Especially if you buy a full fair ticket, Virgin Blue could be the wrong choice. That airline will not issue you a refund on any ticket sold at any price (even if you bought the premium priced ticket). The best you can get out of them is a lousy voucher. If you are a foreign visitor from another continent, a voucher on Virgin's South Pacific airline is not likely to prove so useful, is it?
Anyway, I have found Jet Star very accommodating. A ticket refund is simple to arrange, but only if you paid full fare, then they only penalize you $30.00. I also like their Southeast Asia partner, Jet Star Asia.
The gym on Khao San Road in Bangkok
Blogger Newley has a story in the NY Times about how Bangkok's legendary backpacker district, Kao San Road, now offers more upscale accommodations -- there's even a Starbucks:Visitors to Khao San Road “are more hi-so now,” says Pattamon Yaidaeng, invoking the local term for “high society.” She would know, having worked at the front desk of Buddy Lodge Hotel (265 Khao San Road; www.buddylodge.com) since it opened five years ago. Rooms there, costing up to 2,500 Thai baht a night, or about $83 at 31 baht to the dollar, are fairly basic, but certainly more comfortable than a typical Khao San Road hostel. Amenities, some at extra cost, include Wi-Fi, a gym with personal trainers available, a sauna and a rooftop pool.
I have used the gym at Buddy Lodge -- it's an affordable and roomy little fitness facility. It's equipped with a stationary bike, free weights, machines, and mats for floor exercises. The gym at Buddy Lodge charges about 200 baht for drop-ins, and they have three day, weekly, monthly, and yearly pass rates too. Upstairs there is a rooftop pool which costs 200 baht per visit if you are not a guest. (If you are buying a long term gym pass, you might want to negotiate use of the pool in advance -- otherwise it's not included).I would add that the district can be a relatively pleasant place to stay, especially if one stays on one of the side roads off the main strip. Khaosan Road is very close to the river, the palace, and a twenty minute taxi ride to the shopping mecca of Siam Square -- where you can catch Bangkok's wonderful sky train.
Photos: by Jotman, they show the fitness center at Buddy Lodge.
Travelling with your Laptop - Ergonomics
This post is about laptop ergonomics, as increasingly people choose to travel with their laptops. Personally, think it's far easier to use a laptop safely -- using it so as not to stress your wrists (the most injury prone region) -- than a desktop computer. That's because most laptops encourage the use of a touch-pad rather than mouse.
I cannot use a mouse for long with getting wrist pain. The worst situation is when I find myself at a computer with an extra long keyboard, the kind with a numeric pad to the right. This forces my right, mouse controlling hand to work at an unhealthy angle. Pain soon follows. A study by some Canadian researchers recently identified "numeric keypad plus mouse" as a culprit in carpal tunnel injuries. My own experience absolutely confirms this.
Traveling, the most important thing to remember is to keep your keyboard at a height that allows your forearms to remain parallel to the ground. If the table is not at a height where this happens naturally, you might want to prop yourself up with a cushion. Or roll up a piece of clothing and sit on it.
In addition to throwing your mouse in the garbage, and checking that your are in alignment with the keyboard, exercise is a big help. Pete Egoscue has some exercises that have helped me overcome quite severe carpal tunnel pain without resort to surgery. I recommend his book Pain Free for some highly beneficial exercises to overcome your injury.
Wrist guards are a waste of money. Surgery is a fool's game. So called "ergonomic keyboards" are a scam because they don't address the main problem (as this website explains).
I cannot use a mouse for long with getting wrist pain. The worst situation is when I find myself at a computer with an extra long keyboard, the kind with a numeric pad to the right. This forces my right, mouse controlling hand to work at an unhealthy angle. Pain soon follows. A study by some Canadian researchers recently identified "numeric keypad plus mouse" as a culprit in carpal tunnel injuries. My own experience absolutely confirms this.
Traveling, the most important thing to remember is to keep your keyboard at a height that allows your forearms to remain parallel to the ground. If the table is not at a height where this happens naturally, you might want to prop yourself up with a cushion. Or roll up a piece of clothing and sit on it.
In addition to throwing your mouse in the garbage, and checking that your are in alignment with the keyboard, exercise is a big help. Pete Egoscue has some exercises that have helped me overcome quite severe carpal tunnel pain without resort to surgery. I recommend his book Pain Free for some highly beneficial exercises to overcome your injury.
Wrist guards are a waste of money. Surgery is a fool's game. So called "ergonomic keyboards" are a scam because they don't address the main problem (as this website explains).
Guns in Thailand
"Makes you think twice about having an argument at a restaurant. Why do people carry around things like this?" asks blogger Matt.
Many people in Thailand carry guns around, and the latest craze seems to be "pen guns." Tragically, an eighteen year old girl was recently killed by a pen gun at a party. Apparently these can be loaded not only with bullets, but with a variety of lethal substances.
Matt's right -- it is enough to make you think twice before getting into a heated argument.
Many people in Thailand carry guns around, and the latest craze seems to be "pen guns." Tragically, an eighteen year old girl was recently killed by a pen gun at a party. Apparently these can be loaded not only with bullets, but with a variety of lethal substances.
Matt's right -- it is enough to make you think twice before getting into a heated argument.
Suvarnabhumi Airport Safety
How safe is Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport? Thailand Jumped the Shark comments on recent reports that safey has been severely comprimised. For further background on how recent political developments impact the airport, click here.
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