OakMonster's Den

I’ve done my share of long distance traveling.  Every time some one gasps when I tell them how long it takes to fly to Thailand, I chuckle a little bit inside.

“Well, it’s 11-12 hours with a 3-hour layover in Taiwan/Hong Kong/Japan, and then another 4-5 hours to Bangkok. OR I can fly direct for 17.5 hours.”

“OH MY GOD! / Da-yam! / Are you kidding me? / I could never do that!?!”

Then I will tell them that it’s not so bad any more.  On Thai Airways direct flight, even Economy seat has its own on demand TV and Interactive center.  (Seriously, Jet Blue? DirecTV in every seat is supposed to be a big deal? Puh-lease.)

Sure, some flights are worse than others.  But hey, if you ever plan to travel the world, get a grip on those hours of flights, people.

Like the jet lag I’m suffering the tail end of it right now.  I’m staying awake as long as I can so I don’t wake up in the middle of the night again.  But so far Melatonin has helped plenty.

That brings me to the list of things I have learned NEVER to get on a plane without ever again.  (Not counting a bottle of water here since nowadays they supply you with plenty of water. Thai Airways handed me a bottle and told me to keep it for refill during flight.)

1. Bonine

The wonder of a motion sickness pill!  Unlike Dramamine, this thing doesn’t make me drowsy and it lasts for 24 hours.  Being as sensitive to motion as I am, flying has never been my forte. I HATED flying and scared out of my head with every tiny little dip in the sky.  I also used to have to sit by a window or I get super dizzy very quickly, worse when we hit turbulence during meal service.  With Bonine, I don’t feel any drops except a significantly big ones.  Last year, on a boat touring the islands of Phuket, I was so adjusted to the motion that I misstepped a few times because I actually couldn’t feel the boat tilting.

Bonine is chewable but dang the “raspberry” flavor is nasty.  You’ll need to wash that down with some water.  It works like charm on a road trip and most boats.

2. EarPlanes

I discovered these over one trip when I still had sinus infection before getting on the plane.  Some forums suggested using the EarPlanes pressure regulator earplugs.  They really helped.  I usually have problems popping my ears on the way down that would either leave me kind of deaf for a few days or give me severe ear pain during and/or after the flight.  Since I got these, landing is quite music to my ears.

3. Sleep Mask

Boy did I wish I have the complimentary one of those you’d get in Economy Deluxe class of seats over the last trip!  My seat was aisle, one behind the front row with access to the bathroom. However, the green “bathrooms are free” light was so bright the entire trip there was no way I could escape it where I was sitting.  And of course, there is always a jack ass somewhere with the reading light on.

4. A well tested travel pillow

I made sure my friend got a good one before he got on his long flight to the East Coast.  Dude still thanks me for it.  Personally, I have a child’s travel pillow, pink and funky-shaped, for my daily bus commute.  You need to really test out your pillow at home first.  I don’t recommend the blow-up kind. Those things SUCK!  The buckwheat-filled beanbag pillow fits me better than any of that donut neck pillow or the oddly-stuffed one on the plane ever will.  It’s just a tad heavier than the foam bubbles but definitely more comfy.  A perfect companion for all the long hauls.

5. A warm hoodie

The plane could get incredibly cold and incredibly warm.  The long haul usually ends up being cold. Best to get comfy.  And have contingency plan to cover your eyes.

6. A book and/or a loaded MP3 player

Entertainment center died on us 6 hours into the 17 hour flight. I did have my netbook loaded with a few movies but the batteries were dying after one and a half of them.  So, back to a book first, then music later.  A laptop/netbook is nice but some times I really wonder if it was worth the extra weight I have to carry.

7. A passport holder

I always ended up rummaging through my stuff for my green card to go with the passport and then I didn’t remember where I put the card or had to put it back somewhere else. ETC.  I spent a few bucks and bought a vinyl one from Target to hold my passport on one side, green card and Royal Orchid Plus frequent flyer card on the other with my itinerary.  They fit into my hoodie pocket. Perfect.

