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Published: July 16th 2017
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Geo: 16.392, 103.924
Departure day has sort of crept up on me but now it is here.
Awake at 04:30 before the alarm has a chance to go off. Make an early cup of tea and check through my packing one last time. Up at 05:00 for breakfast.
My chauffeuse arrives on the dot of 06:00 and we leave Khamnadie behind us. Chauffeuse has her husband with us this morning and before we go to the airport I discover we are taking him to the sugar factory in the opposite direction. We should have plenty of time but I would have been happier heading straight for the airport. We actually drop him off at the cassava factory which isn't as far away and we get to Roi Et airport about 07:00.
Jai and Jiap - chauffeuse, wait until I have checked in to be sure there are no problems then we say our goodbyes. These are hard work at the best of times but when I don't even know when I will be back this is a particularly hard one. Feel pretty bad as I watch the car drive off.
I go through to the departure lounge about 07:30 and I see the flight landing out
the window. It appears to be the same plane I flew down to Bangkok on in January. I sit next to a monk on the flight - good luck ? - and looking out the window prior to take off notice that the propellers for the aircraft were built by Dowty, just up the road from my house in England. Not sure if that was a good omen either ?!
We take off at 08:00 and arrive at Bangkok Dong Muang airport just before 09:00. By the time we have been bussed to the terminal building my bag is waiting at the carousel. Taxi ride into Banglamphu and for once actually have a good driver. No messing around or trying to con me and he even takes the non-toll roads without asking me first. Traffic is really bad though and it takes longer for the drive to the guest house than it did for the flight to Bangkok.
Check in at New Siam I about 10:45 and have a 20mins stretch out on the bed whilst the aircon cools the room down.
At 11:15 the on-line check in for my flight tomorrow opens so I walk down to an internet at the
guest house opposite. I don't use the one at our guest house anymore as it is slow and unreliable and I have experienced difficulties with my Hotmail account after accessing it here, Book my seat on BA010 Bangkok to London.
Have lunch at New Siam, probably my last rice for a while then go out for a short walk. Stop at 7/11 on way back for a coffee and a snack then back to the room to watch a movie on TV.
Check in with mum back home to let her know I am on the way.
Walk to the park by the river late afternoon and sit for a while people watching. There is almost no sunshine due to what looks like a heavy smog in the air.
Back to guest house stopping for a large tuna submarine baguette en-route then go for a beer at Gecko Bar on the corner. It is very quiet around here tonight and a lot of the street stalls haven't even bothered opening.
Back to the room about 19:00 with a 7/11 coffee for what will no doubt be another largely sleepless night.
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