I’m back! I had a little over a week away in Chiang Mai, attending a workshop and having a bit of a holiday. Before my trip, I was very worried about my lack of Thai and how I would manage to get around town but I managed just fine. Everyone was very friendly and really did their best to help out if you’re having a problem. I saw more temples than you can shake a stick at and more dogs at those temples than I expected. And needless to say, I ate lots of Thai food! Of course, I’ve got to start my travel posts with the inflight meals that I ate; well, more like picked at.
The first leg of my journey was an overnight Qantas flight from London to Bangkok - about a 12 hour flight. Supper for me was pork medallions with a mustard sauce and sauerkraut. Not too bad. Not great either; hey, it’s airplane food. The highlight of the meal was the Bundaberg ginger beer that I got to taste - pleasantly gingery without the raw ginger taste.
In the morning, breakfast was served. I chose not to have either the muesli or the omelette that was on offer, opting only for the tray with fruit and juice. The fruit wasn’t very ripe and juice that comes in those funny little tubs always tastes strange. So, not much to report.
The second leg of the journey was Bangkok to Chiang Mai on Thai Airways. My transit at Suvarnabhumi Airport was an absolute nightmare as I was getting conflicting information about whether to go through immigration, which desk to go to, where to go. In the end, I had to sprint to make the check-in for my flight before it closed. The only good thing that came out of that horrific connection was that I met Katherine, who was going to the same workshop that I was attending. Hello, Katherine!
On the 1 hour 10 minute flight, we were served snack boxes with a mystery meat sausage roll and some juice drink. After my bit of exercise at the airport, I was ravenous and scoffed it all.
Luckily, we made it to Chiang Mai in one piece, checked in to our hotel and then went out for a first bite in Chiang Mai…
(I want to thank Boots in the Oven for their very helpful tips for my trip - thanks so much, Rachel!)
Sun, 30 Mar, 2008 at 18:24
>>an overnight Qantas flight from London to Bangkok -<<
QF1, was it?
We used the same service back in November, and had pretty well the same as you had … I suspect the omelette was made from dried eggs, though.
But, isn’t the ‘journey planner’ on the menu a thoughtful touch?
Mon, 31 Mar, 2008 at 18:23
LOL, I love chiang mai, such great food! I also took pictures of the in flight food on our trip from SFO to BKK… I think I had that same pastry with mystery meat.
Tue, 1 Apr, 2008 at 21:28
travelrat: I think it was QF2 going out and QF1 coming back. I think. Too lazy to check! I tried the omelette on the way back and it was nasty - sitting in a pool of water. The journey planner is a cute thought though, but I slept through most of the flight, ruining all those nicely laid out plans!
foodhoe: It must be the usual snack on the afternoon flights!
Thu, 3 Apr, 2008 at 22:35
Aw, thanks so much for the mention! That breakfast roll looks hilarious, all lonely in its little box.
Isn’t it amazing how friendly the Thai people are? I’m so glad you had a wonderful time, and I can’t wait to hear more! No pressure.
Sat, 5 Apr, 2008 at 22:25
Rachel: No, thank YOU for your wonderfully informative emails! The Thai people were all so nice and were extra interested in us since we hailed from the UK, where many of them have relatives. Actually, since two people (one of them the chief of police!) recommended one particular tailor, we all ended up to tailored suits!