Travel to Asia

Day 1:

Well, the day started out great… I got a whopping 2 hrs sleep after waiting until the last minute to pack up my gear for my trip to the other side of the world. I got everything packed into a small suitcase more than I really need but I figured better to have it than worry about having to find something in my travels.

My Dad got to my house earlier than the 6am time we discussed, I finished up getting ready and we were off to the airport. We got to the airport in no time at all even driving at a meager 55-60mph (what can you do he is in his golden years and really isn’t in a hurry to get anywhere plus there was traffic).

I checked in quickly and proceeded to Burger King for my gourmet breakfast, I look down on the ground as I get to the counter and see $5 on the floor… woo hoo free breakfast for me!! I find money every now and then, so I always look on the ground as I wait. All is good… fast check-in, free breakfast, then I get a call from my Dad who says “I hear there is bad weather in Chicago” I say “well I checked in so I am good to go (so I thought). I get a call from Orbitz telling me my 1st flight to Chicago was cancelled… here is where it starts to go down hill.

I have to go back down to the check-in and after waiting in a very slow line I get to talk to a not very pleasant stressed out woman. She basically tells me I am shit out of luck… that my only option is to go to Newark Airport and catch a plane to Hong Kong (my original destination was Chicago-Tokyo). Well, here is the fun part I have to find my own way to Newark as they don’t provide transportation. I call several people and explain that I am stuck at the airport and then talk to my Ex-team lead Jeff Howson who suggests a train ( I think why didn’t the United Travel agent tell me that?) I asked her and she told me that I can got to Trenton-Newark on my own dime of course.

So, I am off to 30th St Station… get there and start to walk through the concourse. I see a rather tall looking clean cut black man coming my way that looked very familiar….it was Ukee Washington who I had met many years ago and is a friend of my brother’s. We talk briefly and I am off to wait for my train to Trenton. I am on it as I write this on my laptop… of course I remembered a bunch of DVD’s, but of everything what did I forget?… my power cord (I only have a cigarette power adapter that I may be able to use on the plane). So, I am on battery power with only one battery that says I have 1hr 39min more before it says goodbye… so goodbye for now J

So, I got off in Trenton Nj enroute to Newark International Airport… I find my connecting train and get on with 6 seats to myself. I listened to my MP3 player and read a magazine. I got a little tired so I closed my eyes and listened to the music. What I thought was a few minutes later must have been way more because the train attendant came by and said “weren’t you supposed to get off at Newark that was 2 stops ago… you must have some great tunes going. So, at this point I am in Secacus Nj… only 2 stops after my destination so I get off and back track a bit. I finally get to the airport and wait in a really slow line to check in my bag for my flight to Hong Kong. Finally, I check my bag… take a well deserved leak… and go to the food court. I get one of my favorites Eel sushi roll and some Chinese food… I scarf it down like I hadn’t eaten in days but leave the sushi for a snack on the plane. Here I am in Newark NJ only 9 hours after I left my house (I could have driven here in less than an hour but who’s counting hours by this point).

As Jerry Garcia would say “What a long strange trip it’s been”, but I think he was talking about something else because I haven’t even gotten 70 miles away from my house 9hrs in to my adventure!! My theory is as it has been as of lately… go with the flow…don’t stress the things that are out of my control… but I have to say one thing “THANKS FOR THE VALIUM MOM”J

I made my flight from Newark to Hong Kong which was going to a luxurious 15 hr flight in the middle seat between 2 tall guys that were thankfully not overweight. We had about 9 channels to choose from on the video display implanted in the seat. So, I put on a Woody Allen movie (I suppose the latest one) and then we got our food and 1st drink after only an hour and a half into the flight (you gotta love the service in coach). I ate my food pretty quickly, I had already eaten before I boarded so I was very full, but hey I was on a 15hr journey and needed nourishment. I had a great dessert which looked like a very small blue mint and said 10 on it…. Yea I popped my 1st valium for dessert… so what I needed it!! Next thing I knew I woke up roughly 7hrs later and my Woody Allen movie was still playing probably for the 3rd or 4th time…. I can’t recall any of it but I am sure it was a great movie.

