Escape Route 1
Fly to Bejing and take the Trans-Siberian railway across Mongolia to Moscow. Then take another train to Helsinki and a boat across the Baltic to Stockholm. Home!
Escape Route 2
Fly to Singapore and board a cruise liner across the Indian Ocean. Pass either round the southern tip of Africa or through the Suez Canal. Arrive in the Med and take a train up over Europe to Denmark. Take a train across the Öresund bridge to Malmö and then a train or bus to Stockholm. Home!
Escape Route 3
Catch a flight to Rome,Madrid or Athens when the air route is opened. From there, take a train, bus or rental car and drive up through Germany, Denmark and finally to Swedish south coast. Take train or bus to Stockholm. Home!
Escape Route 4
Catch a flight to Singapore and onwards to Los Angeles. Take another flight across USA to New York. From New York, fly to Rejkavik. From the Icelandic capital catch a boat to Norway. Once in Norway, take a train, bus or rental car over to Stockholm. Home!
Escape Route 5
Fly northwards to Shanghai and further on over Siberia and to the Arctic circle. Land somewhere icy and take a husky sledge through Russia, Finnish and Swedish lapland. Rent snow scooters to the first train station in Sweden (wherever that is). Take a train or bus down the long, thin country of Sweden to Stockholm. Home!
Monday, 19 April 2010
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Stranded in Thailand
On Thursday I was due to return to Sweden after my trip to Thailand. This didn't happen. A volcano erupted on Iceland spewing ash into the atmosphere and causing air space to be shut down over Europe.
My flight was cancelled and I marched out of the airport in a long line of disgruntled passengers, bussed back into Bangkok and put up in a hotel.
Three nights later and I am still here.
The hotel is a SAS hotel so all of the guests here have the same problem. A mixture of Swedes, Danes and Norwegians remain grounded and nobody knows when we will be able to get home. Experts see no end to the volcanic ejaculation.
We are lucky. Many other airline passengers have been forced to finance their own accommodation. Our hotel rooms are paid for by SAS and all our food is included. A plentiful buffet is provided at breakfast, lunch and dinner. It feels like an Atlantic cruise - with no certainty of when it will end.
You can tell how long somebody has been here by the amount of food they pile on their plate. Those who are newly-arrived stack the food high onto their plates, returning frequently to the buffet. If it's free, then it's good.
Those of us who have been here longer have developed a more restrained approach to the food - for us, moderation is the best policy. Since we've understood that we don't know how long we'll be here we have also understood we can't eat an endless amount of deep-fried spring rolls and cream cakes.
How will this adventure end? When will we return to Swedish soil? How fat will we be when we get off that plane in Sweden?
Watch this space.....
My flight was cancelled and I marched out of the airport in a long line of disgruntled passengers, bussed back into Bangkok and put up in a hotel.
Three nights later and I am still here.
The hotel is a SAS hotel so all of the guests here have the same problem. A mixture of Swedes, Danes and Norwegians remain grounded and nobody knows when we will be able to get home. Experts see no end to the volcanic ejaculation.
We are lucky. Many other airline passengers have been forced to finance their own accommodation. Our hotel rooms are paid for by SAS and all our food is included. A plentiful buffet is provided at breakfast, lunch and dinner. It feels like an Atlantic cruise - with no certainty of when it will end.
You can tell how long somebody has been here by the amount of food they pile on their plate. Those who are newly-arrived stack the food high onto their plates, returning frequently to the buffet. If it's free, then it's good.
Those of us who have been here longer have developed a more restrained approach to the food - for us, moderation is the best policy. Since we've understood that we don't know how long we'll be here we have also understood we can't eat an endless amount of deep-fried spring rolls and cream cakes.
How will this adventure end? When will we return to Swedish soil? How fat will we be when we get off that plane in Sweden?
Watch this space.....
Thursday, 15 April 2010
No Songkran in Sweden
Yesterday as we drove around Bangkok, people standing by the sides of the roads threw buckets of water over the windscreen of our car. This throwing of water is is the most obvious celebration of Songkran (Thai New Year). Thais roam the streets with containers of water or water guns (sometimes nicely mixed with talc), or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passers-by.
The throwing of water originated as a way to pay respect to people, by capturing the water after it had been poured over Buddhas for cleansing and then using this "blessed" water to give good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring it on the shoulder. Among young people the holiday evolved to include dousing strangers with water to relieve the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand (temperatures can rise to over 100°F or 40°C on some days). This has further evolved into water fights and splashing water over people riding in vehicles.
Nowadays, the emphasis is on fun and water-throwing rather than on the festival's spiritual and religious aspects, which sometimes prompts complaints from traditionalists. In recent years there have been calls to moderate the festival to lessen the many alcohol-related road accidents as well as injuries attributed to extreme behavior such as water being thrown in the faces of traveling motorcyclists.
It's a good job that this celebration doesn't exist in Sweden. To 'kasta vatten' - to throw water - can also mean to piss.
And you wouldn't want strangers in Stockholm to 'kasta vatten' on you as you cycle past minding your own business.
The throwing of water originated as a way to pay respect to people, by capturing the water after it had been poured over Buddhas for cleansing and then using this "blessed" water to give good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring it on the shoulder. Among young people the holiday evolved to include dousing strangers with water to relieve the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand (temperatures can rise to over 100°F or 40°C on some days). This has further evolved into water fights and splashing water over people riding in vehicles.
