January 28, 2007

  • DC Trip 10/4/02 - 10/6/02

    Hi All,

     

        This is a mini-tale of my DC trip.  It's my first time to the nation's capital and I must say I had a wonderful time.  My mom and I went as part of a Thai tour.

     

    FRIDAY - My mom and I arrived at LAX and met with the tour group at 7:00 AM.  In all we're a party of 18.  We took off at 9:40 AM and arrived at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas.  It's the home of National Airlines which we flew and all flights have a stopover there.

        My mom decided to try her luck on a slot machine at the airport.  Well, she got five dollars.  We just hung out at the airport and found something to eat.

        At about noon was the flight from Vegas to Washington.  Saw "Insomnia" starring Robert DeNiro, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank along the way.  At least that shortened the flight.

        We arrived at Dulles International Airport at about 6 PM EST.  It was about 75 degrees and very humid there.  The tour bus then took us to the Holiday Inn in Herndon, Virginia.  After we unpacked our stuff we all went to a nearby Thai restaurant called Khun Ya (it means Grandma).  My mom's dish and mine cost me $30 collectively.  Hers was good I guess but my pineapple fried rice was a little bland so I added some fish sauce.  Another 4 people from our group decided to try some pho at a Vietnamese place.  Afterwards we returned to our hotel (or shall I say motel) where my mom went to sleep as I was trying to get caught up with the baseball playoffs.

     

    SATURDAY - I went on this trip because I wanted to check out Washington, DC.  I wanted to see all the sights, monuments, and check out the Smithsonian.  For most of the other people on this tour, their main objective was to see Queen Sirikit of Thailand in person.  For those born in Thailand, especially older people, the royal family is very important to them.  I'm under the impression many of them have only seen members of the royal family in publications or television.  To see the Queen up close is a rare, exciting opportunity.  Queen Sirikit, along with the Crown Prince and the eldest Princess, were invited to Washington for a gala showing of the new Thai movie "Suriyothai" at the Kennedy Center.  Before they arrive at the Kennedy Center, they would come meet the people at the Willard Inter Continental Hotel.  This would be the only thing on today's itinerary.

     

    That morning my mom and I had continental breakfast at the Holiday Inn.  We then took a little stroll just to check out this town of Herndon.  Some people were fearful of that sniper that's been killing people in DC, Maryland, and Virginia but my mom and I weren't.  It was very humid and 85 degrees.  It felt like being back in Thailand.  We found some interesting looking church so we took our pictures with it.  There isn't much street lighting.  Most of the structures there are made of either brick or wood.  Homes look pretty old there.  It's nice to see a change of scenery.  We went to a nearby post office where my mom purchased some stamps (for collection).  It was so nice to return to the Holiday Inn and our air conditioned room. 

     

    This town was a lot warmer than I had anticipated.  The lobby was cool but the corridors and elevators were hot and muggy.  Later we had lunch at Popeye's.  Finally we took off for the Willard Intercontinental in Washington DC.  The women dressed in traditional Thai formal wear.  The men, including yours truly, were in suits.

     

    The Willard Inter Continental is a very nice, luxurious hotel.  There were paintings and flowers everywhere.  The wallpapers looked grand and you just knew this isn't a Travelodge.  We gathered in this big ballroom with hundreds of seats and a small stage with three chairs on it.  At long last Her Royal Highness emerged along with Princess and the Crown Prince.  I took as many photos as I could.  People handed her donations as she walked past the throngs of people.  There weren’t enough seats in the large ballroom for the hundreds of people that flocked the hotel.  There were Thais from all over like Chicago, California, New York, you name it.  The Queen expressed her joy in seeing us and told us about the nature of her coming to America this time around.

     

    After the royals left, people remained to take photos of this gilded model boat.  I don't recall the significance of this vessel.  On the other hand other people flocked to have their photo taken with the star of Suriyothai.  I don't know her name.  I got my picture taken with her, too.  Honestly I don't know how successful this film will be but if it turns out big, then that'll be just swell.

     

    The tour bus took us to Chinatown where we ate at China Doll restaurant.  The people on our tour were so excited about getting meeting the Queen and being so close to her.  For them this trip was already worth the money and effort.  It feels good to see people be happy.

     

    That night we returned to Herndon and then tomorrow is the day I'm looking forward to.

     

    SUNDAY - We got a wake up call at 5:30 AM.  It was nice and cool for once.  I really like that because I abhor hot weather.  All the humidity suddenly was gone.  At 7:00 AM we took off for Washington DC.  First we went to the Capitol.  It was larger than I had previously imagined.  It's one thing to see it on TV and in pictures but to see it in person was a lot different. 

        Next we visited the Jefferson Memorial.  It was way bigger than I ever thought it was.  This turned out to be my favorite memorial.  Maybe I like domes or something. 

        Then we went to the Lincoln Memorial.  My mom liked this one.  We took several photos here.  My mom, as usual, visited the gift shop.

        We then made our way to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  I know for a fact that one of the names on the memorial is a John Arthur Rambo.  I should have taken a picture of it but basically didn't think of it at the time.

        Not far from here is the Korean War Memorial.  I thought it was neat how they have statues of soldiers in what I think is rain gear all marching into battle.  These two memorials are solemn reminders of the lives lost in these terrible conflicts.  It makes you think about the things people did, people do, and what have we truly learned from all this.

        Next up is the White House.  We saw the south side of the President's home.  Also took a picture of the Old Executive Building nearby because we thought it looked pretty neat.  We didn't get to see The First Family.  I think they were in Kennebunkport but I could have been mistaken.  Though the White House is large, it seemed small compared to the buildings we have seen beforehand on this day.

        We then went to the Washington Monument.  At 550 feet (and 4 inches) it really stands out.  It is also much taller and larger than I had thought.  I was impressed.  I liked the fact that the Capitol, Washington Monument, and Lincoln Memorial are lined up.  Same with the statue of Thomas Jefferson in his memorial faced towards the White House with the Washington Monument somewhat in between.

        The tour had lunch at some mall.  I took a picture of the Pentagon on the way to the mall.  The side where that plane hit is completely rebuilt to where you'd never know anything had ever happened to it.

        The rest of this day was spent at the Smithsonian Institutes.  First we went to the National Air and Space Museum.  The moment I walked in my breath was taken away by the sight of the Wright Brothers' plane, the world's first.  I was like a little kid.  Every time I turned my head I would recognize something and tell me mom I wanted my picture with this one and that one and we really need a photo of this.  It was just mind-blowing to see the Spirit of St. Louis, the Bell X-1, the lunar module, a model of Skylab, etc.  It's too bad we only had 50 minutes there so I only got to see so much.  I could spend a day here.  It definitely was right up my alley.

        We then went to the Natural History Museum.  My mom was waiting for this one because she had always wanted to see the Hope Diamond.  I'm not big on gems so I wasn't excited but it sure made my mom's day.  My curiosity sparked to read the brief history surrounding this renowned gem.  I guess it dates back 300 years from India.  It eventually wound up in France, England, and now here in the United States.  My mom was thrilled to be photographed with the Hope Diamond.  I was happy to have my picture taken with triceratops.

        Lastly we went to the American History Museum.  It's pretty neat in itself.  One could spend a day at these museums.  There just wasn't enough time to truly appreciate these treasures but at least I got a taste.

     

        We then flew home.  Our flight arrived at LAX at 2 AM.  At least I did not have to work on Monday so I used that day to sleep and rest. 

        Well that's it.  I don't travel that often so I had a good time.  DC is definitely a place to visit I recommend.  It's just a neat experience.

     

    Warunchai