Asia – Page 2 – aimlessly ali

What if it falls apart?

Rushing. Panicking about being late and wishing I could rewind to NOT waste those 5 minutes on Instagram earlier because I really need that time back now. I hate this feeling.

The day started off with an early morning knock on the door, 40 minutes prior to the time we were expecting to be picked up, and the hotel clerk politely informing us our driver was outside. The scramble and sudden adrenaline had us scooting around the room stuffing everything into any bag we could find, and when we got downstairs 3 minutes later quite pleased with our ability to dress and pack so quickly we were told that the van had left without us. All my nervous energy evaporated along with our ride, and I could feel worry seeping in as I considered our next steps. It’s moments like these when I realize I build my travel plans like a Jenga tower – it all looks creative and great until one piece is bumped and the whole thing topples. Missing our shuttle from the hotel means missing our bus that takes us to the ferry, and if we can’t get on the ferry then we can’t get to the island where our next hotel is already booked and paid for. The hotel clerk was quite unsympathetic when he assumed we stupidly slept in, but after I showed him our tickets with “7:30am pickup” written clearly on the front his demeanour changed. I may have also subtly played up the damsel in distress side a little too… Whatever the reason, he was our knight in shining armour as he made several phone calls before triumphantly announcing the driver was returning for us. He then dropped his voice to let us in on a secret: the operator we booked the tickets through wasn’t as good – if he had arranged our transfer we never would have been given the wrong time.

With this in my mind, memories of other warnings I had read about tourist scams blazed behind my eyes. I recall reading that people have been ripped off when booking a combination bus and ferry ticket to the Thai island of Koh Samui…. exactly where we’re headed to. So even though the van returned to pick us up, all through the drive I was alert for the moment when we would be informed we needed to pay more to continue our journey. And there were several moments appearing to be exactly that – when the van driver rushed us to get on the waiting bus but wouldn’t take the time to return our ticket which was our only proof of payment for the whole trip. Or at the next transfer point where we were told a new bus would take us to the port, still had no ticket in my hand but was assured it wouldn’t matter. Amazingly enough, all the way to on the ferry and including the van transfer on the next island to our hotel, everything ran just tickety-boo and we were never once asked for more money or proof that we actually paid our fare the previous day. ————————————-

So. I made it to my island paradise, but for me there was a little downside to being surrounded by tempting beaches. I of course brought my phone with me to the beach – all the better for taking photos and jotting down my thoughts while simultaneously sunbathing – but my phone had an unfortunate encounter with salt water. If you were wondering why there was suddenly radio silence on my end, it’s because I allowed my phone to drown. My lifeline! I didn’t know how reliant on (addicted to) my phone I had become until I needed to finish my travels without my phone. Thankfully I had already written the above portion of this post, and it was saved in my drafts online, but I didn’t have access to it at all.

I will say, though, that it truly was a serene paradise. If you find yourself headed to Koh Samui, I can highly recommend the resort we stayed in. It was difficult to leave, despite hoping I could save my phone once we made it back to Bangkok. Check out the Crystal Bay Beach Resort and see for yourself why it may be topping my mental list of favourite locals lately.

Crystal Bay pool and restaurant over the best beach on the island

Morning coffee in paradise

Food so good I wished I could double!

You know what I realized as I was finishing up this post? As I worried about the worst happening (getting scammed, ruining my electronics) I have somehow come through it all without any real problems arising from my worries. I feel so incredibly lucky to have gone this far, travelled so much, and really not had any major mishaps ruin my days. …yet… So from me to you: safe travels, friends. May your luck hold even better than mine!

Phuket Island

Finally arriving at Phuket airport, back in Thailand to explore the South part of the country and bask on beautiful beaches, I breathe in a lungful of ocean air. This is going to be good! Standing outside, late at night, waiting for the shared shuttle that will take us to our hotel I just keep breathing in and smiling. It’s also partly an effort at self-distraction to keep myself from being irritated that my backpack arrived on the luggage conveyer with zippers open. Again… Five flights on this journey, and every single time my bag has been rifled through or little things taken from pockets that I was unable to lock. Thankfully I never travel with anything of value in my checked luggage, but still, it’s maddening. Tricia suggested my bag has been targeted because it looks so girly, and girls usually have good stuff with them; I think she might be right.

