We were up by 7am..ready for our pick up at 10:am with a limo to the airport....we took US Air from Tampa to Philadelphia...with a two hour layover which went fast as we looked for an extra duffle bag that didn't materialized. Now we took US Air to LAX, and we were late due to head winds, and to top it off they wouldn't check our bags all the way to Thailand for some silly reason so when we got into LAX, we had to wait for the luggage and run to get a bus to get us to the other side of the terminal to catch our Thai Airways flight....well when we got to the check in they said, no so sorry flight is closed..we asked to speak with a supervisor and she said no the flight is closed, and for us to go back to US Air to get a hotel voucher...then two seconds later the supervisor turned to us and said they would allow us on the plane...so we ran with our luggage that still was not checked to get in line for the security check which was a mile long...in line we ran into Ken's brother who was way ahead in line and that allowed us to get in line with him instead of the back of the line. Did I mention the hassle it is to go through security?
OMG, I thought I had picked the perfect comfortable outfit for the trip, a one piece velvet black jumpsuit to keep me warm on the flight, well I didn't even think how that would be to just use the rest room, what a mistake that was!!!...then oh course all my gold bangle bracelets that had to come off along with my belt and my boots...and earrings...then I had my sweet little max computer nicely packed in my suitcase, well they had to see the computer, so I had to dig it out while I was barefoot on this cold terminal floor and still keeping an eye out for the rest of my stuff that was going through xray...after all that getting everything back on and running to catch our flight which had to be over a mile run to get to...When we got to the gate there was a delay of over an hour, so what was all the rush all about?
Finally they call our flight, we get on and we past through second class and saw the seats recline all the way into a bed...wow, but those were not our seat. We were in third class...lol...the plane was beautiful and the flight crew was so pretty in their flowing purple and pink uniforms, they looked like porcelain dolls, the flight was almost ready to take off when they passed through the cabin with hot towels for us, which was so nice after such a long day. The seat came with our own tv monitor with endless movies and games along with music. After take off they came by with a lovely drink service and they didn't charge us for water or sodas, the reason I mentioned it because on US Air they charged us for drinks (sodas and water) along with a charge for a sandwich. So here comes the meals, a wonderful Thailand meal of rice with sautéed vegetables, fresh warm roll and dessert, all served with real silver ware and a glass for your soda. Ok so we're fed and settled in we took our sleeping pills and got ready to watch a movie. We snuggled in with our pillows and fell asleep...
Next we are awakened with hot towels and breakfast, yeah we're almost there, but we were so wrong, there was still another 9 hours to go after breakfast, I thought to myself then why did they wake us? So we ate our cheese omelet and hot croissants fresh juice and we took another sleeping pill and went back to sleep for another four hours when they woke us up again this time for a hot lunch, rice and sweet and sour port and dessert and fresh bottled water, yummy all very delicious. Still we had over two more hours to go, still dark outside. So I went to take a walk to see the flight attendants and took some great pictures of them, they were so nice and so beautiful and so elegant. They are what the USA flight attendants used to be like, but not anymore. Well we finally land and go through customs all a breeze, I was thinking if we were to have brought the dogs with us what a nightmare it would have been running through the airport and through security it would have been... So I'm very thankful to Clarissa for watching them while we're gone....We took a taxi to our hotel on Khao San Road and unpacked and headed for a two hour massage...something we had been thinking about all the way there!!!
OMG did that feel wonderful, Ken and I had our massage in the same room by these two real sweet Thai ladies that really knew their trade, as soon as they started all our troubles faded away and it all seemed worth while...Afterwards we had our hair washed and then went to get a bite to eat...I had fried garlic rice and a huge Thai beer. Ken had the same only his had shrimp and eggs no beer for Ken...after dinner we walked around and I bought new luggage because mine was pretty beat up. There were street vendors selling anything and everything I felt like I was on one of those food channels on T.V seeing all these strange foods..
