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mileapokp1677 · 2 years ago

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Three Steps to Win You (Intermission)

Title: Three Steps to Win You

Rating: M

Pairing: Daddy Chan/Tankhun, Kinn/Porsche, Vegas/Pete

Category: M/M, AU Nerd-Jock

Summary: Accidentally, scientist Tankhun Theerapanyakul embarrassed footballer Captain Chan "Daddy" Knight in front of his coach, teammates and fans. He had to fulfill three tasks from the captain before his apology was accepted.

Intermission

(Tankhun POV)

Saturday Evening -- Theerapanyakul Residence

Ding!

A new message notification rang on Tankhun's cell phone, and he checked it as fast as lightning. Frankly, Tankhun had been waiting for news since the BSFC match this afternoon ended.

New Message from Caramello.

Tankhun squealed and sat up on his bed in an instant while holding his cellphone to his chest.

For god’s sake, Tankhun Theerapanyakul, have some dignity!

Tankhun glanced at the full body mirror located right beside his bedroom door -- well , he had to make sure he looked perfect before leaving the room, anyone got a problem with that!? -- and his reflection there showed that his face looked as pink as a flamingo. He did have a pair of long legs like one, for sure, but that didn't mean he had to match their colors every time he was in a situation involving the BSFC’s Captain, right?

Wrong.

Apparently, Tankhun’s predicament wasn't over yet, because right at this moment his heart was starting to beat faster.

Over a message? Seriously!?

It was a good thing, really, that he was alone in his room at the moment. Just imagine if Kim were here… Tankhun snorted. The universe really had a way of making someone repay one’s actions in the past, and it seems that now they were retaliating for the way he treated his friends in middle school, high school, and university. Tankhun was the one who always laughed at their silly antics whenever they received messages, calls, or even post-it notes from their crush. Look at him now! How the mighty have fallen.

Hey, self… SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!

Tankhun took a deep breath to calm himself before checking the message from the Captain.

[Caramello]

Me and the boys have safely arrived back in Bangkok. We waited for the team bus to take us from the airport to the training ground stadium, most of us parked our car there.

Tankhun smiled as he read Chan's message and rubbed his cellphone’s screen gently. He didn’t need anyone to tell him he looked silly because he knew for sure that he looked like one for feeling so happy due to something so trivial.

Last Tuesday Chan informed him that the BSFC will travel to two opposing home grounds in provinces that are quite far from Bangkok, and they will only be back in the city Saturday evening, immediately after the second match. The Captain must have been busy with pre-match practice and stuff, so communication between them had been minimal these past five days. There was no use denying it to himself anymore, Tankhun missed him, like mad.

[Tankhun T]

Too bad for the draw result for today's match but hey... you guys won the previous match.

[Caramello]

The super busy scientist makes time to watch our game? I must say I'm flattered.

[Tankhun T]

Kim is the one who’s watching, I just happen to be there as well.

He was such a liar, but no way in hell he'll admit to Chan that he purposely came home early from the lab and had an early dinner, so he could watch the BSFC Wednesday night’s match. Or deliberately emptying his schedule this weekend just to watch this afternoon match and tomorrow night he’ll even plan to-

Ding!

Another message from Chan.

[Caramello]

If you say so ;-) I must say, getting 4 points for two away games that were just two days apart was not a bad result at all. But of course, 6 points better ;D

[Tankhun T]

You have something called emoji on your phone, you know that, right? Stop acting so old, Captain.

[Caramello]

Hey, sometimes, classic is better.

[Tankhun T]

Oh please… 🙄

[Caramello]

Okay, what does that emoji even mean? There are too many and I swear to God, I can’t never manage to remember them T.T

Oh My God, Chan, stop being so adorable!

[Tankhun T]

You’re hopeless, Chan.

Same as you, Tankhun Theerapanyakul!

This time he wasn't going to deny his inner self, because Tankhun really was acting like a teenager who was hopelessly in love. He rolled over on his bed, even stamped his feet on the bed. Nothing can save him now.

[Caramello]

So, are you free tomorrow night? Porsche and Kinn invited me to a theme party at the Moonlight, I’m sure you already know about it. Wanna come?

[Tankhun T]

Yes, I knew all about it and already told Porsche and Kinn that I’m coming.

[Caramello]

What time should I come to pick you up?

[Tankhun T]

Can we just meet at the Moonlight? I have something to do beforehand.

[Caramello]

Are you sure? I can wait for you, no problem.

[Tankhun T]

I'm certain.

[Caramello]

Ah, the bus is here. I'll see you tomorrow night.

[Tankhun T]

Okay. Night, Chan.

[Caramello]

G'night, baby. Sweet dreams.

Tankhun was so close to kissing his phone screen (shameless!), but it seems like there's still a little bit of his pride left, so he held back.

Thank God!

His inner self might urge him to kill himself if he really did that. Tankhun put his cellphone on his chest and then closed his eyes. He smiled.

TBC

Sorry for the late update. I have a severe writer's block. A lot of things happened in RL, I feel tired all the time. So this is a super short one, I don't even call it a chapter, let's just call it an intermission or a filler (hopefully this is the correct term). I think writing something is better than nothing.

I also want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this story.

#daddy chan #tankhun theerapanyakul #chantankhun #kpts fanfic #au nerd jock #fake dating #slow burn #slow build #kinnporsche #vegaspete #kim theerapanyakul #everybody is a footballer #team as family #fanfic #kinnporsche la forte

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najoah · 3 years ago

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First Chance [Chapter 2]

Despite being armed with my trustee Gentle Monster sunglasses, the sun was still beaming a little too strong for my liking. I checked the temperature as soon as I started the car engine.

Climate change deniers better believe that climate change is real. It's freaking 32 degrees in April! I blasted the air-conditioning before pulling out my phone from my jacket. I never got the chance to check my phone last night, despite its constant buzzing in my pocket. By the time I arrived at Tiffany and Co.'s showroom, I was way past the midnight deadline but Rosaline, the brand's public relations representative, was the apologetic one. Turned out the accessories used were to be shipped back to New York the next morning and she had forgotten to indulge me in that detail.

Rosaline insisted to treat me for a cup of coffee near the showroom as apology and in attempt to maintain relationship with the brand, I accepted. Maintaining a cordial relationship with brand representatives like Rosaline is crucial. Soft touches, like accepting a cup of coffee or sending them flowers on their birthday, can eventually lead to an exclusive contract with between Jay and the brand. Turns out, Rosaline and I shared a lot in common – and even share a few mutual friends. We spent the night talking about everything: from the latest Tiffany and Co. collection to industry gossip of who is dating who. By the time we said our goodbyes, it was two in the morning.

I scrolled through my iPhone's notification center to find a new message from Nia:

I'm heading to the dry cleaners this morning. I've packed the remaining clothes from last night that need to be returned today. They're all in the studio, ready for you! You just have to go to Hongdae and Hannam for the returns and can make your way to the photoshoot right after. I've also prepared the outfit for today's shoot! Make sure to bring it with you :)

I replied with a thank you and a promise of her favorite sandwich for tomorrow's lunch. I returned to my notification center to find three missed calls from Jay, two from Honey and five unread messages from Jay.

I sighed.

Honey tends to become especially clingy when she's intoxicated. I left her a message, encouraging her to hydrate and to have some hangover stew before the shoot later. I quickly placed an order on my food delivery application to her place.

Now, Jay. I had completely forgotten to inform him that I was leaving last night. Knowing Jay's petty antics, I will definitely be paying for it today.

I opened his messages.

Where the hell did you go? Seriously, my first concert and you didn't even congratulate me before you left.

Nia told me you're not coming for drinks either. Are you fucking kidding me? Answer your phone.

Please answer your phone.

I'm gonna whoop you ass tomorrow if you don't pick up the phone. Pick up!

That's it, you're dead to me.

I laughed out loud at his last message. I could see him pouting, relentlessly annoying Honey and Nia about my lack of response before swearing profanities at my name. I quickly typed a reply:

Sorry, I had to return the jewelries to Tiffany last night and was so out of it, I didn't even notice your calls. Then the PR wanted to treat me for some coffee, and I couldn't say no. Really sorry.

Congratulations, Jay. I'm proud of you. The show was amazing. And again, as always, you never failed to impress me.

Let me make it up to you. Ice Americano? From Tailor's Coffee. I'm going to Hongdae anyway so I can stop by the café and get your favorite.

Hopefully, the coffee can pacify his foul mood a little. Otherwise, it's going to be a long day.

The weather was little more bearable when I arrived at Tailor's Coffee parking lot a few hours later. Returns went off without a hitch and I was somewhat glad that I managed to avoid meeting other brand representatives. I could only keep up the empty conversations for so long. It's another thing that I learned a few years on the job: to maintain relationships, one must participate in draining conversations and sometimes, at the expense of your mental health.

Nia had just called to inform that she had shared the look book for Jay's next show in Bangkok to the Higher Music's creative team. Since the concert will be abroad, we must come up with a new look book for Jay that suits the weather, using only pieces that we own. Brands are unwilling to loan out clothes for an extended period, and the collection I have in the studio is far too small to create enough looks. If Higher Music could somehow squeeze us in their event expenses budget, we could go ahead and purchase the clothing items that we need for his show – without worrying about returning and damaging them.

"Don't worry," Nia assured over the call, "I'll handle them from here, so you just focus on the shoot!"

I had grown to appreciate Nia's enthusiasm, and although I was a little skeptical of hiring a friend, she had managed to prove me wrong. A professional and always on top of her game, Nia had given me the chance to take my mind off clothes from time to time.

I checked my watch as I made my way to Tailor's Coffee. With an hour to spare before Jay's call time, I decided that I could sit back and enjoy the coffee at my favorite café – something I haven't done in a while. I love working for Jay, but the job also meant shifting your world to revolve around him. It's been seven years of watching him sing and dance his way to the top, and seven years of doing everything I can for him to get there.

Now that same boy stood tall – even taller than me, surprisingly – at his first solo concert.

Brimming with unconveyed pride, I stepped into Tailor's Coffee and was immediately greeted by the staff. The café was relatively empty – except for a few students who frequents this café due to its close vicinity to Hongik University. I used to do the same when I was a student myself at Yonsei University, located fifteen minutes away. Despite Seoul's competitive café industry, Tailor's Coffee continues to thrive over the years and even opened a few new branches around the city. This branch especially will have a special place in my heart as its walls have watched me struggled through my years in Yonsei and my first few years as a stylist at JYPE.

"Can I have two Ice Americano please? One to go, and the other to have here."

"Sure, we will have that ready for you in a minute." The part-timer passed the buzzer as well as the receipt before running off to make my order.

I made my way to a seat by the window. The table was embedded with names of couples who sat there before me, immortalizing their love. I ran my fingers across the table, wishing those relationships lasted as long as it did on this table. My eyes scanned the names, hoping to find the ones I carved myself.

Baek Hyunkyu <3 Jo Ahna

There it is. Faded, but stood the test of times – unlike the relationship itself.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I welcomed the distraction. Spiralling into the past is not something I should be doing in public, especially where Kyu is concerned. It was a message from Jay.

If there's no Ice Americano when you walk in later, I will tickle you to death. Don't try me.

The buzzer on the table buzzed, indicating that my drink is finally ready. I walked over to the counter, picked up the drinks and went back to my seat. I pulled up my phone to capture the evidence for Jay. Before I could do so however, a voice I've spent years trying to forget call out to me.

"Ahna."

#got7 imagines #got7 fanfic #got7 #jay b #jaebum #angst #fanfic #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines

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kittykates · 5 years ago

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#vaKATEtion: Thaila-la-land 2017 Part 01

One of my favorite Leonardo DiCaprio movie is The Beach. Some says that the movie has ruined the Lord of the Flies book for the generation X which was written by Alex Garland. Honesty, the beginning of the movie was spectacular but towards the end, it was not adapted very well since the book was freaking auhhhmazing.

Anyway, why am I rambling about The Beach? Because on my bucket list, Thailand is one of the country I look forward to exploring and the setting of the book and the movie is in Thailand ( But they say that Alex Garland inspiration is the Philippines).

Thailand is the most famous gateway to Asia by almost all back packers, tourist and travelers across the globe. I’ve met people here in Dubai and outside of it who always say that Thailand is one of the best place they’ve been to and I get it. People are gravitating towards a place full of culture, amazing food, spectacular beaches, one of a kind parties, and generally locals who are very hospitable and has a great disposition in life.

I, myself, was not immune to it’s charm thus, the reason why my best friend Jay and I planned our first trip outside the Philippines and Dubai to be none other than Thailand.

Ko Wua Talap, Ang Thong National Marine Park

We wanted to experience Thailand on it’s full glory and we went their during the summer of this year visiting 5 of the top places to go when in Thailand.

Bangkok

Koh Samui

Koh Pangan

Phuket

Phi Phi Islands

Since my best friend and I are both in the travel industry, we drafted our own itinerary researching hard on the best routes, transportation, party to go to, accommodations and places we both want to see.

It was a challenge because we have only 7 days to visit 5 different places and try to experience and be a pseudo-backpacker.

From Manila we traveled to Bangkok and only stayed for 10 hours before flying to Koh Samui.

Got a good deal with Thai Airways

Riding the BTS to the city

We wanted to eat authentic Thai food and experience the wild side of Bangkok. An overnight experience was not enough but we did try to make the most out of it.

We went around Sukhumvit Road and bar hopped a little. Drinking local beers and people watch. There are so many expats and tourist around it feels like I’m still in Dubai.

We headed to Bangkok’s red light district in Patpong and I got amazed on how legit pretty are the Lady Boys are. I can say it was an experience.

Going local in Bangkok

The bars are facing each other and tables and chairs scattered the street so you can just sit down, grab your favorite poison and enjoy the show. People may get a little rowdy as the night goes on but it’s already expected.