But no matter. I’m in a place famous for some of the most beautiful beaches the world has to offer so nothing can ruin my joy! Patong Beach, where our hotel is located, is more of a party town than I’m currently in the mood for but at least I can still appreciate how fun it would be…. hopefully that means I’m not entirely old yet! While walking around the street stalls and markets next to the beach it’s impossible to avoid the sales pitches from vendors selling day trips, and by the end of our second day here we stopped and chatted with a woman about our options. After a bit of negotiating, lots of smiles and some friendly banter, she “remembered” that the trip we were most interested in had a promotion – tomorrow the last day! – and we could book it for 50% of the cost printed on the brochure. She was really sweet, despite my scepticism of her prices, and we were happy to book our excursion from her.

So bright and very early the next morning Tricia and I set off to explore some of the limestone islands around Phuket, along with a few hundred other likeminded adventurers. (The surprising thing, really, is that I can still be surprised by what a massive machine tourism has become. I’ve not only witnessed this over and over, I’m also a part of it – so why do I always hope I’ll be the only one out??)

Our full boat; and about 6 more just like it

Crowded, sure. I guess the takeaway for us travellers and tourists creating this demand is to do our best to choose companies that are careful in sustainable and ethical operations. Now with that soapbox spiel out of the way, without further ado, the best parts of a very great day!

We were offered coffee, tea and fruit on the boat during the hour it took to reach the first island we stopped at, and I think we were all happy to be out on the water. When we stopped it was to hop into small canoes with experienced guides who would take us into caves (bat caves!) and through lagoons deeper around the islands.

Perfect lighting for selfies – can’t pass that up!

We had some admirers taking photos – I’m trying to consider it sweet instead of creepy. This is one he shared

We were taken to a tiny remote beach and given free time to swim before returning to the big boat. A delicious lunch was served while we made our way towards the “James Bond Island” famous from a movie scene and countless photos on Pinterest.

While very toursty, the stop to view this jagged rocket of an island was a lot of fun. I can’t tell you have many photos I have of myself in various fake-sultry Bond girl poses… Seriously I can’t, it’s too embarrassing. So instead I’ll post some of the shots I got of Tricia, she pulls it off much better than I. In fact, if the right person sees this, she’ll probably be cast in the next remake!

We had one final surprise on the way back to the harbour before finishing the tour, and it was pretty impressive. Our guide had told us all day he could finally call the eagles to the boat, and it had taken him 24 years to learn how to do it. As our boat passed the right spot, he had us all begin to clap and shout “up up up”. I don’t generally consider myself a cynical person, but I was 100% sure there wouldn’t be an actual bird swooping down to join us. My guess was a rock formation in avian shape, or maybe a plane high in the sky above us. But I saw something entirely new to me; childlike awe and wonder erasing every trace of dubiosity. He wasn’t joking.

Sighing over Singapore

Today’s post is starting out with an early morning airplane selfie… the shine in my eyes showing my excitement to be flying again after so many bus journeys lately! (Well, that, and also I think I had a grease smudge on my camera from my breakfast croissantwich. Tempted to leave the smudge – who needs a fancy beautifying app when a fingerprint over the lens hides wrinkles?!)

Said flight was on JetStar Pacific, taking us from Ho Chi Minh to Singapore. The final destination of the day was actually Phuket, but we broke up our travels with a long layover – just enough time to get a feel for the city highlights.

With 6 hours to spare, the first thing we did after clearing customs in Singapore was drop our backpacks at the Left Luggage lockers and bought a train ticket to get ourselves downtown. (One little asside I’ll mention here: even though the individuals we met in Singapore were all very lovely, customer service staff seemed less inclined to be helpful. At the airport and again at the station we would get to the front of a line only to be told in a disinterested voice to “go to the counter there”. This happened about 6 different times!)