How about some pure protein from insects? mmm yummy!!...I'll pass
The new one was $29.00 with a built in lock what a deal! we walked up and down the street and saw all the street vendors with all they had to offer, incense, cloths, anything you can imagine. We then came back for a nap and when Ken brother arrived we were ready to go see the town. I was so tired that I needed a nap before I head for some night life in Thailand.. Well I never woke back up and ken was sick, he had food poisoning!!!! Poor guy was sick all night long!!! Thank God for immodium that my neighbor made me bring with me....But I never woke up that is how passed out I was, I slept through his whole ordeal!!!
We wake up the next day to Ken's brother Jeff knocking on our door for breakfast...Ken still not feeling up to par, but we meet him down stairs for a bite to eat then off to the biggest mall I had ever seen I was like a deer in head lights!...but not too long into the mall that ken was sick again so we had to leave, I was so bummed but knew he was turing green....got back into our room Ken went right to sleep, still feeling sick...I started to blog our experience before I forgot all the details...Ken still not well.
So I let him sleep and went upstairs for some well needed pampering, a two hour massage, one hour oil massage followed by an hour of herbal heat massage...didn't know what that was but it sounded healthy and soothing...after the one hour oil massage,
it switched to the hot herbal, which was two packs of mashed up herbs, ginger, and other things I can't pronounce..lol all rolled up into this pounding style ball....while I was getting the oil massage these two little rolled up herb balls were getting steamed hot...then she started to pound my body with this hot padded ball of herbs, felt very good, and I figured it was a healthy blend for my skin....here is how they pound the herbs and make the brew...
Then I went for a much needed pedicure, boy do I feel spoiled! I went to check on Ken and he still didn't want to get out of bed so I went and got him gatorade and brought him back a fruit smoothy and a tortilla with sliced bananas and chocolate drizzled on top...But he couldn't eat it so I did...by this time it was around 8pm so I headed for bed, I know it is early but our bodies are so out of whack....
To my horrible surprise I woke up at 1:am so sick, vomiting and diarrhea till 7am....OMG I wanted to die....when Ken went through this the night before I had slept through his whole ordeal, I was unconscious from the long flight...But he was right there for me all night long as I cried and was slowly turning into liquid!!! We were supposed to have returned to the big mall that day but I was so weak and felt so achy and still very queasy...Ken went to the Pharmacy and got me some anti nausea medication and an antibiotic for the stomach bug that was turning me into liquid Donna...lol...I was not laughing!!!
I started to feel better then when I realized I had also a urine infection that was killing me, so off to the clinic we go, sure enough they tested me for it and I did have one, so more antibiotics and pain pills...by that evening I knew the infection was under control, I was so relieved...I only got out of bed to go to the clinic and back to bed I went with chills and still queazy...Ken brought me food but I couldn't even look at it much less taste it...so another day wasted because of this crap in my system...couldn't figure it out, I didn't drink the water, only bottled water, one beer, fried rice when Ken had dinner the first night, he got ill but not me? So we still can't figure out what made us sick?
The next day Jeff, Ken's brother reported that last night he had been sick all night too, and he has lived in Thailand for over 10 years, so maybe it was a 24 hour flu we were lucky enough to catch on the plane and pass along to him maybe? Who knows, all I care about is that it never happens again....I miss my doggies I so needed my Yoda and Honeybunny to sooth me when I was sick....But Ken was there like my little nurse and he did a real good job tending to me as I was such a baby....
