Thailand Trip Second Report 2022

Thailand 2022 by Gary Bingham, 2nd Report My luggage finally showed up later Sunday afternoon along with my golf clubs. Wonderful. The suitcase was covered in thick plastic sheeting, very thick and securely tied down. Also the top of the golf club carrier had a special security tie. Everything was in good condition. Wonderful. There is a very nice breakfast buffet here in the morning from 7AM to 10AM. I enjoyed it very much. I then took a motorcycle taxi to the BJ holiday Lodge on Beach Road where the golf group I will be playing with on Tuesday will be playing from. I needed to sign up ahead of time to play. I intend to give a gift box to Mashi, Japanese tailor who I have known for years who plays golf from there. He has always been complimentary of my wood turning so I have brought him a nice box. He also has signed up to play golf tomorrow. Dick Warberg has been nice enough to give me the starting time. Be there at 7:45 depart by 8AM. At the meeting place, I met Paul Sharples, a year younger than me who is living at the hotel there. He is a golfer and a world traveler working as a scientist, technician involving coal mining, and other projects. Englishmen. I asked him many questions regarding the countries he has lived in, worked in and where to go in specific countries to play golf. Fun person to talk to. I had traveled to many of the places he has been to and we compared notes. He spent substantially more time in these places them me. We both agreed that India was not a place to go to on the cheap. He had good tips on where to go to in Indonesia, a place I had not been to and have always wanted to go. What particularly was noted by him and I was the change in cultures among golfers in Pattaya. Through most of my visits here except in 2019, after golf, we would sit in the club house restaurant and have a small meal, drink and chat. That activity has ceased. Golfers hurry out to the ground transportation and promptly leave. This is a problem for me because, I really need some recovery time and the distances between the courses and our meeting place is considerable. Not good. My opinion is that it may be a money issue and also it involves the differences in the golfing players. They are many times full times residences of Pattaya and have activities that they will resume when returning. Sad culture change. I then went shopping not knowing when my luggage would arrive and purchased more survival items, shorts, socks, etc. Got very good deals on everything. People are Hungary for money over here. The sad things I observe is how many of the past thriving businesses have closed down. I am sure it is better now, however, I walk past places that I remember as being once thriving and are now boarded up, closed. Even my favorite massage place, has been closed. I did find a place next to it that is acceptable. The big issue is the stairs to get to the massage place in the building. They are very steep and many. By the time I am ready for a massage over here, I am already staggering and to walk up those steps, is a little terrifying. I went to Central Festival which was in the past the premier shopping place. It was very busy and ate a terrific meal at a Lebanese restaurant. It will probably be the most expensive meal I have over here. It was terrific. My big error was eating what I thought was a small green bean. It was not and fortunately, I was able to spit most of it out, Really hot item. I had a really scary ride on the back of a motorcycle to the hotel. The organizers of motorcycle taxis was upset with me regarding the price I wanted to pay and the ride to the hotel was the scariest I have experience in Thailand. Not nice. I returned to the room and after my luggage arrived, did some unpacking. I never really unpack. I worry about bugs in the drawers so work out my suitcase regarding leaving items in it and taking what I need daily. I was able to sleep until 12:30 AM. And had a great face time talk with Linda. I have decided to try to walk using google ap to the place I will play bridge today. I have it set in the phone and will do a trial run first thing after breakfast. The bridge game is not until 1PM.