8. A pen

Seriously. Everyone is looking around for a pen when the flight attendances came through with immigration form.  Duh. Carry a pen, people.

9. Melatonin pills

This is NOT for during flight but your first night in town when you cross time zone(s).  Someone told me about Melatonin “therapy” to get people back on track after traveling back to the US from Asia.  It supposed to help you adjust your internal clock to darkness better.  I took it before bed my first night in Thailand and I actually slept through the night on the first night!  Usually I’d be up at 4 or 5 a.m.  Victory! Second night was also a success. That was all melatonin I took.

On the way back, so far I’ve bounced back a lot quicker.  I took it the first night and slept for 12 hours. LOL.  Brandon dragged my butt outside of the house for some daylight therapy which you also need to get your clock back to normal.  What should’ve taken 4-5 days or for some people a whole week to get adjusted back to, I am doing it in 3 nights with melatonin AND getting out in the sun.

Now that it’s nearing midnight, I think I’m tired enough to actually sleep through the night on my own.  Cross your fingers!

Optional: Goldfish crackers or some other snacky foods

Domestic flights don’t really feed you any more so you’ll have to take your own.  And sometimes you’re just too darn lazy to go the back of the plane for a snack during a long haul international flight.  But if I fly Thai, I’ll probably won’t bring that any more.  I’ve found on board Thai Airways this time that their mid-flight snacks are much better than the crackers.  They have bananas, apples, and oranges back there with cheese and crackers leftover from another meal service.  And if you want a cup-a-noodles, the attendance will hook you up with one.  Neat, huh?

That would be my travel essentials.  How about you?  What else do you or would you bring on a long flight?

I told you about my multi-talented friend Note, the co-owner of Kinnaree Gourmet Thai and tarot card reader extraordinaire.  The latter, at least our group of friends think she is anyway.

I promised Note that I would blog about my month-to-month prediction, so that as time ticks on, we can come back to see how accurate she really is.

Before we get to that, what she said about my overall future gets me giggling.

She said that although I am a team player, I work better alone. Same thing with my social life, great with friends and going out but rather be at home.  She said that I will do well in an international environment. And that if I was to change job, I will find success in working on my own with international connections.

Gee. Doesn’t that sound like I should persue blogging and writing full time? LOL.

She also pointed out that my generosity and willingness to help people will get me in trouble.  Yeah, well, that was proven last year when I loaned money to childhood friend who actually was scamming off everyone she knew. Her poor mom was following her trail paying off the debt, including mine. But I digress.

Also I have to watch my dedication to work. Note pointed out that my doing well at work often means I’m so consumed by it and neglecting the household. Again, that’s true. I lost myself in whatever it is I’m involved in and forget to take care of my personal life.  Brandon knows this well from 2 years of Thrill the World back to back with my Big Gala.

Now, the 12-month prediction.

December: There will be secrets involved either at work or at home. Somebody has a secret and that will complicate things.

January: Watch out for some work harmony issue. That schpiel about me being too generous has something to do with that.

February: Great partnership at work and at home.

March: Other people will have bad news that I would take it upon myself to worry about.  It’s not my bad news but I’ll be bothered by it quite the same way.

April: The lady doth daydream too much. LOL. Something about me not being able to concentrate on the present, instead dreaming about things that could be.

May-June: There will be some obstables I must get over in these two months. Everything will be a struggle but I will win in the end.

July: Disappointment, she said.  That was the only word she gave me for July.

August: Temper rises and there will be some “third hand” interferences in my life. Like someone will try to mess things up for me.

September: I will “lead the army to victory” at work.

October-November: Again, obstacles. This time I will get tangled up in things. I will feel stuck. (Gee…during that time of year, could Thrill the World be something I get tied up on??)

There. You now also have the map to my future year. Stick around to see what may come true!

