Traveling Heavy

6-5-19 to 6-7-19

I stepped on the flight from LAX full of predetermined fantasies about what Thailand was going to offer, look like, feel, and provide. I arrived to the airport five hours early expecting to check in and leisurely eat breakfast. This was not to be the case. I roamed around the airport looking for Japan Airlines check-in terminal and observed it was pretty much empty except for a few other airlines checking people in. I finally asked the information desk where the check in was located and learned to my surprise that they did not start checking in people until approximately two and half hours prior to boarding. I found an empty seat in the back of the airport and passed the time surfing the internet while trying to manage my anxiety.

I don’t know why I was feeling anxious other than the fact I had been feeling nervous and anxious about the trip for the past month. More than anything I think I wanted the trip to be here so I could figure out what I was truly feeling. The time passed slowly and I roamed around the airport several times dragging my bag behind me like a lost soul hoping the information person at the lonely kiosk was wrong. But she wasn’t and I continued to wait. Finally, about three hours prior to boarding I saw Japan Airlines personnel start to set up for check in and I stood in line waiting for the next half hour until they opened. While waiting, a friendly Japan Airlines employee asked me for my flight number and stated that I was in the wrong place. They had contracted with American Airlines and I would have to walk to an adjacent terminal to check in. I tried to keep my emotions to myself but I’ll have to say I was in turmoil. I walked to the next terminal and electronically checked in at which point I learned that I was flying American Airlines. The person who took my bag spoke broken English and told me that he wished he was going to Thailand. I took the escalator up to security and stood in line. The security process was not bad and I moved on to my gate without problems. I found a seat at the assigned gate and began checking my email to eat up some time. For some reason, I was not hungry and I just wanted more than anything to get on the plane. Shortly thereafter, I received an email which notified me that my gate had been changed.

I packed up my backpack and made the trek to the end of the concourse. I normally check my ticket to see where I am seated on the plane but in this case, I made the conscious decision not to do this because the ticket counter was chaotic. People were crowding the area and I did not want to wade into what I perceived to be a mix of languages, personalities, and bodies vying for position.

Approximately thirty minutes prior to our scheduled departure, we started boarding. I walked down the aisle of the plane and noticed I had a middle seat. My heart sank knowing that the next twelve and half hours would be squished between two people. Well for once my expectations matched my reality. I approached my assigned seat and observed a young Asian female sitting in the aisle seat and a middle-aged Asian man sitting in the window seat. I pointed to the middle seat trying to communicate with the female and she looked at me in disgust. She rigidly stood up without looking at me or moving her backpack located on the ground in front of her seat and I plopped down attempting to avoid her personal belongings.

The stewardesses conducted their pre-flight announcements in English and Japanese because we were flying first to Tokyo, Japan. Amazingly the plane took off right on time and for the next twelve and a half hours I watched movies and played video games on the in-flight services. I could not fall asleep! One aspect that I found interesting was the man seated next to me. He did not speak much and wore a white filtration mask throughout the flight. But that was not the interesting part. I watched out the corner of my eye mesmerized as he worked the entire time on his computer coding some type of project he was working on. To my left was a different story. The female shifted constantly in her seat and was not afraid to put her body weight against me in an effort to get comfortable. I tried so hard to keep my composure but there were several times where I made hand gestures as a way to relieve my stress. Airplane food has a certain stigma; positive or negative is up to you but I have always had a negative viewpoint of this type of food. I would say it was in the middle on the way to Tokyo. It was a bland mix of meat and rice covered in an unsavory broth that pushed the borders of taste and function.

I arrived in Japan, walked off the plane and headed into the noisy, brightly lit terminal. Fortunately, English was a part of the language plastered on the walls and I walked towards what I assumed was the correct gate. I had three choices and I decided to follow those that appeared to know where they were going. I encountered another security line and asked a uniformed person if they could tell me if I was going in the right direction. They politely pointed to the line and told me I was headed the right way. Once through security, I waited for two hours to board the plane to Bangkok. For some reason, I was not hungry but I forced myself to eat something about an hour in because I wanted to say I tried the local food. I only had one option in the terminal which was a small corner stall that was selling noodles. I ordered the noodle plate and watched the female attendant place my bowl into the microwave. About one minute later, she removed my bowl from the microwave, opened the plastic bag and poured my authentic noodles into the paper bowl. The taste was unique with flavors I had never had but it was not a flavor explosion in my mouth. I finished eating unceremoniously and finally boarded the plane to Bangkok.