The mango sticky rice was the champion of my night. All the best food are just food stalls by the side of the road or hole in the wall type of restaurant. Those legit thai taste you are looking for are prepared by the locals effortlessly plus is so cheap you can stuff your face until you cry sriracha sauce.

By two in the morning, we are already rushing to the airport to catch our flight to Koh Samui.

Koh Samui has the best looking airport for me with it’s open style. You’ll get the look and feel of a tropical island once you landed and checked out.

There are so many good places to stay in Koh Samui. If you’re a couple who are in their honeymoon the best place would be Maenam. If you will be going with your families go check out Bhoput and Lamai area. But if you’re like us, wannabe backpackers, party goers and adventure junkies, the best place to stay is in Chaweng beach and the number one hotel in the area is Ark Bar Beach Resort. Just make sure to choose a room far from the beach since it tends to get a little bit noisy when the party starts.

You know which bed is mine :))))))

We checked in, freshen up, put on our swimsuits and had coffee while waiting for our pick up for our full day tour of Ang Thong National Marine Park. It is an archipelago of over forty islands in the central gulf coast of Southern Thailand.

All of the islands are uninhabited and undeveloped except for two. One being Ko Wua Talap where the famous viewpoint and head quarter is located and other, Ko Paluay, which is inhabited by some locals who still earn a living from fishing.

Mind you we did not have any sleep after partying in Bangkok and we are running on low energy but the trip would be so worth it so had to push it.

We got our tour package with 100 Degrees East. We had so many options but this is by far the best tour package since they have their own speedboat and there are so many good reviews about them. They did not disappoint. Their team are fun, very friendly and accommodating.

From the life jacket which is by the way clean unlike most jackets on different tours, their snorkeling gears and diving gears are top notch.

The people who can join the tour is very limited to only 10 people however, it actually is better than joining big groups where in you won’t really be able to bond with all the people on the tour.

The local authorities manning the Marine Park will not allow boats to travel without life jackets even though you know how to swim. Safety first!

On our way to the Marine Park which would take around 30 to 40 minutes.

It was drizzling a bit but a little rain won’t be able to stop us.

The salt in my mouth at this point was overflowing due to over snorkeling. It was awesome though. We saw some sting rays, bazillions of sea urchins if you get tired of swimming you’d probably be dead once you step on them, a tiny barracuda and my heart skipped a bit, transparent fishies ( I don’t know what they are called), millions of dory and many more. I keep following the fishes, our guide was probably pissed off. HAHAHA

Thai feast in this beautiful island

We then kayaked around the other islands for us to explore them.

You can see the Sphinx like island on our back ground

Amazed at how beautiful are the islands

Our crew/bangkero/tour guide/life guard/waiter are the best photographers. They basically know where is the right angle to take good photos of all the islands we can visit and explore. Super props to these guys.

Beshies 2017

Ko Wua Talap, this is the headquarters of the Ang Thong Marine Park. This view is seen in so many postcards of Thailand I just had to take plenty of photos here.

Tanned AF

You had to trek to get to this place so it is advisable to bring rubber shoes/ trekking shoes. But since we were wearing our slippers only we did not trek until the highest view point. Now that I think of it, I’m kind of disappointed but I was very tired so.......Yeah.....Lame excuses.

It was well worth it though and this post was suppose to be for 2017.

Guess what? It’s 2020 and I still want to post it. Fuck it!:)

#thailand #bangkok #kohsamui #kohpangan #fullmoonparty #phuket #phiphiisland #boozecruise #vacation #travel #asia #beaches

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sablelab · 6 years ago

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Covert Operations - Chapter 49

DISCLAIMER: This is a modern AU crossover story with Outlander and La Femme Nikita. LFN and its characters do not belong to me nor do those from Outlander.

SYNOPSIS: On arrival James Fraser does a clandestine inspection of the secluded property to see what security Madame Cheung has in place while trying to avoid detection. The next evening, she takes Jamie and Claire to see her newest club in order to lure St. Germain into the business.

THANK YOU so much for reading, liking or reblogging my story. I really appreciate your continued support and I am very happy that you find this story enjoyable.

Previous chapters can be found at …https://sablelab.tumblr.com/covertoperations

CHAPTER 49

They had travelled several kilometres past the outskirts of the city when Magnus decelerated and turned off the main motorway. He drove down a dirt road that led to an imposing house set back from the highway on a few acres of land. Approaching the property Jamie noticed that there was a gated area leading up to the house and several guards were stationed at the entrance. The chauffeur slowed down the jaguar at the gates before he was waved through when they realised who he was, and in no time Jamie and Claire soon arrived at a traditional Thai residence located at the end of the winding road. Situated in sprawling grounds surrounded by a lake, lush tropical vegetation and flowering bougainvillea, the house had the traditional Thai architecture that Claire had admired on the journey.

Proceeding towards the house, Magnus circled the driveway then bought the jaguar to a stop near to where a well-dressed woman was standing on the threshold to the entrance of the house. Madame Cheung herself was waiting there to greet her guests’ arrival and had a huge smile on her face as she waited for Le Comte St Germain and Claire Beauchamp. Getting out of the limousine, the chauffeur opened the door then stood to one side as his passengers exited the vehicle. As they approached the house, he turned to retrieve their luggage from the trunk of the car.

“Claire ... Monsieur Le Comte ... Welcome. Thank you for coming,” Madame Cheng gushed as her guests neared closer.

“Non ... Thank you Madame.” Jamie replied placing a chaste kiss to the back of her outstretched hand.

She eyed him boldly before asking, “Did you have a pleasant flight?”

Ushering Claire forward he placed his hand to her back then sliding it around her waist he pulled her close. Giving her an evocative smile, he looked only at Claire before answering. “Oui ... we did.”

Madame Cheung’s intense gaze observed his intimate mannerisms with her protégé and was most pleased with this association. It certainly bode well for her intentions concerning St Germain. “Good ... come inside I have organised refreshments and your accommodation. I’m sure you will be very comfortable here.”

“Merci.”

“Tomorrow we will discuss business Monsieur Le Comte and I will give you a tour of my business holdings here in Bangkok.”

“Perfect,” Jamie replied giving her his full attention at her declaration and plying on the charm he had Madame Cheung in the palm of his hand.

“Perhaps you would care to join me later for drinks on the terrace Monsieur?”

“You are most generous Madame ... When?”

“Shall we say in an hour?”

“By all means.”

“Could I have a word with Claire before then Monsieur Le Comte?”

Jamie reluctantly released his arm from around Claire’s waist. “Of course. I will just orientate myself with your lovely residence until we meet, again shall I?”

“Certainly, enjoy your stroll Monsieur but stay on the path for your safety.”

“Oh ... I will,” Jamie replied before taking his leave.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

James Fraser watched as Madame Cheung and Claire entered the house then once they were out of sight, he began his reconnaissance around the immediate area of her residence. When they had arrived earlier in the evening, he’d taken note of the secluded road that the limousine had driven along on their approach to the gated entrance to Madame Cheung’s Thai home. Surrounded by heavy foliage and trees, the high gate and fence that bordered the perimeter of the property hid the house from the main road. Due to its very private location off the highway, its seclusion and the unmistakable security that surrounded the property, it was obvious that the residence was well concealed from any would be interlopers. Their chauffeur, Magnus, had also not needed to activate the security buzzer mounted just outside the gate as the guards had waved him though knowing that he was her personal driver. Continuing down the path of the sprawling grounds, Jamie headed towards the lake ever mindful of keeping to the shadows of the vegetation in order to avoid detection as there were several patrolling guards about. Hearing voices approaching, he pressed himself up against a tree out of sight while they loomed nearby and waited for the guards to pass him by. Once they had done so, he pulled an infrared tracking mechanism from his pocket to survey the surrounds. Jamie used it to scan the immediate area for any concealed security devices mounted in strategic positions around the grounds or near the house. He activated the device and it immediately lit up with the location of several well-placed surveillance cameras mounted in trees, sculptures and on the outer building, signalling that the estate was extremely well protected. Coupled with the high-tech security cameras on the tall entrance gate, Madame Cheung obviously took no chances when it came to her safety and the wellbeing of her guests. Checking to see the safest egress point without being intercepted by the revolving cameras, Jamie watched until the camera rotated creating a blind spot. As soon as the way was clear, he darted across the lawn rushing into the heavy tropical foliage and woods. Continuing his meticulous assessment of Madame Cheung’s property, Jamie noted a standalone building off to his right and made his way towards it. However, he was unexpectedly accosted by a particularly menacing guard who had unfortunately stumbled across him.

With a raised gun aimed directly at Jamie’s head the guard ordered, “Stop or I’ll shoot!” Turning slowly towards the guard with his hands raised in the air, Jamie replied. “Mon Dieu ... Please don’t!” “Who are you? How did you get into this property?” “I’m not an intruder if that’s what you think. My name is Le Comte St. Germain and I’m Madame Cheung’s houseguest for the week.” Jamie explained. However, the guard was sceptical and radioed this Intel to the residence for verification while he held Jamie at gunpoint. “What are you doing here? This area is out of bounds to guests.” “I seem to have lost my bearings. I’ve strayed off the main path and lost my way back to the house. Could you point me in the right direction s'il vous plaît?” The guard’s radio soon crackled to life with an impending reply. He raised it to his ear and listened. Once confirmation was received, the guard lowered the radio and looked at Jamie. He was sent on his way back to the house with a caution to stay on the main path to his left. However, as soon as the guard was out of sight Jamie retraced his steps to investigate what was inside the building. Then, contacting Section One he relayed the Intel of his position to Fergus.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Immediately Fergus set to work. In next to no time an aerial view of Madame Cheung’s compound with Jamie’s location and that of the buildings in the near vicinity screened on his computer monitor. He adjusted the magnification and a closer visual of the building under question became highlighted.

“Jamie? I have visual.”

“Good ... Report.” “There are two hot spots inside the room but several more in the surrounding vicinity. I suggest that you proceed with caution.” Opening the fuse box on the outside of the building, Jamie disconnected the wires to the alarm system before he disabled the light fuses which immediately caused the lights to go out in the building. Taking some night vision glasses out of his jacket he put them on before he entered the building and made his way inside. Keeping alert Jamie heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door. A man was walking down the hallway close to where he was. Without knowing what had happened, the assailant was taken out of the equation as Jamie took him down with a swift blow to the carotid artery. He fell slumped to the floor. Overstepping the body, he continued inside the building. “Fergus?” “There is still one body in a room to your left.”

“Okay.” Making his way down a corridor Jamie approached a large room where an elaborate security system was housed. Several large monitors screened the perimeter of the property and the various placed cameras relayed the visual of the surrounding grounds back to the hub of the property’s security system. Such high maintenance security meant only one thing ... Madame Cheung’s residence was extremely well protected mainly by a highly developed security system and armed guards who patrolled the boundary as a deterrent to any enemies who may think to storm the property. Hence any assault on her premises would have to come from other means rather than an offensive from the outside parameters of her house. Hence it could be problematic for the teams to make an assault, hence her capture would have to be in a less secure area away from the house and most likely at her business venue. Entering further into the room, Jamie saw a lone security guard monitoring procedures. Although the lights had been disabled there was still enough illumination from the computer screens for the guard to be able to see. However, he failed to hear the stealth footsteps of James Fraser as he immobilized the unsuspecting guard at his console. “All clear Fergus.” To his Section trained eyes the system was rudimentary and if needs be he could disable it in a flash, however, before he had a chance to do so Fergus’ voice echoed in warning. “Hold a second Jamie. I have movement near to your position. Hostiles approaching. You’ll need to egress ASAP.” Moving back from whence he’d came, Jamie made a swift retreat into the shadows of the grounds before he was discovered by Madame Cheung’s security guards yet again coming to see why the lights had gone out in the surveillance building. He then made his way back to the residence in double quick time. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Entering the house Jamie soon joined the ladies on the terrace. Madame Cheung was leaning on a wooden railing, overlooking her garden while talking with Claire when he entered. Hearing his approach, she looked up from her conversation then turned to face him welcoming him back. “Ah Monsieur Le Comte, you’ve returned. I hope you enjoyed your stroll.” “I did Madame but I’m afraid I became a little disoriented.” “Yes, I was informed but I’m glad that you found your way back again. Now ... come sit down. Would you care to join us for drinks prior to retiring for the evening?” “But of course.” Summoning her servant, she soon returned with refreshments and placed them on the table in front of Madame Cheung’s guests. “I do apologise for my overzealous security guard.” “No need. He was only doing his job. It is far better to be safe than sorry, is it not? “Indeed, Monsieur Le Comte.” Taking a sip of her drink Madame Cheung eyed Jamie with a keen awareness before stating, “I have already made arrangements for you to tour my business holdings here in Bangkok tomorrow evening.” “Merci Madame. I know I will look forward to seeing the size of your assets.” She cast him a wry grin. “Oh, you flatter me Monsieur, but I’m sure it is Claire’s assets that you admire more.” “That is true,” Jamie replied tongue in cheek to her innuendo, “but I speak of your prowess as a business woman, although your physical assets are indeed remarkable too Madame Cheung.” “Yes ... well ...” she replied a little flabbergasted at his cheeky remark, then changing the subject on to a more even keel stated, “I have recently opened a new premises in Patpong ... one I’m sure that we will have a mutually exclusive interest in.” “Really Madame? ... If what I suspect is the same line of business as in Hong Kong then rest assured, we will be doing business together in the future.” “Excellent.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Some time later Madame Cheung was approached by her servant who gesticulated towards the entrance. Glancing in the direction of the door she saw a member of her security team nervously pacing back and forth as he waited. Beckoning him over to her he bent down and whispered in her ear. Madame Cheung’s facial expression changed almost at once. She stood up then turning towards her guests announced, “I’m afraid I must offer my apologies. Something has arisen that needs my personal attention. Please excuse me but I am needed elsewhere.” “Is there anything that we can do Madame?” “No! No! Stay and enjoy my hospitality. This shouldn’t take very long, but if it does, I will see you tomorrow.” “Very well. Good night Madame.” The two Section operatives watched as their hostess made a hasty retreat from the terrace to attend to the security breach that had occurred. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The next evening Madame Cheung’s limousine cruised along the streets of Bangkok heading for the area called the most popular ... nay infamous "red-light district" for westerners in all of Asia and where the Rising Dragons ran numerous business interests. “Claire tells me, that you were well pleased with her services Monsieur Le Comte.” “That is true Madame ... I could not have wished for anything more.” “Good ... I am pleased to hear it, as I am to know that you are here visiting Thailand. I hope you will be interested in doing business with us once you have had a chance to inspect our business interests here and in Koh Samui.” “Thank you Madame. I’m sure I will.” “As you are no doubt aware Bangkok is a city of contrasts, ancient and ultramodern, beautiful and, in a word ... seedy.” “Oui ... I had noticed.” Madame Cheung laughed momentarily then picked up her phone and called through to her driver with an address. “Soi Patpong, between Silom and Surawong,” she ordered. Then turning to Jamie said, “We’ll be heading to Patpong where, as I said last evening, I have just opened a new business venue that you might like to inspect.” “Of course.” “Unfortunately Magnus is unable to park the limousine close to the club, so we’ll play the tourist tonight and check out some of the attractions along the way as it is only a short walk to my new premises.” “No problems Madame. We could all use some fresh evening air.” Madame Cheung smiled, then turning towards Claire she stated, “Patpong is one of Bangkok's famous night street markets with everything you may want or need. Perhaps some trinket will take your eye Claire?” “Perhaps, but you have given me everything I need already Madame.”

