Have you ever thought about how mean it is for the airlines to board you in the front of the plane and make you walk to the back of the plane where the poor coach passengers sit? As I boarded my Emirates flight, I looked to my left and caught a glimpse of the good life through a slightly open curtain. The first class cabin was more like a private lounge with individual cocoons fitted with plush leather recliners that flatten out to a bed with individual large screen tv and other amenities. They probably have showers and a hot tub up there for all I know. Passengers already had a glass of champagne in hand. I sighed and turned to make my sorry walk to coach. I walked through business class which was also spacious and fancy and began dreading this 12 hr segment. Much to my surprise,coach wasn't half bad! On my seat waiting for me was a blanket, a pillow, a pair of socks, a toothbrush with tooth paste, headsets and even a pair of eye shades for sleeping. I'm beginning to sound like a poor grad student, but it's the simple pleasures really... I was halfway through a movie when I noticed the ceiling of the plane was speckled with light like a planetarium! And the food- oh man. It was actually good! I could choose from so many different styles of food- vegetarian, low fat, low cal, gluten free, asian, american, thai, you name it! Maybe my standards for airlines have been too low. Emirates is doing something right and maybe it would be wise for the American based airlines to take a look at Emirates business model... just sayin.
We land in Dubai and the only thing I can think is, did I land in a shopping mall or airport terminal? This is not your average duty-free shopping. We're talking laptops and camera shops, jewelry, make-up, designer clothing, and perfume/cologne. Ohhhhhhhh the cologne. I swear people bathe in it over here instead of showering.
I made it successfully to Bangkok about 26 hrs later, but I guess someone was trying to tell me that it was time for me to get a run in. My flight landed late so I literally went from a casual speed walk to a full out jog when I realized what time it was. The lady at the info desk told me I didn't have to go through customs, just continue toward my gate and they could check me in and use my bag tag to get my pack and transfer it. Ummm, this makes me nervous but I have a tight timeline to I don't argue and instead I rush down towards the gate and guess what??? Apparently I DID have to exit through customs, retreive my bag, run upstairs to the 4th floor with my big pack to recheck it. Now The woman at the counter was sure I wouldn't make it in time to get all the way back to baggage claim (at least 0.5-0.7 mi) and get through immigration and to the ticketing counter before it was too late. She told me she would put me on the first flight out tomorrow. NOOOOOOO! No can do lady! She did not realize I was capable of running with all my packs and would do so to make this flight. I don't think it's a common scene to have a traveller sprinting around the airport in BKK. Chicago O'Hare, yes. LaGuardia, absolutely normal. Bangkok, not so much. So at this point I legit RUN. Not power walking, not jogging. Breathless running. Thai people were parting for me like I was a tornado plowing through. I'm sure I was a sight to see. By the time I got to the ticket counter, I was dripping sweat down my forehead. Gross. But I check my pack and took off running again towards security and my gate. I didn't take anything off, didn't take anything out of my bag, just threw it on the belt. They were shaking their heads at me (stupid American) and then the lady asked me if I had scissors and could i take them out to show her? Lady, I don't have time for this! I pull out my pack and yep, sure enough, I packed my first aid kit in my carry on. No one seemed to notice this in the US. I though security was tighter in the US. Guess not. Once again I took off running to my gate like I was Usain Bolt(no idea how to spell that). I got to my gate while they were finishing boarding. It was the last flight of the day to Chiang Mai. I'm relieved to be at the gate and getting on the plane, but now I realize that I'm not just sweating, I'm dripping down my face. My pants are soaking. My back is soaking wet. I'm a red hot mess! As the only white woman on the plane, I'm sure I left a lasting impression on these folks.
32 hours after leaving Durham, I finally get to my hotel in Chiang Mai. It's a 12 hr time change but some how I don't think I'll have any problem adjusting. Trekking begins first thing tomorrow morning. Good night!
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