Topper Visits Thailand - Part Deau, does, song, whatever...

[Topper]

Tomorrow we're flying out the be with the family over the holidays. The wife has got one small check in bag packed with our clothes and a medium sided one paced with everything from shoes to snacks.

I'll be doing a "workcation" while I'm there so here's a shot of my kit....under all of that is my laptop incased in foam with the keyboard and accessories on top.

[Topper]

One of the things that gave the wife and I a chuckle today is the family wants to do Christmas dinner at a Filipino resturant in BKK...the last thing we want to eat is Filipino food.

[Mendip]

^ Enjoy

If your holiday takes in Korat, please say hello! The wife should be away over New Year.

I'm probably way slow here... but your wife is Filipina? How come you're visiting Thailand to be with the family?

[Topper]

but your wife is Filipina? How come you're visiting Thailand to be with the family?

My wife is a Filipina. Her brothers and sister are teachers in BKK so we're going to visit them and our nieces and nephew for the holidays.

[Mendip]

^ Got it

[Topper]

Now, being the king of arranging an itineray, I arranged a flight in the PI, on Christmas eve, to Bangkok with only a three hour layover. LOL, what could go wrong?

[S Landreth]

My wife is a Filipina. Her brothers and sister are teachers in BKK so we're going to visit them and our nieces and nephew for the holidays.

Excellent way to start the new year!

[david44]

the last thing we want to eat is filipino food

agree the worst we ever had too.
In bkk too farangs and 2 flippa gfs they persuaded to remove the half eaten "food" and dedcut from from bill by our hi roll host he had sspent 12000 k on drinks for 6 wine maragrotas rums etc
there wa a famous opera tenor at another table who entertained us all night

i asumed it would be better at source tropical fruit veg pacific catch and suckling pigs ye they eat balut ans spam which i wuldnt feed a dog

i guess youll go to american pre chewed food

yet bkk has fine leb italian argentinian and indian options and mid level french at tip top prices

kapow 40 here massaman 120 and green curry 200 with 2 beers a major plus here

happy xmas buddy

[helge]

agree the worst we ever had too.

I strongly disagree. Best food I've ever had was in the Phillies.

We can agree upon that they, in my case, didn't have a fucking clue about cooking the "western" meals, that they had on the menu, they were although always done with good intentions and as best as they managed.

Nuff for me, but I can see the frustation from the irish uber klasse.

And never ever experienced the "thai pubic hair" scenario.

A double +++++ for the Phils.

(knowing their temper, and my thin skinned throat, I wouldn't have complained anyway)

[helge]

The '+++++++++++,s' was for the adorable waitresses

[Switch]

Nice one Topper. It’s all about family at the end of the day.

Christmas Day for me, has always been an opportunity to enjoy traditional western food and plenty of drink.

Ever since I first came to Thailand and to Indonesia I have enjoyed the company of like minded friends at a Turkey dinner, with plenty of ale and a decent glass of port. Old habits die hard!

This year I will sit down with English, Irish, Thai and Indonesian friends. Very cosmopolitan. My contribution, in addition to washing up duties, is a good bottle of quality port for the toast, and some nice Cabernet Sauvignon for the hostess. A selection of beers for the guests too.

Enjoy the season whoever, and wherever you are.

[katie23]

Hi Topper, I hope you were able to arrive in BKK on time. You were brave in having only 3 hrs layover in Manila or Cebu. I've experienced a 2.5 or 3 hr delay (Cagayan de Oro to Manila) - it was due to "air traffic congestion" in Manila.

Merry Christmas to you, your family & to everyone!

[tomcat]

...part deux...part deau suggests a watery experience...

[Topper]

Well, we made it.

When we were showing our boarding pass on the Bacolod to Manila part of the flight, we were told our seat was changed due the need to balance the weight on the plane. We went from row 44 to row 73, which oddly enough is the last row on A321. I bet there weren't 30 people on the flight. Got to Manila, got the shuttle bus from terminal 3 to terminal 1, which I had never flown out of before, it was quite nice.

Today, its Christmas dinner with the family and friends at a local Filipino place and the move into the condo.

Merry Christmas everyone!

[misskit]

Merry Christmas and a Great New Year to you and your family, Topper!

[Topper]

Well, here are some random pics. I'm curious about the little tiny yellow lights(?) in the plane's window. Anyone have a clue?

The view from row 73



The mysterious yellow lights




Between the clouds and the smog..

[tomcat]

...with so many empty seats I don't believe balance was responsible for your move...just how cheap were your tickets anyway?

...Merry Christmas to you and yours, Topper...

[Topper]

And to you and yours, Tom

[Stumpy]

Merry Christmas Topps. Weather now is perfect. Enjoy your trip.

[Norton]

Merry Christmas everyone!

And to you. Enjoy the feed. Got me craving a balut.

[Topper]

The view of the pool from our place...



We checked out how much it cost for us non-residents to use the pool....any guesses?

[Mendip]

^ 520 Baht per person.

My pool temperature is down to 21 degrees right now and way too cold for use, even with my 'cold water swimming' exercises.

That pool looks nice, but I bet it's pretty chilly. There's a reason that it's empty.

[Topper]

Mendy, you're just a tad over. As you can see from the pic, the pool is surrounded by buildings, with sun only from 11:00 to about 2:00, so I'm guessing the water is perfect...for a penguin.

[reinvented]

4 wings?

my xmas dinner was yunanese noodels in mae salong
meh
but a step up from flipper food (and had a very nice akha brunch in Pha mee beforehand)

[cyrille]

had a very nice akha brunch in Pha mee beforehand

Oh yes, I do love an akha brunch.

Almost as good as a packed lunch.