“That is true my dear, yet what girl can resist a bargain? Hmm?” “We shall see.” Looking at Jamie once again Madame Cheung continued, “It’s a business district by day Monsieur Le Comte, but Patpong really only comes to life at dusk when the pursuit of sex is its main appeal.” Jamie nodded. “Interesting.” “It has inevitably become a tourist "must see” and is the hub of our enterprise. Sex is what some tourists come for and sex is what I provide ... at a price.” “So tell me Madame Cheung ... how many business interests do the Rising Dragons have in Bangkok in total?” “Oh, Monsieur Le Comte!” she laughed, amusement dripping from her words. “The Rising Dragons have carte blanche under my jurisdiction and patronage here in Bangkok. There are numerous bars, erotic shows, massage parlours, clubs and of course our exclusive escort services that we own and operate.” “I see.”

“There are far too many to put a figure on ... but at a guess it is in the hundreds. Why ... there are over a 100 back-to-back neon-lit bars here in Patpong itself. The Rising Dragons own all the land here and we also collect over 10 million baht monthly from rent alone.”

“Very profitable and ... impressive.” Jamie remarked.

“Thank you.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Claire was incredulous as to what Madame Cheung was espousing about the Rising Dragons’ “interests”. She was horrified especially given her firsthand knowledge of the girls involved and how they came to be in her service. Although her eyes relayed interest in what she was telling Jamie, inside she was seething at the loss of innocence of the girls and boys involved in these establishments. The sooner they took Madame Cheung out of the equation and brought her into Section One couldn’t come quick enough for her. She wondered how she would be able to avoid being desensitized by Patpong and not come away disturbed, troubled or bothered by what she would see. The quicker Section could minimize the abuses obviously taking place in these few blocks of the City of Angels, where virtually anything sensual that was available could be bought, then the better it would be for the hundreds of girls and young boys forced to live this debouched way of life. Her faith in human decency had been shattered and she hoped that there was indeed some redeeming feature about Patpong and that something else, something more positive was also going on. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The streets were full with people milling around. The blue and red Thai taxis cruised along Patpong 1 lane and tuk-tuks carried inquisitive tourists past the hustle and bustle of street vendors, bars, restaurants, massage parlours and hotels. After travelling down the short lanes stretching between Silom and Surawong Roads where the glow of neon lights made it seem like daylight, the limousine pulled into the curb and Madame Cheung, Claire and Jamie got out of the vehicle. Four of her bodyguards followed at a discreet distance. “My new premises are a short walk from here ... shall we?” “Mais oui ... Madame.” Overzealous salesmen and touts were pestering the tourists for their dollars as they strolled past the night market selling clothes, fake watches and souvenirs down the centre of Patpong 1 and out along Silom Road. Sandwiched between stalls hawking Louis Vuitton luggage and Chanel handbags, jade trinkets and flip-flop sandals, they passed Bangkok's fast-talking, baht-barking watch vendors, selling their cache of knock-off luxury timepieces. Many eyes scrutinized the three well-dressed people as they walked along obviously heading to the new club just recently opened down the street. With Madame Cheung’s earlier words echoing in her ears, Claire ambled over to a watch vendor with a sign saying ... “SUNEE’S EXCLUSIVE WATCHES” ... where all kinds of timepieces from quartz, to automatic models were to be seen. Sunee offered a blinding collection of brand names of just about every high-end Swiss timepiece on the market. There were watches from Baume & Mercier, Rado, Omega, Panerai and Cartier. There were also dozens of gold and diamond-encrusted Rolexes and Guccis all looking tantalizingly genuine.

A stern looking woman greeted her approach with a slight nod.

Fingering an Omega Constellation, Claire couldn't help but exclaim, "This can't be fake!" "Same same, but different," the proprietress answered.

They did look the part and Claire cast her eye on one that particularly caught her attention. A Diamond studded Cintrée Curvex watch from Franck Muller with its pretty blue band and face the colour of her eyes took her fancy. At first and second glance, it looked and felt a lot like the real thing. Although it was a multi-functional watch, it was embellished with precious stones that made it all that more appealing as it sparkled under the glare of the bright lights. The watch had a golden case set with three rows of diamonds and its amazing and attractive design with the combination of diamonds made it so appealing to Claire. She thought that she could add it to her watch and sunglasses collection back home at her normal apartment.

“How much?” She queried fingering the exquisite timepiece.

“4,600 baht. Very good price,” Sunee replied watching her intensely, eager for a sale. “You have superb taste my dear ... Although this is only an imitation, that particular Franck Muller watch design is one of his most expensive timepieces. They sell for about $US130,000.00,” Madame Cheung interrupted coming up to stand beside her. “Really?” “Claire you don’t need a replica when you can have the real thing.” “Yes, I know ... but it is pretty Madame.”

Nevertheless, she replaced the watch back on the table, then turning to the owner replied, “Thank you ... but no thank you ... it’s a little too pricey.”

“How much you pay? I give you good price!” The proprietress implored as Claire moved away with Madame Cheung, ignoring the seller’s entreaty. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jamie had witnessed Claire’s exchange at the stall and as the two women continued walking further down the street past the other market stalls, he remained back and stepped in to haggle with the spry little lady with the beady but piercing eyes.

“Did I hear you say the price for this watch correctly?” He asked plying her with a charming smile.

The woman looked up at Jamie thinking that for sure she would have a sale this time. “Yes. 4,600 baht ... very good price.” She picked up the watch in question and handed it to him. “Look at the jewels, at the design. It is beautiful for your lady no?”

“I’ll give you 1800 baht.”

“Kee nee-ow ai wen!” Sunee mumbled under her breath then with her hand on her chest she replied forlornly, “Oh, you wound me sir! How can I feed my family on such a pittance?”

“Nah gliat ee-gah,” Jamie replied playfully indicating that he had understood exactly what she had mumbled under her breath calling him a stingy bastard. He gave her a piercing look demonstrating that her little performance had no effect on him. “The watch is exorbitantly overpriced ... I noticed other stalls have the same watch for 2750 baht.”

She laughed at his veiled insult in Thai of calling her an ugly old crow then smiled at this engaging man. “But look at the workmanship, the gold. Is it not a masterpiece?” Sunee explained hoping to sway Jamie to her sales pitch.

“It is not worth more than 1800 baht.”

She upped the ante. “2500. It is good buy at that price.”

“2300 ... my last offer. Take it or leave it,” he countered.

“You drive a very hard bargain monsieur. It is yours.”

A toothy grin appeared from her mouth as the debonair gentleman bartered competently for the watch. She was impressed with his haggling skills and finally agreed on a modest price for the timepiece of 2,300 baht. Laying the watch in its protective box, she gave it to him.

Jamie placed the package in his breast pocket and quickly caught up with Claire and Madame Cheung and followed the two women on to her new venue with the watch safely in the pocket of his jacket.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ to be continued

“Kee nee-ow ai wen!” - stingy bastard

“Nah gliat ee-gah” - ugly old crow

#jamie and claire #jamie and claire fanfic #outlander fanfiction #James Fraser #claire beauchamp #covert operations #the lallybroch library #jamieandclairecrossover

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shroomshoponline · 3 years ago

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Thank You, Jimmy Connors

I was first introduced to the game of tennis when I was four years old. The racket was nearly as tall as I was. My father's brother had been a Chicago city champ as a teenager so that is where the idea came from to develop me into something of a tennis phenom. Fortunately, the game enthralled me from the outset. No parental pressure was necessary to keep me motivated. I practiced every chance I got even if that meant simply hitting against a backboard hour after hour. At the age of eight I was entering local tournaments. All four years I played on the varsity high school team. Upon graduating from high school I had been at the game for fourteen years and had become an exceptionally mediocre player. My real talent lay in breaking rackets. I was very good at that. When my father refused to buy me any more rackets I quit playing. He suggested I take up handball.

"You've only got two hands, son. Break both of them if you like but I'm not buying you any more," he said.

Still, I remained a fan of tennis and followed the prowess of the professional players throughout the 70's and 80's. Jimmy Connors was, is and always will be my favorite. Round about the age of eleven Connors became a student of a highly respected coach at the time named Poncho Segura. Segura didn't take on many students. He was very selective. Years later he recalled his first impressions of Connors saying something along the lines of the following…

"The young boy had talent, of course. But he was not as talented as many of my other students. What impressed me the most about him, however, was that he never gave up on a shot. He refused to concede a point. He would dive for balls with total disregard for his own well-being. He never quit and that's what I admired most about him."

In 1982 I stopped working, sold what possessions I could and set off to travel around the world. I wasn't nearly as concerned with finding myself as I was with losing myself. Recent history had recorded the demise of my marriage and my father. The thrill of doing improv comedy in the night clubs around Chicago had begun to wane and my dreams of becoming an accomplished writer were steadily evaporating.

The cheapest flight I could book landed me in Brussels. From there I headed straight to Paris, checked into a transient hotel near the Latin Quarter and walked around that glorious museum of a city fifteen hours a day for two weeks. I'd have stayed longer if it hadn't been so damn cold. So, I moved south through Italy and onto Greece where I eventually washed ashore on an island called Patmos not far from west coast of Turkey. I met an interesting elderly American writer named Robert Lax. We soon developed an affinity for one another that was to continue for the next seventeen years. I also developed an affinity of a different nature with an enchanting young French girl that lasted…well, it lasted less than seventeen years but it lasted long enough to instill memories that were well cherished.

From Athens I flew to Bombay arriving at 3 AM. The next thirty-six hours were a kaleidoscope of the most bizarre, yet fascinating, images I had ever seen in my life. There just ain't any place on the planet like India! I had planned to travel around there for three months but after six weeks the joint had beaten me up bad. I lost fifteen pounds and was beginning to waste away muscle mass. Two young German men had talked glowingly about a small island in the Gulf of Siam called Koh Samui. So, next stop…Bangkok. Good food, gracious people, lovely young women and all very affordable. There wasn't much not to like about Bangkok in those days.

A week later I was ensconced in a wooden, palm-thatched bungalow upon the glorious pristine shores of Koh Samui. My neighbors were a young Swiss couple named Roland and Claire. Samui was little known then other than by back-packers. It was a veritable paradise. The Swiss couple and I became good friends. We smoked lots of ganja, ate magic mushroom omelets and banana pancakes, spent hours drifting on the gentle swell of the bay in large inner tubes as colorful little fish frolicked around us and enjoyed many good laughs together. For two months I rarely spent more than five dollars a day. I actually thought about spending the rest of my life there. Then one morning the bungalow restaurant television aired a replay of the Wimbledon men's championship between Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe. By that time McEnroe was the number one ranked men's tennis player in the world. I don't know where Connors was ranked and I don't think he did either. All he knew was that he wasn't ranked #1. He had once remarked that being ranked #2 was of little difference to him than being ranked #200. He only wanted to be the best and for many years he was. Being second or third best was of no consequence to him. Know more here Shroom Capsules

In 1982 McEnroe was the reigning Wimbledon champion having finally ended Bjorn Borg's dominance of that tournament the year before. He was heavily favored to retain the title by defeating Connors. In the early stages of the match it looked as if he was going to do just that. Connors was down and appeared out-classed…out-classed in terms of his tennis skills, that is. He was never out-classed with regard to his fighting spirit. As I lounged in a bamboo chair nursing a pineapple milkshake and toking on a Thai stick Connors began to stage one of the most remarkable displays of human resilience I had ever seen in an athletic event. I watched in awe as he dove for shots, chased every ball and poured out so much energy that one felt there was nothing left in reserve. But, Connors always had more even if he had to generate it as he went along. Towards the end it seemed as if McEnroe was in awe of Connors…as if he couldn't believe Connors was still there. When Connors finally triumphed I snuffed out the Thai stick and returned to my Spartan bungalow where I sat gazing out upon the gently undulating bay. A gently undulating bay that was far more placid than the thoughts aroused by Mr. Connors performance. Following a particularly challenging match years earlier Connors was in a trainer's room receiving a therapeutic massage. His bad-boy buddy from Romania, Ilie Nastase, paid him a visit. Nastase was an excellent tennis player blessed with more natural talent than Connors. Their brief exchange went something like this:

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barbloftin33870-blog · 6 years ago

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Amazon’s Narrowed ‘HQ2′ Picks Include Dallas And NYC.