Finally on the train I alternated between idly people-watching the commuters and reading the notices posted on the walls. I wanted to show you, but one of the first signs I saw said No Taking Pictures. While on the train it’s also important not to talk loudly or obscenely, don’t carry strong smelling food, no eating or drinking ($500 fine), no smoking ($1000 fine), no flammable goods ($5000 fine). The effort to create a utopian state seems to work from a quick glance by an outsider; but later in the day our cabbie seemed to hint the control went a bit to far. He said there are people out to watch all the time and will report anyone for the slightest infraction. I’m curious, but I don’t know enough about the freedoms or lack thereof in the country to question for further comment.

This may seem strange after the previous sentence, but I couldn’t help but love Singapore while I was there. I felt like I could easily live in the bustling downtown as an expat for a year or two, near a beautiful harbour and world famous gardens. I just might google job opportunities in Singapore when I get home….

When Tricia and I first left the train and began walking around Marina Bay I couldn’t stop ooohing over it all. I saw joggers on the boardwalk around the bay, and busy business people taking their lunch breaks on outdoor patios. The gardens, of course, and the museums and the skyscrapers with cranes and cruise ships docked in the distance. It was love at first sight for me. Like any new love, in my besottedness I made some bad decisions; namely ordering an $18 drink just because I wanted a Singapore Sling in Singapore. I could feel the bartender rolling his eyes at me from my table outside, but the waiter was happy! I didn’t even like the drink, now I’m the one rolling my eyes at myself….

And without further ado, my shots from a quick walk around between flights.

On my way to pose nicely, but I ended up liking this shot best. Thanks Tricia

These are real – not plastic! photo credit to Tricia

I wish I had captured more photos, but I chose to leave my camera behind and walk around lighter for the day. So you might not know it from this post but I still remember: Singapore is a beautiful place!

A Vietnam Voyage

I need more time in Vietnam. I know I say things like that all the time – but I really wish I had more time here now. I’ve had this zip of happiness bubbling in me since I arrived across the border, and each day I’ve been delighted by something new. Maybe I was already primed to love this country between the positive stories I’ve heard from friends and the charming way I entered, by small boat and the Mekong River; or maybe there is still a joie de vivre lingering in the atmosphere from the former French influence. Whatever the reason, Vietnam is high on my “return to” list.

I took a little break from writing to just completely enjoy myself, and now that I’m trying to sort it all out there’s so much to say I’m not sure where to start… since they say the beginning is a good place I guess that’s what I’ll do!

The boat our tour group was led to in Phnom Penh elicited some chuckles when we first saw it – the tiniest little vessel in the harbour would be our home for the day’s journey down the river! Cozy, I guess… With about an hour left to go before our arrival the sky turned dark, the wind raced and sheets of rain dropped from the sky. I never worried about the boat capsizing but I was closely watching the crew as they attempted to navigate nearly blind.

Thankfully, as I’ve become accustomed to in SE Asia, the rain storm didn’t last long and by the time we arrived at the harbour we only endured a light sprinkle as we walked to the hotel through the small city of Chau Doc.

Absorbing the city on the walk to check in

Day two in Vietnam began before the sunrise when we set off to visit the floating markets. Life along the Mekong Delta revolves around the river, and commerce is no exception. Larger boats will arrive stuffed to the gills with produce and anchor offshore until their items have been sold. Small boats come alongside and purchase their selections while even smaller boats putt past selling drinks and breakfast. Like a set of Russian nesting dolls, these Vietnamese boats!

