Blogs from Chiang Mai, North-West Thailand, Thailand, Asia - page 366

Geo: 18.8, 98.98what else does Thailand has to offer... indeed a nice relaxing place to be in...It was. Generally, the 90's was the time to be there...Well...Guys been there in the 70's, 80's told me actually that was the time I should have been there... Judging from everything I have experienced, I simply believe such statement. Only one thing I can say today...2016...It's to late, don't bother any longer trying to find the true Indochina...It's not there anymore. Thailand is a bit like Majorca...Everyone goes there to party...not to mention the flights from Europe are almost as cheap as flying to Majorca... 99 EUR one-way from Berlin...Ok guys...My final very valid statement... I have absolute beautiful memories of my life in Bangkok in the 90's, but it's finish...I am done...I have left Thailand for good a ... read more

For our trip north to Chiang Mai, we decided that there was no way on earth that we were going to brave the economy class again. We paid the supplement, which actually was not much and we travelled on the VIP class no less. This was a whole different ball game, with reclining seats, hostess service, TV and a warm face cloth in the morning. The funny thing to notice was that the Thais tended to take the VIP buses and left it to the foreigners to take economy. Ignoring that fact that we could not understand a word of it, the Thai television was the pits. Nothing but game shows followed by more game shows. I don't think they would have been any more entertaining if we could have understood them. The whole idea of ... read more

As you will recall from a previous blog from 1967 (see ) in my senior year of high school I was a member of the topographical survey crew that surveyed the top of Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand. Seven years later I was assigned as the construction manager for the construction of the radar station on top of the mountain. My immediate boss was a 62 year old American civil engineer who had his vocal cords removed due to throat cancer which required him to carry a note pad around to give instructions. The contractor kept all his notes for a future contract claim. He was responsible for the road construction and for the radar station on the two days I had off (Sunday and Monday). He knew that this was his last job ... read more

During my winter vacation of 1967 Darryl arranged a job for me with Philco-Ford. For $.95 per hour I was the rodman-chainman-instrumentman on the survey crew that conducted the topographical survey of the top of Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand. I flew to Chiang Mai and was greeted at the airport by Thai dancing girls. I'm pretty sure it wasn't for me. I spent a couple days there before climbing the mountain. While in Chiang Mai I contacted Ed, a friend who was a pilot with Air America, to see if he would fly me over the mountain so that I could see what was the best route for a road to the top. However, Air America wasn’t contracted to do this sort of thing. I took a bus to Chom Thong, where I ... read more