I returned from Thailand on October 12th. This year’s trip was interesting and much more adventurous then any of my previous trips to the "Land of Smiles. I think I experienced more things on this trip then most people will experience in a lifetime.

First of all, I traveled mostly by using local transportation (baht busses, train, local busses and the ever faithful motorbike). I had just returned from Khon Kean province located in the North Eastern part of Thailand when a coup occurred. Excessive rain caused flooding in Pattaya. Because this is the sixtieth anniversary of the King’s ascension to the throne there were celebrations in every city and village. While in Khon Kean, I traveled to Laos and spent a day in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, along the Mekong River. I stayed with friends in the village of An-At in Khon Kean province. I also managed to get in one day of scuba diving two and a half weeks before my five days in the hospital. It was truly a trip to remember.

I suffered from a pulmonary embolism, where blood clots form in the leg/s, caused from long/extended flying. The clots dislodged and blocked a passage just below my lungs. I had a difficult time breathing. At first it was thought that I was having congestive heart failure. A Angiogram ruled out heart failure. Everything with the heart was in good condition and there was no blockage in any of the arteries leading to the heart. A CT Scan found the problem and a Color Doppler Ultrasound confirmed the cause of the embolism. It was treated with medication and was able to safely return home.

Starting this week I will start posting articles with more detail about my experiences, the coup and my stay in the North East travels around Thailand.