as much as we might wish that this not be the case. Once finished I decided that it was probably enough for one day and all that was left was to walk back to the hotel along dimly lit back streets, avoiding deep, uncovered holes, visit a 7-11 for some overnight sustenance, and hope beyond hope that there was no bouncing ball, tricycle, or scary looking twins loitering outside in the hallway when I got back.

   

Reboot - Krabi 4/12/2023 and Tiger Cave Temple / Recovery

After being back in Bangkok for a couple of weeks and then having a brief meet up with one of my brothers for a short while, I was again undecided as to what next, extending my stay at a conveniently placed, moderately priced hotel to allow for some new ideas to form. I was still unsure what was holding me back, I seemed unable to pick up and push on again in a similar manner to how I had managed in the past. Maybe it was a case the a simple, single answer did not exist and searching for the reason was an endeavor to nowhere useful. Perhaps it was more that a series of unfortunate events had led to a rift in the space time continuem, or that my mind had been turned into gravy. Ultimately though I began to lean into the thought that I no longer had any real confidence in myself or my ability to hold together in testing circumstances. The diabetes had been a consideration in the past, but now there was a temperamental eye to contend with and a bypassed heart with less than perfect wiring holding it in place. I don't know why I was letting it get to me, but I decided that the time was right for a long overdue return to Krabi town to put what was left of me to the test. 

Thankfully the flight down from Bangkok this time wasn't as eventful as the one that I had taken a decade before. This time there was no prolonged drop at XX thousand feet part way through the flight, with the only lump sticking in the throat was one that caused by the cost of the checked in luggage I had been stung with at the airport, I had booked the fights through the AirAsia website, but the carrier it turned out was ThaiVietjet. There had been no option to add luggage at the booking stage, itself is not exactly unusual. More problematic was that following the bookings being made, the reference that AirAsia could not be used on the AirAsia website to add any more luggage and the same reference on the ThaiVietjet webpage returned a message stating that this option was "only available for direct bookings". Cost of flight about 1880 Thai Baht. Cost of checked luggage at the airport, 1060 Thai Baht. Not exactly a rip off overall but more that it should have been in an ideal world.

At Krabi Airport the checked luggage was onto the collection carousel in only a short few minutes after we had debarked and it was a very short walk from there to the exit where I bought a ticked for a minibus into the town, and which also dropped me at hotel itself  The room although simple, offered all that I needed for a short stay. It was spacious, had a kettle for a hot drink or two, air-conditioning, a window to the outside world and a balcony for when the window wasn't enough.  Next to the door balcony was the door to the en-suite en-suite bathroom,  so I made a mental note to try to not confuse the two if tired or a little tipsy. I rarely drink when travelling on my own as I feel that I need to keep myself tunes into my surroundings and the state of my health as a whole.  In this climate however and away from the more intense environments I had been, I felt that I could relax a little more and just enjoy a moment. There are few things nicer than a very cold lager, or possibly three after a hot day, but I tried to not allow myself to get too carried away. In the morning still had I had a temple that I wanted to climb up to. 

I woke early with the slightest of sore throats, which I cursed about a little before taking the yoghurt drink from the fridge in order to take off its edge. A very short internal debate the commenced as to whether I should be doing this today given the newest ailment and how much of additional it might cause when added to the other metaphorical monkeys I was already carrying.  I showered and thought a little more before then drying myself down (almost pointless given what was to come) and then prepared and packed my  a daypack with enough supplies to cover the journey to come and any foreseeable challenges (primarily diabetes and fluid based). I didn't know if I would be feeling better or worse the following day so reasoned that it was a good a time as any to get it done with my self imposed caveat that if I felt at any point over the next few hours that anything was really amiss, I would put the brakes on everything and then return at a later date to try again if feasible. As of yet I had not given myself any strict deadlines to adhere to, and this was not going to be a challenge with any kind of timescale attached. I just felt the need to know whether my body was going to let me down or not when put to a test, and if id did not perform so well,  could that be or not be something that could be addressed. I walked out from the hotel reception and grabbed the first tuktuk I saw and took the 5 mile / 8 kilometers trip to the complex of shops and shrines that lay at the bottom of the Tiger Cave Temple steps.   