As for now, Note didn’t mention in her cards but I’m enjoying the time at home.  I had lunch with my family and the Aunties today.  We stuffed ourselves silly with a seafood feast, had great conversations, and remembered mom while at it.  Her friends miss her dearly and I once again serve as the proxy for my mom in hanging out with her friends.

Tuesday is Lalai Sap with the Aunties, movie in the afternoon with a friend, and dinner with Gnarly Kitty.  Wednesday is a day-trip to Aunty Or’s house in Khao Yai now that it’s finished and completed with the backyard orchard, corn field and mini rice paddy.  Thursday looks like a lunch  and shopping date with sister in law and dad. Friday is exclusively all Gang of 4 and a night out with Tong per our tradition. Saturday, last lunch with the family and off to California I go.

International lone wolf, I am!

Sawaddee from the Big Mango, y’all!  A nice, crisp, 75F “winter” Bangkok, no less.  I am enjoying the cool morning here.

I arrived at dawn yesterday and what a day it was!  My brother and sister-in-law picked me up in his brand new BMW X5.  We had breakfast and I was left to myself all morning.  I unpacked, played some piano, and took a crack at the Nikki Heat novel before succumbing to sleep after lunch.

My friend Note called to wake me up and off I went to her condo for a 4:30 p.m. pool party that didn’t happen. LOL.  Another friend showed up and we just hung out waiting for other people.

Meanwhile, in addition to her Kinnaree restaurant, Note has developed a new talent for tarot card reading.  I experienced her talent first hand last night which I will post later. Yes, it deserves its own entry!  Let’s just say that my general card is a Star. So is Lily’s.  It’ll be a good year next year.

The gang later assembled at Kinnaree Gourmet Thai on the back patio, away from general population.  3 other friends showed up for dinner. A few of us partook in a bottle of prosecco.  One of the friends brought home made cupcake and Note was off to assemble an “Earthquake” platter.

Those who are familiar with Swenson’s Ice Cream chain would know that an Earthquake is a big bowl of several scoops of ice cream.  At the request of our gang, Note emerged with a platter of almost every variety of ice cream she had at the restaurant.

I had a plate of half eaten cupcake in my hand as I reached over to get a scoop from the platter.  And SPLAT! The cake landed onto the ice cream.

“Oh my god! 2012 on a plate, you guys! Cupcake meteor!”

We laughed our heads off then.  And of course, I would repeat the same thing a little while later.  After I stopped laughing, I downed the damn cupcake to prevent future disaster.

We then took the party back to Note’s condo where we hung around as two more people get their fortune told, provided commentaries and real estate advise as we went.  All with the background of this cheesy modeling show Thailand has on, sponsored by a “talent” school, teaching modeling, stage presence, acting, and singing type deal. The models were quite horrible less this one girl who can actually act.  There was one hot boy on there that overacts worse than Henry Rollins on Sons of Anarchy.  I thought he was hot until I saw him work the runway. Smarmy and over abundance of narcissism killed it for me. But I totally digress there.

The next thing we knew, the girls’ phones started ringing. It was close to midnight and their moms were wondering where they were at. We knew we all had to go home.

My dad and brother just got back from a business trip this morning. I got to eat breakfast with them, now both are back in bed sleeping off their tiring trip.  I am going off to hang out with Lily and Joy and her kids at Royal Bangkok Sports Club for a swim and lunch.

The plan so far:

Today: Sports Club. Dinner with my bro and his girlfriend. Possible trip to Night Bazaar with my sister-in-law and the girlfriend.

Monday: Lunch with the family and Aunties.

Tuesday: Shopping at Lalai Sap Alley with Lily and the Aunties. Catching a Thai new rom-com hit, almost out of the run, with 2 MD friends later that evening.

Wednesday: The Aunties are taking me to Khao Yai. Aunty Or finally finished her home and they want me to see it.

Friday: Shopping with my gang. Dinner with family.

It’s going to be a busy but relaxing week!

…I’m ready to go.

Are you ready for me, the Big Mango?

