Here and There

So, first let me apologize for the length of this blog entry before you get deep into it because it is going to be pretty long due to the amount of travel and interactions we’ve had in the last two days. We departed roughly 36 hours ago and quite a lot has happened in that time, so allow me to start at the beginning.

The universe as we know it began with a bang roughly 13.7 billion years, give or take. At first the earth wasn’t the most hospitable place, but over the passing years it became more comfortable until around 1.9 million years ago, homo habilis emerged. Then, several millions of years later, a homo sapien sapien developed the aircraft. And then, 36 hours ago, we boarding one of those flying contraptions and headed to Thailand.

Wednesday, we were dropped off at the airport about 3 hours prior to our scheduled departure so as to have ample time to deal with the throngs of people scuttling about the world via SFO. As it turns out, this was extremely fortunate because our flight was delayed such that it was impossible for us to make our connecting flight in LAX. But fortune smiled upon us and a wonderfully funny and high-pitched United employee named Lawrence took a liking to us (we know this because he said as much). Lawrence became the first person on our journey to go beyond the strictures of his job to help us. He switched us to the 8:30 so that we might catch our connection. (As a side note, Lawrence was appalled that we were flying such a great distance without either of us having frequent flyer accounts and so he demanded that we fill out the paperwork then and there so that he could comp us. Lawrence, wherever you are, the sun will be on your face and the wind at your back. Thank you.)

In LAX we were met with yet another set of hurdles. First, there was a massive line to check in at the Malaysian Air ticket counter. Luckily, having caught the earlier flight, we had plenty of time. When we finally reached the counter, the attendant, upon seeing that we only possessed one way tickets, became concerned. Apparently they frown on that sort of thing. He informed us that he was not supposed to allow us to fly but he’d see what he could do. Again fortune blessed us. The attendant produced a document absolving the airline of any responsibility for us and asked us to fill it out. When we’d finished, he informed us that somewhere along the line someone may demand that we purchase an exiting ticket, so, slightly concerned, we boarded.

As it turned out, we had absolutely no problem getting visas and no one mentioned that we had no visible exit strategy. To be fair, Hilary was not at all concerned and knew that as long as we maintained the good vibe that we’d been putting out from the beginning, everything would work out.

Our friend Kristina met us at the airport and helped us get back to her house where we’re staying now and I’m presently writing from. Once we’d cleaned up, she took us off to get Thai messages that are cheap and should be available at every international airport around the world. For 1,150 Baht we were each given hour-and-a-half messages. At this point I was feeling pretty questionable. I had air legs which are like sea legs, but not. I kept feeling like we were experiencing turbulence. Luckily I did not fall down on any of those occasions. The message was just what I needed, though it was much rougher than I had expected. I seriously doubt the woman who gave me mine needs a nut cracker as she could probably crack a filbert between her thumb and forefinger. Thankfully she did not squash a bone or major nerve.

From there we found a street vender and purchased our first authentic Pad Thai which was delicious (if you want more on this, check the food blog). Eileen and Kristina have a beautiful house with a lot of room. We’ll probably hang around for another week or so checking out the city and firming up visa stough. That’s about it for our day.

On a personal note, we recommend Malaysian Air very highly. The staff was very helpful and attentive and each seat had its own screen and remote set-up that allowed the passengers to pick from a list of 20 new and classic movies, 10 TV series, 30 video games and even shopping. It was great. But I would not advise eating the food. Perhaps that’s only because I didn’t let a single meal pass me.