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asianhappinesss · 3 years ago

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Bangkok Breaking (2021)

Summary

The six-episode series is centered around the wild world of Bangkok's road rescue services and Wanchai who is newly arrived in Bangkok and must unravel a city-wide conspiracy alongside a young, upstart journalist.

Review

One of my goals with this blog was to branch out and watch dramas from other countries. I watch A LOT of Kdramas but I also watch other types of dramas. I needed a place to write about them, introduce other people to them and then create a place where people can have conversations about these dramas - whether they liked them or not. BAM THIS BLOG WAS FORMED!

So, when I saw a Thai drama called Bangkok Breaking coming to NETFLIX that was only 6 episodes and had an interesting premise, I KNEW I HAD TO CHECK IT OUT! Did anyone else watch this one? If you did, what did you think?

Overall, I was impressed with this drama. I knew nothing going into it. I did not know any of the actors. I just watched one trailer and thought "hmmm I think I will like this" and I DID! It wasn't the best drama I have ever seen but it was very entertaining and unique. It wasn't groundbreaking or anything and was somewhat predictable BUT a drama doesn't have to be new and groundbreaking to be entertaining and good.

WHAT I LOVED ABOUT THIS DRAMA

THE PRODUCTION - Now I have not seen that many Thai dramas so there might be some with a production and budget as high as Bangkok Breaking BUT FOR ME, this drama BY FAR is the highest production for a Thai drama. IT SHOWS TOO! The action shots and just all the effects going into the action shots make this a very exciting drama to watch. I mean if your drama is going to revolve around a rescue team, it has to be exciting right? GET READY FOR LOTS OF EXPLOSIONS AND CAR CHASES! I also appreciate the lighting and cinematography that this drama has. It was a very pretty drama to watch

THE STORY - The premise of a drama centered around Bangkok's emergency services caught my attention right away. The story, of course, turned out to be more than just about that BUT it made me click play FOR SURE! If you are a fan of ER or like Fast and the Furious, I think you will like this drama a lot. There aren't too many dramas out there with this concept of a story so I found it to stand out in dramaland. The fact that it is also a Thai drama was unique because I, for one, have not seen many Thai dramas so this drama exposed me to Bangkok and another side of Thai dramas that I have not seen yet. I have not watched many crime dramas from Thailand either and I LOVE CRIME DRAMAS! Yes, this has some crime involved with it. As I said, this drama is a lot more than just a drama about emergency services. I also just loved the found family in this drama too but I am also a SUCKER for the trope of Found Family.

THE ACTING - I have not seen any of the actors/actresses in other dramas so I was new the entire cast of Bangkok Breaking. I WAS IMPRESSED! A lot of talent in this drama FOR SURE! The leads had a sweet chemistry. I loved watching them on screen together. There are definitely some hard topics discussed in this drama and I thought the cast did well with these topics. I thought the cast seemed quite natural in their acting. They seemed comfortable with each other and generally seemed like they liked working together.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER

DOESN'T MAKE SENSE - Now there are some parts of this drama where if you think too hard it does not make sense. Like our male lead ran into a burning building with no training or experience and I just yelled DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH!? This drama has a good comparison to the Fast and Furious franchise because we all know when we watch the Fast and Furious franchise, we know that none of the stunts make sense and we just watch it for fun. This drama is the same thing. If you can turn your mind off and enjoy the ride, Bangkok Breaking is a fun ride. THE FIRST EPISODE DEFINITELY STARTS OFF WITH A BANG!

PREDICTABLE - Now for me who has watched a lot of crime dramas or dramas with corruption, there were some predictable plot points in this drama. Now that is not a bad thing AT ALL! I said above, this drama isn't groundbreaking but still is a lot of fun to watch. I sort of would have liked if this drama had more of a disaster an episode concept which it eventually didn't have because of the whole underlying mystery and conspiracy storyline BUT THAT IS OKAY! Also due to the decision of not going with a disaster/emergency an episode concept, some of the story did drag in parts for me.

SIDE CHARACTERS - This may be because this drama was only 6 episodes but I finished the drama and wanted more information on some of the side characters. The side characters added such a nice color to the story and drama. I was just left at the end of the drama wanting to know more about them. Maybe this is because I loved the found family in this drama a lot so I got interested and invested in all of the side characters and their stories because they were all a part of this big emergency crew family that was created.

SEASON 2 - Now there was no cliffhanger or anything with this drama. The drama did set it up for a potential Season 2 if they wanted to do one. I know some people will like that and some people won't. I would totally watch a second season of this drama. I enjoyed a lot of things with Bangkok Breaking.

#thai lakorn

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asteroidflaneur · 6 years ago

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Au revoir, Genève

[Sort of a cross-post of my Twitter thread]

My flight’s at 10:45 tomorrow and I’m not sure how I’ll manage to write a decent post while bleary-eyed and probably bawling at the airport, so I’ll do it now while my boss has nothing to ask from me.

Last year, people would tell me I’d be back in Europe again this time around to write my thesis / do work / compete. I had always been a skeptic of my own dreams, so I smiled, took these predictions cautiously and thought that these things would be lovely to have, but the chances were slim.

The moment I got home from Bangkok last April, I looked for my mother and apologized. I promised her that if the team made it to the Finals, I would take her to Switzerland and France. And she said, "It's okay. You did your best." For some reason, I was still browsing flights to Geneva, like someone hung up over an ex-lover keeps checking their Facebook (if she hasn’t been blocked).

In May, I managed to deal with the pain of being so close and yet losing the opportunity. In short, I got over it. But one June Saturday, I was discussing with my thesis adviser the materials he could find in Geneva for my paper, considering that he does trade law and worked at the Permanent Mission. He said, "Come as my intern!"

He gave me a few days to decide and my brain was spinning during the second week of finals. Paperwork, visas, financing, accommodations. Everything was driving me insane. I also thought my boss’s delayed papers and invitations would ensure that I wouldn't get here at all. Everyone asked, "When are you leaving?"

I was losing hope of ever making it here again. I was really ready to write off trade law, the WTO, this city, days at the Graduate Institute Library. I was ready to tell people that it might not push through. I was also crafting the message... until the letters and the correspondences rushed in all at once.

I thought I had lost it, and yet I was always being given another chance. I was always being called back at the last minute.

And I took it before it could slip away once again. Even if it were just three weeks, I didn't care how short it was. I just wanted to do everything I can: build bridges between institutions, between Missions, between people. Find friends, find mentors, learn everything I could.

I had my heartbreak (well-documented on my blog too), my difficulties, the nights I barely slept because I was thinking of so many things... the trips and plans I had to postpone / cancel to deal with issues both here in Geneva and at home. Sometimes, I thought I would just die from either the exhaustion or the emotional pain, but I’m alive. My boarding pass is ready, I’m almost done packing.

There were enough jokes about me finding love in Geneva. Again, I laughed them off. I was here just for thesis, for internship. But I met family, mentors, and friends. I was at family dinners on Fridays, picking vegetables for a potential lover on weekends, sneaking into someone’s workplace.

It was through these meetings, the sharing of ideas, of pain, of dreams, from post-doctorate research fellows to ambassadors to ordinary people, that I was able to think about the path I wanted. What could I do for them? What could I do for the world?

I was all too lucky to make it here, with the networks of my benefactor and the law school. I had my savings. I had my family trying to chip everything in even as the measly sandwiches I buy would be unreasonable to anyone else.

Without that privilege, I wouldn't be here.

But after all this, where do I go? That's what I want to figure out. I've always been given these chances, with my circumstances matching the progression of time. Not everyone can have I what I did, and I feel that it is my duty to do more, to bring this opportunity to more people. How do I?

I can't wait to give back, to decide on the path I would take and how I could respond to the needs of the world through my work.

As much as my friends, my relatives, and the Mission staff wanted to see me here next year, I would likely decline any invitations. I need to review for the bar exams after I graduate and I want to stay focused. But they opened up a world of possibilities. Work at an International Organization, take the foreign service exam and work for the diplomatic corps, be an attaché, take my post-graduate studies here.

I honestly don’t know if ever I’ll be back here, but everyone around me seems to be sure that I’ll be called either by the fortress that is the WTO, or the tranquility of Lac Léman, the raucous laughter of the Permanent Mission, that palace that is the UN, or even the tunnels of CERN. But then again, if you keep coming back to a place under circumstances of fate, maybe, it’s meant to be.

I have so many stories--from Ambassadors mistaking me for a diplomat to watching fiery meetings, the listening to the plight of Filipino migrant workers, both documented and undocumented, to relating so well with graduate students who were frustrated by the state of legal research in their home countries--and I have known so many inspiring people. I owe it to them to spread the flame.

I hope it’s not farewell, but au revoir, because first, I’m horrible at goodbyes and end up just ugly-crying at the airport when I leave a place, and second, I always find my way back to the places and people I love even at great cost to myself.

Thank you to everyone who supported me on this journey of learning to work for an international organization, learning to run a diplomatic mission, learning to run a State, and learning to love again.

#the life of dani #long form #long reads #geneva #switzerland #dani on the run #dani travels #dani in geneva: internship edition #dani the law student #dani writes her thesis #your girl's finally coming home

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warehousestevesworld · 6 years ago

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7.7.18

Until next time Bangkok, Sukhothai next.

My decision to stay up for the late game last night felt like a bad one as I woke up today, pretty bad few hours sleep and now at 7.40am Ria's alarm went off. I threw some clothes on, cold water to my face, head and zombified we walked down for breakfast.

Silence at the breakfast table as both of us wanted to go back to sleep. We cleaned our plates, washed it all down with some tea, and left for our room. I finished my packing and we checked out of the Star dome Inn for the second time, and walked with our heavy loads to try find an honest taxi driver to take us to the bus terminal, a lot harder than it sounds over here.

We flagged one down and asked how much to Morchit bus terminal around 12km away. We haggled down, but we knew we'd made a mistake by not asking for the meter to be put on, even though most of the drivers will refuse to use the meter and rather drive away looking for some more gullible tourists to scam instead😠

The traffic was terrible on the way to the station and we cut it fine to make it on time for our bus. We made it, even though we got sent to 4 different ticket booths to collect our tickets, and got on the bus, VIP style. ( VIP just meant some extra legroom for me👌😁 ) The service on the bus was brilliant from start to finish, a complete contrast to the ' shower ' of shit we'd had the other day. We got a rice and chicken meal, a full pack of biscuits and complimentary water to start with. Later on they came round with an iced coffee which was soo sweet it made your eyes water....so I also drank Ria's😂😂 it were lovely😆

The 8 hour journey passed without a problem, and we arrived at Sukhothai around 1800. The name Sukhothai translates to the ' Dawn of happiness ' and after the good service on the bus ride here, kindness of the taxi driver who took us to our guesthouse for a cheap price, and then England winning their quarter final game against Sweden, this place definitely brought happiness our way!👌👌

We got ourselves checked into the TR guesthouse for 2 nights and got settled into our room. Then we left to check out this bar called Choppers to see if they showed the football later. We walked into the bar which was just around the corner from where we were staying and asked if they show the game, they showed me a tv and told us yes, they would be showing it and so we ended up staying there to eat.

As we took our table and placed our order, our table for 2 turned into a table for 3 when one of the local birds ( Same bird that seemed to be the cities emblem )came and sat with us and didn't leave for the whole time we were there😆 Bird was definitely the word on first impressions, there were a huge number of birds making such a racket opposite and around us that it seemed like something out of a Steven King film🤔

We ordered our drinks, I went for a feminine looking banana shake with all the trimmings ( Fruit trimmings ) and Ria a coke. The staff obviously thought my drink was for Ria and took it straight to her until I raised my hand and admitted it was actually mine😂😎 We got a free plate of fruit from the owner and nearly cleared everything before leaving.

We left and took a short walk around the place, which didn't take long before going back to our digs to freshen up and get back out for the game!

2045 came and with that came also GAME TIME. England vs Sweden, huge quarter final game which I would never miss. The tv reception wasn't great with a fair amount of flickering and interruption so I got the game on my phone also as a back up😂😂 Without going on about it, WE ONLY WENT AND F*****G WON!! Great team performance which took us into our first Semi Final since 1990, amazing feeling. Even Ria showed a slight interest, I aren't sure if it was the cocktail she'd had, the fact it was Sweden or she just didn't want to have to be around me.if we'd lost😂😂😂...I left a happy man!! 🙌🍺

#adventure #explore #travel #travelblogger #traveling #travelling #traveltheglobe #traveltheworld #wanderlust #lovetravel #thailand #sukhothai #northernthailand #birds #delboy #thaifood #thailife #world cup

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weannewashere · 7 years ago

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Unbelievable sights...

Hey there, all you six million loyal blog readers! Welcome to what is possibly a four-part blog series on my whirlwind trip to the two biggest countries in the world (at least in terms of population) AKA India and China. It’s going to be quite an eventful ride and I would apologize in advance for the unprecedented length and informality of this post, but come on now, you all knew what you signed up for when you decided to start reading a blogpost from me haha. With this warning being given, if you agree to the terms and conditions of this post, then by all means, please click on the “Keep Reading” tab.

First off, the main characters of our story:

Weanne - aka our fearless heroine and star of the not-so-widely syndicated but critically acclaimed Keeping Up With Weanne. You already know about her and her propensity to be a klutz, so let’s move along here.

Vishal - trusty sidekick close friend from the WHO who’s based in India for the year. He’s alright, I guess. Jk he’s kind of the best but I know you’re reading this, you do not get to use this against me ugh

Ines - poor innocent IT professional from Taiwan who finds herself inadvertently running around the Indian subcontinent with two strangers she just met (this sentence alone is a movie plot in itself)

Rayan - our auto-rickshaw driving savior

Vishal and I had been planning this India trip for months, and the whole itinerary seemed pretty straightforward. We had this whole Google Sheet painstakingly outlined over Skype with dates and accommodations and attractions written all over them. I mean, what could go wrong, right? We got this, right? Things are going to go according to plan!

