Day Two- We’ll call this “It could be worse”

Day Two- We’ll call this “It could be worse”

So as we get off the plane, everyone has the same look on their face- what to do now?  With the three hours delay most have missed a connecting flight.  So we are herded through and given limited instructions.  Fortunately for me, I have made a friend- Hai.  Hai is a nice young man from Kentucky who is traveling for a month or so to meet relatives in Vietnam that he has never seen.  What a remarkable story he has. Between the two of us, we go from one window through the airport to another window and then we part ways because he connected to another flight, but mine was the next day.  Now for the waiting (have I mentioned it is 94 degrees, and that the Chinese do not air condition their common areas. )  To make a long wait short, we made it to the hotel (I think I am going to learn how to be pushy- lines are not popular around here) and I get a room (Do I want to “share a room with a stranger or pay $25.00 for a private room?”  Is this even a question? No time to be cheap- “A single room, please.” Is my answer.)

The room was nice, but the lobby was even nicer.  I made a new friend and we talked for hours.  He synced up my two apple devices, set up my gmail contact list, and I will now be going to the Philippians to visit on one of my excursions.  I met two men who were going to Milan (it is not Milan but I still want to be in Italy so I keep forgetting his homeland) to get married (and we ask where are all the good men? Answer- they are hooking up with women online and then running off to get married!) and a kid from Ohio who is on vacation with his mom and it is quite obvious that he wants to be anywhere but on this trip. I lecture him about journaling about his trip and having a good notes form his college essay- always a teacher.

I stay up until 3:00am talking with my new friend Joseph and having him help me with my computer stuff (syncing my two apple devices and learning about imessage. )  He works in the US in the finance industry and comes home often because he does not have a green card.  He is waiting for more states to pass the marriage act legislation so he can marry his partner and get the benefits that come with that. We have a couple drinks ($10.00 for a Corona and a Perrier) and the best thing of all- I facetime with Joshua and Dylan.  This is going to be fine.  All is good.

Next morning- (I am, still calling it day 2 BUT REALLY IS DAY 3)

Sleep is limited because there is no clock in the room and I am afraid I will miss the shuttle.  I keep calling the front desk to get the time (5:00 am, 6:30 am) and then give up and get up to start the day.  Go down for the breakfast buffet.  I think I am going to be hungry for two years.  Breakfast buffet of the following:

Rice, tomatoes and scrambled eggs with lots of juice and tomatoes but no many eggs), cooked cabbage, hard boiled eggs (yeah), pork belly bits (is this the new bacon?), pickled veggies, soupy rice stuff like oatmeal but tasteless, some bean thing, water, -- no salt, pepper, sugar anywhere and NO coffee!!!  I had Nescafé in my room (thank God).  But… I am not complaining- just sharing info. :)

I meet two more guys who are waiting for the shuttle and learn much from them about traveling in SE Asia.  If I am not careful I will have strangers visiting me every weekend for the next two years.  A group of Chinese ladies keep looking at me and smiling- they try really hard to speak to me but I just shrug and say sorry.  An hour later a nice young man from Singapore comes and sits next to me and helps me have a conversation with the ladies.  They want me to come visit them in their hometown. They told him to tell me I was beautiful.  I love these ladies, such wonderful smiles and kind hearts.  That’s all for now. Off to the shuttle.

Thank God for Mohammed. He is here on business from NY and has missed the same flight so of course we had breakfast, bonded and he helped me navigate the airport. I got on the plane and am a few minutes from Bangkok.  Here we gooooooooo.