Day 1: We made it!

Today started off kind of rocky by oversleeping... A great new habit of mine; oversleeping when I have flights to catch. Thank goodness my dad managed to get me up in time to get ready and off to the train station. Made it to the airport, grabbed some coffee, got checked in, and went through security. You know the deal. 

Side note to Grandma: Your fudge almost didn't make it through security! My somewhat overstuffed backpack went through the X-ray machine twice, followed by me having to take EVERYTHING out of it. You'll be happy to know that once the security guy realized it was just fudge (and not some kind of explosive), he hesitantly let me bring it through. Isabelle was one happy camper! Thanks, Granny! 

We started off with a 2-hour flight to London, followed by an 11-hour flight to Bangkok. Both flights were pretty uneventful. We didn't crash! As most of you might know, I'm not too fond of flying... But I'm a big fan of traveling! So I've had to come up with ways to reduce the risk of me totally freaking out. I now start off every flight by asking the flight attendant if I can say hello to the pilots. Usually they oblige, and I get to meet the pilots and ask them a few silly questions that put me at ease. If I notice they have a wedding ring, I typically throw in "Oh, you have a wedding ring? I'm sure you have a wife you'd like to get home to!", then laugh nervously. If you're a nervous flyer, give it a try! You'd be amazed how much talking to the flight attendants and pilots helps.

You'd think I would have managed to read my whole Lonely Planet "Southeast Asia on a Shoestring" while on the last long flight... No, instead of being productive I rather spent my time watching movies and listening to music (fairly good selection on British Airways, by the way). Isabelle and I didn't plan much before departure. We just booked tickets to Bangkok on January 22nd and tickets from Singapore to Sydney on February 19th. Not having anything planned is actually quite nice. I usually like to have everything planned out, while Isabelle is more spontaneous. I'm excited to play things by ear, and not follow a rigid itinerary. 

Once we got into the city (after a train ride and a bus ride that took forever) we found a cheap, clean hostel close to lots of restaurants and shops (only 65kr/10,65dollars per night). The beds are hard as a rocks, but what can you expect for that price. As long as it is clean and cockroach free, I'm happy! 

We are currently sitting at a café in the Phahurat district drinking Chang beer. We had chicken pad Thai (stir fried rice noodle dish) and red curry for lunch. Absolutely delicious! 

Have a great day! 

Love, 

Suzy