I entered the plane knowing beforehand that I had an aisle seat and approached my much-anticipated seat. In front of me, was a Buddhist monk, his wife, and son. They were split up into different aisles and seats. The son was sitting in a window seat so I offered to take his place so he could sit next to his father who would have been sitting next to me. The father graciously said “thank you, Sir” and we switched seats which actually worked out because he was no less than 250 pounds and the female, I sat next to did not take up too much room. Five hours passed by pretty quickly and I still did not sleep.

We arrived in Bangkok at 1100PM with no instructions as to where our baggage would be or what to do next. I walked off the plane tired, confused, apprehensive, and excited. I decided to once again follow the people from my plane because there were many options to take. This plan worked well. A short walk to customs led me to a line leading to passport security. After 30 minutes in line, I approached a proper looking female Thai customs agent with short dark hair and refused to smile. She took my passport and began laughing with the other customs agent seated next to her. I asked her what was funny and she pointed to my departure card that had not been filled out properly.

She allowed me to fix my mistake and began asking me questions regarding my purpose in Thailand. I explained to her that I was teaching English and the address I was staying at was located in Hua Hin. She did not like my explanation and continued to ask me repeated questions about what I was doing in Thailand and whether I was going to be paid a salary. I tried my best to keep calm because I had watched other persons prior to me and they had not been subjected to this type of questioning. Finally, she relented and stamped my visa.

I walked past her feeling very relieved and tried to find my baggage. I approached the large video screen and noted it was all in Thai. I couldn’t read anything and finally figured out I needed to ask someone for help. I approached the information kiosk and they directed me to the correct baggage claim. I arrived just in time because there were people taking baggage from the carousel. I retrieved my luggage and looked for Exit 3 where Xplore Asia stated my transportation guide would be located. There were only Exits marked A through C and I again had to ask for help. The information person directed me past the A through C exits to a second outer waiting area. Once outside the baggage claim, I entered an area that at first was overwhelming due to the large number of people taking pictures, milling around, and seeking transportation to wherever they were going. Thai tour guides and transportation specialists lined the doorways holding hand drawn signs with persons names. I walked the length of the corridor to Exit 3 and observed there approximately 20 Thai transportation persons holding signs and none of them had my name. I’ll admit, I had a moment of panic and I walked between Exit 3 and 5 about four times deciding what I should do. About the fifth time walking back and forth, I observed a Thai woman holding an Xplore Asia sign with my name near Exit 3.

I felt a massive flood of relief pour over my body and I pointed to the sign. She told me she had been watching me walk around and figured I was one of her clients. She took a picture of me holding the sign to prove to her boss that she had found me and made me wait in the corner near the exit door until the driver arrived. After approximately 10 minutes, she escorted me outside into the humid atmosphere and the driver placed my bags in the trunk of his SUV. I sat in the backseat and noted the steering wheel was on the opposite side of the vehicle. In addition, we drove in the opposite lanes of the road in comparison to America.

While en route to the hotel, we passed Soi Cowboy; a busy nightlife alleyway full of bars lit up by neon signs and people spilling out of the roadway. Motorcycles zipped in and out of traffic while Tuk Tuks followed their own rules of the road. At every stop light, there was a countdown telling the drivers how long they had to wait until the light turned green and vice versa, when the light turned green another countdown began.

Thirty minutes later, I arrived at my hotel located on a side street, location unknown in Bangkok. I checked in at the front desk and was given room 816. The attendant took my bag without asking and escorted me to my room. He asked me for my key, which I gave him (even though in America I would never do that) and he opened the door. I gave him 50 baht for taking my bag to my room and he left. How would I describe my room? First, the flooring is white tile with a semi-comfortable King-sized bed. I was provided two free water bottles that were in glass containers and the bathroom shower sprayed me when I turned it on because the showerhead only faced outwards. I had to manually hold the showerhead towards the shower in order to keep the water inside of the bath tub. By this time, it was approximately one in the morning. I was tired yet wide awake. I didn’t know what to do with myself so I called Christy and she made me feel better after talking with her. I finally fell asleep at about four in the morning and woke up in a daze at eight in the morning. I decided to sleep a little longer and didn’t wake up until nine that night. I guess jet lag hit me harder than I ever anticipated! I checked in with Christy because she was concerned about me and fell asleep again afterwards. I am now wide awake at four in the morning and finishing up my journal entry. I am planning on exploring the temples of Bangkok and venturing outside on my own for the first time.