As boats are for Chau Doc, scooters are to Ho Chi Minh City. I feel like I’ve seen a lot of busy cities with chaotic roads during my travels – that contrast to home is part of the fun for me – and Ho Chi Minh doesn’t disappoint! Getting around the city was an adventure all its own, and the perfect chance for me to use RideGuru again. I wanted a do over since I ended up not actually finding a rideshare company to use in Vancouver, (plus I ended up with a super cute little swag bag from them, if I’m being honest). Free wifi is really easy to find in HCM City, and with that it was a quick click to bring up cost estimates using my exact location. I booked two different Uber trips through RideGuru and both times the fare was within a couple dollars of the estimate I was shown on RideGuru

The one downside to the days in Ho Chi Minh was saying goodbye to the rest of the tour group as we all went our own separate ways from here. So to Joe, Gemma and Eric, Maisie, Dawn, and Mia – good luck with the rest of your travels! It was an absolute blast exploring Cambodia and Vietnam with each of you!!

Craving some quality beach time after all the busyness of the tour and cities, Google informed me that Vung Tau is the closest beach town so we set our minds to get there asap. I wanted to double check the best way to get there so I stopped in to ask one of the travel agents near the hotel. She told me not to go there, that the beach was filthy, and then quite adamantly told me the departure times of a shuttle to some other beach further away. Her forcefulness made me suspicious, and assuming that she receives a kickback from that shuttle company I chose to ignore her advice. It was a gamble because Mia and Tricia were coming with me and I didn’t want to disappoint, but thankfully one that paid off. Vung Tau is a town with a great feel to it, we got a room in a beautiful resort for less than the cost of a grungy motel back home, and the beach was fine. Some litter marred it, but no more than I’ve noticed at a lot of other developing nations’ beaches.

On our last day there (sadly after Mia already left) the hotel manager introduced himself to us, along with the head chef and some other staff memebers. We chatted for a while and assured them we loved our stay there and assumed that was the end of the story. Hours later, the most beautiful gift showed up for us from the manager and chef.

Personalized carved watermelon and pumpkin!! These pictures do not do justice to the artistry; each detail was exquisite. Enchanted by our gifts, and especially the sweetly proud way they were offered only to delight us, we promised to stop in if we ever find ourselves near Vietnam again in the future. If you go to Vung Tau, stay in the DIC Star Hotel and Resort!

This South corner of Vietnam that I was lucky enough to visit has me magnetized, already pulling at me to return.

Phenomenal Phnom Penh

After Angkor Wat it’s time to move on again, letting Siem Reap fade in the rear view mirror and looking forward to Phnom Penh. Another day and another bus, story of my life lately!

Not sure he liked all the loud English spoken around him

As I was watching the countryside scroll past me out the window I had a sense of déjà vu that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but I found myself smiling. And then it hit me: What I was seeing was the real life version of a childhood fascination. When I was about eight years old I learned that in some impossible-to-imagine place on the other side of the world people would live in houses built on stilts, letting them spend the day in hammocks in the shade under the house or keeping the floor dry when the flooding comes. I remember vividly thinking this was the coolest thing ever, and I wanted to live in a “treehouse without the tree”. Fun to witness it almost exactly the way I had pictured as a kid!

While in Phnom Penh we learned about the horrific period in Cambodian history during the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot regimes. Heartbreaking doesn’t even come close to describing the devestation inflicted on the country, where in a four year span roughly two million people lost their lives by execution, starvation, exhaustion or war. We visited the memorial at the Killing Fields as well as the Genocide Museum housed in a former detention prison, and I think each of us struggled to contain our emotion while hearing about the atrocities committed by the regime. I find it really difficult to write about; on one hand I believe it’s important to share and educate people about such shocking events, and on the other I’m afraid to do a disservice to the victims due to my own ignorance. Hearing from our local guide some of the facts and personal stories made me want more information. If you would too, here’s two websites I’ve been reading through to learn more: Killing Fields or Khmer Rouge

A former school transformed to an execution prison

Bracelets left as blessings at one of the mass graves

Killing Fields memorial, built as a Buddhist stupa

I don’t know the real significance of the memorial stupa, but to me it evokes a graceful sense of hope in the soaring height of the pillars. (A stupa is a sacred structure that contains the remains of the deceased. Inside this one are more than 5000 carefully preserved skulls.)

