hong kong airport: 8:12 pm here – 5:13 am at home.

it has been over 24 hours since i was dropped off at the colorado springs airport and over 23 hours since i boarded the first plane on this journey. i am thrilled that i found free wifi here – especially since i have to blog everyday, darn those holidailies. i’m tired and disoriented – that’s not just a statement, it’s also a disclaimer – it might show in this post.

i have already added a few things i’ve learned to my things i’ve learned about international travel list (did you catch that mom? i said list, and not just list, my list).

• when the stewardess says they are empty rows in the back of the plane, don’t be bashful. jump up and claim one – it’s much easier to sleep across 2 seats than it is cramped into one – especially when you’re on an impossibly tiny plane.
• middle seats are bad. even when you’re on a plane that might be bigger than the nina, the pinta and the santa maria all together. a window seat would be good. a row seat isn’t too bad – unless you have to constantly let people out. but the best would be a seat at the front of a section. leg room galore.
• some asians are american citizens. and some caucasions are not american citizens. imagine. this could be a sign of the sheltered life i’ve lead. and before you ask, yes, i have had many friends who are asian and american. but when waiting in line to board a flight for hong kong, one (okay, I) might have assumed that all the asian people who were waiting in line were citizens of one asian country or another. and brace yourself for this – right here in the hong kong airport, i have come across several caucasions, knew we shared that special we’re american bond, we didn’t even have to say anything it was just there. and then i heard them speak, either in another language or with a heavy accent.

i’m sure this is a list that will keep on growing… hopefully.

so, we left the springs at 6am. as you might have guessed there were some empty rows at the back of the plane – the stewardess offered them up, but being the thoughtful gal that i am, i figured there was some other poor deserving soul who should be allowed the comfort of spreading out. that won’t happen again. no way. get to lax, have to switch airlines and while checking in am offered an amazing deal. $400 cash to wait for the next plane, because the one i was booked on was overweight. i’m willing, but can’t. they can’t get me connected to my flight from bangkok to chiang mai. and i’d already imagined the amazing christmas presents i was going to buy in thailand with an extra $400 – rats. so, i get on the flight from lax to hong kong. i’m tired, hungry (didn’t realize that there would be nowhere to eat once i went through security at lax) and cramped. i have a bad middle seat. the window seat girl could lean towards the window to sleep. the aisle guy could fudge a little over into the aisle. the middle seat girl, me, had to contend with the elbows of the other two. i slept maybe a total of 2 hours. got no knitting done – no room to knit in the middle seat, but did watch 3 in flight movies.

so, here i sit, waiting for my connection to bangkok. hoping there is free wifi at the hotel so i can come back and update. and while i’m sitting here there is a nice group of people sitting next to me talking about me. and while i can’t understand them, i know i’m not being paranoid. they keep pointing at me and motioning to my short sleeves and jacket sitting next to me. because it’s 70 degrees here and humid. and i’m hot. they are not hot, they are wearing coats. and several layers. i tried to explain it was in the teens where i left from yesterday – they didn’t understand. they just keep motioning for me to put my jacket on. they have yet to notice the sweat beads on my forehead.

UPDATE:

spent my one night in bangkok. took forever to get through immigration – and then had to do it all again. discovered that they have a very, very limited use of english here. top of my list is now language school for me. then i narrowly escaped death, even had to yell out to warn the bus driver that we were getting ready to die – then i was kindly, and i’m not saying that sarcastically, informed that these folks drive on the wrong side of the road. and the person i was giving my helpful hints to wasn’t driving, she was a passenger. so, get to the hotel. have no electricity. head down to the front desk, they inform me of the special way you get electricity to work – put your room key card into the slot in the wall and viola – i have electricity. and then i have to go down to the front desk again because the phone isn’t working. or perhaps i just need help hanging it up. then i spend 4 hours sleeping. get up and head back to the airport and only a one hour flight to chiang mai – a window seat, yep, for one hour.

i get off the plane in chiang mai and realize the man and i made no firm plans about how to meet up. and my seat mates on the plane are very worried that i have no idea of what hotel or how to even begin to contact him. but he shows. and we take a very scary, life threatening ride to the hotel. the man says it wasn’t scary, but it was. so i’m here. now i’m gonna take a nap. and then we’re meeting with a realtor.