April 3rd

By the time we got back to Hua Lumphong station it was 6:00 pm. Next time, I think I’d fly from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and maybe even to Trat near the ferry. Then I could’ve gotten a flight from Trat right back to the airport, which would’ve saved a lot of time, and only been a bit more expensive. Oh well.

I took the subway, which was nice, but the air-conditioning was really cold. Took a taxi to the airport, with a really old and grumpy old man. At the airport check-in counter, I requested an aisle seat near the toilet, because I wasn’t feeling good. Unfortunately they were all sold out. But she said she’d call down to the gate and see what they could do. I wasn’t very hopeful, but said thanks and left. Bought a few omiyage and a magazine and headed down to the gates. If you’re flying from Suvarnabhumi airport, note that once you clear security to go to the gates, there’s nowhere to buy anything – no food, no vending machines – just a water fountain.

At the gate, they called me to the counter and gave me a new boarding card – I was happy to be getting an aisle seat, but when I walked onto the plane and found the seat, it was by the window. Then I realized that I hadn’t gotten back to economy yet, and that they’d given me an executive class seat!! Tons of room, automatic reclining seat, bigger video screen and a bigger blanket. It was phenomenal! From now on, any time I fly, I’m telling them that I’m sick and I need an aisle seat near the toilet!! I slept for most of the flight back and got back to Narita in the morning. Overall it was a great, generally relaxing trip, though it did take me a few more days to shake the fever and digestive difficulties. But I also lost the extra couple of kilos I’d picked up over Christmas, so can’t really complain!

If you actually read all of the Thailand posts, you’re amazing – it might not have been that interesting to read, but it was a good trip, and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes cheap vacations and spicy food! There are also a lot more touristy things to do and places to go that I skipped, but I had a good time and felt pretty refreshed when I got back. As always, the pictures are on flickr. There are quite a few of them, so don’t feel obligated or anything like that.