So I leave LAX tonight, arriving in Bangkok at 6 a.m. on Saturday.  (Yes, time traveling. It’s awesome.) Let’s say, I’d probably get home around 8 a.m.  I’d be done unpacking by 9 a.m. and I get to relax for a while.

3:30 p.m. I am off to my friend’s condo for a pool party.  A few hours later, we’ll mosey down to Kinnaree Gourmet Thai for dinner and drinks, my annual pilgrimage.  Hopefully, someone will drop me off at home with a nice buzz.

Yep. I’m rolling out of the plane into a party yet again.  Last year, it was my school’s homecoming.  This one, it’s like an informal reunion anyway.  It should be fun.

The rest of the week?  Outside of going to see New Moon with my sister-in-law and one-of-these-days-sister-in-law possibly on Sunday and shopping with my BFF on Friday, my schedule is wide open.

Just the way I want it.

I’ll be blogging and tweeting at the weirdest hours for you Yanks.  Also, just the way I want to do.  I mean, I haven’t blogged regularly for MONTHS.  Now I can get back on that wagon again.

I have a lot of well wishes from friends an coworkers.  Of course, everyone jokes that I’d better get back on time this time and not stuck with airport closure again.  All I can say to that is that so far, the Red Shirts are indeed planning a a major protest, if they do as plan, after I leave, and hopefully, they will stick to that plan.  Additionally, we haven’t gone all out warring with Cambodia yet, so I guess I’m still okay to fly.

Yep. Little Miss Brightside over here.

See you on the other side!

Well, not EVERY mountain but just the one.

It took Brandon and I 7 years of marriage to figure out that we both like camping.  Away from the cars kind of camping.

We have been investing in our camping gear.  When we were shopping for a backpack, the staff mentioned that REI does have overnight backpacking classes and that we should check that out.

So we did.

This past Saturday and Sunday, we were in Mount San Jacinto State Park backpacking for the first time with 2 REI instructors, Greg and Michael, and 5 other newbies.  One is gearing up for a trip to Bhutan.  Two are day hikers, taking things further. One is a budding outdoorsman.  And one wants to learn to go camping in one pack instead of a carload.

Of all of these guys, we were the least in shape.  Brandon has activity-induced asthma. And I, like how I was telling everyone else, have a case of activity-induced wussy.

It was no surprise that I came in dead last everywhere we went.  However, it was definitely a surprise that I came in anywhere at all.

With 22 lbs. (10 kg) of pack on my back.

And just for perspective, that’s 1/5 of my body weight.

On Saturday morning, we all met early in Rancho Cucamonga REI for gear check at 7 a.m.  Bright eyed and bushy tailed, we quickly bonded over the fact that none of us, less one, had done this before.  We all had a chance to run amok the stores to be fitted with a pack or finding a tent to rent.  I traded in my rain jacket for a kid’s sized lined one and a pair of convertible pants/shorts cargo–both kids size.  We had some more talks and split up the foods, and then we were on the road to Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

The tramway shot us straight up to 5,900 feet (about 1.8 km) from where we were.  Thank GOD for the Bonine I took earlier for the van ride from REI, I would’ve barfed on someone during the tramway ride.  Hahah!

We found ourselves a spot on the observation deck to battle with fearless squirrels have lunch.  Thankfully, I had the mind to put 2 containers of sun-dried tomato and roasted red pepper bruschettas into one of our gallon zip lock bag as they leaked all over the place.  After lunch, we repacked everything and double bagged said containers.  We came to find out later that one of lid had cracked on transit.

Then we hiked down what we have come to call the Switchback From Hell to the Ranger’s station to learn how to use our compass and maps and GPS units and to further acclimate ourselves with the altitude.

Everything reminded me of Brandon’s parents’ house in New Mexico with both the scenery and the thin air.  And I thought, oh yeah, if I could totally handle Red River, this altitude thing shouldn’t be too bad, I thought as I popped a few Aspirins to cope with the altitude.  (The Aspirin trick is a remedy Brandon’s folks always have us do before we started the drive up from Albuquerque.  It definitely helped stemmed the altitude headaches.)

