It's time to split....HKT-LAX:THB 27300 ;-) Excess baggage

[AngloTeuton]

Time to leave the LOS! Too many hassles with the government, the taxi mafia, desperate local business people and a rapidly worsenening political/economical situation. ("Ferangs vote with their feet" writes the BKK Post).

I've stayed 16 mo on this last stint (was also here 5 yrs in the 1990s, and what a difference 10 years make!). One bad change are the air fares, from last year costs have doubled, and so have the hassles.

After 2 days of researching various websites that always led me into a dead end with payment and ticketing issues (what, no e-tickets on Expedia and Travelocity, MAL and several others?!) I turned to a good old-fashioned travel agent I had dealt with b4. It took only 2 phone calls to South Services in Phuket Town 076 211447 and Kh Suree patiently and competently found the best deal and secured full baggage privileges (2 pieces at 32 kg each, be shure your AL grants you the same, there is an excess baggage scam going on with most Asian, Middle East and EU airlines: 20 kg max and some US$50~100 per extra kg!) HKT-LAX for THB 27300 O/W on Malaysia AL via KUL. They hand delivered the ticks to my door within 1 hr w/o extra charge.

I'll connect to the East Coast on Southwest AL for US$194 (on their website, they even allow 3 bags at 50 lbs ea), after a short night at the EconoHotel near LAX (US$39)

Same Malaysia fare to ERW (Newark/NYC), but very unfortunate schedule and expensive connecting flights.

Usually my fave AL is SQ and everybody's fave airport is Singapore Changi but their quoted fare out of HKT or Had Yai was prohibitive. If you fly there on a budget AL they'll restrict you to 15 kg of luggage; bummer! If you have the time you can take a bus or/and train to SIN (only about US$30 in nice a/c sleeper car), but it takes >2 days and takes you through the TH version of Iraq/Afgahnistan. They did bomb the Had Yai station, the airport and a couple of trains and buses already.

Bon voyage!

(If you're curious: I bought a yacht on the US East Coast and maybe I'll come back the long/slow way in a few months/years. But probably I'll get stuck in the Azores or Canary Islands, the Caribe, Brazil or Madagascar. All good mongering grounds.-- Anybody wanna crew?)