Thailand - Day 1 - Flights

I decided not to sleep on Friday night because I had to leave at five in the morning for my flight. I actually was less tired than expected, and didn't fall asleep in the taxi on the way to the airport. My flight left from the spectacular new Terminal 3 at Beijing Airport. It is the biggest terminal in the building and it really shows, with huge ceilings and open space everywhere. I was a bit afraid that my award ticket didn't assign to business class, but my fears were unfounded. I checked in smoothly at the Thia Airways counter. Shortly after checking in, I realized I left my contact lens solution in my carry-on! Realizing how stupid I was, I had to get it put into a box and check it in by itself. After that fiasco, I headed off to the departure area. Before even going through security I went on a train ride to the 'E' section of the airport. There, I went through security. I was extremely irritated at the Chinese immigration officer who stamped my passport on a blank page. This means I only have four pages left in which to get any future visas! I will have to go through the hassle of getting a passport before this one expires if I go to many more visa-issuing countries. Once past security, I went to the lounge, which was located on the upper level of the terminal. It was the biggest lounge I've ever seen. The breakfast was not open when I arrived at around 6:15, so I had to wait a few minutes for the food to come out. The breakfast was rather mediocre though, which is surprising considering how comfortable the rest of the lounge was. The only edible thing in the breakfast was the zhou, which left me hungry. I had a tea while I waited for my flight to begin boarding at 8:00. I was saddened to board the plane and discover that it was ancient. The business class seats were barely more comfortable than most economy seats. However, I did get an amenity kit, which delighted me as I need a new toilet bag , and it is quite nice. I was also served a glass of champagne, which to my chagrin, ended up spilling. For breakfast, I was served a fruit plate to begin, which was lovely, and then chose the noodles for a second course, which were so-so. Service was quite good though, with attentive stewards offering drinks every so often. Despite my lack of sleep, I only managed to nap for a little over an hour, and was sore when I woke up, due to the uncomfortable seats.

I arrived a bangkok and progressed quickly through immigration, although I was annoyed at being stuck in a slow lineup. I had to check in for my flight to Chiang Mai because I bought that ticket, and did not use points as I should have. I had a four hour layover in the airport in Bangkok. I discovered on arrival that I had left my book on the plane, so I decide to buy one from a book store to ensure I would not be bored to tears. I wanted Thia food for lunch, so I went to an overpriced restaurant at the airport and had a rather mediocre meal. Still it only cost the equivalent of five dollars. After my lunch I headed off to my gate. For some reason, every gate had its own security, which meant I could not bring any water with me on the plane! This was because there no shops selling anything past security. The plane was a much newer 777 which was more comfortable than the ancient A300 I flew on earlier in the day. My flight was delayed by around half an hour, and I got into Chinag Mai at around 6:45.

I arrived at my guest house, The Green Tulip, at 7:15 and checked in without problems. I asked the lady about trekking and she informed me that there was one spot in a two-day trek leaving the next day (Sunday), and that she would give me a discount if I signed up. I did, even though I had wanted an opportunity to look around the city first. I was also annoyed to discover that the internet was broken a the guesthouse. No checking any messages or informing people of my safe arrival. I went to bed quite early as a result of my tiredness and slept very well.