The altitude kicked my ass like USC kicked San Jose State’s.  (Knew I was going to tie that in somewhere, didn’t ya?)

2 miles (3.2 km) to Round Valley with about 600 elevation gain. It doesn’t sound like a lot but with the terrain and the altitude and the 22 lbs. on my back, that was the longest 2 miles of my life.  Brandon and I brought up the rear with Instructor Michael behind us.  And then we had to go from Round Valley up another hill, I’m guessing half a mile, to our campsite.

This was where I hit that proverbial “wall”.  Marathoners, according to this guy here, hit that when their bodies literally used up everything its got.  In many cases it’s in our heads too, like in “Run Fatboy Run”.  And now I knew what that was like.

I wasn’t out of breath like I was earlier on the hike.  My legs just said no. Brain stopped thinking about the fact that the campsite was only just another 2 minutes away: it just didn’t want to me to go any more.  I told Brandon and Michael that I had hit the Wall and that I needed some time to get my brain in the right place again.  Seriously, I could see the top of the hill from where I stopped but I wasn’t going to go anywhere any more.

Without a word, Michael came over, took my sleeping pad off my pack, and continued his slow-and-steady pace up the hill.  That was all I needed to get me back on my feet and got the campsite.

The spot came highly recommended by the rangers and now we knew why.  The view at the site was beautiful, totally worth extra work.

We set up our tents and started in on dinner of pasta with pesto or bruschetta with chicken (chunks in pouches).  At this point the oil from the leaky tub was everywhere and onto everything.  Pretty much anything we touched food-wise at some point was oily and/or smelled like the bruschetta.

I took the liberty and named our little group the Bruschetta Brigade.

And they in turn named me Captain Crunch for unknowingly contaminated the pot of pasta when I used my sand-crusted gloves to break up the noodles. Whoops. Poor Stephanie and Pam got to eat that crunchy batch.

That night, the Brigade split up into two groups: the Summiteers who would actually summit San Jacinto Peak, and Team Tamarack who would do a mild day hike to Tamarack Valley and then clean up the camp for the Summiteers.

The following morning, Instructor Greg and 3 guys left a bit late on their schedule to summit San Jacinto.  Team Tamarack was all girls except for Brandon and Instructor Michael.  We cleaned up the “kitchen” and pretty much packed ourselves up except for a day pack for our little hike.  I was excited to be walking with just the camera. Photo ops, here I come!

Tamarack Valley was gorgeous. We even spotted some deer while we were out!  Michael packed us a lovely little lunch of hard cheese, tomatoes, and salami.  The Summiteers checked in on the radio and they were running about 2 hours behind, having left late this morning.  So we headed back to the site to finish up.  I was still a little winded going back to the site so that deflated me a bit.

So we packed up everything we can, and just as Michael was saying the boys weren’t going to make it back on time, I spotted the Summiteers coming up the hill.  I started cheering and the rest of Team Tamarack followed.  The Summiteers did so well!!

We helped everyone packed up the camp and got some group shots.  And down the hill we went.

I was feeling pretty good. My toes weren’t hurting all that much and I managed to not get too winded most of the time.  I really struggled with the weight going downhill.  Every step down was a little scary like I was going to tip over.

Everyone eventulaly went past me and Brandon, who was helping me down every steep step, except for Francis who injured his toes summiting, Kevin who wanted to actually look at some scenery on the way out, and, of course, the ever patient and encouraging Michael.

This little group did get to witness the marvel that is my agility when I slipped heading downhill.  Trying to gain my footing while balancing the weight on my back, I somehow ended up with two trekking poles firmly on the ground in front of me, facing up hill.  Zero biff.

I may not have the physical strength or stamina, but I am definitely plus 10 on biff avoidance.  That little maneuvering proved to be entertaining for all.

We re-grouped at the Ranger’s station where we first set off.  And off we went to attack the Switchback from Hell.