Now we're are feeling better to continue our journey to Pattaya south east of Bangkok to visit there along with Ken's brother...it was a two hour van ride just to pick up all the passengers going to Pattaya, then a van change and luggage change to the next van, boy I was not into this at all as I was still feeling weak...Now we're all in the next van and it is another three hour drive OMG!!! I thought we'd never get there...Finally light at the end of the tunnel...we see the ocean, life comes back to my body...then were told to get off the van and into another van to go to the hotel, by this time we knew the deal, which meant that we had to go to all the different hotels to drop off each passenger, so we bailed with all our luggage and got a taxi...The hotel Jeff had in mind was full, so we had to look for another one, mean while we're tired hot, and cranky...lol so we tried another one and they had two rooms, a little bit of a dump but at this time a bed was all we wanted...yeah a hot shower and a nap was all I wanted, but There was no hot water...S#$%!!! so we tried to take a nap but couldn't so Ken suggested before it got dark lets go look for a place to get a bite to eat...outside our room across the street were only strip joints with beautiful Asian or Thai girls working the poles and hustling passers by...I again was like a dear in head lights...one girl who was real pretty with long black hair and a beautiful petite body with very sexy clothes on was working the men at the bar, (I could see all this from across the street) it was an open bar that faced the streets. Well that pretty girl I mentioned bent over to get something off the floor and when she did I knew she was not a real girl, she as I learned was called a Lady Boy....I don't care, I have no judgement, I was just shocked at how much a lady she resembled and what a surprise some poor unsuspecting guy would discover...
Before I left On this trip I took a 30 day challenge, to bless everything I see, and to judge nothing other then it is all good....well it has been a real real challenge to say this is all good as I was hugging the toilet....so I looked at her and blessed her and said to myself it's all good....lol
We got a taxi and went to the only place that I would trust the food, even thought we were not sure if it even was the food and not just a flu bug, but at this point I was taking no chances, so we see the Hard Rock Hotel, lets go there, so we went in and it was completely beautiful and empty, Ken and I had the same thought, lets see how much to stay here? So after dinner (a bowl of soup was all I could handle) we got prices and said we could do this tonight and transfer all our luggage or book it for tomorrow...After the long day we had we decided in the morning after a night of rest...The Hard Rock's pool area reminded us of Hawaii with huge water lagoons and loungers and tiki huts to sit under, after all that is what we had in mind when we booked our trip...
So after dinner we walked down the beach which is a main drag with hundreds of bars, strip joints,stores after stores, tons of motorbikes a complete sensory overload!!!! wow so much action there that it could last you a life time...Now I see the attraction to this place, lots of older single men with young Ladies (it's all good)...lol...we couldn't handle all this so we got a cab and headed for our hotel for some quite sleep.....well the bars were just getting started, they were now at almost full throttle blaring music and the loud noise of traffic right outside our room...(it's all good)
After a very restless night we get up early and pack and get Jeff and we leave the Hotel and we're off to our safe haven the Hard Rock Hotel (it's all really good) lol...we check in to an ocean front room on the 7th floor with a soft mattress, (by the way the mattresses were so hard in all the other hotels my hips were so sore I couldn't lie on my side) it's all good!!!....here is a picture of our room...and our view
Yeah I have access to the internet from the privacy of my own room, not in a crowded internet room....I'm in heaven...It's ll good...we had breakfast, a real meal for me in four days, fried rice and papaya, I know it's weird but they have rice for breakfast...it tasted so good now that I psychologically felt it was safe....it's all good!
We come back to the room and Ken takes a cat nap while I recap everything here....His brother calls to go for a walk around town and to the mall, so no nap for me, we take a brisk walk at warp speed for no ungodly reason I was so pooped, we could have called a taxi, but Jeff (ken's brother) monitors every cent...lol... it's all good..The mall was not like in Bangkok at all...I was disappointed but oh well it's all good....we separated from Jeff and we walked the mall while he did his errands....we took a cab back...
My tummy still not at its highest...did I mention that I have been scratching my skin to pieces?...From process of elimination I think it is the pain medication they gave me for my bladder infection, so I stopped it. and I also stopped the antibiotic because it has been two days now and it feels as if it is gone....Plus I can't drink a beer or sit in the sun without disintegrating on those antibiotics...lol...it's all good
Did I mention everywhere I went they pointed at me and said you look like Shakira....I just smiled and bowed...lol it's all good ;)..that's because I'm the only blonde anywhere I go...lol Like a pomegranate in a basket filled with limes...it's all good!!