The time had already hit  8.15 am by the time I arrived and although I wasn't in any rush to get to the top, I did want to get as far up as I could before the temperatures rose too sharply and made the climb more laborious than it needed to be. This was the second time I had go through this endeavor before, but ones memory can prove itself to be a fickle or selective thing at times. There were bits I remembered from previous that I hadn't been looking forward to facing again. The abtual monkeys (not metaphorical) that had acted aggressively towards me all of the way up, the feeling of altitude sickness that took all but incapacitated me for a short while as I stepped over that final step in 2013. These kind of things I remembered. What I had managed to block out however was exactly how steep and brutal many parts of the route were, with some of the more challenging parts (of which there were many) requiring a large step and push up to be taken in order to get to next. I could feel that the legs had needed to start working very early on, with quadriceps, calves and knees called to do a duty far above and beyond their usual requisite just to get me up and over those 1260 steps. I took my time, stopping often and where appropriate sparking up a conversation with others going both up and down to take my mind off of the task, surprised to learn that more than a few had also been on the receiving end of heart related issues. Much to my relief the monkeys were not in a bothersome mood during my visit (perhaps they were still at breakfast), however I did start to feel nauseous after I had about 800 steps underneath me. At this point I slowed my pace a little more and the the stops also became a little more prolonged and frequent as I tried to stave off this sensation from causing problems further up. The last few flights felt shorter as the summit neared touching distance and other seemed eager to offer words of encouragement to those whose trial was nearly at an end. Or at least the first bit was 

The view from the top was as stunning as I remembered, also managing to be of the few places that I had revisited on this trip that hadn't immediately struck me as being significantly different this time around. I'm sure there had been tweaks. The gap in one part of outer wall where I had taken up the recovery position as I tried to keep my insides inside had been dutifully filled, but thankfully for me, this time the sickly feeling had not become as disabling as on that occasion, undoubtably helped by me earlier awareness and management of it during its earlier stages. The air at the top was was nice and fresh with a breeze that tried to mask the suns power as beat down from above,  but I was aware enough to not allow my ever thinning hair be exposed to its effects for too long. Factor 50 I hoped would help protect me  me from the worst with bouts of bouts cap wearing when things go too intense. I removed the cap from time to time and packed it away to avoid another captastrophe, well away that if I put it down when taking a photograph from time to time, history has proved that I may not remember to pick it back up again. As much as I liked having it since donated to me by my brother in Bangkok, it wasn't "another trip to the top" kind of "like" if it happened to get left there.  

I stayed at the top for well over an hour, which considering the limited space that is available at the peak is more than enough time to admire the views, take in the atmosphere and try to capture a little of it photographically.  The decent I remember being tough, but whether it was the passing of time or the withering of muscles, it was tougher this time that I was aniticipating.  The are railings that run alongside the path are there for a reason, and whilst a couple of hours before they had used to help haul my frame upwards, now they were being used to try to prevent a "John Wick 4" style steep step roll from taking place. Unlike that characters events though that acted as a precursor to the culmination of that particular film, any such reenactments on my part lead on towards a thrilling climax. I would not be able to brush off such a tumble with my previous medical history attesting to my inability to bounce off of hard services without suffering ill effect. However maybe it could be argues that that I may have been less likely so suffer any injuries to the legs as those had already mostly turned to jelly. My MacGyvered heart for its part had not caused any real reason for concern, a post match analysis showing nothing irregular had been recorded during the activity itself, just an increase in the pulse-rate which was obviously to be expected.  It did became clear soon after however, that my legs were not going to be shaking this one off so easily. 

It took a day and a half for me to find my way to get a message from the shop located a few doors down from the hotel. I had hoped that the aches that I had felt coming on in initially would become easier on their own, but by the time that the night had fallen at the end of that day, my mobility was being seriously hampered. The following day it had become excruciatingly painful to navigate the shallow stairs either to or from my first floor room and my attempt at coming back down the the steps at the nearby shopping plaza would have looked to any onlookers as though I was preparing to demonstrate some new kind of extreme sport. 

It didn't help me that the Krabi kerbs (great name for a band) are at least 2 or 3 times the height of those that you would ordinarily happen across when back in the UK. I am starting to question as to whether this is just a way to take the piss out of the tourists who have managed to overexert themselves in one way pr another since they had arrived at the sleep town. There is obviously no proof of this.

Unless there is. 

It might be a lifetime until the next one. 