Narrator: Things aren’t gonna go according to plan.

Before we go any further, I think it’s important that we set a few things straight right from the get go, because I refuse to take any responsibility for any of the events to be described in the succeeding paragraphs. Because you see, apparently, our good friend Vishal has a travel curse so notorious it even spawned its own hashtag (#TravelingWithADasari). According to the terms of this curse, any trip associated with him is bound to have its fair share of unusually unfortunate events, including, but not limited to: flat plane tires, hot tea spillages on the plane, missed flights, misplaced visas, border-detained buses, wrong directions, horrible weather, etcetera etcetera. To be fair, I was warned about it beforehand, but like that blonde girl who still runs through dark hallways in her underwear we scream “DON’T RUN THROUGH THAT DARK HALLWAY IN YOUR UNDERWEAR” at in horror movies, I still decided to go through with the trip. I didn’t really believe in the curse, I guess. But alas, to experience is to believe. And experience it I did hahaha.

If you don’t believe me, here’s a sampler of all the shenanigans that happened before the trip had even started:

My passport was expiring. All the Manila appointments for passport renewal were full, so I had to do mine in Baguio, a full six-hour drive away, only four weeks before the actual flight.

On the day of my passport renewal, we got stranded in Baguio because of heavy rain, hence I missed work the next day.

After multiple calls and emails to the DFA, I found out my passport processing was delayed, giving me barely one week to process two visas for the whole trip!

I ended up being scammed out of P7000 after I went to the wrong website for my Indian e-visa application. Sumit, the guy scamming me, even had the frigging gall to sarcastically scold me for trying to process the visa so late and pressure me into paying even more for an expedited visa.

On the morning of the trip, a typhoon hit Manila and we realized the vehicle that was supposed to drive me to the airport was not allowed in Manila that day due to the coding scheme!

But alas, dear friends, all’s well that almost ends well, and despite all the unfortunate series of events, our heroine still found herself safely checked into NAIA that day, with a fresh passport, all the right visas, and a gigantic 15kg pink backpack as tall as her, all pumped and ready to go… and receiving a text from AirAsia to tell her her flight had been delayed by one hour.

Psh no worries, a delay of one hour still gives me two hours to make it to my connecting flight from Kuala Lumpur to Delhi.

Because just a few minutes later, I received another text from AirAsia, this time telling me my flight was delayed by yet another hour and a half. This meant I had only 30 minutes at the KL airport to make my connecting flight to Delhi! At this point, I was almost in tears at the thought of missing the flight and losing at least one out of my five days in India. The good news was, I think I was finally starting to grasp that this wasn’t going to be a regular trip, as evidenced by this text exchange as I was waiting for the flight to board:

So to make this long story just a little less long, here are the FAQs:

Did I make it to my connecting flight? HAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahahaha no. The plane took FOREVER to take off and I got to Kuala Lumpur 1.5 hours late.

Aww you poor thing. Did they give you a new flight then? NOPE. I stood in line for an hour, searching for Delhi wedding venues online so I can believably spin a story to the agent about needing to be in Delhi ASAP for a friend’s wedding, only to be told that the next flight they could put me on was two frigging days away. I was all, nope, to heck with that.

I’m at the edge of my seat in suspense. So what did you do? It turns out my department chair was flying in to Kuala Lumpur from the Philippines at the same time and she managed to find me at the connections counter. She offered to let me stay the night at her place. On the way to her apartment I booked a completely new flight to Delhi using her husband’s phone, went back to the airport at 5AM the next day for this new flight that took me to an eight-hour layover in Bangkok, where I ventured out into the city to the Chatuchak weekend market to hang out with a couple of friends from Loma Linda who coincidentally just happened to be in Bangkok that particular week, hightailed it back to the airport on an Uber only to realize I didn’t have enough baht on me to pay the driver huhuhu. Good thing he was the nicest person who just smiled and waved me off. #faithinhumanitymaintained

Late dinner with my boss in Malaysia

A quick Bangkok escapade with my LLU Weannies.

So now there I was, at the Bangkok airport, finally about to board a flight that would hopefully bring me to New Delhi by evening… and I somehow started feeling anxious about everything. I’m not sure what it was, really - sort of a mixture between “am I really doing this” and “do you know what you’re getting yourself into,” intensified by the fact that I seemed to be the only Filipina in the whole boarding area and was already receiving curious stares from fellow passengers. Now that it was actually happening, I guess it just hit me that I was heading off to this huge, famously overwhelming country thousands of miles away, to see a wonder of the world, to meet a friend I had really only hung out with for one week a year ago. It was this weird paradox where I had expectations but also didn’t know what to expect at the same time.

Nevertheless, on July 29, 2017, at around 10PM, a full day later than originally scheduled, after having breakfast in Malaysia and lunch in Thailand, I was now going to have dinner in India. I exited the airport and strained my eyes to look for a strange, bearded, polo-shirt wearing guy and yup, found him!

The poor guy had flown in from Chennai to Delhi on July 28 as we had originally planned, and I was feeling quite bad about leaving him alone in New Delhi for the day, but nope, I shouldn’t have even worried. In true Vishal fashion (I have this theory he makes 50% of his friends this way), he had somehow made a friend at the hostel, invited her to attend a concert at a basement with him (I mean this by itself sounds sketch, right?), and somehow convinced her to ditch all her previous plans and gallivant around India with a guy she just met and a girl she hadn’t yet.

And that was how I met the adventurous Ines.

I didn’t know whether to applaud her spontaneity or question her sanity hahaha for all she knew we could have been serial killers preying on unsuspecting travelers, but whatever possessed her to trust Vishal that day, I’m thankful for it haha.

Since we had lost an entire day due to my delay, we couldn’t meet up with Alvira (another WHO friend who was supposed to join us) and go around New Delhi anymore. Instead, we immediately hopped on an Ola cab to take us straight to Agra in the middle of the night. It was a good four-hour cab ride - you would think I’d be tired from traveling for more than 24 hours, but there was so much to catch up on with Vishal and so much to learn about Ines and so much about my flight to whine about that we spent a good portion of the cab ride in animated conversation. We finally made it to Zostel Agra at around 2:30 in the morning.

We forced ourselves to wake up 1.5 hours later at 4 AM. Blog reviews had said that it was worth seeing the Taj Mahal during sunrise, and I’d be darned if I missed out on that haha. We somehow made it out of the hostel without causing a ruckus, rode an auto rickshaw through the sleepy streets of Agra, and found ourselves at the west gate (I think) of the Taj. A tour guide offered us his services, which we gladly accepted.

And boy am I glad we did. Because not only was he able to provide us with an excellent historical background of the Taj, he was also quite good at taking our photos and directing our poses hahaha.

The west gate of the Taj.

Team No Sleep

Hands on hips as directed by our tour guide, taken from the Janine Tugonon Miss Universe School of Posing.

GUYS. GUYS. ITS… ITS… *SPUTTERS* IT’S THE TAJ. *GESTICULATES WILDLY* LIKE, THE TAJ MAHAL. *MAKES HEAD BLOWN GESTURE* THE REAL THING. *GENTLY CARESSES THE TAJ WHILE WHISPERING* I HAD HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT YOU I HAD ONLY SEEN YOU IN PHOTOS AND NOW YOU’RE HERE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME IN THIS VERY SPECIAL MOMENT YOU’RE SO BEAUTIFUL I mean what, I was totally cool I didn’t lose my chill at all, Ines didn’t look at me all amused and say “you look very excited”

Okay but seriously. Guys. The only correct reaction to seeing the Taj Mahal in person is to draw a sharp intake of breath with your hands on your heart and your eyes tearing up and promptly freak out. Which may or may have been my shameless reaction and I make no apologies for it.

Okay fine, let me try to make like a proper travel blogger and give you a few interesting facts about the Taj Mahal. The Taj was commissioned in the 1600s by the emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his one great love, Mumtaz Mahal. It is made of the most exquisite marble inlaid with precious stones that were handcrafted in by artists. It is symmetrical on all sides, meaning from whichever side you look at it, it will look the same. And fun fact: there’s an optical illusion surrounding the Taj. When you stand in one of the archways and walk towards it, the Taj seems like it’s receding, as if it’s trying to move away from you. But when you walk away from it, the Taj actually looks like it’s growing bigger, drawing towards you. Parang pag-ibig lang yan, guys. Pag nilalapitan mo, lumalayo. Pag ikaw na yung sumuko at nag walk away, saka niya pinipilit lumapit sayo CHOS.

It was definitely worth visiting the Taj at sunrise, as the crowds were still quite small. Take for example, this photo with the Princess Diana bench, so named because well, the great Princess Diana sat on it lol. Apparently, during peak hours, it takes hours to line up and have a photo on this bench. For us though, it took less than a minute.

We walked around the structure for a bit, finally finding a spot to sit down and admire the famous monument. It was quite a surreal moment for me, just quietly watching this famous world wonder bathed in sunrise. I think in my head I was trying to grasp the sheer magnitude of love that caused the emperor to spend 53 billion rupees just for his wife to have a resting place as majestic as the Taj. I even questioned his sanity, at one point. But love is quite powerful and crazy that way, I guess. (Also didn’t hurt that he had the money for it lol.)

Photographs weren’t allowed inside the Taj itself, but we did get to see the replica tombs of the emperor and his wife. We then walked around the building again and just sat on the marble floor, taking in the view. We could’ve stayed there the whole day, but alas, we had things to do, places to see, food to eat.

After the Taj, our tour guide took us to this alleyway which seemed to be a hotspot for souvenirs and pasalubongs.

We then stepped into this dessert store selling a classic Agra specialty: soft candies called petha.

Ugh how do I even begin to describe petha? Have you ever tasted a smell? Like, have you ever inhaled something fragrant and aromatic and flowery and wondered what it would taste like? That’s what petha tastes like - like an explosion of fragrance in your mouth, but light and airy and not overwhelming. It was so good, I think I bought two flavors - butterscotch and something else. (Also, I’m so mad now because I’m reminded of the fact that I actually forgot these pieces of heaven in Vishal’s fridge :( )

Enter Rayan. He was the auto-rickshaw driver that our tour guide reserved to take us around the rest of the area. For breakfast, he took us to this cozy roadside store that gave me my first glorious taste of aloo paratha and reminded Ines of how much she loved masala chai (I don’t remember just how many cups she had haha!).

After breakfast, we headed to the Agra Fort, a grand, imposing sandstone structure seen across the river from the Taj Mahal. Entering it felt like entering the world of Game of Thrones, particularly Dorne, with its reddish fortresses and bright spacious courtyards.

Three interesting facts about this place that I really liked:

The Agra Fort houses Jahangir’s Chain of Justice, a giant chain fastened with bells that people who were in need of justice could just shake in order to get the emperor’s attention. I thought that that was absolutely fantastic, to have a ruler who recognizes that not everyone is able to access justice, and to have a mechanism that allows those people to get his attention regardless of their caste or status.

The fort is home to the “prison” of Shah Jahan. Name sounds familiar? Yup, he’s the same guy who built the Taj Mahal. Apparently his son declared him incompetent to rule and hence placed him under house arrest. His only comfort was that he was given a room directly across the Taj, allowing him to view his wife’s memorial every day until his very last breath :( Awww.

You can see the Taj through one of the holes.

Akbar the Great, the third Mughal emperor created the religion Dīn-i Ilāhī, which is basically a conglomerate of all the different major religions at that time. You could see this evidenced in the design of the fort - for example, the particular archway in the photo below is adorned with a swastika (Hinduism), the lotus flower (Buddhism), arches (Islam), the Star of David (Judaism), and the cross (Christianity).

Entrance reflecting the symbolism of the major religions

Mehehehehe naiinitan na si koya pero waley siya choice siya, kailangan magpapicture mehehehehehe.

After the Agra fort, we were feeling quite sweaty and tired, so we decided to forego the Baby Taj and the other Agra attractions. Rayan took us back to the hostel so we could rest for a bit and pack up before we left for Fatehpur Sikri, a town 43 kilometers away (this involved a hilarious encounter with a not-so-hidden bathroom inside our hostel room, but I digress lol). We were feeling quite proud of how our day was going relatively smoothly - so many things accomplished in just half a day! What was it we said? Oh yeah, things are going according to plan.

Narrator: Things aren’t going to go according to plan.

Vishal had booked an Ola cab to take us from Agra to Fatehpur Sikri days in advance, but apparently, as we found out that day, the reservation request failed. No worries, we can rebook again! An Ola cab soon came to us, we piled all our luggage into it, settled in, only oops, our driver changed his mind, he didn’t want to take us after all! No worries, Rayan had said he has a cab! So we piled out of this cab, picked up all our luggage, and asked Rayan to come to our rescue! He agreed, and pulled up several minutes later… in his trusty auto rickshaw. No worries! We can totally do a two-hour ride through major highways with all our luggage in just an auto! Yay!

At this point, I think Ines was questioning her life choices hahaha.

So there we were - four adults and several huge backpacks crammed into one auto rickshaw, trying to eat our lunch (biryani and paneer) without spilling anything on ourselves as we flew through a highway. Rayan opened up about how he was abandoned as a child but turned things around and made a living as a rickshaw driver, Vishal told us about how this ride reminds him of certain childhood memories, Ines told us about her aversion to dry food, and I… I don’t remember if I shared anything, actually haha!

We made it to Fatehpur Sikri at around 4:30 PM. We visited two complexes in the area: the palace complex and the Jama Masjid. The palace complex was quite interesting, because it was home to the emperor’s three wives: a Muslim, a Hindu, and a Christian, and their residences each reflected their faiths. Also, tip for the traveler: get a guide. It’s quite surprising how much symbolism is embedded in the designs of the palace itself - even just the number of pillars in one structure represented something significant. By the end of the day we were making guesses about what the four holes in a wall or the 16 steps in a stairway could’ve represented hahaha.

