We're somewhere in this crowd.
Delayed in Bankok.
This is a long story, but I’ll try to make it short. We were suppose to leave Bangkok on the evening of the 28th, but because of the protest at the airport which started on the 26th, we could only leave on the 2nd of December. We soon realized the airport will not open soon, and decided to follow the instructions on the Thai goverment website. On Sunday morning we went to the first location where foreigners could sign up, just to be told to go to Thai Airways. When we got there, we were number 558. We never reached the front of the line on that day. Monday morning early out of bed, and ready for another long line, we were number 10 (we were very proud of ourselves). We did get to the front, and walked out with a ticket from Thai Air to Seoul on the 3rd of December in the evening. From there, we were on our own, which means we had to buy an extra ticket to get us to South Africa. The next morning, the 2nd, we decided to try again, maybe we can get a ticket closer to home. We were number 14 this time. By nine o’clock, we had a new air ticket to Hong Kong. We rushed back to the guesthouse, packed the last stuff, while Pieter had to make bookings for us with Cathay Pacific to Johannesburg. By ten we arrived at the hotel in Bangkok where all passengers had to check in, and soon after that we were on one of the many busses on our way to U-Tapao, a military base 2 hours away from Bangkok. And then came the chaos. No one knew where to go, the intercom system did not work, announcements were made on A4 papers. We were standing outside in the sun for almost two hours, it was hot!!! Another four hours inside, with no space to move. The lines got wider and wider, more people were let in, but not many people were getting out to the planes waiting. By that time we were so thirsty, but the stress of getting on the plane made us forget about all other things. We were suppose to leave at four o’clock, we only left at six. We worried about being late for our flight the same night from Hong Kong to Johannesburg. We were so grateful when the plane finally started moving. In Hong Kong we had very little time, and we first had to go through immigration and customs (to get our bags), and then back through check-in, immigration. In between there, we ran into Diners Club lounge, jumped in the showers, and ran to the next boarding gate. We were the last ones to board. We arrived in SA the following morning at six o’clock. We were so glad to see Anri and Sonja.
This is a long story, but I’ll try to make it short. We were suppose to leave Bangkok on the evening of the 28th, but because of the protest at the airport which started on the 26th, we could only leave on the 2nd of December. We soon realized the airport will not open soon, and decided to follow the instructions on the Thai goverment website. On Sunday morning we went to the first location where foreigners could sign up, just to be told to go to Thai Airways. When we got there, we were number 558. We never reached the front of the line on that day. Monday morning early out of bed, and ready for another long line, we were number 10 (we were very proud of ourselves). We did get to the front, and walked out with a ticket from Thai Air to Seoul on the 3rd of December in the evening. From there, we were on our own, which means we had to buy an extra ticket to get us to South Africa. The next morning, the 2nd, we decided to try again, maybe we can get a ticket closer to home. We were number 14 this time. By nine o’clock, we had a new air ticket to Hong Kong. We rushed back to the guesthouse, packed the last stuff, while Pieter had to make bookings for us with Cathay Pacific to Johannesburg. By ten we arrived at the hotel in Bangkok where all passengers had to check in, and soon after that we were on one of the many busses on our way to U-Tapao, a military base 2 hours away from Bangkok. And then came the chaos. No one knew where to go, the intercom system did not work, announcements were made on A4 papers. We were standing outside in the sun for almost two hours, it was hot!!! Another four hours inside, with no space to move. The lines got wider and wider, more people were let in, but not many people were getting out to the planes waiting. By that time we were so thirsty, but the stress of getting on the plane made us forget about all other things. We were suppose to leave at four o’clock, we only left at six. We worried about being late for our flight the same night from Hong Kong to Johannesburg. We were so grateful when the plane finally started moving. In Hong Kong we had very little time, and we first had to go through immigration and customs (to get our bags), and then back through check-in, immigration. In between there, we ran into Diners Club lounge, jumped in the showers, and ran to the next boarding gate. We were the last ones to board. We arrived in SA the following morning at six o’clock. We were so glad to see Anri and Sonja.
