A good flight Home.

The flight from Bangkok to Singapore was good. I watched a movie and had a light dinner. I think it was a Malaysian dish called Hokkien Mee. It was a noodle dish and was good, but I’ll be honest at this point I really was a piece of pizza.
I got off the plane in Singapore and when straight to the Lounge. It was packed. So I got a cup of jasmine tea, wandered around and left soon after.
I boarded again closer to midnight in Singapore and they fed us again. This meal was one I had trouble deciding on (during pre booking the meal). Was I going to want something true to the region one last time? Or would I be tired of it, and want to go with something more continental and simple?
So when I booked it, I went with a traditional Malaysian dish called Nasi Lamak. It was a spiced chicken thigh, coconut rice, sambal (which is really spicy, but very good) with cucumber hard boiled egg and some pickled veggies.
Well, at Midnight, on an already pretty full stomach, that was the wrong choice. I ate the chicken, cucumbers, some of the rice and tried the sambal. I did take a picture of the appetizer which was a crab salad on polenta, I think.
I had some peppermint tea afterward, and have found sitting up a bit gives me the best sleep. Sleeping completely flat on those seats, is hard, as I’m a side sleeper. And it hurts my hips. But if I sleep in it like a recliner, it is much more comfortable. And after that meal was better for me.
So that flight was a 14 hour flight. I good some really good sleep. And watched “Bullet Train” with Brad Pitt which was good.
They fed us breakfast and I had spiced buckwheat pancakes with a vanilla yogurt cream, pumpkin seeds and fruit. It was good, and I did get a picture of that.
We landed in Frankfurt and it was cold and rainy. I knew we had about an hour and 1/2 between flights some I wanted to beeline it to the lounge and get a proper cup of coffee and change into fresh underwear.
So as I was leaving the gate, they called me back. They were checking boarding passes and passports off all disembarking passengers. I’ve never seen this before. So when I slid between the little mobile check-in kiosk, and the partitions (there wasn’t anyone standing there asking for documents when I went by) a ticket agent hollered my way and go me back so they could check my documents. Then when they did, they pulled me for an extra security check. (1st time for this too). Was it because I seemed to skirt the ticketing agents? Was it because I had come from Thailand and that automatically raises a red flag in European countries? Was it also b/c I was traveling alone from SE Asia?
So they brought me into a small area, asked me to take all of my electronics out of there cases, wiped it with a small specific wipe and then put the wipe on a machine. I’m thinking they are looking for traces of explosives or drugs. They were nice and it was over in a few minutes. I realized it’s far easier staying on the right side of the law. It make me nervous and I knew I didn’t have anything on me.
So they finished with me, and I got to get my coffee. The lounge was quiet like it was the 1st time, but I didn’t shower.
I got back on the plane an hour later and this flight was 9 hrs. They fed us lunch 2hrs into the flight, and I watched “Everything Everywhere All at Once with Michelle Yeoh. It was great and I highly recommend it. I also sleep really well on this flight since I had figured out my optimum sleep configuration.
We disembarked at JFK this morning, and it’s cold here. My plan was to take out my Keenes and put my socks on with them and I’d be warmer. Well, I got my bags rechecked with Delta pretty quickly and totally forgot to change shoes. Which is fine, it isn’t snowing or anything. But I knew I was going to have to go outside at some point to get to my terminal. (I did in the 1st time through here). And it’s funny. I think when it falls below 55 degrees New Yorkers put on their long black puffy coat and wear it until Spring. So there we are them in their puffy parkas and me in my flip flops. I has to walk outside from terminal 1 to terminal 2. And at one point , I stopped being so judgy and wished I had changed shoes and had a long puffy parka. 🤦‍♀️I forget when the wind kicks up here it’s a real bitch.
So I’m sitting here waiting for my flight to Jax. The airports are all so different, the people working in the airports are all so different. The people-watching on this trip has been a real highlight.
I’m ready to come home. Lol, dare I say I’m ready to go back to work. It will be interesting to see how I process this whole trip and what I have learned. I really like the way the Thai people behave. They are polite, friendly and don’t seem overall like a lot of drama. I liked the way I saw them interact with the public (the ones I interacted with). They certainly were not pushovers but could say No without getting ugly, rude or loud. Malaysians were a little harder to read, but the women were very kind and watched out for each other (and me).
Thank you for coming along with me on this journey. It was great having family and friends read my daily updates and I loved the reactions. I’m glad I did this journal and will get to read it for years to come. This app will also create a book of your trip. That will be next on the list.
I’m really looking forward to seeing Mom, Cookie and Frank (and the outside kitties). Thank you for coming on this trip of a lifetime with me. ❤️Read more