THE WEEK THAT WAS They say travel broadens the mind - they’ve obviously never met a tourist!

[webfact]

 

OPINION | by Rooster

 

My first flight was in October 1980 and I was 19. It scared me witless. After the initial ascent the plane seemed to drop and I was convinced I’d never see my 20th birthday. I made it to Paris but I’ve been terrified of flying my whole life. I just don’t understand how heavy objects without feathers remain airborne. 

 

My first long haul flight on Philippines Air was in 1981. There were repeated lightning strikes on the end of the wing, or so I thought. I was about to call the stewardess when I realised it was a flashing light….

 

In 1982 I flew one way to wartorn Kabul on Ariana. It was one of my better experiences and only cost 140 quid. Far better than expensive school-paid-for benefits in the noughties on British Airways. 

 

On BA I once complained that the TV on the arm in the door row kept falling down.

 

“Right, you are sir,” said the purser in that condescending tone the British have mastered to put the customer down. 

 

He emerged some time later with duct tape - rather worrying for such a nervous flyer. 

 

In the 90s I travelled many times to America on THAI. This included being allowed into the cockpit over Hawaii at night that was a serene and calming experience. 

 

Far better than the time I was flying in the States and my neighbor in the aisle seat was reading in Time about the recent crash of TWA 800. The cover picture on the front of the magazine was the tailfin in the Atlantic. It had exploded in midair after takeoff from New York because of ignited fuel vapor in the tanks. 

 

I nearly brought up my airline meal, which probably wouldn’t have been a bad thing. 

 

Turbulence lasting 3 hours from Bangkok flying over India to Europe was once so bad that I thought my white knuckles would have to be surgically removed from the armrest. (I was with my now grown-up kids who I love to wind-up that they were more scared than me).

 

Once on Pakistan Airways after giving up smoking the day before I was aghast to discover that they still allowed lighting up. I exhausted the entire flight’s supply of chocolate as the passenger next to me blew smoke in my face. 

 

When YouTube came along I watched every single episode of Aircrash Investigation and Mayday becoming a bit of an expert. It proved strangely cathartic, maybe impressing on my logical (sometimes!) mind that it is “safer than being in a car” and “50% of people survive crashes”. I became a better flyer since 2005.

 

Even so, you won’t find me complaining that I haven’t been on a flight since 2018, with the pandemic restrictions and all. And despite a new batch of children as yet unable to exert enough pressure on dad to give into travel requests. 

 

Maybe it’s age - I’m 61 next week - but I feel less and less that I want to travel anywhere. So unlike those early years of excitement at the prospect of another overseas adventure. 

 

I’m giving into what I’ve always believed - that the adage about travel broadening the mind is not true; you only have to ask a British or American tourist (or any other nationality…) about that to know it’s true. 

 

Short trips anywhere are just good for photos, not knowledge. If you want to know about a place you have to live there. Consequently the only places I truly know anything about are England, Thailand and Australia. The other thirty countries are only about the anecdotes. 

 

Whether I fly again remains to be seen. Having seen some of the prices lately I think I’ll stay with my feet firmly on the ground. And a bit like a Richard Barrow clone I’ll take the train if travelling in Thailand. 

 

Or my bike. That’s far safer than flying, as we all know…..

 

As usual the week that was in Thai news in the kingdom was a mixed bag. My news editor reminded me most mornings that it was a slow news day. 

 

I felt a bit sorry for the posters who complained in a similar vein and had their comments removed amid threats to ban them for insulting the editorial staff!

 

Things did however pick up on a manic Friday.

 

No surprise then that Liverpool vs Manchester United got so many column inches. The match on Tuesday at the Rajamangala stadium attracted 50,000. The pitch had to be relaid at considerable cost to satisfy the picky stars of the EPL. Liverpool even brought their own groundsman to prod the turf, said the BBC.

 

 

This and other scurrilous practices made the ticket cost for a glorified friendly absurd, a situation that descended into shambles when they started flogging seats at 50% off on the eve of the match. An organizer told the Beeb that Thailand would never be granted a full EPL match.

 

(Mind you he probably hadn’t thought about how bad Wembley was for the Euros final last year and the cock-up that was the Champions’ League final in 2022. A report about the latter surprised no one this week).  

 

In the end the “Red” teams fielded 50 players, Utd won easily 4-0 because they had their first team on longer and I’m sure that the fans were happy seeing some of the best players in the world in the flesh. 

 

At the end of the day, they would have been over the moon, if I may delve into two of the sport’s most famous cliches. 

