Having rested sufficiently from my vacation as well as the long flights from Bangkok to Taipei to SFO, I feel I am ready to resume a normal life, whatever that is. Anyway, the vacation trip was excellent as usual but this time the emphasis was on my friends in Pattaya and Sakon Nakhon instead of sightseeing. There was that but socializing was the main focus of things this time around.

The vacation started with one week in Pattaya where I spent considerable time with my friend there. From there I moved on to Bangkok where I met up with a friend from Sakon Nakhon which is in Isan territory in northeast Thailand. After several nights in Bangkok we took a daytime train (2nd class coach) up to Udon Thani (also in northeast Thailand) where we spent several days. From there we moved over to Sakon Nakhon for two days/one night and his house and we also took a day trip via bus up to Nong Khai where we ate lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant over looking the Mekong River from the Thai side of the border. After our time in this area we returned to Bangkok via first class sleeper on the night train for one more week before we each returned to our respective homes. BUT, before doing that we also took a local train up to Ayuttaya, the ancient capital. We had both been there previously but it had been several years for both of us.

I was not feeling one hundred percent when I left SFO and while nothing serious occurred, a persistent cough dogged me all the way and still does. I tend to have a bronchial condition in the winter here which is usually only relieved by warmer and dry weather. Sure had the warmer weather in Thailand but not dry weather as the humidity is always higher there than here. This time it seemed that their summer weather pattern had never really left in late 2007 or else was getting an early start in 2008 as this was the hottest and most humid January I have ever spent there. Also, it rained at Pattaya one day (this is supposed to be the dry season) and we had some heavy rain in Bangkok before I left the country.

Incidentally, for you fellow train buffs, the "first class" sleeper equipment was manufactured by Hyundai of Korea in 1996. Some lack of maintenance had it looking more like something much older. As for the diesel rail car coaches on the second class train to Ayuttaya, they were manufactured by Hitachi in 1983 after a design by the Budd Rail Car Company in the U.S. from the fifties. Biggest difference was that each units diesel engine was mounted underneath the carriage instead of at rooftop. Those rail cars has have definitely seen better days so I wonder when Thai National Railways will purchase new equipment. Their train system seems to be fairly efficient, all things considered, and everything is very well organized at Bangkok's main terminal, Hua Lumphong, where there is now direct access to the subway so one does not have to cross six lanes of traffic at surface level. Taxi and bus queues were all very efficient and busy places.

While Bangkok's subway and Sky Train systems are modern and efficient, their city bus system leaves everything to be desired. This was my first time on city buses as I rode the buses several times with my friend as he wanted to save a little money (they ARE cheaper than the subway and Sky Train) but are subject to much delay due to the city's horrendous traffic jams. Some buses are not air conditioned so one must "eat" the fumes from other cars and buses and when sitting in traffic that is no fun at all. As for the buses themselves, they need replacing, period!

Bangkok is definitely a city of contrasts as it moves into the modern era. World class shopping malls abound where you can find everything you would want from Gucci to Armani to you-name-it. Siam Paragon is the biggest and newest and sits next to the Siam Skytrain station, a major transfer point for the system's two lines. By the way, the line to Saphan Taksin Station is being extended across the Chao Praya River and the Sukhimvit line is also being extended. There is also a new Skytrain line under construction from the Suvarnabhumi International Airport which will have connections with the subway as well as one of the current Skytrain lines. These things really stand in stark contrast to the older buildings and the old ways especially the myriad sidewalk food vendors all over the city. Some sections of Silom and Surawong Roads are obstacles courses because of all of it. I write this not to complain. This is just an observation. What I do complain about is tourists who suddenly stop to look at something and act as if they were the only persons on the street thereby making it difficult for other people to squeeze by in the very narrow confines of the remaining spaces available to walk.

I did not get to Chiang Mai ("The Rose of the North") this time, much to my regret. That city has only about 150,000 residents and is a much quieter and less frantic city than Bangkok is with its 5,000,000 plus population. Oh well, next time maybe.

Returning after three weeks I must now deal with all sorts of things including a huge stack of mail plus filing income tax returns, etc., etc. Oh well, back to the real world as they say.