44 Hours to Thailand

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From leaving my parents house in NJ at 6:00am Saturday to arriving at the guesthouse in Aonang, it felt like the longest travel journey I've been on. Qatar Airways was lovely as usual. Our first flight was 12 hours to Doha with a quick layover before another 8 to Bangkok. Usually I'd sleep on that flight - I combat jet lag by operating on my destination time as soon as I get on the plane - but I didn't get to sleep this time and I'm paying.

Our layover in Bangkok was about 14 hours so I did something I've always glamorized: I left the airport. I found an Airbnb right off the Phaya Thai stop of the airport line, which is about 27 minutes from BKK. Unfortunately, finding the place was harder and even though it was less than 5 minutes from the station, I stubbornly walked around grimy Bangkok for 30 minutes first.

By the way, Im still not a fan of Bangkok. It's fine as a place, but I'd never willingly chose to visit it. Still a giant, dirty, unremarkable city. We walked to th Baiyoke Sky Tower, which boasts an observation deck on its 83rd floor. For 400 THB you get a view and one drink. We did it, but that's about all I have to say about the experience. Kinda wish we had just stopped at the sports bar with live music we passed outside the Airbnb.

Finally arriving to Krabi this morning didn't go as smoothly as my last 2 visits either. Our bags were sent all the way from PHL to KBV, but Qatar Airways didn't let us know. We looked for them in Bangkok, as instructed, and then looked for them in Krabi. Eventually we found out they'd need sent to the international arrivals terminal, which makes sense but meant that collecting baggage took an hour. So we missed the shuttle and waited an additional 2 hours at the airport. One of my biggest peeves is lack of respect for time. If something is going to take 90 minutes, tell me 90 minutes. If you tell me 15, I'm going to be a ball of rage by the time your promises come true. In other words, I stewed for those 2 hours in the airport and on the bus ride. The shuttle is so reliable though, it drops you door to door for 150 THB.

Our guesthouse in Ao Nang is lovely. Much fancier than I'd usually pick, but sharing a room with someone cuts costs considerably. $13/night I think? Versus about $8 for a bed in an 8 person dorm. Both have perks, Im just choosing a different experience this trip.

My jet lag has been wanting to go to sleep now so I'm off to explore the night market and try to keep awake until at least 9pm. Send your caffeinated vibes my way.

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