The Jama Masjid was also pretty grand, and since it was a mosque, we had to leave our shoes by the entrance and Vishal had to wear a drape to cover his legs. We went inside the Tomb of Shalim Chishti, a Sufi saint and sprinkled rose petals all over the cenotaph. We also tied red and gold threads around the lattices inside the tomb and made a wish, as per tradition. And as all wish-making traditions go, you’re not supposed to tell anyone your wish or else you won’t get your heart’s/brain’s/stomach’s desire.

Did mine come true? If I remember my wish correctly… I actually think it did.

Team No Shoes

After our tour, we went back to our rickshaw to get our stuff. I looked over and Vishal seemed to be involved in a calm and friendly conversation with Rayan and our tour guides. They were speaking in Hindi so I couldn’t understand, but judging from their calm, even joking, tones, I thought, “Awww look at these bros bonding" lolol.

Narrator: The bros were, in fact, not bonding.

Hahaha apparently what was really happening was that the tour guides were trying to get Vishal to pay exorbitantly higher tour fees, and what I thought was them laughing at something he said was actually them scoffing at the price he was offering to pay them. Apparently the tension was so intense that Vishal got worried that they would try to start a fight or something. And all this time I was there just smiling brightly at them like an idiot because apparently my situational awareness is just that bad hahaha.

Somehow, things got resolved and the tour guides let us go. But our struggles weren’t over yet. At this point, you probably already know the drill - the Ola cab reservation we had booked to take us all 200 kilometers from Fatehpur Sikri to Jaipur had, guess what, failed yet again. Because of course, of course hahaha.

Poor guy at the local establishment just trying to cool down from the stress of babysitting two tourists lol

We (well mostly just Vishal) kept trying to book a new cab, until finally, we had to accept the inevitable fact: no cab was coming. If we wanted to get to Jaipur tonight, we need to get ourselves on a bus, and soon, because it was starting to get dark.

Abandoned by Ola Cabs, we positioned ourselves by this roadside, hoping that a sleeper bus would soon materialize in front of us (I mean, we did try sticking our wand arm out heh). A bus did drive past us, but it was one of those regular buses that already seemed pretty overcrowded, so we decided to try the next one. We also got approached by a few guys offering to take us to Jaipur, but we were like nah mate we’ve had too much bad luck on this trip already, at this rate you’re probably gonna turn out to be the zodiac killer or something lol.

A full hour passed and we were still bus-less by the side of the road, in the dark. At this point, the travel gods were all, “Hey you know what would be kinda funny? If they got rained on too.”

And rain, it did.

And I loved it. Call me a masochist, but I was honest to goodness getting quite the kick out of every second of our consistent misfortunes hahaha they were just so ridiculous! Or maybe you should call me an unintentional sadist, because apparently, while your heroine was internally gushing “THIS IS AMAZING MUCH RAIN SUCH RICKSHAW MUCH BLOG CONTENT WOWE IS THAT CORN ON THE COB YASSS I’LL HAVE SOME THANK YOU,” our poor Indian-American host was stressing out so much about our safety and comfort that he actually found the contact number of a taxi company online, asked to be put in touch with its CEO, and requested for a cab to pick us up at any cost hahaha. Yup, my situational awareness was as poor as ever haha. (Also, the best direction Vishal could give the cab company was, “uhhhh we’re by the side of some road” lololol).

And then suddenly, like the first drop of rain after a drought, like the sight of the meal you ordered finally making its way out of the restaurant kitchen, like a piece of Cinnabon for the weary soul, a sleeper bus did materialize out of nowhere. Okay fine we saw it coming from hundreds of yards away, but still. Rayan flagged it down for us (yes, he had been waiting with us this entire time!), and we immediately jumped on it, no questions asked.

We found an empty compartment on the top half portion of the bus, and crammed us and all our luggage in it. It was quite comfortable and private actually, like a mini mattress with just enough space for three people.

And so commenced our four-hour commute to the Pink City.

We realized we hadn’t had dinner yet, but we remembered we still had some leftover biryani and paneer from lunch! So we opened those up and ate it with our hands.

We also tried to entertain ourselves by attempting to play Uno and Mao in the dark cabin lol. Eventually though, our conversation drifted off to the serious topic of faith and religion. We had, after all, just spent the day going through religious places of worship and palaces that incorporated the different faiths, so it was perfectly natural for us to reflect on what that personally meant for us - three people from three different faiths and varying levels of practice. It was honest, thoughtful conversation that made me realize just how little I knew about other world views and how we, as humans, regardless of all our differences, are all just trying to find our truths and do good in this world.

So there we were, our main characters, in an open air sleeper bus in the middle of the night, on a long stretch of highway miles away from nowhere, with no idea where we were supposed to get off other than what a tiny dot on GoogleMaps showed us. We were drunk on sleep deprivation, exhaustion, and adventure, the past 24 hours giving us a lifetime’s worth of stories we couldn’t have written better ourselves. It was 12 AM and we were falling asleep, but before I let the tiredness wash over me, I couldn’t help but think about how the past two days had seen me through three countries and six cities and 9000 kilometers of distance and how nothing had gone right yet somehow everything was right, and how this was never in the plan but in this moment there was no place in all the planet’s 510 million square kilometers I would much rather be.

In this moment, everything was right with the world.

We made it safely to our hostel in Jaipur none the worse for wear at 12:30 AM.

It was a great day.

Narrator: It was, indeed… a great day.

P.S. Shoutout to Rayan, the real MVP for sticking with us the entire time and making sure we got to our destinations safely in the Little Autorickshaw That Could. He literally went the extra mile for these cursed tourists lol, getting home late to his family for our sakes. And even after all that, he barely even looked at the money we handed over to him in the end, because according to him, he’s just happy showing people around India and making sure they have a good time. There are, indeed, a lot of good people in the world. (For the extra warm fuzzies: We told Vishal’s dad about how Rayan had saved us, and he got his staff members to track Rayan down and wire him a good amount of money for his family. <3)

Also, shoutout to my powerbank for keeping our phones alive enough for me to take all the photos and for Vishal to contact people and figure out where we were going lol.

Coming up next: the second installment of the India-China mini-series. If you made it this far, congratulations - I PROMISE THE NEXT ONE WON’T BE AS LONG PLEASE STILL READ MY BLOG PLEASE LMAO

#travel

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scotlandandbeyond · 5 years ago

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A Week, (well 87 hours), of Living Dangerously

Remember the movie, “A Year of Living Dangerously”? It was a 1982 movie about the 1965 Indonesian revolution. That in itself is interesting because I seemed to remember it being about the 1970’s Khmer Rouge...go figure.

Anyway, for Craig and I we had 87 hours in a whirlwind; in particular the last 70 hours. That was when we last showered and dressed in clean clothes. Now that we’re home in Canada and in our 14 day isolation, I’m starting to process it all. This post is part of my own processing. Here’s the timeline of those hours:

Hoi An, Vietnam, approximately 2pm local time, (midnight Pacific time), our bus to Hue is pulled over and everyone is checked for a temperature. Passports are also checked for visa date, lots of paperwork about where we’ve been and where we’re going. We have an epiphany: if ANYONE on this bus tests positive, we’re all going into a lockdown facility...and they’re not using hotels for this...it will be in a fairly dire place. That night in our hotel, we make the decision to leave Vietnam early and head to our place in Mexico, (where we were to arrive in early April). All flight dates changed at no cost, however on the all with Turkish Airlines they tell us that our original flight date to Amsterdam had already been cancelled, but no one had let us know...good job I called. Other flights into Cambodia and back to Bangkok are cancelled, (who knows what we will recoup from those as wait times are too long to deal with refunds). Cancelled our hotel Siem Reap.

Wednesday midday Vietnamese time: we receive an email saying our flight time to Bangkok has been changed. Now instead of a direct flight, we are going via Ho Chi Minh city. We’re told there is no other option. This still gives us 4 hours until our flight out of Bangkok so we accept the change, but we’re uneasy. We also need to be in Hanoi the night before, so we cancel original flights to Hanoi and rebook. Again, refund...who knows???

A few hours later, we get another email saying our flight time has changed again, but we need to call to get the change. 3 hours later, after being on hold and cut off 3 times, we have both of us on phones, and the hotel reception calling locally as well, we get two different stories: English staff say we no longer have enough time in between flight from Hanoi to HCM and the connecting flight from HCM to Bangkok, (we have 1 hour and 25 minutes), so they’re cancelling the 2nd part of our flight, (the one to Bangkok), and we will have to rebook. Vietnamese people tell hotel, no all is fine, but these people need to check in again at the airport. We don’t quite trust the Vietnamese answer and know that if we can’t get to Bangkok in time, we will miss out flight out. We book another direct flight, (that interetily wasn’t an option earlier in the day), and keep the original flights. We know have 2 bookings and hope that one makes it out. We sleep fitfully and arrive at the airport just after 8am for our 2 noonish flights. The airport is ominously quiet with only Vietnamese airlines at the gates. Wearing a mask is mandatory. Thank goodness our friends Tom and Shaun brought us two skookum, (a good Canadian word), ones:

We manage to get the newly booked direct flight to Bangkok...hallelujah...but not before getting gauged for $85CDN for overweight carry on luggage. We were over the secret allotment amount by 3kgs. Ironically we were under by 9kgs in our checked bags...had we only known. Craig asked if this was just a “money grab” and a lovely Vietnamese young woman, with limited English smiled sweetly at Craig, (behind her mask), and said, “yes.”

We arrive in Bangkok just after 2pm local time, (midnight Wednesday morning Pacific Time), where we are told we need to download an app and fill out the online form before we can proceed to Customs and Immigration. So, along with hundreds of others we are doing our best with the airport wifi. We had to take a photo of our passport photo page, and upload it along with the form that asked our flight and seat number of the flight we arrived on, as well as our future plans and whether had had any of the individually listed symptoms. Then we submitted it all electronically and got a confirmation receipt that we had to take a photo of and show before proceeding on to have our temperatures taken and finally on through Customs etc and baggage claim. Once through, we are relieved to finally be out of Vietnam and are happily set to board our still flying flights out to Amsterdam via Istanbul where we are set to overnight before flying on to Mexico on Friday morning, (Amsterdam time), when....cue the music...we get a notification saying that all flights out of Amsterdam to outside the EU have been cancelled. Now we’re panicked: while we’re relieved to be out of Vietnam, what are we going to do if we’re stuck in Amsterdam for an indefinite period of time? And what if we DO somehow manage to get to Mexico? Will they let us in? We have property there, but no legal standing as residents. Online we go, and after looking at our options we decide to head for home, and to use a reliable carrier, (Air Canada), who thank us for our patronage by charging an obscene amount for 2 one way tickets, (but hey, they waived baggage fees). So we wait for 8 hours in Bangkok, and again we try to cancel our original flights to Amsterdam, but we can’t get through to anyone. Finally, Craig goes to their check in when it opens and explains the situation. Again we don’t know if there will be any refunds. Meanwhile I did a modern version of “working the phones” trying to find a place to stay when we returned, as our house is still rented out.

Take a look at the itinerary below: in addition to our 12 hour layover in Tokyo, (yes Tokyo), we didn’t look that closely when we booked in a panic, but fortunately Craig asked at check in if we needed to claim our bags or if they would just go straight through? The woman at the ANA counter looked at us as if we were insane and said, “Of course you will have to claim your bags in Tokyo because you have to take them to the other airport!” WHAT??? What “other airport???” Yes, we had to change airports.

Arriving into Japan, we had our temperatures taken again, and after claiming our bags, and an hour bus ride later we arrive at Narita airport where we have a 10 hour wait. Craig finds a lounge that our credit card gives us one free access to, and we head in there for its comfy seats. This turns out to be a great decision as during out 8 hours there we are two of only 4 people for most of the time. Meanwhile we keep checking that our Air Canada flight to Vancouver is still “on”.

At 4 pm Tokyo time on Thursday, we checked in for our flight. Relieved to have boarding passes in hand we anxiously waited. I have never been so happy to see that familiar Air Canada plane when it arrived! After having our temperatures taken once again, we boarded just before 6pm and finally we were headed home! Our previous flights had been maybe 1/3 to 1/2 full so we had been able to have a row to ourselves and I could lie down and sleep. Not so for Craig, due to his height. However, I was awakened on our flight to Tokyo, but Craig’s voice, obviously upset. Apparently when he went to use the bathroom, an overzealous flight attendant, picked up his mask that his had replaced in its resealable container, and disposed of it. I thought Craig was going to lose it; a combination of stress, exhaustion and fear that like in Vietnam, we would be denied boarding without one, almost pushed him over the edge. The mask had been put in the garbage, but it was on the top, and in a sealed container, so they were able to retrieve it and sprayed the container with a sanitizer and all was restored. It’s just an example of fragile our emotions were at this point.

We were unsure what to expect upon arrival to Vancouver, but we certainly did not expect how relaxed it seemed to be: our temperatures weren’t checked, and Border folks just asked if we had any symptoms, and where we had come from? We told them Vietnam, and didn’t get into our circuitous routing as we figure they must know how tough it’s getting to get back, as multiple airlines collapse their flights into one. We were given a sheet of paper outlining how the 14 day isolation works and we were off to baggage claim. It has NEVER felt so good to land back on Canadian soil.

This was not how our adventure was to play out. We are still dealing with our emotions around this and no doubt will be for a while yet, but we are home. Not that we’re safe here from this virus, but we know how the system works, we have a great healthcare system, (and we will do over very best not to overwhelm it), and we have family and friends.

I think what really got me through these days were two important things: Craig was a ROCK...seriously...and the never ending support of family and friends. Your continual messages via social media were great. I tried to keep people updated without sharing too much of our emotional rollercoaster, but your responses were propping me up. Thank you.

