Day 40- Traveling

I’m not quite home yet as I got stuck in Bangkok today. Delta only has 2 flights per day out of Bangkok and I flew in after the last one had already departed. This meant that the Delta counter shut down for the day before I could get information from them about the flights for tomorrow and the next few days. It’s a little bit worrisome since 2 flights per day seems like nothing, and with the weekend coming up the odds of full flights also increase and I’m looking at a perfect storm that could extend my trip for a while. Since I have some flexibility I’m trying to look at it like an opportunity to spend more time in some pretty awesome places and see it as more of an adventure than a burden but sometimes when you get in the finish strong mode its hard to not want to git er done. The other unfortunate dilemma is that the train to and from the airport starts at 6 AM and ends at 12 AM -not bad hours- but the first Delta flight is at 6 AM. So unless I want to cut my chances in half of making a flight I have to find an alternate route to the airport or leave early from wherever I’m staying. And since the airport is out of the city about 30 minutes that cuts out a cab possibility (the end of the trip penny pinching really does compound everything). So the question is as follows: do I spend money for a place to stay tonight even though I wont be staying past midnight… or do I spend another night in the Bangkok Airport? The first sleepover with the other travelers was not my favorite experience of the trip, but to be honest, a cushioned row of seats will be without a doubt more comfortable than the bed I’ve actually grown to like at the Peace House. I think I’m taking my chances at the airport tonight. Everyone cross your fingers for me about the flights tomorrow.

As I start to connect more and more flights toward home I’m slowly going to be re-introduced to western civilization. Its actually quite interesting how my travels from city to city transitions me back into the life I know. Ho Chi Minh City is definitely the most far removed from what I am accustomed to, and now that I’m in Bangkok, I notice more intricacies that have been introduced by tourism. You start to notice little things like the speed at which you are served food or the accessibility of a power source. And by the time I hit Tokyo the organization and structure will all but resemble home, and only cultural differences will remain. And I do have to add that Minneapolis, MN will be a pretty awesome sight when I get there. It’s funny how when your travels take you so far away and distance you from so much that you are familiar with, the more you start to expand your concept of home. 6 weeks ago I would have said 3965 Hawthorne Circle was my home, but now I would call all of the United States my home… possibly even throw Canada in there just for kicks. What from home am I most looking forward to? Probably some fast food with my parents on the way home from the airport. I was rather astonished at how little of a presence American fast food had in Ho Chi Minh City. The only chain with any stores was surprisingly KFC (or dirty bird as the Aussies and Kiwis referred to it). I’m glad that there wasn’t a McDonalds and a Starbucks on every street corner though, it didn’t allow me to use it as a Western crutch and it forced me to eat Vietnamese food. That doesn’t necessarily mean eat healthier as much of the food is still fried, but I think a ceremonial fast food run will still happen before I indulge on copious amounts of fresh produce.