Sitting for more than twenty hours on an airplane isn’t unfamiliar territory for me, but it still always makes me feel sick from fatigue and bored from lack of excitement.
It took about ten hours to get to Tokyo. The airport was unlike anything I have ever seen. Everything was sparkling clean, duty free shops consumed the walkways and old American music filled the air. In every shop, store and restaurant, there was a huge sign reminding travelers that “American dollars and credit cards” were accepted. I had about three hours to wait for my flight so I decided to take advantage of some of my pocket change at the airport pub. I sat down with a Guinness and laughed as everyone at the bar swayed to the oldies music.
When the time came to board the plane, I was sad to see that the letter “C” was printed in bold on my ticket. I’m not a fan of flying, but I am able to make due if I have a window to cuddle up with. Sadly, someone had forgotten to turn on my seating mojo and I was stuck in the aisle.
The food wasn’t half bad and the wine was better than expected, but the movie selection didn’t help me pass the time. Thank goodness I charged my ipod and carried a large selection of magazines in my purse. At one point I had to pretend to read the book I had just finished because my neighbors were so annoying. Sitting with an already read book laid open on my lap was better than having to fake conversation with flirty Canadians. Man, that country is going to make a nice state one day.
My bags arrived safely and Stephanie was waiting for me behind the customs counter. It was so great to finally be in Bangkok and seeing my bestest made me forget about the long and sleepless trip. I know I made a scene, dropping my bags and giving her a huge hug. What can I say? I have probably seen way too many movies about people in airports.
Stephanie guided me to the taxi queue and we laughed over the space-like architecture of the airport and echoes of shuffling feet. Stephanie was amazing, she spoke perfect Thai and mesmerized our taxi driver with her knowledge of the Thai words “turn” and “left”.
It took us about forty minutes to get to Stephanie’s house. I think this is the part where I should talk about all of the beautiful Bangkok scenery, but truth be told I was not looking out the window. I was much more fixated at Stephanie’s new foreign language proficiency and her tales of the characters yet to come.
Soon we were entering her gated community. The guards stood watch and greeted Stephanie as they raised the bar to let the cab enter the “Nichada Thani”. Stephanie lives in a house inside a community that centers around the “International School of Bangkok” (ISB). Stephanie shares her house with two other teachers and has her own room, complete with a hug bathtub and closet. There is also a kitchen, livingroom and guest room, but the best part is outside.
Gardens, lamp posts and walkways surround the housing building and wrap into the most beautiful pool I have ever seen.
After I unpacked a little and took a tour of her house, while sweating heavily from the heat, we decided the best thing to do was take a dip in the pool.
We ended up not even sleeping the first night and instead caught up on new stories and planned our week together.
It’s so great being here and I love that I can share Stephanie’s experiences with her. We have so many adventures ahead of us and I can’t wait to see how our month unfolds.
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