Wednesday, September 10 - Thursday, September 11, 2008

Flying to Southeastern Asia certainly makes flying to Europe feel like a walk in the park. Instead of the traditional over-night flights across the Atlantic with an early arrival in Europe our journey time to Thailand would encompass a total of 31 hours and 15 minutes, travel over 12 time zones, and span three calendar days.

The first leg of the journey, Delta flight 882, left Tampa International Airport at 09:25 and arrived in Atlanta at 10:53. In order to ensure we had enough time to clear security and traverse the airport to our gate we arrived shortly before 07:45. As we weren't checking any bags and the security lines were short and moved quickly, we were actually waiting at the gate in no time.

We checked out the book store nearby looking for magazines that might entertain us on the upcoming flights but came back empty handed. (Thankfully I was well stocked with various items of amusement for the journey: MP3 with 300 songs, journal for recording the voyage, Lonely Planet and Rough Guide Thailand travel books, James Rollins' novel Map of Bones, and the Wednesday edition of the St. Petersburg Times.) During our perusal of the store we did remark at the incredible cost of a bottle of water at the airport. Close to $3.00. (More on this later in the report.)

Since we left the house fairly early and I didn't have a chance to enjoy my standard iced coffee we decided to order some smoothies from the Frankly Gourmet stand just adjacent to our boarding gate. The Raspberry Breeze was quite enjoyable aside from the seeds. While sipping our smoothies Travis watched the nearby runway as planes arrived and left and I settled in with the Times.

Boarding the plane, when our zone was finally called, was no more difficult than to be expected. However, we were both held back while the airline agents at the gate checked our passports. We're still unsure why this happened to only us: Perhaps we were the only ones continuing to an international destination? Was it because we entered our passport numbers when we checked in online? At any rate, as a result of the check we were almost the last to enter the plane. Thankfully enough carry-on space remained in the overhead compartments and we were soon on our way.

The flight to Atlanta was unremarkable and after arrival we made our way directly to our next gate. We had all of our home-printed boarding passes so we didn't think we needed to re-check in at the Korean Air desk. That proved to be an incorrect assumption that again resulted in a bit of a delay in boarding the next flight.

Our Korean Air flight didn't leave until 13:15 so we looked around a bit and then decided to grab some lunch. Natures Table Bistro provided a grand Tuna Pita as far as airport food goes and we were soon back waiting at the boarding gate.

Waiting to board a plane is never fun but it's made worse when individuals either can't or won't follow simple directions. Both the Delta flight in Tampa and the Air Korea flight in Atlanta board according to zones. However, when the boarding announcements are made overhead everyone, regardless of zone, makes a made dash to stand around the boarding queue. This creates a clusterfuck extraordinaire that impedes proper boarding. But, alas, we made it onboard and settled in for a 15 hour flight to Seoul, South Korea.

Korean Air did a good job of making the discomfort of a fifteen hour flight somewhat more bearable. The plane was in exceptional condition without any blemishes or ill-repair that I noted. Entertainment consisted of the personal multi-media systems placed in the back of each seat which allowed for individualized selection of movies, music, some television, video games, and the obligatory flight status program. Additional entertainment consisted of newspapers, a few magazines, and the in-flight publications.

The airline also did a decent job of handling our vegetarian meal requests without problems. Soon after takeoff one of the flight attendants came by with a list and verified that we had requested the special meals. After we confirmed they placed sticky notes on the top o four seat headrests so we could easily be identified for each of the meals. Airplane food is airplane food and not something that one would probably stomach under other circumstances but the meals at least provided something to nibble on. The only complaint that I would voice would be that on the fifteen hour leg to Thailand they served both lunch and dinner which, at least for our special meal requests, ended up being the same, identical selection. (This didn't happen on the way home from Thailand so this situation may not be indicative of their regular procedures.) Free wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages were free throughout the flight even in Economy. Although, I did note that First Class received free Piper Heidseick Champagne!

The cleanliness of the plane is also worth mentioning. Flying Air India from Newark to Paris last year and flying Continental from Newark to Zürich in March highlighted the fact that airplane restrooms tend to get dirty on long-haul flights. After eight to ten hour flights to and from Europe a little work would have gone a long way to make the restrooms more presentable. So, near the end, or even middle, of a fifteen hour flight from Atlanta to Seoul I had prepared myself for a restroom adventure like none other. I'm happy to report that throughout the Korean Air flights the restrooms were maintained spectacularly. Trash can empty, fresh tissues and towels, and even a small assortment of perfume and body lotions (also for sale through the air line's duty free shop) for use in addition to pre-packed, individual use toothbrush and toothpaste kits. Everything was clean and tidy. Certainly extra points to Air Korea.

Still, even with the entertainment options, decent meal service, and clean plane, how can spending fifteen hours in a tin can flying at 600 miles an hour over Canada, Alaska, Russia, China, and North Korea be fun? In short, it can't. Especially if, like myself, one can't sleep under such circumstances. I ended up watching four movies during the flight: Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, My Blueberry Nights, What Happens in Vegas, and Snow Angels. None of the four were spectacular but at least they helped pass the time.

During the flight I also added to my journal, listened to my MP3s, including the Pimsleur's Thai lessons I had ripped from the CD borrowed from the Clearwater library, played the VOD video games, and read from the Thailand guides we had brought along.