Nowadays, the emphasis is on fun and water-throwing rather than on the festival's spiritual and religious aspects, which sometimes prompts complaints from traditionalists. In recent years there have been calls to moderate the festival to lessen the many alcohol-related road accidents as well as injuries attributed to extreme behavior such as water being thrown in the faces of traveling motorcyclists.
It's a good job that this celebration doesn't exist in Sweden. To 'kasta vatten' - to throw water - can also mean to piss.
And you wouldn't want strangers in Stockholm to 'kasta vatten' on you as you cycle past minding your own business.
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
How to spot a Swede on the beach
Just got back from a few days at the beach. 33 degrees in the water and blistering sun. The resort we were at was run by an organisation called Cabbages and Condoms that donates money to family planning and hiv prevention. Amongst other things they fund a school for needy children. Very worth a visit.
The resort wasn't very, very busy - even though it's Thai New Year at the moment. There were some Thai guests, French guests, English, American, Chinese.
Oh, yes and some Swedes. The Swedes, however, didn't need to open their mouths for me to understand they were Swedish. No, it was something else.
Three Swedish guys on the beach, with three Thai women. How did I know they were Swedish? How do you spot a Swede on the beach?
Was it the fact that they were all blonde? No.
Was it the fact that they were tall and trendy? No.
Was it the pale skin? The quiet demeanour? No, no.
It was the pair of Björn Borg underwear sticking out over the top of the swimming trunks. Yes, knickers under a swimming costume. That's how you spot a Swede on the beach.
The resort wasn't very, very busy - even though it's Thai New Year at the moment. There were some Thai guests, French guests, English, American, Chinese.
Oh, yes and some Swedes. The Swedes, however, didn't need to open their mouths for me to understand they were Swedish. No, it was something else.
Three Swedish guys on the beach, with three Thai women. How did I know they were Swedish? How do you spot a Swede on the beach?
Was it the fact that they were all blonde? No.
Was it the fact that they were tall and trendy? No.
Was it the pale skin? The quiet demeanour? No, no.
It was the pair of Björn Borg underwear sticking out over the top of the swimming trunks. Yes, knickers under a swimming costume. That's how you spot a Swede on the beach.
Saturday, 10 April 2010
Recycling in Bangkok
Increasing our cultural awareness is often all about challenging our assumptions and seeing the situation from another perspective. A great example of this happened yesterday here in Bangkok.
We are staying in the city at the apartment of two good friends of ours. Their apartment is lovely, with a large living room, 3 spacious bedrooms and a view over the rooftops and tropical greenery. They have a balcony for airing laundry and a gally kitchen. In the kitchen are two containers for rubbish. One for dry rubbish and one for wet rubbish.
'That's great', I said, 'that you recycle here. Is there a recycling station in the basement?'
The reply surprised me. And reminded me to challenge my assumptions. The reason they separated the rubbish was not for recycling purposes in the way that I meant it. That was my assumption from my English-Swedish perspective.
No, the reason is that in Bangkok, when you throw out the rubbish, this is what happens. People sift through it to pick out plastic, tin, card - anything that they can sell and get money for. The reason my friends separated the dry from the wet was to make it easier for the rubbish sifters. To make it less sticky and messy for them in the sweltering heat.
They were being nice.
We are staying in the city at the apartment of two good friends of ours. Their apartment is lovely, with a large living room, 3 spacious bedrooms and a view over the rooftops and tropical greenery. They have a balcony for airing laundry and a gally kitchen. In the kitchen are two containers for rubbish. One for dry rubbish and one for wet rubbish.
'That's great', I said, 'that you recycle here. Is there a recycling station in the basement?'
The reply surprised me. And reminded me to challenge my assumptions. The reason they separated the rubbish was not for recycling purposes in the way that I meant it. That was my assumption from my English-Swedish perspective.
No, the reason is that in Bangkok, when you throw out the rubbish, this is what happens. People sift through it to pick out plastic, tin, card - anything that they can sell and get money for. The reason my friends separated the dry from the wet was to make it easier for the rubbish sifters. To make it less sticky and messy for them in the sweltering heat.
They were being nice.
Thursday, 8 April 2010
The thick heat of Bangkok
We land at Bangkok airport after a long night's journey from Scandinavia. The flight is full of pale-skinned, winter-tired Swedes and Danes. We step off the plane and into the heat of the walkway bridging the gap between the plane and the gate. So nice, we think, so warm, what a difference.
We pick our bags up and head out to the entrance where a driver is waiting to whisk us away to our destination. As we wait for the car to come round, we take pleasure in the humidity and the heat. The sun is beating down and the air is still. We still wait for the car. The air is thick with heat. We still wait.
The car arrives and we fling ourselves gratefully into the air-conditioned environment.
I guess we need some time to adjust.
We pick our bags up and head out to the entrance where a driver is waiting to whisk us away to our destination. As we wait for the car to come round, we take pleasure in the humidity and the heat. The sun is beating down and the air is still. We still wait for the car. The air is thick with heat. We still wait.
The car arrives and we fling ourselves gratefully into the air-conditioned environment.
I guess we need some time to adjust.
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Watching the Thais
However fascinating watching the Swedes is, sometimes you just need a break. This evening I'm heading off to warmer climes to spend 10 days in Thailand. I will be visiting some friends who live in Bangkok and spending some time lounging on the beach. I feel I really need this break after the long and hard Scandinavian winter. I think a visit to a sunnier, warmer climate is a human right when you live as far north as Sweden.
But I am not taking a break from my blog. I am sure I will experience a lot of blogworthy things in Thailand.
So, for 10 days I won't be watching the Swedes.
I'll be watching the Swedes in Thailand. And I'll be watching the Thais.
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