They Say Getting There is Half the Battle

And they, whomever they are, aren't wrong. We left Portland on Tuesday evening some time between 8 and 9 pm...we were delayed but I can't think how long any more. There are 8 of us on the trip together; Allie, our fearless leader, and the rest of us in no particular order-Avery, Ario, Olivia, Todd, Gina, McKayla and me. We all arrived in LA just fine, but that's when we reached a major, major snag. McKayla's passport is set to expire in 2 months. Because our trip is only 3 weeks in length she didn't really think about it. But apparently when traveling to Thailand your passport must be good for at least 6 months. I could say something like holy shit right now, but that doesn't even come close to properly representing the sinking feeling I know she felt. She would have to sleep in LAX and try and fenagle a passport extension the next day in order to make the next flight out to Taipei the very next night. The rest of us had to move on.

It was really odd and I couldn't help feeling like it was somewhat ominous leaving a man behind so to speak, but staying would have made no difference and we all decided that we'd see her in Chiang Mai, just a day later. So, on to the mother-load of flights, the 14 hour sanity cracker.

It actually wasn't that bad. I know, you're thinking I'm just so full of shit right now, but I really mean it! I ate a not tooooo shabby meal while watching Forgetting Sara Marshal, which I've been wanting to catch for a while, had a glass of wine and some sweet Chinese herbs and fell right to sleep for about 8 hours. I woke up in time for breakfast and my second movie, Ironman, also on my theatrical to do list. Then 45 minutes later we were in Taiwan.

I thought, or maybe assumed really, that when I got off the airplane in a country that is supposed to be so foreign to me, that I would inhale exotic scents and see things I'd never before beheld in person. But quite honestly the first scent that invaded my olfactory senses was that of moth balls. Yes, I have no idea why, but that was the smell. I was immediately mentally slingshotted (slungshot?) back to our cottage in Michigan and into the presence of my very organized and clean Grandma Kayo who put moth balls EVERYWHERE. As a matter of fact, sometimes I had to wonder if she didn't just like the smell itself.

One pretty amazing thing we did see at the airport in Taipei was a full, giant, double rainbow. Laugh if you want at my cheesy excitement, but at a moment of arrival in a strange land, seeing something like that just makes it all feel somewhat fated.

There were a couple of nice novelties in the Taipei airport (beyond the rainbow greeting). I almost fell asleep in the Zen area, a circle of free massaging chairs ala Brookstone. In order to use them all you need to do is go to a duty free shop and ask for a token. Now I'm sure they are all sort of hoping that people might purchase something while in the shop, but do they really expect you to postpone your free chair massage after a 14 hour flight in order to get a slightly cheaper bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label which will still be there on your way home?? I did not purchase any liquor. But I did spend time meandering through a couple of the airport's art galleries after I felt sufficiently relaxed (which is to say after the 10 minutes the token was good for elapsed).

After a little more wandering around it was time for the last leg, our 3 and a half hour flight to Chiang Mai. Maybe you're thinking that after such a long flight this one would feel like nothing. But you would be wrong, let me tell you why. After a total of 16 hours on a plane and about 6 hours of layover time, getting on another plane sounds about as pleasant as a nice long walk on nails. (It should also be noted that at this point in time Ario received a text message from McKayla letting us all know that she got her extension and would be making the next flight out! We all said we new it would work out:)But on this flight the wine flowed like water and so we were all content.

We finally arrived in Chiang Mai, unscathed if a little disheveled and of kind of smelly. It was at this point in time that the wave of being in a new place finally hit. There were a lot of new smells, crazy signs, crazier drivers and the wonderful and weighty heat. There are so many differences that confront you right away, it was like wave after wave of the most wonderful sensory overload. But after all that it's easy to notice the similarities and to start asking yourself questions about the people that seem mundane but prove that there is a lot more we have in common than not.

We arrived at our guest house, it's called the White House (a sure sign that my guy is gonna win the election, I just know it), and unpacked. Then we all went to grab a beer and some food and to learn the lay of the land. I got a Thai spicy soup-surprisingly not spicy until you accidentally eat one of the very small peppers and feel as though your esophagus is going to erupt molten lava. I also opted for the large beer which I soon found meant the one created for giants and their kin. But I finished with a little help from a friend.

Avery, Gina and I then took of to our Thai massage appointments---that is why we're here after all! It felt amazing. My spine has never cracked so many times and in so many great ways before. It was definitely a style of Thai that I wasn't used to (southern vs northern) but it felt wonderful!

Now I'm all caught up to Thursday Sept 11th at 6:30 pm (we flew past Wednesday on our way out here). I'm hoping the rest of my ramblings won't be quite, or even nearly, this long...who knew airports could provide so much excitement?

Goodnight from Thailand!
Sawat dee ka
Andrea