We got another bite to eat and a small drink (I never understood why they can’t give you the whole can of soda?). I decided to have my same dessert as my last meal which served me well, so why not do what’s working….right. I guess they updated the movie selection at this point, so I put on some Pixar animated farm animal movie. I watched it for a bit and next thing I knew I woke up to the same movie roughly 6hrs later… the movie must have played once again about 3 times… it was a phenomenal movie… well, I guess because I can’t recall any of that movie either.

I found out that the guy next to me for the entire flight that I really didn’t talk to was going to Bangkok as well and was on the same flight as me. That was good fortune as he had been in the Hong Kong airport before and knew where to go, so I said I am with you my man!! We made our way quite speedily to the transfer check in because our flight was scheduled to fly out 2hrs from the time we landed. We checked in got our gate number for the flight to Bangkok and found out that we had 25 minutes until they boarded. So, we walked fast to the tram and got to our gate in about 10 minutes. On our walk to the gate I see many Buddhist sitting in their orange dresses or whatever they were.. That was going to be my 1st picture but decided they may not like that so I refrained. We got to our gate, looked at the flight time and guess what, it was delayed 1hr…. nothing was going to surprise me at this point. He said I am gonna have a smoke in the confined room for cancer patients…I mean smokers, so I said I would join him. He lasted about ¼ through his cigarette before he couldn’t take the wall of smoke that was in the room… I stayed and finished my cigarette.

I see another guy in there maybe a little older than me if at all…. He says hi and I say hi back. I could tell from his accent he was not American, but pretty damn close as he was from Canada. His name was Craig and was there with his wife for vacation to Thailand and India. We talked for a bit and he was intending on going to the Half Moon Festival because he thought the Full Moon Festival had passed already… I told him it was on Dec 6th and I would be there and he said they would go to most likely.

So, I wait to board the plane because I hate lines and wasn’t in a hurry to get on another plane… but this time I knew I at least had a window or aisle seat so I was very happy about that. I made my way on to the plane and I had the very last seat next to some Buddhist guy he spoke no English. I had a window seat and actually minutes later I had both seats (I must have smelled like an American and he didn’t like that…lol). Wow, my luck is turning and I think in 2hrs I will be in Bangkok….WRONG. I boarded the flight at 10pm and we had to wait till 11:30pm to take off, because a passenger from LA was on his way (these people are very nice any other flight would have been long gone). So, we take off at 11:30 and I am on my way on a 2hr flight to Bangkok, but since it’s an hour less there I will be there much sooner…lol. There have been so many time changes and shifts in space continuum that I think maybe when I land it will be October 1st 2007????

Well my food is here and I have 25 minutes left on my battery… if you remember I forgot my power adapter, but that doesn’t matter because to hook up in the plane you have to buy a $129 power adapter…. What a ripp off, but they do have a captive audience.

I made my flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok. I thought I was doing great, go through customs in minutes and headed to pick up my 1 bag that I checked. I waited and waited and waited…. Can you guess what happened next… yup my luggage didn’t show up on the conveyor belt. I waited till the sign said last bag and knew I was once again shit out of luck. I went to their lost baggage service and they couldn’t find it… I am thinking maybe it never left Hong Kong when I transferred planes. No big deal I only had all my clothes, my camera charger, my toiletries, extra batteries, 2 watches, 2 pairs of shoes, and other miscellaneous items. I did pack light but did not have the sense to just carry it on the plane… I am way too trusting in that way. So, they ask where I am saying and tell me that it should arrive tomorrow. I hope and pray that it does, but luckily I have all my essentials, my laptop, camera (with no charger), passport, wallet with 2 credit cards, health insurance card, some cash, my MP3 player, sunglasses, and all my Iteniary.

I change in $40 and get approached by a taxi driver… I tell him where I need to go and what I want to pay and he says no too far. I said ok I will get someone else… he follows me and says he will take me there as it’s on his way home… off the meter of course (which I hear he could get arrested for that, but it was a legitimate cab so I was off to my hotel. I get there 20 minutes later and check in…. I meet 3 guys from NYC and a girl from England who was on her way out to Puhket (a beach resort). So here I am in a small room with no AC but a nice big fan to keep me cool. I am gonna head to sleep… did I say “Mom thanks for the Valium”… well thanks again now I think I can sleep for a few hours and hope my luggage shows up.

Murphy’s law was in effect big time L

Good Night my friends and family J