 

In shocking crime news a ghastly mother from Saraburi admitted taking her nine year old daughter to be molested. She even took a video.

 

Her claims that poverty led her astray were patent nonsense, a fact confirmed by the stepdad who had a steady job and said he was unaware what had gone on. Lock this woman up for two decades and give custody of the kids to him. 

 

Another oxygen thief - as the forum curmudgeons like to refer to them - was a homeless drunk and ya ba addict who kicked a 76 year old gran just a few sois from Rooster’s Ratchayothin roost. 

 

 

Give him a home in Bang Kwang for the foreseeable future. Yes, I’m all heart. 

 

In Koh Chang two young tourists from France and Spain drowned after going swimming off Lonely Beach. I remember the days when the ferry to the island wouldn’t even go in July.

 

Please, please, please exercise caution at the beach even if you think you’re a good swimmer and the waves don’t appear too bad. 

 

On Thursday Thai media reported a young doctor in Rayong drowned. He had just arrived at the beach in a Porsche. 

 

On that manic Friday for translators, came news that a Brit on honeymoon and a Thai who went to rescue him had both drowned in Phuket. They had both ignored a lifeguard and red flags. 

 

 

The same level of caution at beaches should be made when driving. Getting behind the wheel you should be mindful of being well rested. 

 

Once again the police blamed “lap nai” or microsleep for a trucker ending the life of a student and severely injuring another in the north east. 

 

Signs warning about dropping off are up all over Thailand though it's a bit unhelpful they are usually only in Thai. Straight stretches are the worst, so please be careful, recognise the signs of drowsiness and pull over. 

 

 

And don’t add to the appalling fatality statistics on the Thai roads for the want of a nap. 

 

In Pattaya a British soldier apparently committed suicide by shooting himself to death at a rifle range. He was only 35. Posters couldn’t help themselves after a warning was issued to be respectful and the thread was closed down as a result. 

 

Lightening the mood, the final thirty contestants for the unfortunately named MUT22 strutted their stuff in pink on the escalators at Icon Siam. MUT stands for Miss Universe Thailand….

 

In international news the James Webb Space Telescope sent back the clearest images yet of the early years of our universe more than 13 billion years ago. 

 

 

Omitting to mention that the Europeans and Canadians had a big hand in the project, Joe Biden said parrotriotcally : 

 

“These images are going to remind the world that America can do big things and remind the American people - especially our children - that there is nothing beyond our capacity.”

 

This is in a country where 50% of the population, presumably including the president, believe a guy with a beard created everything 6,000 years ago and Darwin is a heretic. America does indeed do great things but they are held back by religious zealotry. 

 

Midweek Gotabaya Rajapaksa the president of Sri Lanka got on a military jet and fled the devastated country after his residence was stormed. Sri Lanka is a wonderful country with great people and deserves better. 

 

The disgraceful Uber company further had its nasty business practices undercutting taxi drivers revealed in massive leaks implicating politicians. Please don’t support this firm - or Grab come to that; their long term strategies are to shaft existing businesses and the general public. 

 

In Thailand take regular taxis that are reasonably priced and provide a generally excellent service, walk out to eat (and tip waiting staff) and eschew delivery services that pollute the environment and rip off riders. 

 

Uber and Grab have conned the world and they’re not conning me!

 

In Delaware, Twitter sued Musk Melon over the aborted deal to buy the company. The world’s richest man once again has engaged in a flagrant version of insider trading. He thinks the human race can colonize Mars. He should be sent there on a one way ticket. 

 

 

In England Tory MPs cast their first votes in the contest to replace “lie-ability” Boris. Rishi Sunak (whose surname means dog in Thai) and Penny Mordaunt were the joint favorites midweek on Betfair but after Sunak won the first round of voting Mordaunt became the heavy odds-on favorite. This I guess is because several women are still in the race and MPs prepared to elect a female will likely switch to one when the field is whittled down and the vote goes to Tory members.

 

Incidentally in the US Trump is 3-1 favorite to be the next president, Ron de Santis 4-1 and Biden 7-1. But a week is a long time in politics, never mind several years.   

 

Back in Thailand health minister and Mr Ganja, Anutin Charnvirakul, denied that he had benefited in any way from the decriminalization of hemp and maryjane. Whether his lips were actually moving behind his mask was uncertain. The government meanwhile thinks it can make 25 billion baht in revenue from hemp over the next five years. 

