Bad News from Bangkok; A Rule of Travel Becomes a Law, and a New Use for Tiger Balm

Steven Schwankert | Aug 18, 2015 4:30 pm | 4 comments | 9090 reads

The news out of Bangkok Monday is just terrible. The Erawan Shrine is a peaceful symbol that so many of us have passed by while meandering around have passed, and now it will be a memorial and a site of sadness. As Beijing and Tianjin have had their own tragic episodes recently, it's similarly sad to see one of our favorite travel spots also wracked by trouble.

I am pleased to say that one of my golden rules of travel has now been proven, and so, like gravity, it is a law. Therefore: the new law of travel is an airline cannot be trusted to entertain you or feed you.

Long story short, the food on my latest United Airlines flight was downright inedible. Luckily I had brought other edibles and all was well, otherwise it would have been a long ride. Similarly, the entertainment offerings have dwindled markedly on these 11-hour flights to the US West Coast. An example: the only "documentary" listed under Movies was Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. Yes, I was the person trying to open the exit door at 35,000 feet. Look to future editions of this column for suggestions on what the best devices, entertainment options, and food items make the new law more enjoyable.

A few weeks ago it started to look like autumn was going to be a good time for low fares, and that appears to be coming to pass, on both flights to and from Beijing, especially to and from the US. Fly Beijing to Orlando for USD 885 roundtrip, with sample dates November 3-10. That's pretty good. Fly United to Newark/New York October 8-22 for USD 838. That's also quite good.

Finally, I've added something new to my bag while traveling, and it came in very handy, or in this case nosy, during the above flight with the inedible food and limited entertainment options. A small jar of Singapore Haw Jar Tiger Balm certainly helps when the odors around you in the close quarters of an airline passenger cabin become unpleasant, as the passenger in 24A seemed determined to show me. Put a bit on your fingertip, rub gently in and around both nostrils, and suddenly the world around you becomes exotically scented instead of flatulent and foul. Choose your favorite fragrance and take it with you on your next trip.

More stories by this author here.

Email: stevenschwankert@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @greatwriteshark
Weibo:​ @SinoScuba潜水

Photo: Steffen Buus Kristensen/Wikimedia

Comments

New comments are displayed first.

Comments

bjreddragon's picture bjreddragon Submitted by Guest on Sun, 08/30/2015 - 16:56

Steven Schwankert wrote:

Misplaced outrage, as usual.

That's funny. If enough people have 'misplaced' outrage, maybe there is more to it. If enough people criticiize your writing, maybe it really is crap. General rule of thumb for the internet, if you participate in an online forum and can't spot the a**hole, it's probably you.

stech's picture stech Submitted by Guest on Fri, 08/21/2015 - 15:52

"Bad News from Bangkok; A Rule of Travel Becomes a Law, and a New Use for Tiger Balm"

Well.. I would have expected something about the Bangkok situation other than you are sad about it.

The "becomes a Law" part, I expected to a new regulation I should be made aware of regarding travel which I always pay attention to, based on the ever changing Official travel laws.

So.. Basically you threw in a paragraph about Thailand so you could put that in the title, and spent the rest of the article hyping your other travel articles, a plug for United Airlines, the fact you had a crappy long flight, your distaste for Justin Bieber and airline food and offered a travel tip that everyone has known for years. (By the way. The vicks tip is way better.. And they are right.. Some people don’t like the smell of Tiger Balm, so then you would be no better than the “smelly People” you are decrying.

Did that sum it up?

And no.. This is not misplaced outrage. This is me calling you out for generating clickbait for an article that.. Well.. Basically sucks.

Steven Schwankert's picture Steven Schwankert Submitted by Guest on Fri, 08/21/2015 - 09:24

What is it that you expected I would say about Bangkok? All the headline says is "Bad News from Bangkok." I expressed my sadness over the events there. I didn't express the worry I have for my close friends who live there and the many people I know who travel there regularly. There's a photo of jars of Tiger Balm. Were you expecting live footage from the scene? Misplaced outrage, as usual.

 

Validate your mobile phone number to post comments.