  

         

   

'  

    

19/11/2013 - Slow start.

I have never been the best at starting out on these trips. Each time I have embarked on longer travels it has taken me a while until I could get properly moving, or feel like I was beginning to gain traction. It's at times like these that I have to remind myself of this. When I start to feel frustrated from a lack of progress, I need to remember that in itself, this isn't actually anything unusual for me. It still nags away though. 

Whilst it can feel like I am not getting anywhere, part of this issue may stem from not being best prepared for leaving the UK in the first place, which may or may not surprise some given how long my thoughts had been on returning to these parts. There were challenges that I had to overcome (or at least learn to live with) before I could get away though, so any serious planning would have taken up resources and energy that I could ill afford at the time and was required elsewhere. Also, there was no point in time where it was clear that I might be able to get a clear run at anything due to ongoing appointments and procedures. As a result and despite my best efforts, in the few weeks between a window of opportunity opening and the flight out, I still arrived somewhat on the back foot, without any real goal or plan. My hope was that just getting back away from the norm might be enough initially to start the cogs moving and that ideas might begin formulating once my head was in a different space, or in a different place. 

I spent a few weeks trimming and replacing many of the clothes that I had bought along with me, now found to be unsuitable or uncomfortable for the climate I was back in. The footwear was the first thing to be replaced, a departure I had planned for Bangkok before I had even left where I was living. About 10 or so t-shirts made way for ones of lighter, more breathable fabric, a benefit both when wearing or packed into a rucksack for transport. In total I have managed to lose nearly 2 kilogrammes in weight off of my luggage since I arrived from these changes, which is noticeable when being carried from pillar to post, to airports and buses or trains, or to a 4th floor of a hotel that doesn't have lifts. It is also possible that without those clothing changes, my baggage weight could have gone up instead of down. The joys of adapting to this kind of humidity   

Socially I am not finding my footing, but I think a couple of factors are in play here. Firstly is the locations that I have been putting myself into. The hotel in which I stayed initially whilst comfortable, wasn't really a hive of activity, or a place where you could happen to get into a conversation easily and without much effort. This is unlike some of the hotels and hostels that I have been lucky to have been in previously. The other factor is me. Whilst the surroundings will undoubtedly make a difference, having locked myself down for so long in an act of self-preservation to get myself into the position where I could back out here in the first place has had an impact, and trying to reverse that isn't anything that is coming easily. After being re-booted, unplugged and plugged back in again, perhaps I need to defragment. Or it could just be a memory problem,    

Maybe it would be easier to re-adjust to being here if places such as the Au Bon Pain coffee shop in Silom, a place where I would often find myself working at in years past, had not (like many others), changed or disappeared. Replaced in the larger part by a bank, and a smaller part of yet-to-be-utilised space, I have been able to find an alternative that has the same mix of ever-changing views, good coffee and a relaxed, workable atmosphere. Bangkok is big so I am sure that such establishments do exist and I would eventually find at least one if I were to stay here long enough, but outside of the city, there are many more places that I should try to reach whilst my current personal circumstances allow it. I need to do some research and compile a list as soon as I can focus as winging it doesn't seem to be working out so well on this occasion.

Barring a short trip to Brunei to visit a friend who has recently moved out there, there is still isn't much to write in terms of new adventures or experiences. I stopped for a few days on each side of the visit in Kuala Lumpur, a place that continues to frustrate me in its ability to keep me from fully falling for its charms as I have in several other locations. There is little doubt that there is a lot to like there. I have found the Malaysian people to be almost overwhelmingly friendly, open and helpful on each of the occasions that I have visited their country, and Kuala Lumpur is no different. My problem could be the heaviness of the air that I find makes walking less enjoyable for my weighty, western body. There are always cheap and efficient options available for fast and convenient travel in and around the city itself (and beyond if needed), but I am someone that enjoys a walk (maybe due to there being periods where even this has proved to be problematic) as it affords me the chance of experiencing the sights and sounds of the environment I am in, I just prefer to do it without sweating out half of my body weight. Love it ior not though, I am sure that I will end up passing through here several times during the duration of this journey, as similarly to Bangkok, it could be a useful place to replenish stocks and supplies whilst also being a useful gateway to other destinations. 

I may find myself falling for it more yet. 

