Travel

Kanchanaburi, Thailand – Marching to a Lurid Ditty

31 December 2018 – 2 January 2019

What does New Year’s Eve look like in Thailand? We are about to find out.

Jane, our hostel host, assisted us by arranging a direct van to transport us north to Kanchanaburi. There were several options from bus, mini van, car hire or train. Each has its positives but it is the time factor that makes up our minds as travel time can range from 2 to 6 hours. We choose the quickest transport and arrange for a van to drive us 80 miles northwest to the small city of Kanchanaburi. We have a seat to ourselves in a packed van that speeds us north for less than $5. From the bus station, we take a short tuk-tuk ride to our hotel. We are getting to be pros at this transport thingee. (more…)

By Pat, ago

Phetchaburi – The City of Diamonds?

28-30 December 2018

Welcome to Pet Buri

One reason Bangkok and Thailand are so popular is the reasonable, if not cheap, price of travel. If one doesn’t get hung up on deciphering the language, travel in Thailand is pretty great.

My niece and I are fortunate to be lodging with Nuj who is so kind as to drive us to the Bang Bamru Rail station just north of our hotel. There we board a train traveling southeast to Phetchaburi, located at the very north end of the Thai Peninsula. The train takes about 2 hours to travel the 100 miles. Our ticket cost 31 baht. That is less than a dollar! The station workers all seem to adopt us, making sure we get on the right train. And this trip, I get a seat.

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By Pat, ago

Returning to Siam – I’m Not Reinventing the Wheel

23-27 December 2018

Wat Pho’s Reclining Buddha

Most every travel list of places not to miss includes Bangkok. My first visit to Thailand was in January 2015. I enjoyed myself but was not effusive with praise. This week, I revisit Bangkok and during my trip I will see this snarled, smoky and be-templed city through the eyes of my 16-year-old niece, Mikaela. The monuments and palaces have not changed but I expect my perception and experiences may, for this trip we travel solo. (more…)

By Pat, ago

Minneapolis, Minnesota

19-21 December 2018

History repeats itself. Sort of.

About 9 years ago, a good friend invited me along for a Moscow to Vladivostok Trans-Siberian train trip. There was one small caveat. We would go in winter. Not letting a little cold deter me from an adventure, I went to a resale shop, bought a long wool coat, dug my ski hats and gloves out, and met her in Moscow in March. 

Time seems to have dulled my memory of just how cold Siberia can get in March, where the largest freshwater lake in the world freezes several feet deep for five months of the year. So, as a refresher on cold, I flew to Minneapolis for a few days. Just how cold can it get in December? (more…)

By Pat, ago

Insuring My Travel

28 November 2018

Because I am asked many times and people seem recalcitrant when it comes to reading their coverage benefits, I will summarize how I combine insurance with travel. Everyone has their threshold for ‘emergency and what ifs’ and here is how this senior approaches those issues. (more…)

By Pat, ago

The Caucasus – Hits and Misses

September 2018

Of all the 84 countries I have traveled in the past 46 years, I have to admit to knowing the least about the countries of the Caucasus – Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. Little is written about this area beyond snippets of information, a few news flashes, and, if you know an Armenian, possibly you are aware of the atrocious genocide of the twentieth century. When I informed my credit card of my travels, I had to spell Azerbaijan for them (after memorizing how to spell it myself) and inform them that Georgia was a country by Russia, not a state near Florida. (more…)

By Pat, ago

Yerevan, Armenia

28-29 September 2018

Mother Armenia

Mother Armenia, all 70‘ of her with admirable superwoman biceps and stern composure, clasps a powerful 10′ broadsword. I suppose there is much symbolism that can be read into her presence: power, country, martyrs of war, victory in peace. I see a monumental female statue of stone warning that when people have lost patience with foolishness, they will find the strength to overcome. She may be  saying, “Hey guys, fail to do what is right, you can be replaced!”

Mother Armenia already replace one guy who failed humanity. A monumental statue of Joseph Stalin, built in 1950, was a victory memorial for World War Two. It has since disappeared from Victory Park, within sight of a kiddie park and its giant ferris wheel. In 1962, 9 years after Stalin’s death, his statue was removed from this high pedestal and replaced by Mother Armenia. You go girl! (more…)

By Pat, ago