Stormy skies

I love sky watching.  I marvel at cloud formations and am spellbound watching them roll across the skyline, contrasting against gentle innocent pale clouds.   We have no shortage of clouds with attitude during the rainy season, yet I do not tire of watching each new formation.

However, while stormcloud watching from the comfort of the ground is a great pastime, preparing to fly in this kind of sky is a different matter.  Rainy season should be coming to an end, but those clouds keep on rolling in and the rain keeps on falling.  So much so that Bangkok is on flood alert.  So flying to Yangon to Bangkok might be a short flight, but it sure can be adventurous in this season.

Travelling here on Saturday, we were delayed leaving Yangon, for nearly an hour.  When we finally departed our plane was buffeted by angry clouds as we ascended.  The seat belt lights stayed illuminated just to forewarn that our flight would be turbulent.

It was therefore, reassuring to finally hear the pilot’s steady voice on the intercom as he made his first in-flight announcement.  As usual this was in Thai, but I can pick out enough words to know that it was not a scary message.  I am good at picking up important clues such as altitude, temperature, flight path, estimated arrival time and arrival airport.  So I was able to relax by the time the announcement started in English.  Imagine my reaction to hear “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, this is Capt W……….”  Yes, his name was the same as my oncologist Dr W2!  There are a number of names which I see fairly frequently in Thailand.  Especially those, ironically with the suffix -porn (Pitiporn, Pukkaporn and the truly amazing Supaporn!)  However, I have yet to see anyone with the same name as Dr W2.  Conclusion?  Either they are brothers or my Dr W2 must be a pilot in his spare time!  At the very least,  I can take comfort in the fact that Dr W2 holds my health in his hands and Capt W2 holds my airborne safety in his hands.  I am indebted!

Now safely in Bangkok, the skies are stormy here too and we have frequent torrential downpours.  Bangkok is bracing for floods.  I am bracing for my encounter with Dr W2 as well as the gamut of tests, procedures appointments and scans.

And the October sky takes on a pink hue as the sun sets on the eve of the Scary Big Annual Check.