Oh the places we’ve been…
And that I haven’t posted yet. I have a series of posts that will come in short order; yep, I’ve fallen behind. Here is the first.

Logistics Hitch
The plan for Thailand was logistically straight forward. Bangkok for three days, basically just long enough to pick up FedEx packages from home, see the important Jade and reclining Buddhas, have a good meal. Next up would be Chiang Mai for ten days with day trips to Chiang Rai and some national parks, and then a final three on a southern Thai beach for Lauren’s birthday.

We have been pretty lucky on the logistics. The phones work, our local SIM card purchases fuel our data devices, we have been one or two places ahead of each typhoon and all but one flight has been on time. But we hit a hurdle in Bangkok. On arrival there we learned that the FedEx package had been stuck in customs for four days – our used hiking boots and hiking pants and jackets raising some issue with Thai customs. We really wanted to get this gear now so we could break in the boots before our five day trek so we’re getting a little tense (and we’re still on Malarone at this point so, well it’s ugly).

It gets worse though. Lauren’s phone stopped working. Now we have a major problem – a highly social teenager already missing her friends because it’s Halloween and she’s not having a silly spray fight in the alley and her best friends’ birthdays only 10 days away.

Andy, seeing the dark hand of Apple, brings up the following and timely article (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/magazine/why-apple-wants-to-bust-your-iphone.html). Lauren acknowledges the point but isn’t ready to make the switch to Android. Instead, Lauren researches apple stores in BKK and we go to iStudio to investigate. 5s and 5Ss are not in stock, 2 weeks for 5, 4-6 weeks for 5S, 4S was available but she rejected the idea of paying $700 for phone that was outdated. We then thought we would head over to a “fix it” marketplace – might have been worthwhile or it might have presented an IP lawyer’s ethical dilemma. (Not to say I’m a saint – I did look the other way when Rose got Beats in China. But I have stood my ground on the other knock-offs.) We didn’t go, and not because I was having moral misgivings, but because even if we got hers fixed, the phone would be unreliable.

So what to do? Luckily, I had Malik’s number saved. Malik is our Verizon guru. He used to be at the Verizon store on Greenwich Street next to Kaffe. He was there when Lauren got her first phone (ENv), then her droid and then finally her iphone. He has guided me through plans, global phone issues in Costa Rica, tracked down a palm pixi when mine broke and didn’t judge me for such an irrational request on my part, he even lent me a phone once. He has done the same for Rose and has been Andy’s go to as well. So I texted Malik from BKK to see if he had opened his new store. He had and of course, he would take care of us! Within 5 hours, he had coordinated with our office to send Lauren a new phone, made sure he could use the upgrade we had, set it up, filled out forms and took it to FedEx. I will always miss having him in the ‘hood but I’ll go to the Rockaways, no problem.

Thai Customs was not so easy. We finally received the hiking boots in Chiang Mai after the staff at our hotel and Andy’s near full time follow up got the paperwork they needed (again) and then, get this, we had to pay customs on our used boots! It was crazy. Lauren’s phone required additional customs agency declarations and passports (again and again) and more fees. In he end, we paid three times as much in fees on our used clothing and boots, than we did on the latest apple product! Anyway, by Nov 9 she was back online – no longer hostage to her sister’s itouch to post or check her Instagram – in time to text her friends at midnight both in her own time zone and then later in theirs! Crisis averted; thank you Malik.