SO LONG, THAILAND!

I was able to sleep-in a bit, but not for too long. I didn’t want to forgo that marvelous breakfast bar! The Chatrium Hotel had one I would crawl out of a death bed for. Gazing about, I knew I had not been dreaming. This awesome suite to which I was upgraded was still here! But sadly, I would have to evacuate at noon.

Why, oh why couldn’t I have had this place my first 2 nights in Bangkok at the beginning of my trip! But, I suppose I should consider myself fortunate to have it all, even briefly.

I helped myself to 3 plates full at the breakfast bar. An Australian couple across from me watched in amusement as I returned with my third plate. They probably wondered if I had a hollow leg. Sheepishly, I explained that my next free meal wouldn’t be until my plane left in the early evening. We began to chat.

“You Americans have a big election coming up,” the man said.

I told him how disgusted I was with American politics and politicians. “It’s all motivated by ego and greed! They want the office only as trophy and will say anything to get it! Then, they set out to get their name on something big just to go down in history and they don’t care how many people are killed or maimed and their lives ruined!”

“It’s not so different where we come from,” the woman replied.

We wished each other a pleasant flight as the couple and I parted ways.

Noon came quickly; it was painful to leave that luxurious suite.

The night before, my guide had asked the desk if I could please stay until she picked me up at 5:30 PM. They politely refused, explaining they needed the room. However, they would keep my luggage in storage until then.

I could have arranged another tour thru the hotel, but I felt sore, swollen, & spent. At this point, I just wanted to get home and go to bed for a week! But home was literally on the other side of the planet!  Between now and then, airport hell & high altitude was ahead; the fly in the honey to what otherwise would have been a dream trip.

But for now, I found a comfortable spot off the lobby and drifted in and out of sleep despite the fact it was noisy and I kept getting a chilly draft from the door. But this was still the best spot. The time passed quicker than expected.

At 4:00 PM I decided that I’d better eat something since I had no idea when they would be serving food on the plane. The Chatrium had the cutest little coffee shop filled with tempting choices. I enjoyed a tasty quiche, a cinnamon cheesecake pastry, & a mocha latte.

Afterward, I performed my last tooth brushing until I returned home. -- FYI, I’m a fanatical brusher & flosser! It bothers me to have an unclean mouth!

The guide was right on time, and thru the congested Bangkok traffic, she and Pako took me to the airport. When I came to the Emirates Counter, I asked the lady, “Please do not seat me next to any babies on this flight.”

“We have no control over that, Madame,” she replied.

I wanted to throw up my hands in exasperation! As it turned out, my 2 seat mates were a couple of young Spanish guys in their 20’s. They looked like backpackers. Both were pleasant and polite. They spoke limited English, but the 3 of us didn’t spend much time chatting when there was a screen before us with great movie selections.

Because I ordered a special (seafood) meal throughout, I was fed first in Economy Class. Often, I was finished when everyone else was just being served.

 

"That must have made you popular in Economy Class,” a friend remarked.

“Oh, I’m popular, anyway,” I told him. LOL!

As the plane was nearing Dubai, the stewardess began collecting blankets. Because I was sleeping, I was left with mine. I was awakened by the speaker just before landing. The young man beside me asked for my blanket. I thought he was going to hand it over to the stewardess. My jaw dropped when he rolled it up and stuffed it into his bag! I hope they didn’t think I stole it, but I wasn’t about to turn him in.

We landed in Dubai at 1:30 AM. The airport was far more congested and hectic than it had been at 12 noon! Locating the correct boarding gate was extremely confusing. The airport was gigantic and spread out far and wide. It was up one escalator and down another; a long walk, more escalators, and then a shuttle, followed by more escalators. I didn’t even know if I was traveling in the right direction! I asked several airport employees for help. All spoke flawless English, some were helpful, and others were just dismissive.

Amid all of the stress and confusion I felt myself having anxiety attack! Back in the 1970’s I traveled extensively over the world and never experienced one in an airport, but I was having one, now!