Welcome to Chiang Mai

(February 2, 2007:) I am writing my first entry here on the flight from DTW to San Francisco. Making this flight was an ordeal as there was a head-on collision on the freeway closing all lanes on the way over here. We pulled an illegal move after sitting in traffic for about 30 minutes and drove across the freeway median, which thankfully was frozen enough to keep us from getting stuck in the ditch!

I gave my dad a very quick hug and literally ran to my flight. Stopped once for a potty break and once for a sip of H2O but kept trucking and made it to my gate just in time to sneak in with the last of those boarding. I even had room for my bag in the overhead!

So now cozy in my brand new red hoodie (Thanks Julie!) and I’m munching on my wheat thins, banana and almonds (still trying to keep with the healthy eating habits) and getting a little bored. I did the crossword in the in-flight magazine in 40 minutes. I almost was done before take-off but I got mislead when I wrote “snarls” for “sneers” and it took me a while to figure that out (I was almost at the point of making up words to fit).

Ugh. Bored. Kinda sleepy but want to save up my sleepiness for the flight to Taiwan. I think I’ll watch the rest of The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (very interesting movie, by the way, with lots of history).

Many hours later….

On the flight to Thailand. I’ve had to pee three times in the first 5 hours. I feel bad (been apologizing profusely) and now I feel worse since the guy next to me just yelled at me. He’s American and very rude and asked me, sarcastically, if I have ever flown before and why on earth would I request a window seat if I was going to go to the bathroom all the time. I’m mad because I just want to sleep! Now I still have 8 hours to go and I’m trapped in here, in my seat, and I know I will have to go again. Another reason flying is a pain. I can’t sleep if I’m not at the window and I can’t pee if I am. Do I try and hold it for a number of hours now?

Later…

Well, the guy I was sitting with apologized for being an ass. “Grumpy” was his word for it (an underestimate I think). Regardless, I talked to the sweetheart of a flight attendant and he set me up with an aisle seat a few rows up (next to a screaming child who, for some reason, didn’t bother me much at all – not like the “grumpy” guy anyway).

The rest of the flight was fine. Long. Three movies, two horrible (Stormbreaker and one called Mistress of Spices or something?) and one was just mediocre to bad (Russell Crowe in some romantic comedy).

Interesting enough, I ended up with a bit of the runs so it was good to have quick access to the toilets. They resolved into the flight so I’m blaming the Gordo’s Quesadilla. Yet another reason I’m not meant for Mexican food.

I had several hours to kill in Taiwan. I had overpriced coffee and at the PB&J Missy made for me. Ran into Grumpy Guy getting on the same flight to Bangkok. I asked him if the rest of his flight went more smoothly (since I moved) and he said he slept the whole thing. He apologized again and we had a very civilized chat boarding our flight. He thought I was Australian which I thought was funny (apparently it was because I called the US “the States”.)

February 4th: Layover in Bangkok for three or four hours, one-hour flight to Chiang Mai, 10 minute ride on the back of Chris’ motorbike and I finally made it. Went to bed at 8:30 PM and up at 7 AM and am ready for the day!

Photos are: view from Tanya and Chris’ window and Chris getting ready to pick Tanya up at work this afternoon. We’re going to get yummy Thai lunch when they get back.