I’m happy to be home. We will spend our time in our trailer, (where we would live was one of our main concerns about coming home early). Our “personal shopping” team comprised of friends and family have bought groceries for us, and people have stepped up offering us their property to set up on, and a generator to charge our trailer batteries. We’re still finalizing where we will stay, (having rented a place for 2 nights to give us some breathing space to get our vehicle insured, etc).

I’ve learned a lot about myself this past week, (mainly about my shortcomings), but that’s for another post, (I had to share the photo of unguarded toilet rolls in a the bathroom at Narita airport!)

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tamboradventure · 5 years ago

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7 Ways to Scratch the Travel Itch Without Traveling

Updated: 3/17/2020 | March 17th, 2020

Once at a reader reader meetup, a fellow traveler approached me. He had just returned from an overland drive from New York City to Patagonia.

After I peppered him with questions about his trip (I mean really, how cool does that trip sound?), he asked me one:

“How do you deal with coming home, staying in the travel mindset, and keeping the lessons you learned alive?”

It’s a great question and it touches on something a lot of travelers get blindsided by: the post-travel blues.

Post-trip depression is something many long-term travelers struggle with.

Coming home is often harder than leaving (or adjusting to life abroad) because it’s so anti-climactic.

Before your trip, there is this massive buildup of emotions, preparation, and excitement. You’ve been planning a trip for months, imagining yourself in foreign lands, meeting interesting people, and going on an adventure.

You’re moving toward a goal. You’re excited. A bright future of possibility lies before you.

But then you come home after months (or years) abroad and it’s suddenly “now what?”

There’s no more buildup.

Just a complete stop.

You don’t come back with a bang; you come back with a whimper. Your friends are only kind of interested in your trip, but soon their eyes glaze over at your travel tales. Before you know it, you fall back into your old routine and it’s as this trip never happened.

So what can you do to recreate that sense of travel when you get back home?

And, given the times we live in, what do you do when you are quarantined because of Coronavirus, flights are grounded, and the travel industry has come to a halt?

How can you keep that sense of adventure alive while you are home (literally in your home and generally in your community)?

Well, here are 7 ways to bring the world to you when you can’t go to it:

1. Read Travel Books

The easiest thing you can to bring the world to you is to visit it through a book. Read about people’s adventures and stay inspired as you dream about all the places you’ll go in the future. Get new ideas, learn about other cultures, satiate your wanderlust, and grow your “to visit” list.

Let your mind travel when your body can’t.

Here’s a list of some travel books to get you started:

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho

Wild, by Cheryl Strayed

The Beach, by Alex Garland

In a Sunburned Country, by Bill Bryson

Turn Right at Machu Picchu, by Mark Adams

Ten Years a Nomad, by me! (Which you should deflintely get because it’s the best and supporting the team and I during these times would mean a lot!)

For more suggestions, here’s a larger list of my favorite travel books.

And here’s a list of 13 non-travel books that changed my life (because if this quarantine lasts for awhile, you might want to read some other genres too!).

Additionally, if you want regular book suggestions, we have a travel book club where, once a month, I send a list of some of my recent reads.

2. Watch Travel Movies

From far-fetched classics like Indiana Jones to biopics like Wild to documentaries like A Map for Staurday, travel movies are another great way to satiate your wanderlust. Here are a few of my favorites:

Lost in Translation

Up in the Air

The Beach

Midnight in Paris

The Way

For more, here’s a full list of the best travel movies out there.

And, if you want some TV or Netflix suggestions, here are a few shows worth binging:

Parts Unknown with Anthony Bourdain

An Idiot Abroad

Departures

The Long Way Round

The Amazing Race

Dark Tourist

Someone Feed Phil

Ugly Delicious

3. Start Planning Your Next Trip

Eventually, the current situation with the Coronavirus will pass and we’ll be able to travel again. So, while you are at home with lots of time on your hands, start planning your summer or fall trip. After all, we’re all gonna really need to get outside once this crisis is over! Trip planning will keep you busy and help make the days and weeks fly by.

First, buy a guidebook. I love getting lost in guidebooks and plotting itineraries and dreaming of the sights I’ll see. They’ll help you get the lay of the land, outline your budget, and give you an introduction to the destination. We have 7 in-depth budget travel guidebooks to some of my favorite destinations around the world, including:

Paris

Iceland

Amsterdam

Bangkok

Europe

New York City

Thailand

They’re the product over over ten years of backpacking the world and are chock full of insider tips, budget suggestions, itineraries and much, much more!

For other destinations, I suggest using Lonely Planet guidebooks. They’re my go-to company whenever I’m planning a new trip. They have the widest selection of destinations out there. You can check out their selection here and pick one up for your next trip! (Amazon is delivering so you don’t need to leave your house to get one!)

Next, check out this comprehensive step-by-step guide to planning a trip. It will walk you through all my best tips on planning a trip so you can be ready to go the second we’re allowed to travel again.

Being at home can lead to a lot of boredom but I’ve always found trip planning – even for places I never end up going – a great mental escape that helps me pass the time and occupy my mind.

4. Start Travel Hacking

While you’re waiting for your next trip, sign up for a new travel credit card so you can earn points and miles for free flights and hotel stays. This is how I travel so often without spending a ton of money. Accommodation and flights are two of the biggest expenses you’ll have so being able to reduce that to near zero ensure you’ll be able to travel a lot more!

Here are some posts to help you learn more and get started today (because the sooner you start the sooner you can earn a free trip!)

How I Earn 1 Million Frequent Flier Miles Each Year

Is Travel Hacking Really a Scam?

The Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking

The 6 Best Travel Credit Cards for 2020

5. Join Online Communities

A wonderful way to connect with other travelers and keep the spirit of travel alive is to join an online community. There are a lot out there these days (including the one we started a few months back). Being at home can be isolating and, as you dream and plan future trips, connect with other travelers. Share trips, advice, stories, and keep your spirits high!

Here are a few of the best online communities you can join today:

The Nomadic Network (This is our travel community)

Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree

Girls Love Travel (women only)

Reddit’s Travel and Shoestring subreddits (for general travel and budget travel respectively)

Couchsurfing (they have groups and destination-specific forums)

6. Read Travel Blogs

Whether you’re planning a trip or just looking for something to read, travel blogs have a wealth of on-the-ground information, insider tips, and stories that can give you a lot of helpful advice and suggestions for your next trip.

Not only that but, as the travel industry grinds to a halt during this pandemic, reading blogs helps you support those of us who rely on advertising as part of our income. So, not only will you be getting lots of information but you’ll help keep bloggers from going under. Win-win!

Here are some suggested blogs to read:

Uncornered Market (sustainable travel)

View from the Wing (travel hacking, airline news)

Wandering Earl (adventurous budget travel)

The Blonde Abroad (travel and lifetsyle)

Neverending Footsteps (travel and anxiety)

Be My Travel Muse (solo female travel)

For even more awesome websites worth reading, here’s a list of my favorite travel blogs.

And since we’re also struggling traffic-wise, here are some of our most popular posts in case you feel like browsing (thanks in advance!):

Why Travel Makes You Awesome

Everyone Says I’m Running Away

How to Realize You Dreams & Travel Anywhere You Want

The Ultimate Guide to Traveling When You Have No Money

Why It’s Never the Perfect Time to Travel

7. Meet Travelers Near You

(Note: At the moment, this tip does not apply due to the quarantine but, once it is lifted, this can be a way to meet people in your local area.)

Having a support network is vital. You need people who won’t think you’re weird when you tell them you want to hike across the Amazon. You need people to say “Can I join?”

That why we started The Nomadic Network. It’s an online and in-person meet-up group for travelers all around the world. We host regular events every month in cities across the globe (at least when this crisis is over. Sign-up, use our forum to chat with people virtually, and, when this all over, come meet up in person!

Some other great websites for meeting people in real-life are:

Meetup.com – There’s a group out there for everything. I use this site frequently.

Couchsurfing – Couchsurfing is more than a website that offers accommodation. It has lot of local groups that hold events all the time. It is a wonderful way to meet other travelers and locals – at home or on the road.

***

Coming home can be hard. We all need a community that supports and understands us. And, while we can’t meet that community in real life right now, there are many ways you can bring the world to you while you are at home.

Use these tips. Keep your travel spirits alive. Plan a future trip. The world will be waiting – and ready – for you when this is all over.

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines, because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com, as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels. I use them all the time.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it, as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those 70 and over)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all those I use — and they’ll save you time and money too!

Photo Credit: 7 – OuiShare

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bangkokjacknews · 5 years ago

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Thailand mourns victims of country’s deadliest mass shooting

As mourning began for the victims of #Thailand’s worst mass shooting, the country counted its losses: a mother shot dead at the wheel of her car as her son sat beside her, a 13-year-old student gunned down as he was riding his motorbike home and more than two dozen other people.

Authorities said the attack was carried out by a single gunman — a disgruntled soldier who opened fire on strangers before he was fatally shot Sunday at a shopping mall. Another 58 people were wounded. The dead were mourned Sunday night in Nakhon Ratchasima, a hub for Thailand’s relatively poor and rural northeastern region. More than 1,000 people turned up for the vigil led by Buddhist monks. They lit candles and prayed and chanted in the town square featuring a statue of Thao Suranari, a governor’s wife who is revered for leading troops against invaders from Laos two centuries ago. Officials said the gunman was angry over a financial dispute with his commanding officer. He made Col. Anantarote Krasae his first victim before stealing guns from an army camp and heading to the mall, shooting wildly along the way at people inside and outside the building. The attacker was identified as Sgt. Maj. Jakrapanth Thomma, who holed himself up in the Terminal 21 Korat, an airport-themed mall filled with colorful Lego sculptures, a merry-go-round and huge replicas of landmarks from around the world.

After most mall employees and shoppers were evacuated, a joint police and military team hunted down the gunman and killed him. “This incident was unprecedented in Thailand,” Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters as he gave a casualty count after visiting the victims in hospitals. By the end of the day, the toll had risen to 29 people killed. The death toll surpassed Thailand’s last major attack on civilians, a 2015 bombing at Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine that was allegedly carried out by human traffickers who killed 20. “I hope this is the only one and the last incident and that it never happens again. No one wants this to happen. It could be because of this person’s mental health in this particular moment,” Prayuth said. He said he was worried that people inside the mall could be accidentally hit by bullets fired by police, but added, “I have checked, that didn’t happen.” Video taken outside the mall showed people diving for cover as shots rang out. Many were killed outside the mall, some in cars and others while walking. Survivors and victims’ families gathered during the day at the city’s hospitals, where they recounted their ordeals. Cpl. Korakot Ampanngeun was visited by Suwat Liptapanlop, a prominent politician from the area. “I received an order from my superior to block off the road so that no one could go in the direction” of the gunman, the corporal recalled. “So I was signaling to oncoming traffic, when I turned around and saw him. If I had not, I would not have survived. I tried to run and find somewhere to hide. But I could only take two steps and then I heard the sound — ‘bang.’ My leg just went and I couldn’t walk. A good Samaritan helped carry me away.” High school student Nachote Chotiklang said he was in his mother’s car as she passed the gunman’s vehicle. The assailant “got out of the car and fired into the window. At that, I ducked down and didn’t do anything until I felt that car hit something. It hit a tree.” “What happened to your mom?” Suwat asked. Nachote shook his head while another man explained that she had died. Another harrowing tragedy was recalled by Nuttawut Kanchanamethi, father of 13-year-old Rachanon Kanchanamethi, who had the nickname James Bond. The middle school student was riding his motorbike home when the gunman fired on him from his car on his way to the mall. Rachanon, the family’s only child, was one of the first victims. The father spoke at the first day of his son’s Buddhist funeral. “I don’t want to lose him like this,” Nuttawut said. “This is too sudden. We had plans for him, growing up. That’s all. We didn’t impose any expectations on him.” Nuttawut paused for a long moment. “I want to continue taking care of him, but I no longer have that opportunity,” he said, breaking into sobs. - AP Vejpongsa reported from Bangkok. Associated Press writers Grant Peck and Busaba Sivasomboon contributed to this report. – You can follow BangkokJack on Instagram, Twitter & Reddit. Or join the free mailing list (top right) Please help us continue to bring the REAL NEWS - PayPal Read the full article

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nabosworld · 7 years ago

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It was our first International trip Thailand, so we were planning for quite a long time. I don’t like to travel with any travel agencies, though with them travel becomes hassle free but they charge more and the trip becomes restricted as per their specific itinerary. We always wanted to be a free bird. I started my planning by referring different travel blogs and with this I get clear ideas about the place(s) we wanted to go as per our interest. So thought of sharing my experience here about Bangkok – you may like this.

Best time to visit Bangkok – July to Oct is rainy season in Thailand. Actual season starts from November but we wanted to avoid the crowd so we chose October 2017.

After lots of research I have planned my itinerary as follows which suits us very well:

Hyderabad to Bangkok (2 days) –> Phuket (2 days) –> Krabi (2 days) –> return to Hyderabad.

Note: I will share my Phuket and Krabi trip in subsequent blog.

In Bangkok my plan was as follows:

Day1:

Safari world and marine world. Try to complete from 9 to 2 pm.

Then go to Ocean world. 3 to 5 pm.

Day 2:

At 9 am start from Hotel to grand palace, Wat Po, Wat Arun.

Wat Arun to Pratunam market then to hotel.

We carried 30000 TBH with us. Among the few challenges that we faced one was , while researching we found that THAI Visa (On arrival visa) fees was 1000 THB per person but when we arrived there it was 2000 per person as they have changed the rate on Sep 2017 (Just 1 month back from our trip).

Another challenge was, our Flight from Hyderabad to Bangkok was in the evening. We reached there at 3 AM in the morning. Since all the hotels in Bangkok (in fact all hotels and resorts in Thailand) have check in time around 2 or 2 :30 pm , so we had to book our Bangkok hotel one day prior to our arrival otherwise we cannot get any room to freshen up after reaching there. So instead of 2 nights, we had to book for 3 nights in Bangkok.

