It’s only 9:40 pm in LA. We don’t leave for another hour and a half and I’m beat. It looks like the flight is full so my guess is there will be no spreading out to sleep. I think I’ll see if my cousin can stick me in his carry on, (think asian guy in Ocean’s 12), put me in the overhead, and then I’ll try and spread out to sleep like a sleeping car on a train. My guess is that won’t work, but I won’t know if I don’t try it. The last time I flew this long at one time we did “airline aerobics”. This time I’m suggesting to the flight attendants we do “nightime naps” instead. I think I’ve figured out why we are flying to Bangkok, then to Manilla in three hours. We fly out of Bangkok to come home so this makes it a round trip through Bangkok. Why does this matter you ask. Well, it really doesn’t but I want to make sure you guys get your fill of my blogs in case I’m not able to keep up with them if we get somewhere that I can’t use the internet.
Speaking of geese. Does anyone know why the line of geese flying south is longer on one leg of the V than it is on the other? My guess is it’s because there are more geese in that line. Sorry, bad joke, but I just had to get it out of my system.
Gotta go, some guy twice my size is eyeballing me to use the outlet so he can plug in his computer. I guess he just doesn’t understand how important this blog is to, um is to, um, um, well, um, um–y’all.
Ride safe
UL
Bill
I’ll be trying to put in a pic of me with each blog. I’ve decided not to shave (one less item or two to carry and one less thing to worry about) It will be interesting to see how fast my facial and head hair grows. I know all of you are thinking, “what hair on his head is he talking about?” I do have some, it’s just bashful and doesn’t like to come out in public much.
It’s time to start sharing interesting tidbits. If you don’t think they are interesting too d@#n bad. I do, and it’s my blog.
Anyway–Last night Steve and I went out for a bite to eat. I didn’t want much so I just ordered some steamed shrimp. Then, Steve, in his never ending battle to show male intellectual superiority, asked the waitress, (and I quote) ” Does the mushroom and swiss hamburger come with mushrooms.” I just about fell off my chair trying to keep from laughing. At first, I thought I’d heard him wrong and then I looked at the waitress and saw the way she looked at him. Let’s say, she probably wasn’t a rocket scientist, but she looked at Steve like he was the dumbest guy on the planet. This morning I asked Steve if he realized what he asked, as I was laughing my butt off again, and he admitted he did, but he just hoped I had missed it.
We leave at 11:00 pm tonight and then 17 and a half hours to Bangkok, a three hour layover for our flight to Manilla and then we go by car to somewhere and then boat to somewhere else. I’m not trying to be secretive I just don’t know where we are going. I just go wherever Steve tells me to go, except that restaurant we went to last night. I don’t want that waitress to realize that both of us are dumb as a box of rocks.
Talk to everyone soon. Thanks for the comments. Like I said, I screw up finding them and accepting them sometimes. If so just realize that I’m doing the best I can for a short-bowlegged (that helps on the Harley)-bald guy.
UL
Ride safe
Luke
Okay, I made it. I’ve got a few pictures for you. If you look at the United Flight board you will see how the trip started. I left Fargo right on time (6:00 am). We were told Chicago had great weather when we left. As we got there we had to circle the airport for five minutes because the weather was too bad to land. The pilot gets on and says we will need to circle for another 45 minutes and the next thing he says is we don’t have enough fuel to do that. So, my next thought is, “Who the hell can we throw off of this plane to make it lighter so it can stay up in the air longer. I saw three old women and a couple of old guys I figured I could handle. Then the pilot said we were diverting to Madison, Wisconsen to refuel. Those women and men dodged a bullet on that one. We were only on the ground in Madison for long enough to refuel and turn around. The good thing was the weather in Chicago was so bad they grounded all flights coming in to Chicago so my departure plane which came from Detroit was delayed too. So it all worked out in the end.
I’ve got a couple of pics from today. One is the flight board to show the delay (I’m sure that pic will thrill your shorts) The other too are of me and Steve in his place. I had to get a pic of my cousin in front of his fridge. You will notice it has quite a few bottles that all look the same with nothing else on the shelves. I think the name on them was “Heineken” I’m not sure what is in them, but Steve says they have all the ingrediants to keep you healthy.
