As I write this post it's 5:30 am with two jetlagged kids playing next to me. I woke up at 3 am, Jad at 4 am, and Sora was up shortly afterwards.. I suppose that's just the reality of international travel with kids. Planning for this trip started months ago with the fluid situation of the COVID pandemic complicating matters and making entry requirements a moving target. We had gotten PCR tests 72 hours in advance of our fight, only to discover upon arrival in Thailand that that requirement was dropped at the end of March.
David graciously dropped us off at the airport on Tuesday morning and we spent the hours before our flight enjoying our first airport lounge experience. I felt conspicuous with 3 noisy kids in tow as we entered the hush of the rooms with seated travelers enjoying complimentary food and drink. Noobs that we were, we had to take pictures of everything, but it was nice bit of indulgence to start off that long day.
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| Ready to embark! |
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| Mimosa and beer to kick things off |
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| Kids were fascinated by the travelator |
The flight from SFO to Tokyo went off without a hitch. Before this trip, Kai and Sora had said that they missed flying (we haven't flown since February 2020), but I knew what that really meant was that they missed the in-seat entertainment. :P As expected, the kids spent a lot of time watching movies and reading their Kindles, but they were surprisingly disciplined with their devices and even got a short nap in.
After a brief connection in Tokyo, the flight from Tokyo to Bangkok was a bit more touch and go. Our seats were split and poor Nik was left to parent 3 kids on his own, while I was stuck a row behind in a middle seat, unable to help. Jad hit a wall of exhaustion and rested fitfully, waking up at intervals and crying. Fortunately the these moments were not too long, but it always feels like forever when you're stuck in a small space with strangers and an inconsolable child.
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| Putting Kai to work |
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| Good job, Nik! |
We arrived in Thailand a little bit before midnight, though by the time we exited the airport it was already 1 am. We were duly impressed by the party bus that the hotel sent to pick us up.. with the lack of tourists, folks gotta diversify to make ends meet. First stop on the agenda was COVID swabs for everyone, and then it was off to the our hotel.
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| Party! |
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| Waiting to get swabbed |
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| We made it! |
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| The kids passed out almost instantaneously. It was a long day |
A short quarantine later (results were back by 10 am), we were free to wander the streets of Bangkok. With 100 degree heat and 80% humidity, all that's left to do is go to the mall. Fortunately, there's plenty of them by our hotel and we wandered from SIAM DISCOVERY to the MBK Center and then on to Bangkok Art & Culture Centre.
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| The hotel provided breakfast while we awaited our test results |
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| Photo comedy.. Nik's still got it! |
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| When it's hot out, you need lots of cold treats |
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| Lunch at the MBK Center food court |
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| ♫ Don don don don don-ki.. ♫ |
After decompressing back at our room, Nik and the kids went on a sunset swim at our hotel's pool.
We decided to rally and attempt to go out to a restaurant only to find that the restaurant we wanted to go to was closed. We ended up a random place across the street and Jad (who had been extremely whiny) promptly fell asleep on the restaurant's bench seating.
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| Jet lag hit Jad hard |
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