Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean

*An excerpt from my journal as I wasn't allowed to hook up to the internet during the flight (duh!)*

I am now on the plane to the Philippines. We boarded the plane early so that we could enjoy some moments in Business Class. As take-off time was fast approaching, a male attendant came up to us and asked us to leave. At first, I was thinking, "Great. What did we do now?" But nope, he didn't come to reprimand us, he came to take us away... away to FIRST CLASS, BABY! How did we manage getting bumped up from Business to First Class? Because we're traveling during the peak season, PAL like any other airlines overbooked and bumped up people from Fiesta/Economy to Business and Business passengers to First Class? And we were the lucky recipients to that "bumping".

It hasn't really sunk in that I'm traveling again. I think it has a lot to do with traveling with family and visiting the family in the Philippines. I've been there enough times in my lifetime, that it's like, okay, I'm back here again. I'm excited a little bit more about Thailand, just because it's a brand new place, and I'll again be on my own. But I'm not as nervous about this trip as I was about going through Europe solo. It's not because I'm a seasoned traveler, which I'm definitely not. Is it because my trip to Thailand will only eat up one week of my vacation, half the time of which I'll be staying with Kuya Arnel's friend and not in some crazy hostel? I kinda kicked myself for accepting O's invitation to stay with her, because am I being independent enough? Am I being enough of a backpacker? But who wouldn't jump at the chance of staying with a local, right? And I've read it enough times that staying at Khao San Road is not exactly going to bring me the essence of Thai culture. I can still do things on my own while O is at work during the day. Although, a tiny part of me was hoping I'd get to meet some other travelers at the guesthouse that I could explore the depths of Bangkok with. I was hoping I could forge friendships with other travelers as I did in Vienna, Rome, Barcelona, Paris last year.

And I still have Chiang Mai. Yes, it's a guided, but I'll still be doing things that are not a part of my everyday experiences. Seeing elephants, going bamboo or river rafting, etc. I just hope it's not too touristy but then do I really want rustic? Me doing rustic? I don't know about that one.

I know, I know. All of these unnecessary concerns running through my head. What's really important here is that I am on a plane, going somewhere. It's just anticipation is half the fun, and it's just not all there yet. I'm sure the nerves will creep in sometime soon.

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