May 28, 2012 Kanchanaburi

This being Memorial Day it was appropriate that Justin and I came to the site of The Bridge Over the River Kwai. I made him whistle the movie tune with me as we walked along the bridge although this is the steel bridge not the wooden one of the movie fame which used to sit 300 meters downstream. This would have been an amazing enough experience. But as we walked back to the town side of the bridge we were told to stay off the upstream side of the bridge. Safety issues? No. They were filming a movie! And suddenly we end up in a turnout and an older white guy with greying hair is walking towards us on the upstream side of the bridge carrying a shoulder bag and a small old suitcase with dated stickers on it for example the old American Airlines stickers. And then he stops at the turnout opposite us and gazes down at the water (or the bridge). He did this repeatedly. I asked the woman with the walkie talkie next to me who the actor was. She wouldn't tell me. She said to google the movie The Railway Man. I texted a friend in Alaska asking her to google it but of course she wasn't awake since it was two or three in the morning there. Hmmm, I thought, he looks familiar. Is he someone famous? I know, he looks like Colin Firth! But the actor was wearing huge thick glasses. And Colin Firth is supposed to be six feet tall and this guy doesn't look six feet tall. At one point he asked the director a question about the action and I could tell he had an English accent. After several walks to the turnout opposite us giving me a chance to see his face better I realized that yes this had to be Colin Firth. I told Justin that I thought it was Colin Firth. A guy with the crew standing behind Justin gave me a look that said "yes it is Colin Firth!" So we watched him walk to the turnout a few more times and then that scene was done. So we walked off the bridge and saw that the crew was setting up for another scene. We stuck around and watched them film Colin walk through a bunch of extras acting like tourists to the point where he walks out to the turnout on the bridge. When that scene was done we went to the restaurant next to the bridge for dinner and got to watch them film another scene where the camera is at the far side of the bridge and Colin walks the length of the bridge towards the camera.

May 26, 2012 Bangkok Day 1

I asked Justin what the highlights of the day were. He said 1) The food, 2) The reclining Buddha and 3) The river taxi. It was hot and humid and it was a great day. We rode the city bus, hired a tuk tuk (sp?), had a store employee insist that a company van drive us around and sent a junior clek with us so the junior clerk could practice her English, rode the river taxi to the central sky rail station and rode the sky rail back to our hostel. In between we went to see the Golden Buddha (the "Original" one not the touristy one), the Royal Lapidary Company, the temple of the emerald Buddha, the Grand Palace and the reclining Buddha. The junior sales clerk directed us to a restaurant near the Grand Palace complex where had lunch and dessert which was mango slices with sticky rice and coconut milk. Justin said this meal was the best food he has ever tasted. So despite the hot muggy weather we are off to a great start.

May 25/26, 2012 in Bangkok

From France to Thailand! I made it to Navarrenx on May 12. From there I went via train to Frankfurt then to Anchorage and back to Sitka. May 23 I flew to LAX (Los Angleles). Nephew Justin flew in the morning of the 24th and we flew together to Tokyo (11 hours) and then to Bangkok (6 hours). It is hot and humid here. A vast difference frm France and Alaska. In Alaska it is around 1030 am on Friday. Here in Bangkok it is around 135 am on Saturday. Neither of us got much sleep on the planes. Justin is already fast asleep and I hope to do likewise soon.

May 5, 2012 in Nogaro

In Nogaro, department of Gers. And suddenly I am alone! From three to five to two to three to one. Heike and Julien caught a bus to Agen this evening and from there they will take the TGV (bullet train) to Paris. Well, I thought, there is still Michael who is walking from Krakau all the way to Santiago. I will probably continue to see him until I drop off the route. Only he is on the same bus to Agen to go home for a short visit to his aged father. But there is still Wilhelm who was walking with Michael and Wilhelm walks for a few more days. And there are a number of French and German people who I have seen consistently for a few days and suddenly I come to rely on seeing them until I drop off the route. I have a schedule that gets me to Navarenx on May 12. That gives me the 13th to get back to Paris and the 14th to get from Paris to Frankfurt. My Condor flight is the morning of May 15. We had three days of sun. Some tracks were still muddy but nothing compared to before the rain stopped. We had a little rain today and more is predicted for tomorrow. And the next day! All for now. Happy Cinco de Mayo!