Are we there yet???

Ok, not terribly serious about that but you’ll understand after this posting.

Wed, November 17th 10:40 AM CST (11:40 PM Bangkok time)

260 some days have passed since the last trip to Thailand. I'm sitting at the bar next to the gate at the United terminal at O'Hare airport in Chicago and I'm starting on Miller Lite #2. (I know its not noon yet, but its noon somewhere in the world; in fac, its almost midnight in Bangkok). The first leg of my trip takes us to Tokyo, a 13 hour flight, followed by a two hour layover and then a 7 hour short trip to Bangkok.

Here's a log of the significant events of the flights.

10:55 AM - Crap. Just remembered that I need to get some bottled water for the flight. I'm constantly drinking water and won't want to wait on the flight attendent; plus, I'm sitting on the window and don't want to bother the aisle person. Time to finish my beer.

10:58 AM - Still working on it.

11:00 AM - Finished. Time for H2O.

11:10 AM - It's official. First rip-off of the trip and I haven't even gotten on the plane. I just paid $6.00 for two 33oz bottles of water. Are you kidding me? The same amount would later cost me half that amount for twice as much. I'd love to get the airport concession for the new airport when they break ground. (Mental note: start working on getting politically connected.)

11:45 AM - Just got on the plane. Middle seat is open. Please, oh please let it stay that way.

12:05 PM - Plane just pushed back. Whoo hoo !!! Even though I'm in steerage, I've got a little space. Hope I have everything I need otherwise I go without, or try and find it here.

12:37 PM - Alright, where the hell is the runway? I think we just taxied to Iowa.

12:45 PM - Take off. Finally.

1:35 PM - I love the map of the route on the video screen. We just passed over Superior, WI.

6:15 PM - Passing Anchorage, Alaska. Took a look out the window and say the snow on the mountains. I won't have to worry about seeing that for a while yet.

Note for future reference: When given the choice between chicken curry and meatloaf. Take the curry. 'Nuff said.

8:35 PM - Starting to get stir crazy. One of the movies that was going to be played was "I, Robot". That was a bust. Sound kept cutting out to further drive me nuts.

8:36 PM - I think we just crossed the international dateline. 4 hours and 20 minutes until touchdown in Tokyo. Feel my pain people. I've just spent a workday so far on an airlplane.

12:20 AM - Got to sleep finally. Never thought that I was going to get any significant sleep. Its now 1:20 PM in BKK. I should be settled in another *sigh* 12 feckin hours.

At this time I'd like to present the award for the Most Annoying Passenger

The nominees are:

1: The screaming kid that seems to be able to scream at a decibel level equivalent to an icepick in the temple.

2: The five foot five inch guy in the exit row in front of me that decided to put his seat back into my lap. Jackass. (If you're under six foot, it should be a fineable offense to put your seat back more that two inches, sorry to the short readers out there, but my knees still hurt)

1:30 AM - Just landed. Off the plane and direct to the restroom. Saw my first of what will be several encounters with the squat toilet. Not this time pal.

2:35 AM - Tokyo to BKK is boarding. No more airline food on this flight. I'll eat in BKK.

2:55 AM - Wonderful. Flight with 200+ people and they put me in a row with two other guys with the same build. At least I got the window. I really feel for the poor guy riding bitch (i.e. the middle row)

I didn't have the room to write anything on the 7 hour flight to Bangkok. I suspect it would have gone something like this:

3:00 AM Please kill me.

3:02 AM When is this damn thing going to land?

3:04 AM Are we there yet?

3:06 AM Why did the short woman in front of me decide to put her seat back into my knees?

3:10 AM Are we there yet? Seriously, are we???

The plane did land at 10:25 AM Chicago time (11:35 PM Bangkok time). All I wanted to do is get off that plane, and get some food.

Customs was a piece of cake and for the most part so was the luggage claim. Although, I'd love to invent some kind of permanent sticker that you could affix to your luggage for easy identification. Perhaps, that could be my ticket out.

November is just the start of the tourist season, so the taxi cue was packed to the gills. I took a private car for ฿600 ~ $15 US. A ripoff since I should have waited and took a metered taxi for a little more than $10 US. I just wanted to check in to the hotel.

This was day one. A very long day to say the least. I got to sleep roughly at 2:30 AM with a couple cold Singha’s and a plate of chicken fried rice in my belly from one of the street vendors by the hotel (actually the best food. You can tell if its good if there is a crowd of people there eating and this place was packed.)

It’s now Friday afternoon. I ran and got a SIM card for my overseas cell phone a must for travel and bought a couple nick nacks. Today I’ll decompress, tomorrow, I think I’ll take in the weekend market and hopefully a Thai boxing match. More to follow.