 

 

Anutin burbled something about not seeing his hemp businessman brother in yonks. The idea that Anutin and other politicians won’t personally benefit from this huge business is absurd. 

 

Also in weed news was a story about Thailand’s marijuana policy coming under fire. I liked a comment on the forum from “Bert got kinky” who quipped:

 

“My cannabis comes under fire on a regular basis”. 

 

Also Sanook published a mini-investigation in Chiang Mai that introduced the idea of vaping marijuana to the Thai public. Rooster went into detail about the issue on “manic Friday” thanks to my own “research” on the issue….

 

Stories in English print media continued to propagate the myth that the baht is in dire trouble. The factors that have seen the dollar rise in value are myriad and outside Thailand’s control. One could equally say the baht is strong if compared against pound sterling. The pound's fall is clearly not to the liking of Blighty pensioners who inhabit AN in droves.

 

 

Firebrand Chuwit Kamolwisit was also heavily in the news giving us the benefit of his knowledge about alleged police corruption and alleged dirty Chinese money being laundered in casinos, bars and clubs. He used a series of Thai letters to create suspense first on Facebook then revealed more at a press conference in Sukhumvit. How the Thai press hangs on his every word.

 

 

Also reported on Friday, were an extraordinary hostage drama of a grenade carrying “homeless” man in Khon Kaen, a shootout at a gas station in Ayutthaya where a rapist was peppered with twenty bullets by police and the continuing saga over mask wearing - now referred to as The Great Mask Debate by Rooster. 

 

If you’ve missed any of the stories please follow the links.

 

 

Finally, Bloomberg reported in a story spotted by Naew Na, that Thailand is short of half a million foreign workers post pandemic. They mean Cambodians and Burmese who do jobs that Thais won’t because they are nasty and badly paid. 

 

Apparently, 2,000 ‘neighbors’ a day will be coming to boost the construction and fisheries sectors. Soon Chatujak’s parks will be full of Burmese again at weekends and we won’t have to wait so long before our tanks are filled at the gas stations. 

 

Meanwhile, you may have noticed what all the Thais are doing due to a certain smell in the air most everywhere. 

 

Selling durian. 

 

Rooster

 

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[Wuvu2]

I took my first international flight in 1963. There was turbulence. Does anybody care? 

[Screaming]

A wasted five minute of read.

[sawadee1947]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

terrified of flying my whole life

5555 pussy 555????

[sawadee1947]

Rooster,

Indeed you're getting older. And maybe it's not only a feeling.

Some people say wisdom comes in older age. 

People also say you turn becoming childish in older age.

So I wonder where is your place? ????????????????

 

[AussieinThaiJim]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Meanwhile, you may have noticed what all the Thais are doing due to a certain smell in the air most everywhere. 

Great stuff ! Keep it up, and although Indians are the saviour of the tourist debacle they are a b nuisance in Pattaya!

[Purdey]

It is true that traveling provides anecdotes rather than deeper understanding, although hitchhiking in the USA in the late 70s was an eye opener. 18-20 year olds asking me at 21 to buy the beer that in the UK was our god-given right.

Flying back with a bunch of Brit students and American families, the pilot caused a stir when he announced that rubber had been found on the runway after we took off so it might be a rough landing. I will never forget the Americans weeping and wailing and praying out loud while the Brits chanted, even louder, "We're all going to die, we're all going to die!"

Good times.

[Noah K]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

This is in a country where 50% of the population, presumably including the president, believe a guy with a beard created everything 6,000 years ago and Darwin is a heretic. America does indeed do great things but they are held back by religious zealotry. 

ain't that the truth!

[Lacessit]

Statistically, the more often I fly, the more likely I am to be in an air crash.

I suppose the comforting thing about air travel is they might kill me, but whoever heard of injured passengers when a plane goes down? Plus the knowledge the nobs sitting in first class will  be first to snuff it if the plane hits a mountain.

[Lacessit]

4 hours ago, Screaming said:

A wasted five minute of read.

Who twisted your arm to read it?

[habuspasha]

33 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Statistically, the more often I fly, the more likely I am to be in an air crash.

I'm not a statistician but I don't think that is true.  Maybe the odds that you will have been in an air crash, but the odds that the plane will crash remain the same.

I don't remember anything from my first flights in 1941, but flights I remember from 20 years later were much more turbulent than today. The planes were smaller and flew closer to the ground.

[blackshadow]

why are BOOKS allowed to be posted on here ????

[blackshadow]

4 hours ago, sawadee1947 said:

Rooster,

Indeed you're getting older. And maybe it's not only a feeling.

