The Longest Hour

We had a crazy exit from Thailand. We stayed at a beach resort about two hours south of the Bangkok airport. Our flight out was not until 7:30 PM, so we checked out of the resort, stored our bags and did a little more site seeing.

We went to a crocodile farm that was a lot of fun. We fed some crocs by dangling some meat on a string and a stick. It was a hoot. Their jaws would slam together with such force and make this large snapping sound. There were elephants, birds, tigers and many other animal attractions there as well. There was also a show with a guy doing all kinds of stupid stuff with the crocodiles. He was kissing them and putting his head in their mouths. Then he would tickle them with a stick and they would snap. I was wondering how often they have to replace this fella.

I had schedule a car to pick us up at the resort and take us to the airport. We got some heavy rain right before he came to get us. Since we had checked out, all of our dry clothes were packed in the luggage. On the way out of the beach town, the main road was flooded with about 16 inches of water. I thought, "Oh No, we are not going to make it to the airport." We managaed to get through it though. (I couldn't believe the cars, and even scooters, were driving through this.) Because of this, traffic was very slow and we made it to the airport just in time.

We went through all the baggage and passport checks, boarded the plane and settled in to the small plane seats with out damp clothes for the longest hour of our lives. We left Bankok at 7:45PM and arrived in Los Angelos an hour later at 8:45PM. Of course, the flight durations was actually sixteen hours long! I'm having trouble just getting my mind around the concept. The rest of my body is even further behind.

We had some issues with our international flight being rescheduled at the last minute. We tried valiantly to transfer in LA and come all the way home but couldn't make it happen. AirTran wanted over 600 dollars to get an earlier flight. So, we stuck with our original (Tuesday morning) flight, got a rental car, drove to San Diego and got a cheap hotel. Boy did that hot shower feel good after that long flight.

Today, we went down to the beaches, rented some bikes and road around. We had a good time and got to see another beautiful area of our country. But, we have been jet-lag challenged and we are all ready to get home. The boys just fell asleep and I am ready to do the same. We wake up tomorrow, drive back to LA airport and fly home. Ah, home sweet home! We have had an amazing trip but we are also very excited to get home.

I hope to blog about the trip at least once more when we get home and settle in. I am so grateful to be able to make this trip with my boys. There was a lot of bonding time with Sam and Dan and we experienced so many things. One of the main thoughts that I have taken from this is a greater appreciation for the blessings in my life. Of course, my family is at the top of that list. I can hardly wait until this time tomorrow when we are all united again. Goodnight.