Flight Full ... again

I'm attempting to learn from my mistakes. I'm trying to splurge when it's useful. Yesterday, I treated myself to an express train from the airport. It was three times the cost of the standard Airport Link train but probably took one-third the time to my destination. It certainly demands balance though. I'm currently trying to evaluate the potential backlash that this unheeding financial outlook will have upon my return to New York. I was so proud of myself for landing right within my anticipated six-week budget upon my last (scheduled) day in Thailand. (You and I both know that this was no coincidence.) Granted, it was close and these extra days have pushed me beyond the limits. I'm even tempted to just disregard all of my principles and book a business class seat so that I can soar home in comfort. Yeah, we'll see if that happens. I'm still considering how I can make it through the night without booking another hotel room. What can I say? I live my life in extremes: yin & yang.

The current situation is as follows: the flight was full again this morning. Both this morning and last, it felt closer. Yesterday, I was the only one left standing and this morning it came down to only myself and one other person. It's clear to me that Im getting so close to landing a seat on this flight. But I've been told that the outlook for Saturday's flight is pretty bleak. I may give it one last attempt tomorrow or this might be the point where I purchase a ticket on another carrier. It appears as though I'll have to spend about $1,000 for a one-way which is about two-thirds of what the original trip would have cost back in November if I had purchased a confirmed seat rather than a standby ticket. In hindsight, yeah … I know.

I've pretty much concluded that my biggest fear in life … get ready for it … is dogs. I'm reflecting upon how silly it was when I was complaining about Chiang Mai's stray cats rubbing up against my ankles. The other day — as I was trying to find a way to walk … yes, I said it. To walk to the airport in order to save on cab fare — I was on a secluded road and found myself suddenly surrounded by four growling, angry dogs. I did my best to maintain my stride, look forward, keep moving, and disguise the scent of my prostrate fears. But my heart was pounding as I could feel an occasional snout brush up against my bare achilles. It's been a fear of mine ever since I was a child but the situations in which I've found myself in this country have been confounding. Street dogs seem to be a problem here … or, at least they are when found nipping at my heels. It's happened four or five times since I arrived here; let's just say that I'm glad that I made it through that one unscathed.

I do seem to fit right in here though. No longer am I the freakishly skinny or freakishly flexible one. The majority of the boys are small here and some, even tinier than myself. Plus, they all have impeccably well-fitting pants. I suppose it's a product of having some of the best (and cheapest) tailors in the world. They're all here. If I had more room in my bags, I would definitely come home with a few pairs of $22 custom-made pants. Next time. I did take Jakob's advice of purchasing an additional suitcase for transporting goods but that was quickly consumed with gifts and souvenirs for others.

But there will be a next time … a time when I can put into practice everything that I've learned on this maiden voyage. It's a terrific way of life over here. It's rare to find hot water plumbing because, even during the coldest part of the year, the low only drops to about 60°. There's often no temperature control at the faucets. No hot or cold. It's just on or off. Simplicity. It's the same situation with the showers unless there's a supplementary water heating device which hangs on the wall attached to several hoses. The plumbing is definitely different here. As is the traffic control. You know those buttons provided at the crosswalks? You know … the ones that frantic pedestrian commuters incessantly pound upon in hopes that the traffic light will foster a shift in the destiny of their morning routine? In Thailand, those buttons actually do something. If pressed once, the crosswalk signal will immediately start to blink and within four seconds, the adjacent traffic light prompts the cars to stop. Granted, not all of the motorists will acknowledge this signal, still … it's a start. I'm going to test this theory with the elevator buttons as well.

It's a lovely, easy-going, way of life. If something doesn't work, you fix it. If there's a more efficient way to get something done, you explore it. In the men's room at the airport in Ko Samui, there's an enormous salt water fish tank situated directly above the urinals. It just makes for a lovely ambiance … while you pee. I can just imaging the items on the janitor's checklist: re-fill toilet paper: √, clean the urinals: √, feed the fish: √. There's a secret cafeteria that I've discovered in the Bangkok airport. It's situated in the furthest corner of the airport, far from the Starbucks and the farang (tourist) sit-down establishments. There are no signs for it, and there is no luggage permitted within. It's delightful. It offers authentic Thai food at authentic prices. Upstairs in the food court, you'll pay 190 baht for mango & sticky rice. Down here, it's 20 baht. Yes! Yesterday I tried some delightful desserts: banana and pumpkin swimming in sugar and coconut milk. Today, I had a sweet potato curry and a mushroom soup with more varieties of mushrooms than you can count on both hands. If I hadn't been forced to make the airport my second home for the past four days, I likely would have never discovered this gem. I'm considering applying for a job here at the airport. I think I'd be great at collecting those luggage carts or wiping down the stainless steel railings. I'm here everyday and I think it would be great to have something to occupy my time rather than eating yummy food all day.

Doing my best ...