*I will add some thoughts on Brunei (or as I like to call it Bahrain) when I get the chance.

26/10/2023 - Running down a dream.

Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?
                Morpheus:-  The Matrix 1999

    The next few days were mostly a continuation of the feelings experienced the night before, but on an amplified scale. Whichever part of Bangkok that I retread, my first impression was that everything was mostly consistent with how I had left it in 2019, but there was something amiss. It was like when you recall a particularly vivid dream that seemed to accurately portray a person, place or event at first, but soon you think about those bits that just don't tally up with reality. For me, having been away from here for over 4 and half years, I began to wonder how much of what I was remembering was an accurate portrayal, and how much was my subconscious filling in the blanks. 

Thankfully I had taken plenty of photographs over my previous stays, which went some way to backing up the accuracy of the particular details that I was remembering.

      It took me a while to get my head around the differences that I was finding out had been made. Extensive internal changes inside of the MBK and Siam Centre were thankfully not extended to the Siam Paragon or Terminal 21 Malls. The latter 2 locations were of particular use as upon arriving in Bangkok I had decided that many of the clothes I had packed to bring with me were not going to be suitable for the conditions I had put myself back into. The pair of replacement shoes that I bought on the first day was the item that I had planned on getting before I left the UK, but several t-shirts and short-sleeved shirts I felt had more than served their time. So far a total of 6 new t-shirts, 1 polo shirt and 2 short sleeve tops of a much lighter fabric type have been brought in as replacement. This may not be over yet. 

    I have caused myself a mild bit of frustration with my final packing choices before I left the UK, That nagging doubt that had plagued me in the final run-up, that I was not ready or more that I was taking too much had led to a few items being pulled out and discarded in the final hours before I left, despite my baggage weight being comfortably within my allowance. One of those things was a white USB-A to USB-C cable which specific trait was that it enabled my phone to fully charge up in just over thirty minutes. A particularly useful feature for travel I thought and one of the reasons I ended up going for this particular model. I did bring a different white USB-A to USB-C charging cable with me, but this is just a standard cable with no underlying party tricks. All efforts to track down a suitable replacement have as yet failed. The old Pantip plaza that used to be great for electronic devices is (as is maybe getting predictable by now) no longer.

This particular frustration though, may now have been given an end date
   

25/10/2023 - Settling back in (or not)

I'm not really used to suffering from jetlag, well not when travelling on a west-to-east leg at least. On this occasion however, it feels like I may be on the receiving end of a potentially brutal two-footed challenge. 

The flight had been long and tiring, and I had expected it to be as such when I booked them judging that the extra few hours flight time was worth it to try and claw back some of the extra costs I had been subjected to. Fortunately those hours passed by mostly event-free. and thanks to the added comfort afforded by exceptionally good performing noise-cancelling headphones, those 18 hours from Bristol to Bangkok only felt like about 20, thanks in part to a heart that felt about ready to pull a John Hurt in Alien on me (I may have become hyper-aware). The plane touched down in Bangkok at 12:15 p.m. Immigration was as simple and as straightforward as it could be and a short time later (when I had collected my overweighted bag from the carousel and picked up a local sim card accordingly), I was on the train from the airport towards the city centre. Here I  switched onto to the BTS (sky train) line, which then in turn enabled me to get within just a couple of minute's walk from my first hotel, which I arrived at dripping with sweat.

After sorting everything out at the hotel, I had a shower and headed back out into the heavy, overly humid evening air. Silom, a place that I first visited 10 years ago and had subsequently felt quite comfortable in, had changed. Some buildings had been knocked down or altered, with shops and landmarks that I once knew and recognised no longer existed in their once familiar forms. For the first time in a long time in that particular part of the city, I found myself becoming lost, with those absent navigation points leading on more than one occasion to me fully losing my sense of direction. One of the few things that I had left that had been resolutely reliable in the past (except in New Zealand, but there is probably a scientific reason for that somehow)

After getting some street food sorted (so good even when lost), I found my way back to the hotel, stopping only at a 7-11 store for some supplies for the fridge, enough to carry me over the next few days. Back in my room, I set about trying to write, either to make a start on an entry for the blog or reply to some messages that I had received over the past hours. Unable to keep my eyes open doing either, I gave in and embraced the cool night that was at the courtesy of the room's air conditioning unit. 