Emotionally drained by the weight of the Killing Fields, I had wanted only to escape to my hotel room and disappear into a novel for a while. On the walk back, though, I spotted a beautiful spa promoting massages, and almost before I realized what I was doing I had Tricia and myself booked in. We didn’t really know what to expect of a Khmer massage, complete with a guava and rice milk scrub, but the whole place just seemed so serene. That is, at least, until our awkward nervous giggles broke the tranquility. Tricia and I were led to side by side tables and instructed to take off everything – everything! – and to cover with the towel set on each table. Feeling sheepish that I apparently booked us a couples massage, we did our best to swallow our giggles and just enjoy the treatment. And as soon as the massage began I forgot about anyone or anything else… My masseuse was a tiny beautiful woman who seemed to possess superhuman strength, which she used to wipe out knots I hadn’t even realized I possessed. Once my muscles were sufficiently tenderized, jasmine and lemongrass oils were massaged into my skin. First time I’ve smelled so nice since I left home I’m sure! Next came the body scrub, and I was impressed with her ability to keep my modesty intact as she deftly folded the towel to only expose the limb she was working on while basically giving me a sponge bath with guava fruit. The final step had her massaging a thick and grainy paste all over me. Toes to nose my skin glowed baby soft!

Scene at the spa waiting for us after the massages were complete

Dinner together with our group this evening had been hotly anticipated (or dreaded, in Tricia’s case) as our guide Joe had promised to take us to a place that served spiders. As we arrived, I think everyone breathed a small sigh of relief to see it was a really nice restaurant. Just as we were placing our drink orders there was a commotion at the table beside us, and we got ringside seats to witness a plate of three tarantulas being eaten by one brave tourist. So we couldn’t let our table be shown up, and ordered our own dish of horror to share among us.

The most surprising part of this story isn’t even that we ate huge and hairy fried arachnids – it’s that it actually tasted really good! If you want to know what it’s like but don’t see yourself getting here, just imagine a big mushroom with a crispy coating and delicious peppery citrus soya sauce. This was Tricia’s show, and everyone including the people at surrounding tables, was invested in her ability to overcome her phobia and take a bite. After she finished her first bite spontaneous applause broke out!

Cambodia: Part Two Angkor Wat

3:40 in the morning and my alarm cuts short the end of my dream; but I don’t mind because I’m about to go experience a real life dream come true! We’re both a little groggy from lack of sleep and we have a quick deadline that doesn’t leave us much time to get ready – no time even for coffee or breakfast! – but I don’t care at all because nothing can dampen my enthusiasm for getting out to watch the sun rise over the ancient temples of Angkor Wat. I’m buzzing with a giddy energy, and already envisioning all the epic photos I’ll be able to take.
The drive from our hotel in Siem Reap to Angkor Wat was about half an hour, and some time during those thirtyish minutes it started to rain. The guide made a comment about how nice it was for us to be here in the rainy season, as it meant there would still be water in the ponds. “More much beautiful this way.” Within three steps of exiting the van the rain intensified and all of us travellers made the instinctual decision to buy the plastic rain ponchos being offered us. We finally enter the complex and try to get ourselves set up in the best spots for the sunrise photos, mostly by following the crowd of other ponchos and umbrellas. Apparently we had about 25 minutes before the big moment. But the rain kept pouring and it was starting to become obvious that we wouldn’t see a bright sunrise through all the rain and clouds. I had left my umbrella in the room that morning, and the worst part was that I hadn’t forgotten it, I deliberately took it out because I didn’t want to be bothered carrying it all day; that fact added to my mood steadily souring as I tried to shelter my camera with a plastic bag. Standing in the rain and mud I snapped a few photos but it wasn’t long before I was ready to give up. Cliche as it is, I kept thinking “man, when it rains it pours!” because my list of little grievances was suddenly flooded. No Sunrise. No golden photos. Ruining my camera in the rain. Water dripping down my neck, mud coating my sandals and toes. No coffee or breakfast. Not enough sleep. I finally bought another umbrella from a vendor because at least that could protect my camera, and didn’t even care that I paid his first price instead of barganing down to a more reasonable price.