I'm just doing my best. I tried to extend my stay here at the hotel right after I was rejected from the flight once again this morning. I had a consistent airport WiFi signal just long enough to confirm that the rate would have been the same as the previous day. However, the signal was neither strong enough or steady enough for me to complete the booking. Now the rate is 215 baht higher. There's nothing that I can do. I'm stuck. I have to shell out the money … again and again and again. I'm just doing my best but that often seems to lead me in directions which are less than ideal. I would have saved money had I booked the hotel last night but the quality of the WiFi connection was completely beyond my control.

For instance, arriving in Bangkok at rush hour attempting to make a 5:30pm Bikram class. It was silly to have expected to be able to make it in time but I just did my best. I booked my original flight so that I could make it to the 7:30pm class. When I discovered that 7:30pm had been canceled, I arrived at the airport early in order to catch the previous flight. I did everything in my power to make it happen but my potential can extend only so far. I'm obviously learning some big lessons about spending money where it's worthwhile but the biggest lesson is doing everything possible to make something happen but to then release attachment to results. I would have loved to have been able to take a Bikram class on Friday but I had no control of disembarkation and baggage claim and subway transfers. I was stuck. I made sure to show up when and where I needed to be then just let the rest transpire. What can I say? It was rush hour and of the scores of taxis that passed, not a single one agreed to pick me up.

When I did finally make it to the hotel, I took some time to settle in … to unpack a bit and be OK with the fact that I would have no yoga for the next two days and that though the hotel advertised a sauna that, in fact, such an amenity did not exist. I left the hotel to hit the town. I made it only two blocks before being hounded by two police officers on motorcycles. They stopped me and stepped me back up onto the curb. They asked me to provide a passport and to empty my pockets. One of the two was busy examining my chapstick. I swear, he took the lid off to inquisitively extend and retract it four times before convincing himself that it was not contraband. And it what other situation could I feel a greater sense of helplessness? I knew that I was doing nothing wrong but I had to be respectful and to take all of the harassment in stride. Stuck.

This is my same tactic for the current airport situation. By booking standby flights, I saved about $750 on the initial cost of my international flights not knowing — when it was booked four months ago — that the flights would be so full. Without a confirmed seat, I simply have to show up at the airport and wait as all of the other passengers claim the privilege of getting where they need to be. If, when everyone else has boarded, there happens to be a seat for me, I'm on. But after going through these motions on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I'm still in Bangkok. I'm doing everything possible but a seat is a seat and there are only so many of them to go around. So, I'm stuck. It's identical to the situation with the police officers. I have to be polite and patient as I watch the unfortunate situation unfold before my eyes. I will do my best to make things happen the way that I'd like but I ultimately have no control of where the wind will take me.

In attempt to find an economical route from Bangkok to my hotel, I decided to get comfortable with the Bangkok bus system … or at least attempt to do so. After waiting for over an hour for the arrival of the #38 bus, I switched to Plan B and made it over to the subway where I bumped into the desk attendant from the Bikram studio. He promised to accompany me to the next bus stop where I'd find an alternative route to the hotel. Just as before … busses were coming quite frequently: the 136, the 96, the 545. But there was no sign of the bus for which I was looking. It was a blessing to run into Jit on the train and I'm so fortunate to have had him there to keep me company while I waited. So Jit got me into a taxi and helped explain to the driver where I needed to go. Right off the bat, I realized that the driver was going in the opposite direction of my final destination. I just assumed that he was setting up course for a more efficient route. But after about twenty minutes of this we ended up even further from the hotel than where I had initially started at that original bus station. So my attempt to save money has now landed me in a worse situation than when I had started. I'll end up spending more than if I had just taken the Airport Link straight to the airport. I refused to pay that driver any more than the cost of the toll that we crossed. I explained the situation to a motorcycle taxi driver and he managed to get me on my way to the airport. (By the way, the poor condition of the Bangkok streets give an entirely new meaning to "…bounce like a motorcycle ride.") This drive has the best of intentions but about thirty minutes pass before I realize that he thought that I wanted him to take me to the Airport Link train which would take me the rest of the way to the airport. He misunderstood. And now it's fruitless because it's too late at night to catch the train. I was finally able to waive down the THIRD taxi driver and seem to successfully explain to him where I need to be. But almost three more hours in the back of this taxi pass (as the driver gets lost amid the confusing limited access roads surrounding the airport,) before we finally make it to the hotel. At this point, the 45 minutes commute has taken me four hours. And these are precious hours that I was planning to use to lie down for a bit before spending another few hours at the airport waiting to see if I'm lucky enough to have scored a seat on the flight from Bangkok to Tokyo.

Inflated hotel rates, missed Bikram classes, questionably-intentioned police officers, unconfirmed plane tickets, roundabout public transportation … these are all components of my trip which are costing me. But he incredible display of fresh orchids at the airport, heart-shaped fried eggs, an afternoon of peaceful relaxation by the pool, a few delicious meals, a piping hot bubble bath with a candle and a glass of wine, coconut ice cream … these are all of the moments of ecstasy which help to keep me going. I'm just doing the best that I can and trying to find some beauty in each of these situations as they come. I'll often find a beautiful frangipani flower juxtaposed among the sweltering corrugated steel and garbage and squallar of the ghetto.