Christchurch to Bangkok

Just to forewarn readers - this post ended up being a fairly dry itinerary recitation. Read the most recent post if you want to get a feel for the mayhem and death in the streets. Not a first-hand experience, but there is mayhem and death. Mom, I'm being safe.

Waking up in Christchurch just after five in the morning, I was greeted by something I hadn't seen in all of my traveling so far - frost! Since our van has trouble starting most mornings, I was a little bit anxious that I wouldn't be able to get to the airport in time. We had parked just down the road from the terminal though, and I pulled up to the drop-off point with plenty of time to spare. Jordache stayed huddled in his sleeping bag in the back of the van until we pulled up to the airport and then pulled himself out, gave me a hug, and announced his plan to drive back to last night's parking spot and get some more sleep.

I flew into Wellington, getting in just before eight, grabbed the shuttle into the city and then found my way by foot to the Chinese Embassy. I had phoned twice to confirm that my passport had arrived from the Russian Embassy where I had arranged to have it sent to the Chinese Embassy, yet when the receptionist couldn't find it after searching for a while I was starting to get nervous. It was there though, and I feel a lot more comfortable having it in my possession - it is really the only thing that I have that I can't afford to lose.

My flight left the next morning, but as I had to check in at four in the morning, I didn't see the point in getting a hostel so I headed back out to the airport in the afternoon. I was excited to find that the airport had showers in the bathroom, so I cleaned myself up and then scouted the airport for a good place to roll out my sleeping bag later in the evening. I found a cushioned bench opposite the airport bar that I claimed, and then I settled in to watch the bar television. As the staff where cleaning up and preparing to leave, one of them noticed that I was still there, obviously with no intentions of leaving. He kindly gave me the television's remote control and told me to shut it off whenever I went to bed.

After finally turning in after enjoying my fill of "Criminal Minds" and the NZ news, I enjoyed some sleep before getting up in time to check in two hours before my flight. There had been a delay however, but they more than made it up to me by providing me with a fifteen dollar breakfast voucher. Since my lay-over in Sydney was an all-day affair, I wasn't in a hurry and enjoyed my free breakfast and then the complimentary breakfast on the flight to Sydney. I hung out all day in the Sydney airport, getting on the plane after four and then flying just under ten hours to arrive in Bangkok at 11:00 PM local time. After catching a taxi, I got into Nonthaburi, a city just outside of Bangkok. Given that it is inside the limits of Greater Bangkok, it is functionally a suburb of Bangkok. Feeling rather jet-lagged given that I had been up for over twenty-four hours, I clumsily dialed Roshali and Chris' number and Ro and her mom, along with one-month old Cadence came to pick me up.

I know Ro and Chris from my time at King's when we were students, and they have been living here in Thailand and teaching English since 2006. The Mclatcher family is growing in number, as Jaya, their oldest daughter, is now a very busy 1 1/2 years old, and their newest addition, Cady, is just four weeks old. As you can guess, a busy household! They have graciously invited me to stay here for as long as I want, and their home will likely be my home base for trips through the rest of Southeast Asia.