I was out of breath mid-way up the first ramp with Brandon in front of me.  Michael was once again right behind me.  He said gently to focus on the shadow of the rails cast on the path in front of me and to take VERY small steps.   I started my steps and I heard his trekking poles made the rhythmic clacks behind me.  Automatically, I tuned into the clacks and got in a pace.  I stopped for breaths at every bend.

Michael never once rushed me.  Just as he never did on the way in.  He waited patiently for me to get a hold of myself, physically and emotionally, and then get moving.

3 turns away. I hit another wall. This one was emotional.

My feet were still going.  I wasn’t in pain or anything but my heart was fluttering and my eyes were tearing up.  I felt like I either have to start crying or throw up, one of the two.  I did neither and I finally got to the station where everyone was waiting for me.

I tossed my pack and sat down to catch my breath.  I couldn’t catch one and started coughing.  A blessing in disguise really.  I was actually crying by that point but I claimed that the heavy coughing got me teared up.

In total, at least what I think I did, the distance I covered doesn’t sound very impressive: round trip (to/from camp and to/from Tamarack Valley) of about 8 miles (13 km).  But there’s the 700 feet (213 m) in elevation gain in all of this and with only 2 hours to adjust to the altitude when we started out plus the weight of the pack on your back, that there was a true butt kicker especially for those like me who are pathetically out of shape.

All in all, I did it. All 22 lbs. of it.  All 8 miles and 700 feet of it.

On my own two feet.

This is probably the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my life so far.

Last weekend in Florida was amazing. The weather was just like Thailand which I totally adore.  A quick change from the dry California heat, I tell ya.

We didn’t have a chance to adjust to the time change so we woke up too late each day to try to do anything.  It’s pretty much Coconut Grove and the wedding.  That was it.  No South Beach here.

We ate at Green Street Cafe twice. And I would seriously eat there for every single meal. I mean, with a mojito like that? I would be dangerous to live close to that joint.

Here are the wedding pics. It was wonderful, beautiful wedding.  So casual. I mean, the groom skipped down the aisle and both bride and groom cracked jokes with the officiant through the ceremony.

Irena and Danny, here’s to your grand future together, kids!

The good ones are finally all up on my Flickr set.  Here are a few.

So I went to sleep last night around 3:30 a.m. (6:30 p.m. Thailand Time) and woke up at 10 a.m. (1 a.m. TT).  Obviously, my body, although starving, didn’t want any food at the actual noontime having been woken up “in the middle of the night” and all.

Thank goodness that we made plan with Aurora and Dresden for lunch and afternoon outting.  Otherwise, we would’ve come home and crashed out.  And that wouldn’t be good for our readjustment to PST.

Oh yeah, the melatonin pills.  I will take that tonight.  I know that I didn’t do the whole melatonin regimen thing people do to get over jet lag quickly.  But hopefully I will sleep through the night and wake up okay in the morning.

My body thinks it hasn’t slept all night and now it needs lunch. *sigh*

Repost from my Thai-Blogs.com entry.

We finally are leaving Thailand tomorrow. Out of Suvarnabhumi, to my father’s relief. Getting up at 4 a.m. to go to Bitec check-in point for U-tapao would be torturous for the poor man.

My planned 2-week vacation was extended to 19 days of bliss laced with frustration, thanks to the airport closures. However, it’s always good to be home. Things are always changing around here in the Land of Smiles. For better or worse.

So here’s my best/worst list of my recent trip home.

Best: Extended vacation.

Worst: Brandon’s extra week of time off he actually didn’t really have…and therefore eating into the time I was to spend alone with my family and not having to worry about him. It was fun, nonetheless.

Best: Tony Jaa’s action and fight choreography in Ong-Bak 2.

Worst: Ong-Bak 2 as a movie. Seriously. It sucked as a movie but awesome action sequence clips. The story of the last heir, lost in the jungle, seeking revenge, had potential but it was not well developed nor well told. Oh, and digital blood? That was fun to spot too.