Our tour group of seven made the unanimous decision to return to our hotel for breakfast in the hopes that the rain would stop during that time, and I’m sooo glad we did. That was the reset I needed, and by the time we returned I was on my way back to being able to enjoy it all. The rain did stop, sun came out again, and we were able to explore the three main temple ruins like we had originally planned – Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm.

Throughout the centuries in Cambodia’s history the religion practiced here changed between Hindu and Buddhism depending on who was in power. It’s left behind an amazing mix of carvings depicting Vishnu and Rama next to statues of Buddha, both hemmed in together by the surrounding dense jungle.

Angkot Wat is unlike anything else I’ve ever seen, and exploring through the complex is still a complete dream come true. If you ever get the chance to go there yourself don’t pass it up – but just be open to having a different experience than what you may have pictured. I didn’t get the stunning sunrise photo like seemingly the rest of the Travel Bloggers were able to but in the end I don’t even miss it.

Cambodia: Part One

After Tricia and I spent our first two days on our own, it was time to join the tour I’d booked. I really like to sometimes have the mix of solo travel and organized tours, and we get to do both on this trip. For 8 days we’ll be part of a small group on a budget tour adventuring across three countries. Frankly, it wasn’t off to a great start, as half of our group was given incorrect information on where to meet and join the tour but thankfully it didn’t take long to sort out and we were already close by.

First thing the next morning we set off for our bus and settled in for a four hour ride headed towards the Cambodian border.

I like seeing the countryside this way; getting a compilation picture of what life might be like there as I gaze out the bus window. Plus the little roadside stands we make pit stops at have never failed to delight my curious adventure side. Have you ever had the pleasure of browsing a shelf of preserved cobras and scorpions while looking for a bottle of water? I have. And while I chose to skip out on the fried birds being offered, I did stock up on some new-to-me flavours of chips for the ride.

I love this kid’s shoes… at the gas station

Option A: fried bird, or Option B: sweet basil Lays

Crossing the border was an easy process, just a little slow while we waited for the entry visas. On the other side we found a new bus and loaded back up for the rest of the drive to Siem Reap. My first views of Cambodia were so satisfying in a stereotypical way, full of water buffalo in rice fields.

Our destination revealed itself to be a small city with a great laid-back tourist vibe. This is the launching point for Angkor Wat, the reason most people come to this corner of the world – myself included!

Better than expected Bangkok

When was the last time an experience was a pleasant surprise for you? I’m curious about that now as I sit and process my past two days in Bangkok, pleasantly surprised at just how much I’ve enjoyed it here. Don’t get me wrong, I expected to like it – by nature I tend to go through life with an “everything is awesome!” outlook, but I had also entered Thailand’s main city with the preconceived opinion that it was a busy smoggy city much like any other. Everyone always says to get out of the city as fast as you can, and tour around the countryside instead. At the moment I tend to disagree, because had I left immediately I would have missed out on being wowed by the kindness of its citizens.

Thailand is in official mourning after their King died. I’m not sure what it would be like here during a regular day, but what I witnessed over and over again was the unique camaraderie that comes from a united population. All along the crowded sidewalks people would be stationed to give out free bottled water, or meals, snacks, and photos of the king. Thousands of them. And often an extra effort would be made to let us know we were also welcome to take what was being offered. Beyond that, there were several times both days when someone passing by would stop to point us in the right direction, translate for us, or even lead us for 10 minutes down the winding roads to our destination.

Hundreds of thousands paying their respects

Many of the usual tourist highlights in the city are closed or adjusted this week, but the ones we did see were stunning.

We started at Wat Pho, the temple complex of the Reclining Buddha.