The other pic is just one of me in front of his door. I want to be sure he can work my camera comfortably because if I don’t have a pic of me doing some of the things I’m telling you about you will think I have to be lying.
I will be able to put up another blog tomorrow before we leave, but Steve says we may not have internet access until Tuesday. I think that is Monday for you. I’m not sure. I will blog every day that I can.
Here is to the first leg of my journey. Thanks for sharing it with me.
UL, Ride safe
Bill
Okay, now I see the pics. Why they are sideways and at the front I have no idea. Sorry, I’ll try to fix it for the next blog.
As I said, it is going to be tough packing for the trip. I’ll be gone for almost a month. I’m taking my camcorder, digital camera, laptop, electric converters, and all my clothes. Here’s a pic of me with all my luggage for the trip.
One more day and I’m on my way.
Ride safe
Tucker has said I can just copy and paste the URL of the map I found. I will try to do that and then you can do the same from my website. If I can’t do that he will show me how to create a link the next time I see him.
Thanks for putting up the my technical ignorance, but it will get better.
Okay, I tried to copy and paste and of course it didn’t work. When I see Tucker we’ll work it out (probably in about 5 minutes if I know him)
Until then here is a URL to check out the countries (http://encarta.msn.com/map_701516664/southeast_asia.html)
I’m hoping you can just click on it, but I don’t know until I get out and try it.
So, only a few days left. Steve seems to have everything ready. I just have to make it to the airport and he’ll take care of the rest. Tomorrow I’m going to share with you a picture of what I will be taking with me on the trip. I hope I can fit it all in the picture frame.
ride safe
Bill
I’ve found a great picture of a map which shows all the places we are going. I’m going to try and attach the web address to this sit. If I mess it up I’ll check with my website expert (Tucker to see how to do it.
Here are the countries and/or cities we will be in. If I misspell them sorry–Just deal with it.
Because of my ignorance I’m not sure of whether some places are cities or countries so I’m just listing the places Steve said we are going.
Philipines, Maylasia (East and West- Maylasia Peninsula, Kuala Lampur , Sarawak-also Malaysia), Island of Borneo-I think this island is controlled by three different countries, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia-Seim Reap.
I know I’ll be meeting many interesting people but Steve said there are three men–Tony Parkinson, David Labang, and Muhammed Kahn–who could all have an amazing documentary written about their lives.
Okay, I can’t figure out how to do it. I’ll check with Tucker later today and figure it out.
Ride safe
Bill
I just looked at the schedule for the flight from LA to Bangkok. It looks like the flight is a little over 17 hours and we lose a day on the trip over. Does that mean that I’m skipping a day and I’m going to be one day older? Very strange. Trying to figure what to pack. Steve says just to bring a carry on. We aren’t going to any place where “dress clothes” will be needed. He told me to bring 3 or 4 pairs of shorts, two pair of shoes, socks, a few shirts and toiletries (which I’ll probably get over there). I’ve also got to take my digital camera, laptop, and camcorder with this. If it all fits into my carry on it should be very interesting.
Five days until we take off.
I’m not sure how to sign off so I think I’ll use the bike riders goodbye—ride safe—
Take care of yourselves and be sure to let those “special people” in your life to know how much they mean to you.
Ride safe
Bill
I just wanted to add a new post to see if I could do it without Tucker showing me how. Tucker, thank you so much for setting up this website for me.
Hey everyone—Enjoy the ride. I know I will.
It’s hard to believe but this time next Sat. I will be on a plane headed to Bangkok and wherever my cousin Steve takes me. I think over in Southeast Asia and other places he goes by John, but just like I’ll always be Billy to my family from Ky, he will always be Steve to me.
My goal is to update this daily while traveling to Calif. and Southeast Asia. I will be writing everyday, hopefully and putting up pics too.
If you want you can respond to me and I will try to respond ASAP. ”Be careful what you write to me”. Everyone else will be able to read it too.
Here’s to all of you visiting this website. Thanks for checking.
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