Tonight Jeff (ken's brother) is taking us on a tour of the red light district here God help us!!!! it's all good...Oh by the way that itching around my neck and arms, well I sprayed some perfume that my sweet neighbor Carol gifted me before my trip on those spots and I ran around the room screaming like Richard Pryor on fire.....it's all good!! by the way it is Dec.19th it's all a blur....until later.....
Ken in our hall way with the Beach Boys...lol
Dec 19th...met for dinner, still my tummy not 100%, but I played it safe and ordered fried rice from the hotel...then we took the journey to the unknown, the wild red light district which really is everywhere, but this one place had a mile of open bars on both sides of the street with ladies calling all the men that walked by to go into their place..music blaring everywhere...it was a scene from star wars when they stepped into that weird bar...lol...saw maybe two couples with girlfriends or wives from home, the rest were all single men with lady's of the night everywhere you went....this is Las Vegas on steroids!... but Jeff said we had to see it to believe it so I was game...there were too many bars to count on just one street...makes New Orleans look very very small...but the music was really bad, loud and the bands couldn't hold a tune singing American songs with accents so heavy that it made it not understandable...oh well when your drunk and have one of these ladies telling you how wonderful these men are who are paying them life is good ( for them)....I saw men that probably at home would never be looked at by a pretty women, and here they can have anyone they choose and at least feel loved even if it's just for a few hours of an illusion ...no judgment just report the facts please don't kill the messenger....;)...
As the city grew from a fishing village to Thailand’s busiest resort area over the decades, women flocked to Pattaya from all over Thailand, but mainly from the poor Northeast, to make a living entertaining foreign men. They work as go go dancers, massueses, free-wheeling waitresses or simply ‘vacationers’ hoping to pick up a easy-spending ‘farang’ off the beach. Of course, the tourist industry is huge and also supports an even larger number of respectable women in Pattaya, earning a living honestly. Not everyone you meet here is ‘up for grabs’, so show alot of respect.
This culture is all Buddhist , they don't steal, or kill, or lie, or cheat, and they honor their parents....sex to them is a way of life as natural as making stir fry...they all have smiles on their faces, they bow to you after you pay them even for a coffee....they bow to you when they first see you and its that way everywhere...they are hard working people trying to make it above poverty, so they are not ashamed to do what it takes to feed their family, the girls send all their money to their parents to help them, they all are very close..you see sex to them is not a bad thing, to them it is a win win, the man gets his needs met and she gets her rent paid and food for her family....I'm not justifying it just reporting...and they all seem so happy, men are treating them to dinner and drinks and more cash then they'd make in a month....it's all good....sending blessings to them!...it's all good
It’s not difficult to find women to keep you company in Pattaya, the lanes along the beach road are lined with bars loaded with skimpy dressed girls who’ll happily go back to your hotel for the night if you come to a suitable agreement. The whole scene is rather festival and open, without the usual sleaze associated with prostitution. Some find it fascinating to sit and people watch, and if you’d prefer to sit among it all and quietly sip a beer and watch the ‘footie’ on TV, there usually won’t be any pressure on you.
Go Go dancers dancing on platforms in skimpy outfits...tiny ladies, they must have weighted at least 85 pounds tops!...please God make this night end!!!! it's all good....couldn't wait to get back in my room and shower!!! to cleanse my aura!!...did I mention while I was standing there looking around I felt something drop on my fingers and I looked up and there were a bunch of birds and one had just dumped his crap on me, but I'm thankful I was not looking up with my mouth open.....lol...it's all good!! so being the germ aphobic that I'm I tried not to panic thinking I might catch some rare bird poop flu!....This week has been a rough week for us...signing off and going to bed and try to forget this night ever happened...here is a picture of one of the dancers...it's all good
Tomorrow all I want is a massage and to sit by the pool and not leave the grounds...Ken feels the same way..Monday we leave for Koh Samui where the Island is quite and we have a little bungalow booked next to Jeff on a peaceful beach....this is what we have been waiting for....I had not planned this extra trip to Pattiya, but it sounded good at the time....it's all good....signing out till tomorrow....
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