It may not have been silent, but in truth, it was close enough for it not to matter. 

24/10/2023 - The long way around

I didn’t think that I was going to sleep the night before I left, but in the end I was just too tired not to, even if it was only for a couple of hours. I did however sleep with the light on and also set 7 or 8 alarms across several different devices to try and avoid missing the coach that was due to depart Bristol at 5:50 am, in order to make the flight out of Heathrow at just after mid-day. Sometimes I can, and have, slept through pretty much anything, probably due in some part to having a bedroom located above a busy pub during my preteen years in (with early 80s jukebox hits booming through the boards at night alongside the sounds of drunken crowds). In the over-tired state that I was in, my being unresponsive to any sound when under is always going to be a bit of a risk.

I had booked the flights just a few weeks earlier and had undoubtedly underestimated the amount of effort and stress that this latest trip was going to cause. Perhaps it was a delayed knee-jerk reaction to the various trials I have gone through over the last few years, stumbling through one final hurdle at the eye hospital as they (eventually) concluded that the condition of my right eye was no immediate risk. “We shall see you again in 3 months” the consultant remarked at the end of my latest appointment there. “Can we make it 6” I asked politely, I’ve been trying to get off of this damned rock since 2019 now without much success (or words to that effect at least).

The price of the flights themselves were much costlier than those on the last pre-covid jaunt of (2019), however it was the quotes for insurance that I was getting that I found to be pretty mind-blowing and totally unjustified, with initial prices hitting about the £4500 mark, These figures really did start me further questioning the feasibility of what I was doing, weighing up whether it was an idea that, with all the delays incurred and subsequent personal developments, was now just something that had gone past its sell-by date. Would I be better served cutting my losses before I got too deep into the travel abyss? My frustration is that the massively increased cost is mostly a result of the heart operation that was deemed necessary in 2022, but this is flawed logic if you kind of think about it. Of course, it isn’t flawed if you are sn insurance company that wants an excuse to squeeze more money out of people. Shortly after my heart operation (I need to clarify now don’t I!?!), the consultant at the hospital excitedly declared “But we have fixed you!” and ”we will next see you in about 25 years” when I said about feeling a little down and frustrated with everything, especially as I had put so much effort in previously in trying to stay fit and healthy against the diabetic backdrop. The hard truth is that I know the condition of my heart (I have the scar to prove it) and I know that it is in good condition and I will take the meds to prevent and potential further complications down the line, How many people out there don’t have the benefit of having that level of understanding? yet still I’m the one that insurance companies deem as as a higher risk? Should it not be the other way around, maybe?

Anyway, I booked the flight on October 5th, for departure on the 24th. This was almost immediately after I had received the all-clear to do so from the eye hospital. 19 Days might seem like a long time to prepare, but truly it didn’t feel that way. The last time I travelled away was back in 2019. Now it seemed that everything had become harder and more complex. I found an old list of things I had packed previously, but this time the list seemed to be twice as long, and with it my bag (when finally packed) felt twice as heavy. The departure date came around quickly and the night before left I was still trying to cull the contents to balance the weight and bulk between the luggage to be checked in at the airport and the smaller amount that would be taken into the cabin with me for the flight. My medication took up a sizeable amount (I couldn’t risk losing that in a lost luggage situation), and then there was the laptop, tablet, camera, spare batteries et-al that left little room or weight to spare. I woke up at 3:30 to get ready for an early off, but even then I still tried to rearrange everything again before I left, pushing my timings dangerously close to the limit. As I rushed to leave the house and close the door of the place where I had been living for the past 2.5 years for the final time, a most welcomed phone call came out of the blue. My uncle, an early riser by nature I think, was calling to see if I was away or if I needed a lift. I don’t think that I would have made that coach without him. It’s almost as though I have had previous!

With his help I arrived at the coach station with time to spare and boarded the coach to Heathrow. 2 hours later I arrived at the airport and entered the terminal, ditching the hoodie I was wearing alongside my waterproof jacket. I still felt like I was carrying too much baggage for where I was going, but I would have time enough to sort more things when I settled on the other side. But before that I had to get through check-in, get a coffee and a bite to eat and then endure one hell of a trip to Shanghai then back down to Bangkok. 

The long way around to try and claw back just some of the losses I had incurred, mostly due to being knowingly fit and healthy.