Ah…Thailand, You are Fascinating!

Airport God!

I’ve just finished my first full day in Thailand, Chiang Mai to be exact, and I’m truly overwhelmed with her. This is a grand dame, this place – full of beauty and drama, serenity and energy. I cannot wait to get to know her.

Arriving in Bangkok was a tremendous experience! First, there was a beautiful airline employee waiting at the gate for me, holding up a sign. I almost dismissed her, bcause it couldn’t possibly be for me, but it was! Bangkok Airways was concerned because I was changing from Philippine Airlines to them for the last leg of my trip from the Philippines and wanted to be sure I knew I would have to retrieve my bags then recheck them in. I would NOT have known that because I was told differently in Cebu, so thank goodness for their efficiency.

Let me just pause here to compliment the Asian airlines I've flown this month - China Southern, AirAsia, Philippine Airlines and Bangkok Airways. This is a completely different experience from flying on American airlines. Food, beverages and customer service flow like water. You are treated like royalty even though you're flying economy class. I give a big thumbs up to these companies.

I performed the said chores, including going through immigration, and since my flight was delayed I had time to hang around in the Bangkok Airways lounge. Yowza! There were comfy chairs and upholstered benches for napping, complimentary food and beverages (from sandwiches to pastries and coffee to juices). I had a lovely time waiting there and then proceeded to take some pictures of this incredible airport. 

The ceilings are gorgeous like this throughout the airport.

The architecture and engineering is amazing. It is constructed of all industrial materials – steel, concrete, aluminum, etc. – and yet the beauty of it all is overwhelming. I couldn’t quit taking pictures, trying hard to capture the textures alone.

The last flight of the day – from Bangkok to Chiang Mai – was great fun because I sat next to an Australian couple (well, she’s originally Tasmanian), Marietta and Campbell. Marietta and I had much in common, including the fact that we are both writers, plus she and Campbell are intrepid and frequent travelers. We plan on staying in contact. 

I’m so surprised I didn’t put my neck out of whack during the drive from the tiny Chiang Mai terminals to my hotel from craning to see everything all at once. I have a whole other post coming just on the Marketplace I visited today – where I actually ran into Marietta and Campbell!  Yay!

Campbell and Marietta MacGregor