Gym's Ramblings: Spring 2023

Lumpini Park, Bangkok

Buddha was a wanderer. Gym and his dear companion are wanderers too. Unlike Buddha though, these modern wanderers are not seeking ultimate enlightenment, they are just trying for a little bit of enlightenment and a maximum amount of travel rewards.

Seriously though, it has been a few years since Gym and his lovely sidekick have been in Southeast Asia. There are some good reasons for going there, especially in March. The first reason is that in March, Southeast Asia gets you out of the cold Canadian winter and that alone should be good enough. The better reason though, is that you can escape the manic winter road-warriors and come to a place where there may be much more traffic but everyone is really zen about it. In Southeast Asia, there is a very positive ebb and flow and some very good karma.

Gym and Mrs. Gym have spent a considerable amount of time in Buddhist countries including China, Viet Nam, Singapore and even Myanmar but not in Thailand. On a cruise in 2011, Thailand was briefly experienced when our adventurers visited Phuket but it was just a day-trip. They had never been to the capital of Bangkok or anywhere else in Thailand.

Gym has been drawn there by numerous travel shows featuring the country and its culinary traditions. Various movies have also been set there. One of Gym's favourites, "The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)" was set in Thailand. In that film, James Bond races around in Bangkok and then also visits Phuket. In 2011, just after Gym and his dear bride brushed by Phuket, Hangover 2 was released and it featured a more modern version of Bangkok. A more thorough exploration of the country became a must for our indefatigable duo.

The 2023 plan was to spend a few nights in Bangkok and then skip south across the Gulf of Thailand and spend 10 days on Koh Samui. Koh Samui is a small island about 300 miles south of the capital, where Mrs. Gym could reach a zen-like state while soaking up the sun and adding to her seashell collection.

It began on March 15, 2023 when Gym and his dear bride left the Great White North bound for Thailand. Two records were set on the trip. The longest non-stop flight ever made by our adventurers, was the 16-hour flight from YVR-Vancouver to BKK-Bankok, on March 15-17. This flight which crossed the International Dateline and effectively erased a whole day (March 16th), was a true marathon. It was however made easy by a veteran Air Canada crew and a beautiful new, 787 Dreamliner. The other record was a 12-kilometre walkabout made, just after checking in to the the Royal Orchid Hotel. At 7AM on the day of their arrival, the travelers would acclimatize themselves and immediately get that feel for the zen of Southeast Asia again.

On their early morning stroll, our intrepid couple slogged over to explore the stunning Lumpini Park. They circled the lake and rested in a shady part of the park to watch the moniter lizards swim by. On the way back, it being St. Paddy's day, they seeked out and found O'Malley's Pub. Then they returned to the hotel and had a brief nap after which they went down the hall to the Lounge on the top floor of the hotel where they enjoyed a Thai buffet and some drinks while taking in an unparalleled view of the busy Chao Phraya River. After the sun had set, they were treated to a light show from the ICONSIAM shopping mall and the very colourful motorized junks and party boats plying the river. At 8PM sharp the mall also hosted a brief fireworks display, welcoming the weary travelers to Thailand.