River Kwai Jungle Rafts Flotel

During the history tour in February of this year, we spent one night in/on a flotel. This is a hotel that is constructed on rafts which are tied to the River Bank. The entire hotel; including kitchen, dining room, lounge, massage parlor, guest rooms with porches and patios, were all on a series of rafts that are tied together and connected with a series of interconnecting bridges and walkways. Our stay at the River Kwai Jungle Rafts Flotel was a great experience. As evening came, lanterns were hung along the walkways and in each guest room. As you may have guessed by now, there is no electricity and no noisy generators. Just the calm quite of the jungle and the rocking of the rafts as boats go by on the river. This was the first time most persons on the tour had slept under mosquito nets and taken that cool refreshing shower with cold river water. (All had been warned to shower before the sun went down.) The entrance to the Flotel is by boat and ice is brought in to use in ice chests for food and beverages. Cooking is done using woks on charcoal fed hibachis. The rooms were plain but comfortable with two large beds to a room, running (river) water, western style commodes and closet space. Of course the best part was the outside decks front and back. The private back deck had room for only a hammock while the front deck was more like a porch with planters and beautiful hanging baskets with all types of gorgeous flowers and plants, plenty of benches and tables and of course more hammocks. As you stepped off the porch onto the walkway that connected all the rafts, you could take another step and be on your own sun deck, again with plants, flowers and lounge chairs. The river was safe for swimming and was enjoyed by many of the guests who would walk to one end of the flotel, jump in the river, and float to the far end of the flotel which was nineteen rafts downstream. While this was a wonderful experience on the history tour it is the exception and not the rule for most of our tours. On most tours we stay only in western style hotels with three to five star ratings

Dengue Fever

      

       It seems that there has been a lot of press recently on dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever , so I will add my two cents. While I in no way claim to be a medical expert or have a scientific background, I do feel confident in giving my opinions. I had dengue fever while serving in the Peace Corps and had to be medically evacuated from Ubon Rachathani to Bangkok. Years have allowed me to forget being sick in the first place or what the symptoms were. I do not remember who took me to the doctor, or who notified the Peace Corps Office in Bangkok. I don’t remember going to the Air Force Base or getting on the plane. There are only faint recollections of the trip to Bangkok, but I still have memories of the horrible headache and my aching limbs.

      I was taken to the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital in Bangkok and admitted for several days. As it happens, this turned out to be the first of three stays at this particular hospital during my two year Peace Corps stay in Thailand. (The two other trips were when my motor scooter landed on top of me one morning and then when I had to be given a series of rabies shots. Both are stories for later.) At the hospital I was given excellent care and was soon recovered enough to rest at a hostel where our Peace Corps group had stayed when we first came to Thailand. I do not remember the exact number of days but it was only a short time until I was feeling fine and back up country. The doctors told me that I had the Break-bone type of dengue fever (at that time I had never heard of dengue hemorrhagic fever). For this I was lucky, in that now, they felt I was immune to the other types of dengue fever. I don’t know that this is still the current thinking about dengue fever but at that time it seemed to be the case.

       Dengue fever is a flu-like illness that can affect persons of any age but seldom causes death. Dengue fever is a disease caused by a family of four distinct viruses which are all transmitted by mosquitoes. According to the World Health Organization on its internet site, “Recovery from infection by one [of the viruses] provides lifelong immunity against that virus but confers only partial and transient protection against subsequent infection by the other three viruses. “ Where do you find dengue fever? Again, according to the World Health Organization, it is endemic in over 100 countries of Africa, The Americans, the Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia and the Western Pacific. Outbreaks of dengue fever are prevalent in the tropics and subtropics regions, and have occurred in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Cuba and Central America. Newer cases have been documented in Northern Mexico and in Texas.

        Dengue fever is not contagious and cannot be spread from human to human without the mosquito. Infected mosquitoes bite a healthy human who comes down with dengue fever. While the human is suffering from the disease other healthy mosquitoes bite the human and become infected and in turn bite other healthy persons. It has been reported that only the female Aedes mosquito is the carrier of this disease. Dengue fever is more prevalent during the rainy season of Thailand when the mosquito flourishes but any water filled area can serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes year round.

        After being bitten by an infected mosquito, the incubation period in humans is usually 4 to 7 days but can be anywhere from 3 to 15 days before the symptoms of the disease appear. Symptoms may include the following:
                        1) Severe headache (usually in the forehead)
                        2) Chills and then high fever
                        3) Pain behind the eyes
                        4) Joint and muscle pain
                        5) Nausea and vomiting
                        6) Rash
The fever and other symptoms will last a couple of days before the temperature drops quite rapidly. This is usually followed by a day of feeling good and then the fever and symptoms return for a few more days. Many times the rash will appear several days after the first high fever begins and will subside after a day or two. A few days later a second rash may appear.

        There is no vaccine for dengue fever and since dengue fever is a virus there is no specific medication for it. Usually rest, drinking lots of fluids, and the use of pain relievers such as Tylenol are the only things needed. Within two weeks most people are weak but recovered. It may take several weeks to get back to feeling like your old self. The CDC advises that aspirin should not be taken.

        Dengue hemorrhagic fever is usually confined to children and is known by several other names including: Thai, Philippine, and Southeast Asian hemorrhagic fever. More symptoms that might be present are abdominal pain, cough, sore throat, with respiratory and intestinal symptoms. Many times symptoms of bleeding will also be present. Patients with this need to seek medical assistance and be monitored to make sure they do not go into shock.

         While dengue fever is rarely fatal, it is not something you wish to get while traveling in areas where it is present. There are a few very simple preventive suggestions for not contacting the disease.

