Oh man what a trip

Well let’s just say the journey to get to Thailand did not go as planned.  I had a good flight plan of Boston to DC – 2 hour layover, DC to Toyko – 3 hour layover and Toyko to Bangkok – stay at the airport hotel for the night and depart for Phuket around noontime on Monday.  Not exactly what actually happened.   I got off the plane in DC and went to my gate for my Toyko flight where the agent in Boston said my boarding pass would be waiting because they were changing the plane and therefore the seat I had previously picked might have changed.   I come to find out via a VERY unpleasant United counter lady that they had overbooked the new plane by FORTY PEOPLE.  Not five, or ten but forty!  I asked her if I would be getting a seat and she said “Probably not, too bad for you maybe we can get you out in the next two days.”  And I asked her what would happen with my connecting flight in Toyko as I already had that boarding pass in my hand and she said she didn’t know and she couldn’t help me.  I wanted to say well why are you standing at the counter if you can’t help anyone but of course I didn’t.  That led to tearful phone call number one to my dad.  Then I saw a friendly looking older man appear behind the counter next to the mean lady and I decided to try again.  He ended up telling me that I probably wasn’t going to get on the flight but that I could be rerouted to go DC to LA then LA to Bangkok so I figured that was the best option because I didn’t want to wait another day and miss my flight from Bangkok to Phuket.  It was going to take me an extra 7 hours so I would miss my hotel stay and arrive in Bangkok at 5:30 am on Monday but I would be there in time to get my 12:45pm flight to Phuket.  Long story short, I got to LA, realized that my next flight was 18 hours straight and panicked.  I didn’t believe my mom when she told me how long it was because someone told me that the longest flight in the world was 16 hours and 20 minutes so I thought she was mistaken with all the time changes.  She wasn’t.  I had been traveling for 18 hours already and hadn’t even left the United States yet and I couldn’t bear the thought to getting on an airplane for 18 hours, sitting in the Bangkok airport for 8 hours and taking another flight to Phuket.  Hence, tearful phone call number 2 to dad saying I wanted to come home and I wasn’t getting on the flight to Bangkok.  Then I called Nancy and hearing her voice made me remember that I wasn’t in this alone and she was getting on a plane the next day to meet me in Phuket.  I wasn’t about to leave her stranded and kept telling myself over and over that we were about to go on the adventure of our lives.  Getting 2 hours of sleep the night before departure and traveling for hours on end had made me so overtired that I couldn’t even think straight.  I honestly might not have gotten on the plane if I was in this alone.   Let’s just say I got some funny looks in LAX crying for an hour before departure.  

And now I can say that I made it to Thailand!  My luggage didn’t of course but I did.  I was waiting at the luggage claim and I see some guy walking around with my name on a sign.  I waved him down and he didn’t speak one word of English – just kept gesturing for me to follow him.  So I did, (sorry mom I know that was your first rule – don’t go with strangers) but he had a badge and a walkie talkie and wouldn’t let me leave his sight so I didn’t really have a choice.   While following this strange man around the airport I saw my first monk! (soon to realize they are everywhere) And he was wearing his orangey monk robes with Timbs which I thought was hysterical.   Anyways, I come to find out that my luggage missed the flight to Bangkok and they were putting it on the next one that wouldn’t get to Bangkok until tomorrow when I would be long gone in Phuket.  I tried to tell the guy the name my hotel in Phuket and I think he understood so hopefully I’ll be seeing it sometime soon. 

I am currently hanging out in the Bangkok airport waiting for my next flight and its 8 am on Monday here which means its 8 pm on Sunday at home.   I got a SIM card for my old Australian cell phone so that was good even though the lady at the counter didn’t speak English so I’m not really sure what my plan consists of but it works because I was able to call home.  I’ve soon realized that I am going to have to get used to not really knowing what is going on language wise and I’m hoping to pick up some key Thai phrases soon.  I’m off to find my first bowl of real Thai noodles and to see if my flight is on the departure board so bye for now!