Some people say wisdom comes in older age. 

People also say you turn becoming childish in older age.

So I wonder where is your place? ????????????????

 

submarine or a boat......flying is one of the safest ways to travel.....

a jumbo can still fly on 3 engines......!!!

and have the best R R engines fitted.......

[unblocktheplanet]

Halfway to 122! Many happy returns, Rooster.

[rumak]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Sri Lanka is a wonderful country with great people and deserves better. 

Replace "Sri Lanka" in that sentence with 90% of the countries in the world and it will still be true.

The other 10%  I  would list ........ but ,   these are dangerous times to offend anyone .

[Lacessit]

16 minutes ago, blackshadow said:

submarine or a boat......flying is one of the safest ways to travel.....

a jumbo can still fly on 3 engines......!!!

and have the best R R engines fitted.......

The engines are fine, it's the software one should worry about. Boeing shelled out $2.5 billion in penalties after covering up on the 737 MAX. That did not bring any of the victims back.

3722 people have died in Boeing 747 accidents, so it's not a spotless record.

[rumak]

3 hours ago, Purdey said:

Brits chanted, even louder, "We're all going to die, we're all going to die!"

I am pretty sure those were Aussies yelling   "NO !  It's  Tues dai "

[CLUBBER]

5 hours ago, Screaming said:

A wasted five minute of read.

This rooster is another bar stool loser i have met many here

[sawadee1947]

51 minutes ago, blackshadow said:

submarine or a boat......flying is one of the safest ways to travel.....

a jumbo can still fly on 3 engines......!!!

and have the best R R engines fitted.......

And your point is.....?

[chickenslegs]

1 hour ago, habuspasha said:

I don't remember anything from my first flights in 1941

Pearl Harbour?

[Sparktrader]

6 hours ago, Screaming said:

A wasted five minute of read.

Gave up after 30 sec

[RobU]

14 hours ago, Screaming said:

A wasted five minute of read.

You carried on reading for 5 minutes? I sugggest you don't read his posts in the future and let the rest of us enjoy them without annoying puerile comments

[RobU]

9 hours ago, CLUBBER said:

This rooster is another bar stool loser i have met many here

Wow. I often find that those who point the finger, like you, are often pointing at reflections of themselves rather than the individual they are attacking

[RobU]

8 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

Gave up after 30 sec

But spent another 10 minutes reading the comments and  composing your post?

[JoseThailand]

15 hours ago, Screaming said:

A wasted five minute of read.

Omg, did you read it all? I only glanced through in 20 secs.

[kentrot]

Another interesting and entertaining "Round Up" (NOT the weed killing kind) of the machinations of life in Thailand this past week. You filled in a few stories I had missed. And always with a sense of humour.

 

Thank you for your stamina in the face of a few posters who continue to contribute little to the forum but are quick to criticize . 

[vandeventer]

19 hours ago, Wuvu2 said:

I took my first international flight in 1963. There was turbulence. Does anybody care? 

And I flew from Vietnam to Bangkok in 1967 for R&R when the Pros. were going for 100 baht for 24 hr. not per night, does anyone want to hear more?

[rumak]

2 hours ago, kentrot said:

Thank you for your stamina in the face of a few posters who continue to contribute little to the forum but are quick to criticize . 

I would never have thought that i would write this... because i have sometimes taken exception to a few opinions Rooster expresses.   On the other hand i have given my opinion that all in all its not a bad diversion from the MUCH more trite and self-congratulatory postings that comprise so much of these forums. 

And,  IMO  ,  from reading his somewhat autobiographical musings,   he has indeed experienced a hell of a lot more than the keyboard warriors that can only utter nonsense like  " yeah, tell us once again how long you've been here" .   (well,  i think i once said that too  hahaha).No matter,  he puts out something that nobody else here seems to be able to do .  And personally i see a little bit of progress in some areas ...... that come with  a perspective that evolves somewhat as one crosses that 60 year old threshold .  

On the other hand..... those who might be evolving in a more negative direction will always have their place here to throw darts.     

[BangkokReady]

Can we get "the week that was" added to the title so it shows up in the "popular posts" side panel?

[Fallangpakwan]

2 hours ago, vandeventer said:

And I flew from Vietnam to Bangkok in 1967 for R&R when the Pros. were going for 100 baht for 24 hr. not per night, does anyone want to hear more?

And when my first of many trips from Saigon to Bangers in 1966 saw Singha at nearly a buck a bottle was frightening