Trip to Home on the Myanmar (Burma) border

This trip was longer than most of our trips from California. We were a half hour longer in the air from Los Angeles to Taiwan, 14 1/2 hours for that leg, then 3 1/2 hours from Taipei to Bangkok. When we arrived in Bangkok, at almost 2:00 AM, we took a taxi for two more hours to Pattaya, on the coast.

We we got to the Sunshine Hotel on Soi 8 off Beach Road, we were told that they did not have a reservation for a double room with a terrace on the back of the new section. They did put us up in a stinky room in the old sections for the same price. Remember, it had now been 39 hours since we had been in a bed.

We showers, had something to eat and rested a couple of hours. We got up and took a baht bus (pickup truck with a rig on the back to carry people) down Beach Road and arranged for a room in Henry Apartment. We came back to the Sunshine hotel and checked out.

I did talk to the managed that we had made the reservation with from California. He told me it was our fault in making the reservation even thought Daeng and I both talked to him, me in English and Daeng in Thai. Thai's always have to save face.

I explained that, if I was the manager, I would have offered us the room free that night to make up for the mistake and got us to stay the other eight nights.

For us a nice room at Henry Apartments was exactly half the cost ($19.50 USD) of the Sunshine Hotel ($39.00 USD) so it worked out well. Our new room was right off Walking Street and just far enough away to be quiet.

We rested, eat and slept, for the next nine days. We did do a little walking to try and get some exercise. There is a lot to see in Pattaya as more than four million tourists a year visit this little fishing village. Well, a fishing village is what it used to be.

Here is a picture of folks from the tour buses taking boats to the near-by island.

We love the diversity in Pattaya. Here is a dog riding on a motorbike.

On October 6th we packed our bags took Air Asia for the hour and twenty minute flight to Chiang Rai. Daeng had arranged for a car to pick us up at the airport and take us the forty minute drive to our home in Mae Sai.

Everything was exactly as we left it. Daeng's sister-in-law, Hlong, had cleaned our master bedroom for us, as well. It was wonderful to be back in Mae Sai. We showered, unpacked and got a great nights sleep.

In the morning we were up early for coffee in the morning market. That is always fun!

Then a ride to see the little lady that camps out by the 7-11 store by the border. She always laughs at me although I know she can't understand a word I say.

The Mae Sai River was still pretty high. We're told the river was all the way to the bottom of the bridge last week. It has gone down at least 10 feet.


It's nice to be back!