Long live the King!

This is what greets you as you walk off the plane and into the airport in Bangkok! This GIANT statue represents the protective forces that guard the King of Thailand

I have finally arrived in Thailand. My travel adventures began 5:00 pm on Monday and ended on Wednesday 7:30 pm. (That’s when I entered my Hotel room!) Considering I only slept an hour or two solid, I felt relatively alert and in good spirits, at least I thought so until I arrived at the front desk of the Hotel and couldn’t remember the simplest details... sleep depravation will do that to you!

My flight was exciting to say the least. We hit a major wind turbulence while over the ocean which caused our giant jet to be tossed around like a toy for hours. We used up so much fuel fighting the wind that we had to do an unexpected refueling along the way. I have new appreciation for the song by Jeremy Camp(?) “I Will Praise You in the Storm”. Eighteen hours of that trip was spent seated next to the Senior Pastor at Walnut Creek Church. We had great conversations about the post Christian generation and how to reach them. He also was a great navigator for me as we RAN through the corridors and up and down escalators so as not to miss our Hong Kong connection. It's always fun to meet new people!

When I finally arrived in Bangkok I was very excited! One of the first things I noticed as our plane taxied around, were huge painted signs at every point of entrance. These banners read (in English) Long Live The King. Those were my sentiments as well!

On my trip from Bangkok to Pattaya, I met up with two new aquaintances from India. They flew in for the conference and we decided to travel together to Pattaya. Along the way, they were thrilled to see a McDonalds! They do not have them where they live and had been craving cheese burgers. "Aroy dee" delicious cheese burgers and fries made them smile from ear to ear! "Sawatdee kaa" Ronald, I had no idea you knew Thai.

For the next few days I will be in Pattaya at the largest Resort in Thailand. It is cheaper to stay here than at a Hotel 6 in California. It is very nice here, and must have been unbelievably beautiful when it was in its prime! We are on the beach and the surroundings feel very much like Maui, including the weather. However, it only takes a closer look behind the scenes to quickly remind me that I am in another land! There is so much to learn, I just take one step at a time! Even with my connectors, adaptors, and travel books, communications and language are challenging! Today I did well; I made it here in one piece, got to the Hotel and send this short note to you before becoming unconscious from exhaustion!

Funny Story #1 – Getting from Bangkok to Pattaya compliments of “Mr. Taxi” a local transportation service. Our driver was so helpful that we wanted others know how to find him! He could speak a little English, so we asked if we could have another business card to give to friends. I also asked, “What is your name?” He smiled and said, “Koom Ponee”. Okay, that’s great…I wrote his name on the back of his business card. Thank you Mr. Koom Ponee, I said in Thai. Then he started laughing which made me start laughing… “What is so funny Koom?” He smiled some more, still laughing while shaking his head as if to say no, no. After we all had a good laugh I realized his name was not Koom Ponee. He was trying to tell us about his “Company!”

Well, here I am before climbing into bed. It's been many, many hours of travel. All my essentials for travel are piled next to my bed. B-E-D that sounds so wonderful right about now. I actually made it to thailand! Long live the KING JESUS, good night...