Happy Life

It's 9:30pm Sydney time on Saturday and Jody & I are in the Bangkok airport, where the sun is just setting outside the terminal window. We've been traveling about 14 hours now if you count from leaving our hotel at 7am. Our next flight leaves in 4 1/2 hours, and hopefully we can sleep on the plane! It's so exciting to be going on a vacation together, but strange that we'll be returning home to Australia... where we don't yet have a new apartment to call home!

We had a bit of a hurried start this morning, as we made it down to the hotel lobby at 6:58 and found our 7am shuttle driver already worried about the time. I wasn't sure where the second hotel keycard was so I was rummaging to make sure it wasn't in my purse… I might have delayed us about 1 minute. I'd prepaid for the ride to the airport so that made him much happier that he didn't also have to sort out change for me. I felt much better about my slight delay when, at our next stop, two backpackers failed to have any cash to pay the driver. He was so anxious about getting everyone to the terminal on time, he let them ride with us and we had to stop at two banks along the route before we found one that was open.

We reached the airport with plenty of time to spare, and Jody and I ate a leisurely breakfast and coffee. In Duty Free, Jody was excited to find the camera he's been eyeing for less than advertised in the city, but it'll have to go on the wish list. The gate next to us was scheduled for a flight to Auckland, but it seems there was some kind of natural disaster and the run was canceled. We're not informed just now so I don't know what the extent of the damage is. Anyone?

The Thai airways cabin crew wore orchid corsages and shot silk jackets with long silk skirts. They were very courteous and the service was quite good for economy. I would fly with them again. We had a window and aisle seat to ourselves, with no third seat, and there was a reasonable amount of space. Our seats were directly forward of the toilets, unfortunately, but at least that meant there was no one tugging on the back of our chairs as they got up. The food was decent too, and drink service often enough that I didn't get too dehydrated. I read somewhere that you should have one glass of water per hour travelled, but I'm not sure how big the glass is supposed to be… 

No hope of blending in here, particularly with Jody in his Australian hat and me so white and gawking at all the artwork and orchids around the airport. I'm not half as polished as the Thai ladies and Europeans passing through but at least I'm not wearing track pants or hiking shoes. (Graphic t-shirt, cardigan, cotton pants and shiny ballet flats.) A young Thai woman on our flight had absolutely gorgeous sandals: black heels about 3" high, with a zipper closure behind her ankle and two crisscross straps, one around her ankle and another across her toes. One strap was black and the other was diamante, with a diamante dragonfly on the ankle strap. When I complimented her on them, she thanked me, then asked if I was staying in Thailand. Regretfully I told her we were just passing through, and she wished me, "Happy life!"