(I'm flying to Thailand in a week or so, and remembered writing the following in the airport last year during the arduous journey home. I had forgotten about the statue of the three-headed elephant.)
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I’m in the Bangkok airport in a plastic chair across from the waiting room for monks, midnight Thai time on a Monday night, waiting for an early morning flight which will stop in Japan on the way back to the east coast and winter. I have a stuffed head, no voice above a whisper, and shall we say "female complaints." Am exiled to the outer circle of airport hell because I was given the wrong information about which terminal to go to in Chiang Mai, and therefore missed passport control and cannot check in again until a few hours before my flight. All the comfortable places to hang out are inside the gates.
Let’s go back a few days to when I got locked out of the house. I had finished work at the international studies institute (water buffalo icon was the last thing on the docket) and took off for the afternoon to explore Nimmanheiman, a “high-so” neighborhood in Chiang Mai. I successfully got a pedicure, a delicious smoothie with lots of passionfruit juice, and had trolled through a few galleries, which resulted in procuring a seed pod lined with gold leaf and a nice conversation with a fellow botanical illustrator. Then I walked through some back sois searching for the statue of the three-headed elephant and the weird parking lot which would lead me to my friends’ place with the lovely swimming pool. Success there as well, refreshed and slightly more tanned I went upstairs and got changed and was planning to head home for a few hours of quiet. This is where things took the turn. Laura calls to let me know that the housekeeper probably locked the door to which I do not have a key. Meanwhile, I can feel the sniffle I had turning into a full-blown head cold. My friends are gracious and feed me, I’m picked up a few hours later, finally get home and collapse.
Saturday morning: woke up at 6 AM with lungs at half capacity, knowing I have to run a 5K at 8:00. We barely get there in time because of a child meltdown over a piece of plastic ribbon which was suddenly his pet snake which needed to have its head taped. Actually felt better after the run, but then I was locked out of the car which had my breakfast in it, and I got a headache from a combination of smacking my head getting into the rot dang and sinuses and a run in hot weather and diesel fumes and a winding road. Teaching “art in the park,” not so much. Staggered home and slept all afternoon. Art show that evening at a church event, which was great. But my voice started disappearing, and I could not sleep that night.
Sunday, sabai sabai morning…but no voice at all, not even a peep. Started packing, incredible how much I picked up here. Walking street in the evening, a great time and a few last minute beautiful purchases. Spiral earrings, crazy quilt hill tribe style, Harley shirt in Thai script for my brother. Hard to have a conversation in a busy street market when I can’t speak above a whisper. More packing, another late night.
2 comments:
wait, back up one, the monks have their own waiting room at the airport??????? Thanks a million for the fantastic and beautiful chicken eggs :) Travel safely! (and btw, we, um, went back to the store for that Scotch gift box I told you about)
Ohmygosh... Christi, I hope this trip goes much better than the last one! Good luck, and have fun! :)
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