Regretfully left the lovely palace apartment in Bangkok around 8 pm to ensure I would be at the airport at least 3 hours before my flight at midnight. Traffic in Bangkok is so unpredictable you have to factor in wait times anywhere you go. As luck would have it, no traffic and a rocket fueled taxi: I arrived at the airport in a short 30 minutes leaving me over three extra hours to add to my already 45 hour trip home!!!! I guess if you have to wait in an airport, Bkk airport is one of the ones I would chose. First, it is stunningly beautiful. The architecture is incredible and everything is new. Most of all are the travelers. It is a hub for the Asian world so you see lots of Saudis and Arabs in their best dahabs and glitter, many eastern Europeans criss crossing through, people of all Asian descents going everywhere on connecting flights, and then all those sex tourists saying goodbye to heir long term and short term rentals. Two Brits I met in Pattaya at the bus station shared with me their experience when I asked them why they were at the station alone. Where were their rentals? They told me that years of experience had taught them never to bring a rental to a bus station or airport or you would not even have money for a drink on the plane or the station bar. The girls would either tell you such sad stories to clean you out of any cash you might be left with, or just help themselves to your pockets - either way they had left broke too often.

From the looks of the airport there were many learning the lessons. Whole families accompanied the rentals to the airport to have the tear filled goodbyes. Some had obviously been before as they left their girlfriends and their young children behind probably to return to their wives and their older children back in Britain or Canada or Russia. Lots to see.  Except by the time I got on the plane at midnight I was already tired from an already long day as well as a long last week in Bangkok.

My inability to sleep on planes or buses is truly a detriment. At least I am not puking but I do envy those who get on and are asleep before takeoff. The one thing about not sleeping is that occasionally, if you have a clear night, you get to see some cool things. This night was amazing. I think the nicest views I have ever seen, at night, from an airplane. It was clear with a half moon and we flew at 37000 feet, first over Vietnam and then over China. I could see each city below and the density of the cities and towns and the strings of lights was really beautiful. I was able to check the map on the computer on the seat back and follow the flight plan and remember many of the Vietnamese cities and the Chinese landscape and that was really special. As we started over the ocean, it remained crystal clear and you could see the uninhabited islands and the craggy rocks jutting out of the sea and imagine how it must be for those who do the around the world voyages by sailboat or ship. From the air it is possible to capture the interconnectedness of the globe and how big, yet small it really is. I can only imagine that it is these nights that pilots really appreciate their chosen profession. Then the woman, who had had the window seat on takeoff and who had relocated, decided to return, in the middle of the night to reclaim it.  I relinquished it, but did manage to give her the 3am Hairy Eyeball - are you kidding me??? look as I had to slump back to my aisle seat. I was glad to have seen what I had though and she had a crappy sleep anyway.

Arrived In Seoul, tired and feeling like s*** around 7:30 am. