Changing Location

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For some reason I thought the flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok would be much longer than it actually was. I was pleasantly surprised when our Captain came over the loud speaker and announced the weather conditions and time of landing. We were right on schedule, it would be 11:00 am when we arrived at the terminal. Excited we had finally accomplished our goal, Cassie and I skipped through the halls of the airport to Customs. The Suavarium airport is much different than the Hong Kong airport. I would describe the Hong Kong airport to be clean, air conditioned, very neatly organized. The Suavarium airport was constructed of large circles, tarps, and metal beams. It was almost as if we were outside. Unfortunately this meant that our walk to customs was hot and humid, very uncomfortable. The line to show our passports and get our stamps was very long. We didnt recognize any of the accents of the other travelers and definitely did not see another American. When it was finally our turn to have our passports checked, I went first. My emotions were high and I was very excited and postive towards the security officer. He did not ask me any questions except one. Why was my passport is such dissarray. Unfortuantely some time ago, I had gotten my passport wet. My picture page is a little torn and ragedy. I didnt have trouble at any other checkpoint on my journey until now. Even at the US Thai embassy when we were getting our Thai visas, they reassured me they had seen worse and I would have no trouble. Well the security officer asked me to wait patiently while he called over someone else, then that person called over someone else. My mood has now turned from positive and excited to anxious and nervous. They examined my passport and ran it through a checking system multiple times. Apparently it wasnt registering. The security lady was very matter-of-fact and made me extremely nervous. She was being very blunt and forceful asking questions like where are you from? Are you alone? Who did you come with? Do you have another form of ID? Do you have another passport? How were you allowed a Thai visa with such a poor passport? I am not sure if I can allow you in my country with this type of identification. She just had an air about her that sparked no confidence that I was going to be able to make it past this point. I had it in my head that this was it. I was going to be spending two months at the airport in Bangkok until our flight to Australia. My journey was over. It took every part of my being not to hyperventalate and start crying. I was so distraught. She finally decided that I was not a terrorist and posed no threat. She said that she was personally allowing me into her country and that should I leave her country I will not be allowed back in. I grabbed my stuff, pressed my hands together as if i was praying (the higher your hands are the higher the respect is given) and bowed to her several times expressing my thanks. My hands were well above my head. I waited for Cassandra pacing back and forth, praying she had a smoother transition than I. As soon as she was through we headed to claim our bags and after we made sure all of our belongings were together I threw everything on the ground and collapsed. I just couldnt stand anymore, my legs were shaking, and I was so thankful we had made it and I was allowed to be here. I havnt felt such overwhelming relief in a long time. When I pulled myself together we saddled up and headed out of the airport. Before we began our journey, I read a blog that described the first breath of Thailand. It gave the impression that as soon as you left the sanctuary of the air conditioned airport of Suavarium and first stepped into the air that was Bangkok, it was like stepping into an oven of vomit. Well we experienced something quite different. As soon as we stepped out of the airport, we smelled flowers and tropical air, it was hot but not humid. It was beautiful and exciting. We walked in circles trying to find a taxi and were fianlly able to find a reputable service, metered and everything. First stop, D&D Inn on Koh San Road. The drive took about 30 minutes. I didnt realize how big Bangkok really is. We passed by many gold statues of their Buddhist Gods, many life size and bigger portraits of the King and his family. For the most part traffic flowed well through the streets. The tuk-tuks looked uncomfortable compared to our Toyota Corolla taxi. The drivers of the scooters are insane and think that nothing can hit them. Even pedestrians are extremely brave. We passed by the Kings residence and it was massive and very well guarded. Several armed men were stationed periodically around the grounds. We passed by several universitys as well. Some specific to Technology, some specific to Pharmacy. I was very impressed by the highly decorated bridges and overhangs. Aparently it was the Kings birthday the last friday in December and so the whole city was decorated in yellow flags for the King and the flag of Thailand. As we got closer to Koh San Road the traffic got thicker. When our driver turned down the actual street, we came to an almost complete stop. Many people were shouting at us where are you going? Ping pong show? Bus to Island this way! Our driver, however, was very professional and argued with several of them insisting on making sure we got to our destination. When we arrived we were very impressed. The staff and the accomodations were much nicer than expected. For only about 20 US a night we had an air conditioned room with a private bathroom, tv, wifi, a swimming pool, massages, a private bar and billiards area, and an american breakfast in the morning all included. Unfortuantely or Fortunately our room was right on the main road. So to look out our window onto Koh San Road was very entertaining. But at night (and they warned us at the front desk that it would be loud but we didnt care) we could hardly sleep because of the music from the local bars. As soon as our stuff was settled I attempted to make calls to family via skype with no luck and we finally decided to go out and explore. We stayed for the most part within the street of Koh San Road. We were too timid to go much farther. All the shopping was fairly cheap compared to american shopping. Cassie got several bathing suits and a necklace for under 30 US. We bought bottled water, attempted to buy a sim card, and just enjoyed the sights. That evening we decided to check out the night life and played pool with some of the Thai locals. There was this one gentleman that did not speak much english and he was pretty much owning the table. So I decided to put my money down and give it a shot. No one before me could get him down to just having the eight ball on the table. I succeeded, I almost had him beat but for a silly mistake of overshooting. I would have won, it was a very close game. I bowed to him and showed him the utmost respect and he requested I play him again. Despite the fact that someone else had put money down, I obliged him. We gathered quite a crowd and I recieved applause for several of my shots! I am not a professional, but I enjoy the game. It gave me great pleasure to play him because I felt like I was giving him some good fun and competition. After awhile Cassie and I were getting tired and decided to retire. Jet lag was definitely hitting hard. I couldnt even grasp the time but as soon as we got back to the room she passed out immediately. I attempted to skype again and was more than overjoyed when Craig finally answered. I couldn't stop crying because I was so happy to actually tell someone I was safe and know that communication with home was not impossible. Eventually I ended up passing out and we woke up early so as to eat breakfast and pay for one more night in Bangkok. The american breakfast we were promised was by no means traditional. Cassie refused to touch anything but the cereal, milk, and coffee. I was brave and loaded my plate with two kinds of unrecognizable meats, spaghetti and meat sauce, toast and eggs! I was hungry and didnt expect we would eat later. We went back to the room and fell asleep again. Then we decided to go to the pool and lay out. Because the pool is on the top deck, it was warm and sunny and had a nice cool breeze. Cassie decided to get a massage and I fell asleep laying in the sun. She said her massus required participation in the act and she felt so good after. She smelt of mint and other lotions and again we retired to the room. After some more rest we decided to explore. We went a little farther than our first day as it was a little brighter out. Our first stop was down an alley that was very nicely decorated. It was quiet and there were almost no people. At the end was a coffee shop. It was so modernized inside but decorated with old photographs and modern furniture. It was a coffee shop similar to something you might see in Santa Monica. We both got a delicious coffee and Cassie got an almond pastry. We went to the top floor of the coffee shop and after our drinks were made the lady brought them up to us. The furniture was super comfortable and the atmosphere extremely relaxing. It was a perfect first stop. The streets around Koh San Road were littered with stray dogs, small children, trash and people selling all sorts of trinkets. We finally found a cobbled street where several other people were heading towards. We walked into a temple that had insense smoking and pictures of the king but could only go so far. There was a long hallway with statues in it that required shoes to be removed and long pants and long sleeves. We were not dressed appropriately to enter the shrine but were able to see in from the door. It was so ornately decorated and there were tons of sandals outside. We moved on down the cobblestone road and saw several massage parlors, small cafes and bars, many guesthouses. There were several people selling beautiful dresses and jewlery. One stand had over 500 rings ranging from 50B to 500B. The gentleman spoke almost perfect english and explained that his family hand made every ring. This was their profession and how they made their living. The cobblestone road seemed to go on forever but eventually looped around back toward Koh San Road. Well, the only reason I was able to deduce that is my wonderful sense of direction. But it turned from tourist road to a dark alley that people lived in. And finally after deciding to speed up and keep our heads down we saw that it came to a dead end. Fortunately there was a sign "This is not the end! Climb these stairs to continue back to Koh San Road!" Thank God for english signs! We climbed the stairs and entered the second floor of a very small bar. Once inside we went down another stairwell and out the front of the store and in front of us was finally a road we recognized. My sense of direction was right on target! As it was getting late we decided to stop at a travel agency and purchase bus tickets to Chiang Mai for the morning. We couldn't get train tickets because they were all booked up, but the bus we decided to choose was a VIP tour bus and would leave at 8:30 in the morning, it was perfect. We went to Mc Donalds of all places for dinner and then again retired to the room. We spent a little time on skype with our boyfriends then decided not to pack and be lazy and just relax. When we woke up we were a little rushed. Deciding not to pack the night before was a bad idea. However, I learned in the Navy that you will almost always hurry up to wait. We decided to get breakfast and then pack but were too early for our American breakfast so we headed to McDonalds. Got to love an egg mc muffin in the morning and a gerbal sized coffee. We headed back to the room, got everything ready, checked and rechecked the room, returned our key and headed to our american breakfast. Just for coffee really and to pass the time until our bus would arrive. We then waited in the lobby of the Inn, 30 min early for our bus. In fact the bus ended up being 30 min late. Four gentleman in the lobby of the Inn kept checking our ticket, calling the traveling agency for us, just to make sure they were still coming and we wouldnt miss our bus. We were very grateful when our man finally showed. He walked us to the corner of Koh San Road where we had to get in a taxi. What was humorous about the situation is that there were already two other people in the taxi. So to fit my ginormous bag and all of our other stuff on top of the other two peoples stuff was quite a task for our taxi driver. Finally settled we drove about 30 minutes to the bus terminal. We were pleasantly surprised at our VIP bus! Airconditioned, free refreshments and snacks, comfortable reclining seats, and a flatscreen tv showing the Fantastic Four in Thai! And so the ride begins, 7 hours north to Chiang Mai. And this is where I leave you. I am on the bus now on the second level bobbing and weaving back and forth. I admit I am a little nauseous and am not sure if I should sleep or read or stare out the window. Hopefully time will pass more quickly than I expect. Just like everything else on our trip that has worked out much better than planned, I have high hopes for our adventure in Chiang Mai.

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