Best: Fusion massage at Angsana Spa at Sheraton Grand Laguna Phuket. The best massage I’ve ever gotten in my whole life. (Ask for the therapist named “Cherry”. She’s awesome!) I mean, I was a little jetlag still that afternoon, but I fell asleep so hard she tried to wake me up a few times to flip over.

Worst: The price. Let’s just say that for the amount I paid, I could’ve gotten 10 traditional Thai massage on the beach or 5-7 “oil massage” elsewhere. It was still worth it to me.

Best: Food. Oh my god the food. Not just Thai food but everything else too. I can’t possibly tell you of all the places we’ve eaten so, I’ll break it down gently here.

First, the two standards. We had Thai at my friend’s Kinnaree Gourmet Thai in Sukhumvit Soi 8–always an excellent place with creative and spectacular cocktails. We had to go back twice to Greyhound Cafe for the bacon and egg fried rice, prawns and soba salad, and their Pink Cooler blended juice blend, once at the Emporium and another at Central Chidlom.

We had Vietnamese at Thang Long at the end of Soi Langsuan–mediocre food with exception of a few items.

We had Italian at Torlente, also at the end of Langsuan–old staff and chef of now defunct Pan Pan, delicious but nothing to write home about.

We had a barrage of Japanese grilled goodness at Kuu at Central World–place was packed but the bitty skewers were really good with impressive sake list.

We had hand-cut, freshly made ramen at Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao at the Erawan’s Urban Kitchen on the corner of Rajdamri and Ploenchit–yummy noodles, bleh service.

We had the best of Thai and Western food at Thai Airways Catering out by Don Muang Airport, close to Jay Leng outlet–this is what they serve first class passengers and all VIP at their lounges, wonderful food and desserts. Ladies, make your way here. The waiters are sooo gorgeous! (Word is their general manager picked the good looking ones…)

We had French fusion at Angelina at Central Chidlom–a bit pricey, hit-or-miss with the food, but oh so right and oh so French-tastic with dessert and pommes frites and garlic aioli.

We had German brats and sausages, pork legs, and saurkraut and potatoes at the Goethe Institute off of Sathorn Road. I must say the German style pork leg tossed in Thai “yum” spices was better than the original.

We had popcorn at the Central World movie theater. I was perplexed when the attendant asked “What flavor of popcorn would you like?” Apparently, you can get it in salty (plain + salt), sour cream, caramel, and barbecue. American popcorn is better despite the variety of flavors, I have to say.

Off the boats at the Damneun Saduak Floating Market, we had egg rolls, young coconut water, coconut pancakes, pork noodle soup, and Kanom Bueang aka Thai dessert tacos.

We also had food on the side of the road to Khao Yai National Park. Not sure exactly where we were, but the place is famous for their ham and ham steaks. They fry up their ribs + steak to crispy goodness and..a;lskjd;o; Sorry. I had to wipe the drool of the keyboard there for a second…

Worst: Our stomachs just aren’t big enough to eat everything.

Best: Hanging out with my mom’s best friends and served as my late mother’s proxy on a few of the essential trips. They missed her on their excursions and having me there seemed to fill a little bit of the void. The Aunties took us out for lunch at the aforementioned Goethe Institute. Then to do some shopping for silk at The Old Siam. And finally, they took us on a day trip to Khao Yai National Park.

Worst: Having to hold our tongues the whole time as the Aunties tell stories of joining the “mobs” and all other yellow-shirted tid bits. Endearing, but frustrating at times.

Best: Got to see Khao Yai National Park at its greenest. Gorgeous jungle covered mountains and valleys. Roads owned by monkeys. Braking for deer and screaming inside the van for the other car to stop for the deer. (Poor Brandon and our driver possibly lost their hearing for the next hour after that incident.)

Worst: Shelling out for Brandon’s entry fee of 400 baht, ten times of the local entry fee of 40. One of the aunties said we could’ve stuffed him in the back of the van, and nobody would’ve known.