Both of us dozed periodically during the flight but probably for no more than 20-30 minutes at a time. The seat arrangement on the plane allowed us to select a back row with only two side-by-side seats and an empty space next to the plane wall where the third seat would normally be positioned. This at least allowed us to place some of our carry-ons in the area and gave us more leg room in front of us. I don't think I would have made it if we had been positioned next to another passenger.

The fifteen hour flight from Atlanta to Seoul passed slowly. It was odd to check the flight status screen and view some of the areas we were flying over. Russia, China, North Korea, etc. Throughout the majority of the flight the attendants made us keep the shades drawn as nearly the entire flight would be spent in sunshine. Only after landing in Korea would dusk settle in.

Incheon International Airport was quite busy when we landed and remained that way until our departure for Bangkok. It felt good to finally be free from the airplane seats and we took the opportunity to walk to our next gate instead of use any airport transportation. We had a bit of a layover so we perused some shops and purchased a Korea magnet for the fridge. I know airports tend to be on the expensive side but it was $12.00!

After walking around a bit we headed for the gate and settled in to wait for the boarding call to start. The food options were limited, and very busy, at the airport and we ended up with smoothies again. Both of us were tired and not looking forward to another six hours of flying in the least.

Boarding was called and we were seated. Unfortunately, the seating arrangement on this plane placed Travis and I in the middle and window seats with another passenger occupying the aisle seat. No fun! The vegetarian meal was different on this plane though not much more enjoyable. As the flight wore on both of us were finally able to sleep for a bit though probably not more than two hours.

We touched down to a rainy Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (pronounced sue waa naa poom) as scheduled at 23:55, Thursday night, Bangkok time. We had been traveling for close to 36 hours.

Since we had only carry ons we exited the gate and headed for Passport Control. The immensity of Suvarnabhumi was a bit overwhelming even without fully exploring the airport as we would at the tail end of the Thailand trip. The lines moved quickly and our grim-faced agents soon had our passports stamped with our visitor visas and an exit date to be no later than October 10th, 2008. Unfortunately, we wouldn't be staying quite that long. Many of the guide books stated that an onward ticket out of Thailand would have to be shown before being granted entry but neither of us were asked for such in the separate lines that we were processed in.

We made our way to the front of the airport and soon found an ATM. Having no local currency upon landing was a bit intimidating but Thai Bhat is nearly unavailable outside of the country so none could be secured. However, in hindsight, I don't think I'd give the same situation, regardless of destination, a second thought. With the near universal access to ATM machines obtaining a local currency couldn't be easier. And, depending on what financial institution you work with, ATMs generally provide the best exchange rates. This in conjunction with the near non-existent fees that my credit union charges for international transactions and exchanges certainly make it the route to go.

Standing in front of the ATM was a bit of a culture shock. Seeing huge sums of money in Bhat took some getting used to and it was odd to withdraw an amount of THB 3000 even though it translated into the pittance of less than $87.

With fresh cash in our pocket we headed out to the metered taxi stands. As we waited in line the “destination translators” worked their way toward us. These individuals would ask for your intended destination and then write it in Thai for the taxi driver. Buddy Lodge seemed well known as we only had to show the name and logo of the hotel and we soon had it jotted down in Thai for us. While waiting for the taxi I picked up several Bangkok maps from numerous racks. Travis had purchased one back home but I didn't think it would hurt to have a couple of different ones and these highlighted many of the sites we wanted to see.

Soon in our taxi were were flying along the Bangkok expressways and highways. The city, lit under a darkened and stormy night sky, streaked past the windows of the taxi. At one point the driver pulled off to the shoulder of the road under the shelter of a huge overpass and for a fleeting moment I thought we would be robbed and then murdered with the Thai Tourist Police later finding our decomposed bodies laying in the shadows of a gently smiling Buddha. It turns out, however, that the front passenger door was slightly ajar and the driver wanted to ensure our luggage didn't end up road kill. Perhaps 25 minutes later we were deposited at the Western end of boisterous Thanon Khao San in the Banglamphu district of Bangkok.

In broken English the driver pointed to the end of Khao San and directed us in the direction of the Buddy Lodge. Thanon Khao San is closed to traffic each evening and becomes a walking street so he could only take us to the edge of the road. Unfortunately the driver couldn't break a THB 1000 bill and he directed Travis to the nearest 7-Eleven (never very distant in the city of Bangkok, it seems) to obtain change. I waited under a leaky overhang and tried out the backpack straps on the JanSport hybrid.

Travis emerged, paid the driver and we were off. Somehow we managed to get turned around and it took us about fifteen minutes to actually spot the gigantic Buddy Lodge Hotel signs beckoning to us from 150 feet in the air. Ahhh... What can one say? A city of eight million at 00:30 in the morning!

Checking into the Lodge was quick and easy and we were soon in our room. We spent just a bit checking everything out and then decided to finally get some sleep after 36 hours of travel. Given the excitement of the voyage and finally being in Asia and Thailand, we found sleep to be difficult to say the least. It was as if our minds were racing with everything that had happened and with everything that we hoped to experience over the next nine days. We knew we wanted to be up and going early in the morning and so we decided to ask our good friend Xa nax for a bit of help. He was happy to oblige.