             · Since the Aedes mosquito is a mosquito that only bites during the daylight, take precautions during the early morning hours before daybreak and in the late afternoon before dark.
             · Wear long pants and shirts with long sleeves, socks and shoes.
             · Use a mosquito repellent with DEET.
             · In areas that are having an outbreak of dengue fever, or in the rainy season, stay indoors in air-conditioned areas as much as possible.

Suvarnabhumi--Bangkok's new international airport

  

       The name for the new international airport in Bangkok was chosen by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

        Suvarnabhumi is the transliteration of the Thai word for “the golden land”. Please do not pronounce the “I” at the end of the word as it is silent when you read it in the Thai script. “Su-wan-na-poom” is a close English phonetic spelling.

       Nakhon Pathom , is one of the oldest cities of Thailand, and when over 1500 years ago Buddhism was introduced to this area of southeast Asia, it was at the north end of the Gulf of Thailand. There is some speculation that Nakhon Pathom was the capital of the area Suvarnabhumi which meant “Golden Land” or “Golden Peninsula” and was the traditional name for what is now the Thailand-Cambodia-Laos and perhaps Myanmar region. The new airport is designed to serve this area and it is hoped that within five years it will be well on its way to having the capacity to handle up to 100 million passengers and 6.4 million tons of cargo a year.
The new airport had been in the planning and construction phases for many years. I have seen published reports that claim it was over 40 years from the beginning plans to the actual opening of the new airport. The official opening was on the 28th of September 2006. At that time, Suvarnabhumi ‘s one terminal replaced the three terminals at the old Don Muang Airport which was located north of Bangkok.

        The new terminal is one of the largest terminal buildings in the world. Under its one continuous roof is more than 138 acres. The control tower at 433 feet is either the tallest or close to the tallest control tower in the world. Overall, the airport covers more than 8,000 acres. Even before the grand opening I had read all the statistics and had tried to brace myself for my first experience with this new airport. The size was enormous and a few of the statistics I learned were : over 200 passport control checkpoints (130 for arriving passengers and 72 for departures), arriving passengers had 26 custom control checkpoints and there were 8 for those departing, there were 22 baggage conveyor belts, over 100 moving walkways, 102 elevators and 83 escalators. When it was time to depart from my trip to Thailand, there would be over 360 check-in counters for those of us with luggage and another 100 additional counters for passengers without luggage. My mind was running wild and I could envision kilometers of walking just to get to an information booth, money exchange or restroom. How would I possibly get from the international gates to the domestic gates and what had happened to my favorite little airport restaurant? That restaurant had been my priority destination on all flights for several years. It was the place I could get my first and, on each trip, my last authentic Isaan meal in Thailand.

        In short, I was one of those who loved the security of the old Don Muang Airport and my approach to the new terminal was with more than a little trepidation. Everything in Don Muang had become like second nature and now I was being forced to learn a new location with different ways and ideas. My first arrival at this huge new airport was in November of 2006. When I stepped into the new airport I was astounded by all the open space. I was both amazed and impressed when I started from my arrival gate into this new terminal. It did seem sort of sterile and cold, almost like hospital antiseptic, but I did not suffer from the horror stories I had seen reported in the press, nor did I feel totally overwhelmed. It was new, yes, but I found it very easy to find my way around. Signage had been much improved from the earliest reports I had read. I found a money exchange and, since the exchange rate in the airport is usually as good as anywhere else, I changed a couple of hundred U.S. dollars into Thai Baht. I had found on several earlier occasions that this was a good idea and saved many problems later on. Then it was on to immigration (passport control checkpoints). At Don Muang, this could take some time but here the lines moved fast and it was only a short time until I was on my way to reclaim my luggage. Even though my luggage has wheels, I loved the availability of the free carts to carry you luggage. I loaded my luggage onto one of the carts, walked through customs and met my ride to the hotel in a very short time.

        Although the ride to my hotel was longer than from Don Muang, it was much easier due to the construction of a good highway infrastructure to service this new airport of the “Golden Land”. As I was whisked away in the hotel taxi, I once again was so amazed and had to marvel at the development of this magical city. The old and the new were next to each other. The new sky train was evident, and of course we were using the new highways above the city that bypass much of the local traffic. So much had changed since I had first seen this land 40 plus years earlier, yet; somehow, it was still the same.

Why Thailand?

In my mind, Thailand is my second home. I lived there for only two years in the 1960's as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Rural Community Development, but have revisited many times since 2000. The Thai people seemed to welcome each visit and with each visit it is harder and harder to leave. The friendliness and graciousness of the people, the beautiful landscapes, the tempting foods, and the Thai culture make one feel so relaxed and welcome. The Thai people forgive us "farongs" our shortcomings and accept us as we are. With each visit I try and do something new or see a new location or witness a new event. There is so much to discover and learn in this amazing country. While I lived in the fabulous northeast (Isaan) part of Thailand, I have had the opportunity to travel to many other parts of the country. Yes, they are all equally fantastic. Each area I have visited has its own charm and beauty. I can relate only my impressions and ideas and do not want anyone to think that my comments are anymore than that. I hope to offer some history, news, travel tips and suggestions, and answer questions of a general nature on my Thai experience. Since this is my first blog post, I am anxious and nervous about what will happen. I do not expect to write something every day but do hope to post often or at least once a week. Hopefully you will have comments and questions to help guide this blog. The idea of this blog came as a result of questions and comments I have had from my web page http://www.h2t3tours.com/ and my You Tube Channel H2T3tours . Please feel free to check them out and offer any suggestions or comments you might have.