After completing all formalities of visa we hired a pre-paid taxi from airport lobby and came out to board it. To our surprise we saw all taxis are very colorful, some are pink, red, orange, yellow, violet. First word that came out of mouth was WOW.

We reached our hotel “Eastin Makkasan Hotel” around 5 AM and luckily the manager upgraded our normal room to suit as the booked one was not available at that time. We can see the entire Bangkok from our hotel room – it was simply awesome.

DAY 1 : We took some rest and had a quick breakfast (complimentary) at hotel then came down to reception. The hotel staffs were very friendly, they arranged a cab for us to visit Safari World and also gave us a big umbrella as it was a sunny day and very hot climate.

Cab took 1 hr to reach Safari World – Thailand’s biggest open zoo and leisure park that offers a great variety of entertainment for everyone. Whether it is an exciting safari drive through the picturesque African wilderness settings, an intimate encounter with our friendly dolphins or an exhilarating fast-paced action stunt spectacular; Safari World has it all. It has two parks – Safari Park and Marine Park.

Entry fee was 3200 THB for 2 persons , it includes :

Air-conditioned vehicles with experienced driver

All admission fees : Safari Park + Marine Park

Buffet Lunch

VAT 7% and all Government taxes (no service charge)

After we took the ticket we boarded a bus which took us through a mini man-made jungle, where we saw different kind of birds, zebra , tiger, giraffe, dear with long horns and many more. Most interesting thing was all animals were roaming freely, they were not confined in any cage. Even tigers were also in a different section from other animals but not in any cage.. Zoo team feeds them everyday and we were lucky to capture the picture of feeding the tigers.

Another interesting and famous event there was elephant show where the elephants draw picture on canvas and those were getting sold to the tourists in 750 THB.

Marine Park is a part of Safari world. This is also nice place to visit. We enjoyed the day watching different shows of penguin, birds, sea lions, orang utan boxing show and many others.

Safari world had free lunch for all visitors, but it was so crowded that we did not get place to seat and we had to rush for Ocean world. So we had our lunch in another place where they are selling food of different cuisine in safari world.

We started for Ocean world around 2PM from Safari world and the cab driver dropped us to Ocean world around 3:30 pm. The good thing was we got some discount on Ocean world ticket and that was because of our great cab driver. In Bangkok all cab drivers get 30% discount in ocean world. So he showed his ID card to get the discount for us.

Ocean world has different spices of fishes, frogs, shark and other large variety of interesting and breath-taking exhibits. They have various activities like sea walk, shark feeding etc. There is a big glass tunnel underwater where you can walk to see shark , electric fish and many more are roaming around you. Amazing scene, child to adult everybody will enjoy it.

Here I forgot to tell you, the Ocean park is in the ground floor of Siam Paragaon mall. The mall has connectivity to sky train. We took the sky train to return to hotel.

DAY 2: Next day we took tuktuk (it is auto like vehicle) to go to Grand Palace. The Grand palace used to be the official residence of the royal family now it is used for special and official ceremonies such as the coronation of the king. The place is truly beautiful. The complex is made by different buildings and statues, each of them is very impressive. Beautiful architecture and great maintenance and something the locals are very proud of it but too much crowded.

Most important thing to remember is the Palace has strict dress code. Visitors need to cover their legs and arms, you cannot show elbows or knees.

taken from internet

Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha) is one of the largest temple complexes in the city and famed for its giant reclining Buddha that measures 46 metres long and is covered in gold leaf. It’s an easy ten minute walk from the Grand Palace. Wat Pho is also home to a Thai massage school – and you can get a Thai massage or foot massage right on the temple grounds!

Wat Phra Kaew – It is just adjacent to Wat Pho.

Wat Phra Kaew is the name of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, another incredible sight. The Emerald Buddha is actually made out of jasper and quite small, but stunning. Three times a year the king dresses it in a new gold outfit to usher in the new season: hot, rainy or cold.

Sitting among the devout Buddhists paying tribute to the Emerald Buddha was a wonderful experience.

Entry fees for Wat Pho was 50 Baht and Wat Phra Kaew was 350 Baht but both were worth seeing.

Next we headed towards Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn). This is another buddhist temple situated at the bank of Chao Phraya River. The river jetty is also walkable distance from Wat Pho. If you feel you can hire a tuktuk also. We sailed a boat to reach the temple but unfortunately it was under construction and closed for visitors.

The view of the temple at dawn was amazing. There were many restaurant at the river bank, one can sit and enjoy the scene while eating delicious food.

Taken from internet

Our next stop was Pratunam market. Pratunam Market is a major market selling clothes, shoes, and fashion accessories at wholesale prices. Enter the small alleys and jam-packed small streets and you will find yourself in the middle of a clothes-maze. Prices were very cheap, and most shops offer retail prices for single pieces. Located at the intersection of Ratchaprop and Petchburi roads (next to Amari Watergate Hotel), Pratunam Wholesale Market is filled with shops and tiny stalls flowing over to the sidewalks. The section closer to Petchaburi Road has a large concentration of fancy dress and embroidered costumes (think sequins, feathers and beads). Shops offer wholesale prices when you buy three pieces or more, although buying single pieces won’t cost that much more.

Also there were varieties of fast food stalls inside the market. One interesting thing we saw was live prawn salad being sold in a street side stall. The prawns were very tiny and jumping in the bowl. The guy was mixing them with other veggie salad and selling them. Unfortunately I could not manage to take picture of it.

I don’t know the name of this street food but it is soft and yummy (Veg)

The market itself is open 24 hours, but the dynamic is different throughout the day. Retail shops open at about 10:00 until 21:00, but again this may vary. For visitors and shoppers, the best time to go is between 11:00 and 20:00.

Some rules of thumb: No exchange, no trying on and no refund.

Food: It says Bangkok is a heaven of street Foods. We both like to taste local food wherever we go, without that trip is incomplete. So the 2 days we stayed in Bangkok, we ate only local THAI food and believe me they were really too tasty. Among all, we liked fried Pad Thai which is a rice noodles with chicken. And also tasted roasted catfish. It was big enough to eat for two people. Look wise not good though but tasty.

You can find Indian restaurants also there but they are costly than the street foods and cant assure of taste.

Everyday in the evening it rained in Bangkok after 5pm. We enjoyed the evening of our last day at hotel by watching the busy streets of Bangkok from room and had dinner at the street nearby.

It was a heart-filled experience in Bangkok , now its time for Phuket, another exciting place in Thailand, where we ate going to experience our first international sea.

Note: I will take you to our Phuket trip in my next blog.

Lots to say about Bangkok, tried as much as I can but still many remain unsaid. Hope you enjoyed it, please share your thoughts.

My First International trip to the Lively city of Thailand - Bangkok It was our first International trip Thailand, so we were planning for quite a long time. I don't like to travel with any travel agencies, though with them travel becomes hassle free but they charge more and the trip becomes restricted as per their specific itinerary.

#Bangkok #grandpalace #hotel #international #itinerary #OceanPark #Safariworld #streatfood #Thailand #trip #WatPho

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hallyuandthephilippines · 7 years ago

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The Wings Chronicles – A BTS Exhibit For A Cause

Last September 2, I attended The Wings Chronicles exhibit here in Manila, which featured fan arts and photographs of the popular group Bangtan Sonyeondan (방탄소년단) also known as BTS . The two-day non-profit event was attended by numerous Filipino fans and was organized by Army Box.

I spoke to Rosie, head of Army Box, to get to know more about the Wings Chronicles Exhibit and the team behind it. “Army Box is a fan artists community with the goal of providing artistic BTS-related products in terms of goods and services by collaborating with different fansites, fanbases and organizations that will help uplift the image of BTS. It was officially established last year August 19, 2016. The team consists of 30 members from Philippines and USA.”

The Wings Chronicles Exhibit made its first stop in the Philippines, holding it in both Cebu and Manila, followed by Bangkok and Singapore. Just like BTS, The Wings Chronicles is also ‘touring’ different countries. So better check out the list of places they will go to at the end of this article to see if they are making a stop in your city.

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It was definitely fun to be in a room full of Armys (fanclub name of BTS), all full of admiration and appreciation for the group. What makes the Wings Chronicles exhibit different from other BTS exhibits I’ve seen is that they are doing the event for a cause, as the proceeds will be donated under the name of BTS to humanitarian charities such as War Child USA Organization, St. Jude Children's Research and UNICEF. This is what drew me to the event all the more. In the Manila stop, there was also a photobooth set-up that fans availed of to commemorate the day with their friends. The accumulated cash from that section was said to have been donated to the children of Marawi, a place in Mindanao Island in the Philippines that is currently in the midst of a heated war between the local troops and armed Maute-ISIS group. Over the years I’ve seen donations using the names of the groups they idolize being common, especially fans of Korean artists, and I’m glad that besides supporting our favorite singers…we’re also making a difference.

Rosie explained that the Wings Chronicles concept actually started on a whim. “The admins (of Army Box) were planning about doing a whole year project in relation and likeness of how BTS has given everyone opportunities. We decided to pursue Global Embarkation, a two part project that focuses on extending help to our fellow Armys and mankind. The first part of this series was entitled, “Army Meets What”, which was held from January to June in celebration of BTS 4th Year Anniversary. For the second part, we are now going on a journey for a worldwide exhibit in collaboration with different fansites and fanbases carrying the title, “Wings Chronicles: The Exhibit”.

The team decided to hold the Wings Chronicles exhibit in places where Wings Tour happened. We wanted to share, relive and reminisce the experience of attending the concert with fellow Armys who were not able to do so and of course to meet Armys in different parts of the world. The exhibit will be held in different countries mainly, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, United States of America, Canada, Malaysia, Hongkong and South Korea.

It takes about 2-3months to organize each stop…from venues, set up & layout and other details. The team for each exhibit also vary by country. It usually ranges from 5 and above. There is about 25 fan artists consisting of Army Box members that produced fine artworks for the exhibit.”

Fellow ‘fangirls’ who I talked to after the Wings Chronicles exhibit stated that they highly recommend going to these kinds of events. “It’s like attending a concert” One excitedly said. While another thought that being surrounded with fellow fans helped her have fun and gain new friends. I noticed that a lot of the girls who met up on the day were just friends via the internet before, the event gave them a chance to personally meet each other to put a face behind their usernames…or what is called ‘meeting mutuals’ in today’s terms.

There were numerous photos and fan arts that the fans in the event’s place gush over. If you know the ‘heart eyes’ emoji on your phone, that’s the expression all of the attendees had. Background music of BTS was played all throughout which made fans ecstatic, we sang along and even did the fan chants all together. Honestly I am very envious of people who can draw because I simply can’t, so I really admire the fan arts. Instead of the usual paintings that we grew up seeing in our homes, I imagine KPOP fans having these fanarts and framed photos of their idols as part of the interior design.

(The Wings Chronicles Exhibit held at the BTS Brick Live Café in Bangkok. Photo courtesy of Wingschronicles)

I was also able to interview one of the fan artists that participated in the exhibit, Giulia, who creates art featuring BTS as a hobby.

“Getting to participate in events such as exhibits like the Wings Chronicles is an opportunity to me. It's an opportunity for me to share my art and interact with people. It is also an opportunity for me to learn. I learn to improve myself as an artist, getting to know what people like or what they appreciate. Also, picking up details here and there.

I only started my art account (@tiramijuu) last January 2017, but I already have been doing fanarts around June last year. Instagram was my first source for any BTS updates when I got into the fandom, and I'd always see fanarts posted by accounts I followed. I got inspired by them. I decided, why not give it a try? I had a talent for drawing and this could become a way for me to improve my craft. So, I started posting them on my personal account, then later on opened an art account. I draw because I want to, because I like it. I enjoy what I'm doing, and that for me, is very important.”

For Giulia, she still feels overwhelmed whenever people post pictures of merchandise featuring her artwork. “Their reactions and feedback are rooms for improvement. This is also a main reason why I like participating in these events, it's because I get joy from people seeing my art. Simple compliments of 'It's very cute' or 'I really like it' already makes me smile from ear to ear. Overall, I greatly appreciate it and am really glad.”

A lot of people have noted that the KPOP market has been oversaturated, with more and more Korean groups and singers debuting almost every month. So I was curious what made BTS stand out for Giulia and turn her into a fan. “Their playful nature attracted me. However, their music, pulled me right in and sealed the deal. I really love the music they produce, it speaks to the heart. And the fact that they talk about unusual topics made me stay. And also, the creative cinematography and storyline of their music videos had me sold.”

As BTS somewhat brought out Giulia’s creative side more, I too can relate. As shy as I am, I never thought I’d put myself out there by creating content on Youtube, stepping out of my comfort zone and to share my feelings all spurred by my love for Korean pop culture. I can say that BTS became an influence for me to lessen my self-doubt and just take the jump.

If you’re also a big fan of BTS and want to ‘fangirl’ for a cause, here is the list of the upcoming places where the Wings Chronicles’ will be held. Do follow them on twitter (@WingsChronicles) for updates, registration, additional dates, etc. Aside from the confirmed dates below, they are also planning to bring the event to HongKong and South Korea.

SINGAPORE: Visual Arts Center

Sept 23 - 24

USA

*CALIFORNIA: Prime Mid-City Gallery Event Space, Los Angeles.

October 7 - 8 2017

*NEW YORK: Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

October 14, 2017

CANADA

*VANCOUVER: The Space Art Gallery

October 21-22

*TORONTO: Diverse Character Studio

Oct 28-29

INDONESIA: Qubicle Senopati, Jakarta.

November 11-12

MALAYSIA: Makespace LG2, Kuala Lumpur

November 18-19

Photos:

Nadine Postigo

Wings Chronicles Twitter

Giulia

#bts #bangtan sonyeondan #wings chronicles exhibit #bts wings #bts exhibit #bts fansite #bts fanart

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