Now that we're settled and have a few minutes to breathe, here's how we made it to Chiang Mai, Thailand.
It all started on Saturday…
Saturday, Feb. 18th.
- 8:30am – Start packing, get distracted, keep packing, repeat the cycle.
- 10:30am – Finish packing. Celebrate being organized and clean.
- 11:30am – Eat lunch – our last chapatti with eggs. Walk to the corner for bananas.
- 12:15pm – Team prayer
- 12:27pm – 1st taxi bails on us because someone else paid more. 2nd taxi arrives with mechanical problems. Pastor turns it away because he's fearful we won't make it to the airport.
- 12:35pm – team photo shoot w/ Joseph as a photographer. Stylin' our nice new Christ Ambassadors t-shirts!
- 1:20pm – Rain starts. Dig in bottom of my big pack for rain jacket that I haven't used all month. Pack up 3rd taxi and leave.
- 3:46pm – Arrive at airport. Get yelled at by the security guard because we have no tickets, itinerary or official papers of any kind. "But we're with a group…" Sometimes it would be great to have more info, World Race. We are banished to the other side of security with a gross smell and small gift shops.
- 4:25pm – I spend the last of my Ugandan shillings on 2 postcards, a pair of earrings, a mini pizza (with carrots?) and a Coke.
- 5:36pm – Through security.
- 5:55pm – Buy tacky tourist hat for $8. Each of my team is getting tan hats with a different country's flag. Yep, we're nerds 🙂
- 6:15pm – drink water, eat an apple and salvage part of my smashed banana.
- 7:26pm – another security stop at the gate. No water allowed, so I dump out my Nalgene 🙁
- 8:15pm – wait for the shuttle to the plane. More rain, some lightning.
- 8:47pm – take off!
- 9:01pm – dinner/snack on board. Greasy but tasty chicken/hot pocket concoction.
- 9:35pm – Land in Nairobi, Kenya.
- 9:49pm – exit plane, head straight for our next gate.
- 10:08pm – chug a Sprite from Brandon who found extra Kenyan shillings from months before.
- 10:11pm – line up for security check at the gate.
- 10:57pm – seated and comfortable.
- 11:17pm – Stewardess comes through and sprays either air freshener or hand sanitizer at the overhead compartment. Many of us laugh and then choke when it gets in our mouth. Ha.
- 11:25pm – takeoff!
- 11:45pm – watch a movie because sleep probably won't happen yet.
Sunday, February 19th
- 12:09am – dinner: lamb and rice, roll, salad (w/ real veggies!), mango pudding for dessert (mine went across the aisle to Brandon, the mango king).
- 3:00am – sleep.
- 6:10am – Turbulence.
- 6:29am – My bladder overrules the "seatbelts fastened" sign. Bathroom trip.
- 6:39am – Spend time with Shawn McDonald and Needtobreathe on my iPod.
- 6:47am – breakfast: roll with strawberry jelly, mixed fruit yoghurt, "sausage" (aka hotdog) and a random quiche thing that I avoided.
- 8:18am – land in Bangkok. (Time changed to 12:18pm).
- 12:30pm – yellow fever card stamped, long line for customs.
- 1:30pm – baggage claim, waiting for others. Split a chapatti with Kelly (we smuggled one from home!)
- 2:15pm – leave airport.
- 2:30pm – meet our rides. Sweet taxi trucks with benches and no roof.
- 2:56pm – arrive at YWAM base.
- 3:00 -11:00pm – wander around Bangkok, find ATMs, 7-Elevens, street food, shop at the markets, watch a movie, read my Bible, nearly fall asleep at 8pm, shower, etc.
Monday, February 20th
- 10am – 12:30pm – Cultural briefing
- 2:05 – 2:30pm – Nap time!
- 2:32pm – packing
- 3:25pm – take a taxi to bus station.
- 4:16pm – arrive at bus station. Explore and wait.
- 4:48pm – sprite and Dunkin' Donuts. Couldn't help it, it's American.
- 6:08pm – KFC Zinger sandwich, fries and Pepsi.
- 7:20pm – Read some of "Mere Christianity" on my Nook.
- 9:17pm – load bus. A sweet double-decker.
- 9:48pm – bus leaves two minutes early! A great improvement from African time!
- 11:05pm – try to sleep, mind keeps going with a new blog idea. Realization that I'm a nerd.
- 11:39pm – another attempt at sleep.
Tuesday, Februrary 21st
- 12:00am – Bathroom stop and complimentary Pepsi.
- 12:30am – realize I'm hyped up and wide awake. Hang out with Russell Crowe in "Gladiator".
- 1:15am – Sleep.
- 6:38am – My neighbor gets off the bus and I spread out for more sleep. I realize my feet are huge and my toes look like sausages. Oh, travel days!
- 7:08am – get off the bus in Chiang Mai.
- 7:28am – arrive at our new home!
- 7:39am – test out our new beds where we will nap for a few hours before another lunch meeting and briefing.
So that's it! The life of a World Racer! Please pray for our teams as the women will be working with students at Chiang Mai University and in bar areas. Our men are farming goats in the south, so they could use your prayers too! Thanks for traveling with us 🙂
View of the lake at Chiang Mai University
