Just keep moving..

The day was here. Time to go. Seemed like such a long time of planning and a little surreal that we would actually ever do it.

Emotions were running high , what had we forgotten to pack , are we ready ? All the ‘what if’s’ our minds can imagine. Too late , too bad we were going.

We said our goodbyes to our eldest and to the puppies ( this was the hardest part of the trip ). Beforehand , we had sat down and went over list after list of instructions for the man child as to how to look after our newly built house. How to turn on the house alarm , what constitutes a ‘party’ , which plants to keep alive , how to clean a bathroom, what’s in the freezer to eat , the lists went on.

Assured we had confused him to the max , he drove us to the airport. A few suitcases had to be tied to the roof rack as we had 7 checked bags and 6 carry ons! Morgans on the move.

At the airport we encountered the youngest and newest member of staff that China Airlines could legally employ. She was very sweet but a little slow to check us in. We were the last people in the whole airport to go through security ( it’s a smaller regional airport)

For those interested, the airplane was China Airlines. They fly daily from Ontario , California to Taiwan and that serves as a hub for south east Asia and farther. Prices are very good and they allow 2 large checked bags free ( hence the suitcases filled to the max and car roof mounted)

The flight to Taiwan was 13 1/2 hours and each seat had plenty of legroom and a personal entertainment screen with a decent array of movies , tv shows and games. It was definitely aimed towards the Chinese population but I didn’t expect otherwise. Power ports and usb charging at every seat. Complimentary ear buds and slippers given out even in our cattle class seats. Staff were attentive and VERY pleasant. The cabin mood lighting was soothing as was the gentle piped in music as you used the lavatory.

The kids were fantastic. They slept and behaved , no major mishaps , spilled drinks or tantrums. We dressed them in pajamas to fly because it was after midnight when we took off. The meals were okay but just a heads up , ovo vegetarian option is a variation of tasteless noodles and tofu for all meals and the coffee is horrible ( I know coffee).

Taiwan was a quick 90 minutes in transit. I grabbed an Illy coffee ( delicious coffee) and it was heaven. They accepted my US $5 bill and gave me pretty coins in change for our collection. Our smallest one couldn’t understand fully why one plane ride wasn’t enough.

3 1/2 hours later we landed ( a little bumpy) in Bangkok airport , we walked briskly towards immigration with a herd of approximately 1000 people. As we stood in a line which looked like it was never ending, an immigration officer motioned to us to follow them , oh no what had we done to single ourselves out? She pointed towards the children and said ‘you have kids, come this way’. We followed obediently and she walked us over, away from the crowds, to a separate area with a sign that said VIP / diplomats ! We looked at her as if to say ‘you know we are The Morgans , right?’ And she smiled and pointed. We walked straight up to the passport control officer and handed over our 5 passports , a little anxious that our newly procured visas might be rejected for unknown reasons. Nope , she smiled , we smiled , she stamped them and we passed through.

This is the best part : ALL SEVEN OF OUR SUITCASES ARRIVED !! ( we have a long history of airlines losing our luggage).

Opa /Andy / Dad was at the airport to meet us ( I need to get his and Naphat’s permission to publish photos of them) and greeted each of us with fragrant mini Thai flower garlands , icy cold washcloths and a huge hug. We are so happy to be in Thailand.

The large minivan we rented took 4 hours to get from the airport to Khao Takieb , 229 km from the airport, stopping at KFC , of all places , for a bite to eat.

Naphat was waiting at the house and what a welcome we received !

She is a devout Buddhist and said a serene and beautiful prayer/ chant for us in her prayer room and in the yard at the spirit house. She had also tied the mango tree with colorful tulle. Best and sweetest of all , she had stretched a ribbon across the driveway in front of the house and we had a ribbon cutting !! Thank you to our most generous of hosts.

Two kids went into the pool on arrival , the other crashed straight to bed. We all ended up in bed by 7pm.

It’s 2:30 am and I’m up writing this because of JetLag. I’ve had a few coffees , rearranged the kitchen and got Netflix working on the tv.

It’s definitely been a long road to get here both literally and figuratively but so very worth it.

I’m sure by 3pm I’ll be sparkled on a pool chair, not a bad life.

Seven months in Siam has begun.

~Arlene