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Flying halfway around the world is neither a task nor an objective; it can only be a way of life. That and lots of water
(Mac's first secret of flying) got me to Thailand via LAX and Osaka. Los Angeles was beautiful, but the 9 hour layover was
trying. I spent several hours walking outside and got lots of exercise (Mac's second secret of flying). From LAX, Royal Thai
Airways provided really nice service. Meals were Thai and tasty. We crossed the international dateline sometime during the
inflight movie, so February 24th never happened. A 1 1/2 hour layover in Osaka provided another opportunity for exercise.
The terminal is new and huge, built along the same design as Munich, only attractive. At 1 AM most of the 1/2 mile long terminal
was dark. Several of us began to walk at some speed as far as we could in each direction. This seemed to upset the Japanese
police, who posted guards to limit our mobility. They are used to less restrained Americans, but I think are continually
amazed. None of the non-American passengers roamed, they just sat obediently and watched the clock.
A tall walker with a pony tail introduced himself to me by his first name, which is Al. He and his wife, Sandy, were
cruising the passageways and asked me where I was bound. I said, "VietNam", and that got his attention. He told
me that he had served one tour in II Corps around QuiNhon. I told him that I would be on that site in 2 weeks. "I have
traveled SE Asia for years", he said, "But have avoided VietNam. One day I will go back." He reminded me
of Roger Gilmore back home. When Roger heard about my trip, he replied that I would not have heard of the place he served,
a town called Can Tho. I told him that I would be there in a few days.
Off again on Royal Thai 747, "Boworonski" and a meal of Shrimp Lo Mein for breakfast brought us into Bangkok.
Shortly after I arrived, John arrived, not from the city, but from the opposite direction.. He had been hanging out in the
north where it is cooler, paying a buck a night to sleep with insects and lizards. John has traveled in Thailand, visiting
a wonderful national park. He has spend several weeks in Myanmar (Burma), and even traveled into Cambodia to visit Angkor.
I am envious. This time, we head into Bangkok and headed downtown to visit the palaces and holy sites.
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| Royal Grounds, Bangkok |
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