The crazy Thai experience: Back to Bangkok - Flight through Dubai and Sonkhran in Bangkok

After my 2 week visit in South Africa it was time to return home to the sunny Land of Smiles. It was with mixed feelings of excited and sadness that I prepared for my journey back. It was also a whole new adventure now that I had to take the next part of the journey on my own.

There I was at the airport saying goodbye to my loving family and saying goodbye and good riddance to old memories. The flight was with Emirates at 23:00 and we flew via Dubai. I met some students of my new company “GoTeachAsia” on the airport to help them with the whole “flying thing”.

If there are two things about flying that I am shit scared of it is the taking of and landing part. So as I showed own of my students where he should sit and said that he should come look for me whenever he wants some company he asked me if we are going to make it and I said: “Of course it is just the taking off part that is scary” and he replied with a very confused face: “I mean will we be in time for the connection flight.” EMBARRASINGGGGG. Hahaha

So I sat down before I hurt myself. Fastened my seatbelt and started to play with the gadgets in the seat – you know from my first blog that this is definitely an absolute favorite of mine. We arrived in Dubai at 9:00 in the morning and the connection flight was at 9:40. I told the 2 students “RUN!!!” hoping that we will make it on time. As we ran like mad banshees through the airport a friendly staff member said “Bangkok”. Yesss Bangkok. And she informed us with a smile that we will not make it in time for the connection as it will take at least an hour to get to the plane and board it. Now this seems impossible until you see the size of the airport – you have to take a TRAIN to get to the departures. WTF. It is huge. We got complimentary rooms at a very nice hotel including lunch and dinner.

The view from my room:

The hotel:

And as you know me by now – how do I spend 9 hours in a strange country? I EXPLORE. I unpacked. Took a shower. Gathered up the two students (you can sleep when you are dead) and we went to explore sunny (SANDY) BORING Dubai.

Dubai is about as exciting as a daytrip to The Vaal River. The buildings are massive, the cars okay and then there is sand, sand, sand and nothing. Just look at the excitement:

We got our connection flight at 23:00 and arrived in Bangkok at 8:00. Lars picked us up and we went to show the students their apartments. After the show and tell and explaining the hot water showers (hahahaha) I immediately got into Thailand festive mode (which is of course the best mode to ever be in). I went down to the street and allowing the kids to drench me with buckets full of water. Their mother decided that it is fun and sprayed me with a hose.

I went to Fashion Island mall to get my laptop fixed and went back home to get myself settled in again. At about 21:00 some students and I took to the streets to experience Songkhran. Sanook!!! (For that of you that don’t know – Songkhran is a massive water festival where people throw buckets of water (and ice) on you and also smear powder on your face. Songkhran is the Thai new year and the water indicates washing away the old year and the powder is used to bless someone.)

We took a van to Victory monument and got out in POURING rain – but who cares, it is Songkhran, very hot in Thailand and we are going to get wet in anyway.

We took the taxi to Silom and there was people EVERYWHERE. (Afrikaner optog Monument toe wanneer Steve Hofmeyer sing skares). At first we just stood at the side of the street and watched the scores of people celebrating, dancing, singing, and just having fun. Well it was time for us to join in after we also received a few buckets full of water (and an ice block or 6 down our backs), so we bought some of the chalky powder stuff for 20 baht and danced up and down the streets drinking beer, smearing people and welcomed the buckets of water.