Best: We were pulled over for allegedly speeding up to the tollway booth. As our driver discreetly offer him money, the officer said, “Thai police these days don’t take any bribe.” The van full of aunties exploded in applause.

Partly, our driver mentioned that he works for a “Madame Or”–which is the nickname of Thaksin’s now ex-wife–which is not really a lie as my aunty is also named Or. Haha! Partly, as the aunties believe, is because Brandon was up front with the driver and the cops don’t want to make bad impression. Obviously, none of us believe the officer was truly “honest”. It is sad how we’ve become so jaded.

Worst: Spotting more check points coming back from Khao Yai through Saraburi. Agricultural trucks were being pulled over. Our driver told us that the cops pulled those guys over, inspect the cargo, and ask for their produce instead of money, or sometimes in addition to.

And finally…

Best: My postponed return date allowed me spend Father’s Day and weekend with my dad. We went shopping, had dinner, and saw Ong-Bak 2, something he would probably wouldn’t have done on his own. Now THAT was the best part of the trip.

Worst: Because we were staying at my house, we didn’t get to enjoy the 2,000 baht a day stipend other stranded tourists get at their hotels. Oh well.

The long weekend is winding down.  So much had happened in our two weeks here in Thailand, the entire country can use a little break.  Seriously, the political scenes seem to have quieted just enough to get through the weekend.

The tourists can certainly use the break.  Suvarnabhumi is open again.  Those of us who need to go/come home now can, and those who are coming/leaving here on holiday can too.

On Thursday, Brandon and I took a little bit of an early start on the long weekend by taking a day road trip with 4 of my mom’s best friends to Khao Yai National Park, 3-hour drive northeast of Bangkok.

The aunties wanted to do this for me, and I wanted to see Aunty Or’s new home being built at the foot of the glorious mountains.  Brandon would also appreciate getting out of town for a while and see the real jungle.

Above all, I was proxy for my mother.  Her friends miss her so dearly.  My mom used go on these trips with them all the time.  Even the house that is being built right now, Aunty Or has my mom in mind and designed it to include wheel chair ramps for future “old ladies expedition”.

I have chronicled all that we ate along the way here.  The part not mentioned will be explained later when I have the pictures.  Let’s just say, after we paid the ridiculous amount of “foreigner fee” for Brandon at 400 Baht while all of us paid 40 Baht each, we did get our money’s worth.  All the monkeys that came rushing to the car everytime we pulled over or slowed down, and all the other monkeys lounging around the highway as if they own the road (probably because they do!), some deer and fawns, and tons of butterflies.

Friday was the King’s Birthday and Father’s Day.  We let dad did his thing and when we was right and ready, we set out for a fun evening.  Dad got a hair cut and so did I.  I was going to make dinner but we were so hungry that we ended up eating at Angelina, a little French cafe in Central Chidlom.  (Review later.)

Dad and I left on our own later to go check out decorations over in Old Town Bangkok for the King’s Birthday.  Being a Friday night and no alcohol was sold (in honor of the King), everybody in town seemed to have the same idea.  We faught traffic out to catch just a little glimpse of it and came home.  But it was a fun father-daughter activity as dad kept pulling over illegally parked so I can run out for a shot, or slowed down in the middle of moving traffic so I could hung out the window for one.

Today was a lot like yesterday in a sense that we took it easy and just hung out with my dad.

We went to see Ong Bak 2 and let me tell you that martial arts and action buff should see this for the action AND THE ACTION ALONE.  Okay maybe for the costumes too.  The story is good but it just wasn’t told well.  Anyway, we came out laughing at the plot but did appreciate the fight choreography.

Dad took us to dinner, Japanese smorgasbord of yumminess.  Across the street was a Thai massage/foot massage place so I suggested we all get an hour of foot rub.  And we did.  And it was soooooo good.

Tomorrow is our last full day here.  We’ll be kicking it here at home and packing.  One final family meal at my brother’s condo.  And tomorrow, we’re off.

What an ordeal it has been!