BANGKOK - Day 1 thru 3 - The Travel Begins

So this first piece of our journey covers Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It was the travel component of this crazy trip half way around the world. Because of the juggle of plane trips and customs we elected to take our kids up on their offer to drive us up to NYC to catch our flight. They wanted to see the city and we needed a ride so it all worked out.

Friday was pretty much a big drive day. Good to chat along the way.....for six hours but that's okay. I had a plan go and eat at Katz Deli in NYC as it was one of my bucket list items. Not all times on my list are huge and crazy. Some are pretty simple. This was one of them and I was glad we got to share it with our kids. We sat right next to the location where Harry and Sally sat......you'd have to watch the movie to understand. Yes a tourist trap. No they don't take credit cards...cash only. Yes, it was like cattle moving in a back out.....but the sandwich was pretty tasty. Best of all....another item on my bucket list was marked off.

We got the good nights rest at a hotel near the airport so we could get there quickly and easily. A quick shower in the morning......nope.....water line being worked on and there was NO HOT WATER! You have got to be kidding me! I'm getting ready to go around the world on an airplane without a shower? Wet wash cloth bath....the adventure begins.

So it's Saturday which is also our 28th anniversary. Special breakfast? In the airport? Well coffee and a croissant will have to do. Yes, being together is the most important part. My wife is the most awesome to join me on every crazy adventure.

Our flight is a crazy one. We elected to fly Emirates. It proved to be like a flash back in time to something like Pan Am. First leg is 12-1/2 hours to Dubai with less than a two hour layover. The next was 6-1/2 hours to Bangkok. We weren't going to land in Bangkok until Sunday night.....what a crazy time change....11 hour difference between there and home. The staff on Emirates was fantastic and helped us celebrate our anniversary with a glass of champagne from first class.

Such a long flight. We were exhausted. Seemed like we lost half a day during our travel. Made it to the hotel with several others that we met up with in Dubai which made the transition so much easier. Glad we shared a common flight. Stumbled  into the hotel and then had a quick bite of dinner with the others in the hotel. I guess that was my wife's Mother's Day meal! We weren't adventurous enough to explore outside this first evening.

The end of the first few days of travel.

The rest of the adventure coming soon.

D. Eugene Thompson

ET This I Believe