Day 8: Mon 1 Sep - Bangkok

Even though I didn’t sleep very well, I was still up and out of bed at 5:30am and had a coffee before meeting Jane, Sylvain and Trudi for breakfast.  After brekkie, I went to BITEC with all good intentions of attending sessions but found myself falling asleep so went back to the hotel and had a nanna nap, and then did some housekeeping – washing, notes for Shanghai and reading.  I went back to BITEC later in the afternoon for the FIP Officers reception and then MEPS Meet and Greet.  I had organised this with the Thai Military contact – Sherry.  A green Army bus took us from BITEC to Army House, a really flash Officers Mess, where we were treated to a semi-formal sit-down dinner with about 5 courses, complete with Thai dancers and the Army Band playing and singing for us.  I think something got lost in translation in the email!  It was supposed to be an informal get together with nibblies and the odd beverage or two.  Anyway, it was a very good night, and we all received a gift upon departure – a Thai silk scarf.

The big green military bus

Army House

MEPS members and guests with our Thai Military hosts outside Army House

MEPS Meet and Greet dinner at Army House




Our entertainment



The Ladies (Sherry on the right)





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 5: Fri 29 Aug - Bangkok

Image
Although I was lying down with the lights out for about 3 hrs, I didn't get much sleep - maybe an hour or so all up.   I met Jane and Sylvain at breakfast, and we discussed our options for the day. We eventually decided to call the travel agent Sherry had put us onto and organised a 10am pick up to take us on the Ayutthaya tour for 2250 Baht (AUD70). Our first stop was at the Bang Pa-In Palace, also known as Summer Palace, which dates back to the 17 th Century. There are several different buildings, places and lakes that make up the complex. We were then taken to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the old temples in Ayutthaya province.  The main attraction is the Historic City of Ayutthaya which includes the Strangled Buddha, reclining Buddha and the Bronze Buddha. Lunch was had at the Krungsri River Hotel restaurant for an extra 1000 Baht.  Although this seems quite expensive, it was an all-you-can-eat buffet complete with dessert.  It served Thai, Chinese and It...
Read more

Day 14: Sun 7 Sep - Sydney to Hippo Farm

We arrived pretty much on time, and I had almost 5 hours to get through immigration, collect the baggage, proceed through Customs, re-check the bag and then make my way to the domestic terminal.  Managed to do all this is just under an hour and was in the QC having a shower and breakfast soon after.  As I had watched all those movies and not slept, I was pretty tired, so had about an hour of snoozing.  Passed the time in the QC by wandering up and down, reading the paper and my book.  Boarded on time for flight to Hervey Bay and arrived just after 1pm.  Greg was there to collect me and take me back to Hippo Farm.  I was really happy to be home, away from the pollution, noise and traffic of both Shanghai and Bangkok.
Read more

Day 1: Monday 25 Aug - Hippo Farm to Sydney

Image
I was up bright and early to complete my daily chores before heading to the airport.  As the flight was not until 12:55pm, there was no real rush.  Greg dropped me off and I was checked-in with plenty of time to spare so had lunch at the airport café. As I had a 4.5 hr wait in Brisbane, I used that time to construct my presentation for the panel discussion in Sylvain’s session.   It took the better part of 2 hours to complete and then I read my book and had a few glasses of wine.   I arrived in Sydney just after 8pm and was in the hotel by 9pm.   It was absolutely bucketing down on arrival at the hotel and it didn’t stop all night.   The room at the Airport Hotel Sydney looked quite flash but the walls were paper thin and you could hear everyone doing everything.   With the use of earplugs, I was able to sleep on and off. My room at Airport Hotel Sydney
Read more