Bangkok's Underground - MRT

Booths at Lumphini Station

Cheap, clean and efficient. Why can't Australia have a system like this? Spotless carriages, no graffiti, no smells of someone else's junk food. Food and drink are prohited.
Fares start at 16 Baht (60 cents). You can travel to the other side of the city (e.g. Chatuchak Market) for 42 Baht ($1.57).

Beat the traffic!

The cheapest and easiest way from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok CBD

There is a train ever 15-20 mins

Announcements are in Thai and English

Take the airport link train (in Basement) after clearing Customs. The lift is easier if you have lots of luggage but there are escalators also.
You can buy your token from a ticket window. Makkasan Station (connects with Phetchaburi MRT - underground) costs 35 Thai Baht (about US$1). The journey takes 25 minutes. Phaya Thai station is the end of the line (45 baht), this links with BTS Skytrain.

Beat the traffic. View from pedestrian walkway, Phetchaburi MRT top left

MRT map (southbound)

Follow the covered walkway (about 170 metres) to Phetchaburi MRT. This line connects Sukhumvit and Silom Road hotels. Fares start at 16 baht. Ticket machines give change.

Luang Prabang's litter problem

This cultural gem has experienced a tourist boom in the last ten years. Like many other third world countries, the infrastructure cannot keep up with the growth tourism.

A scenic spot, but look below...

View of the Mekong, with pile of plastic bottles and assorted rubbish - Dry Season

It is the public areas (like the roadside rubbish above) that is the problem. Individual hotels, guest houses and restaurants keep their individual areas clean, it's in their interest to have attractive surroundings for their customers.
You can also see the same cascade of litter along the riverbank on the Nam Khan (River). With the wet season, this mountain of rubbish will be swept into the river and downstream to join the rubbish in Vientiane and even farther afield (through Thailand, Cambodia to the delta in southern Vietnam).

Is this Bangkok's coolest high rise?

Located in the Silom district, this condo looks like a cross between an unfinished Lego masterpiece and a Transformer.

The A-Z of Retirement (so far)

A Adapting, learning to relax, not meeting a deadline.
B Budgeting
C Crosswords - keeps the mind active, hopefully.
D Dog - crucial
E Exercises
F Five o'clock drinks at home - wine o'clock.
G Garage becomes a gym.
H Hammock
I  Internet - more time for trivia.
J  Jetting off.
K Kitchen - more time to shop around for bargains, better and varied meals.
L Long Service Leave - use it all up before retirement.
M Morning walk - with the dog. Win-win situation.
N Netflix - more time to binge.
O Out with the old - declutter.
P Photograph albums are replaced by Facebook posts.
Q Queensland
R Reading crime fiction.
S Seniors Card - invaluable - free weekend travel in Australian cities.
T Travelling - out of holiday/peak time, saves a bundle.
U Utilities - check your entitlement for concessions and rebates on water, gas and electricity
V Vacuuming, my job; after while wife dusts.
W Whinging - grumpy old man
X Xenophobia = ignorance
Y Yeast, new product in the kitchen now partner has taken up baking.
Z zzzzz's Afternoon naps