At Wat Pho (shared photo credit with Tricia)

As per usual during my travels, much of the day was spent walking. I love seeing a city by foot and thankfully Tricia’s a good sport about that – we just need to make pit stops for food all the time and street vendors are the perfect solution!

Between all the eating and temple touring we found time to shop. Bangkok has everything you could possibly want, and more tourist-trap knickknacks than you can imagine so it’s easy to get lost in the markets. Figuratively and literally. The good thing about backpacking is how reluctant I am to buy things I don’t really need, since I know it just means I’ll have to huff it around for the next 20 days. I was feeling quite proud of my shopping self control, until I realized it’s really only the instant reward of lighter bags with the delayed gratification of knowing I can buy it all when I’m back here before my flight home. One for the win!

While wandering the shops along Khao San Road, happily hypnotized by all the sensory onslaught around us, we talked ourselves into trying a fish pedicure. Seemed like a fun way to cap off a day of new experiences. Aaaaand, we hated it. Yes, our feet were soft after the little fish ate away all the dead skin but I can achieve the same with a pumice stone and way less ick factor. I was suddenly reminded of my biggest childhood fear in the summers at the lake: “What if fish come and bite my toes?”

Barely keeping it together (Photos by Tricia)

Early morning of Day Three has us meeting up with our tour group and setting off to Cambodia. But before we go, here are a couple more shots from Bangkok.

En route

One of my favourite ways to pass the time is to people watch, especially when cultural differences are at play. Thankfully, 25 hours of travelling have given me ample opportunity to sit back and observe! My route took me from Calgary to Vancouver where I met up with Tricia (more on that later!) to Beijing, and finally to Bangkok. During the 10.5 hour flight across the Pacific I was reminded again that the North American concept of personal space is something I’ll need to say goodbye to for the next three weeks. I had a window seat and when I indicated to my two seat mates that I needed to get up, they both smiled at me, collected some of their items, and leaned back in their seats. It took me a moment to realize they expected me to climb over them, since I was expecting them to stand up and move to the aisle to let me pass. And so I did my best to delicately walk past/over these two strangers without stepping on their feet or touching their legs or having too much of my body in their faces. No easy feat in economy class. I was trying to decide which way is more appropriate – should I have faced away from them or toward them as I clambered across their laps??Apparently they were unfazed because when I returned to my seat we repeated the whole hoopla again in reverse.

My friend Tricia was with me, but we weren’t able to get seats together on the flight due to an error I made earlier. Too bad… I had anticipated using those hours to get her opinion on the various details of my messy life! Instead I watched a Chinese movie by reading the subtitles and noticed throughout the film that the characters showed affection by teasing each other. Maybe we’re not that different after all…

Are you wondering what error I would have made to keep us from sitting together? For a self-proclaimed “travel expert” I sure pulled a boneheaded move; one that almost cost her missing the flight!! Here’s the scenario that I’m super embarrassed to admit. If you remember a couple weeks ago, I had both of our passports after bringing them to Ottawa in order to get our entry visas for Vietnam. The plan was for me to make a trip up to visit her before our departure and I could bring her passport, but due to some recent chaos at home I ran out of time for that. So, I told her she could just use her drivers license to fly from Edmonton to Vancouver, where I meet her, then I’d hand her her passport for our international flights. Yeah… that was really bad advice. She was able to check in for the domestic flight using other ID, but was not allowed to be checked through the connecting flights, meaning her her luggage needed to be picked up at the baggage claim after landing in Vancouver then hurried over to check in for the next flights, all while still making making it past the security line ups and back to the gate in time for boarding. There was only an hour for all this to happen, and while she was running around dealing with it I spent the whole time worrying and kicking myself for not considering a potential negative outcome prior. Thankfully, Tricia was able to charm the right people into helping her, and she arrived at the gate with minutes to spare! But because she was the last person to check in for the flight we couldn’t get seats together. But as she said after we were both onboard “we made it! If this is the worst hiccup we face on the trip we’ll be in great shape!”

Next post from Bangkok Thailand!

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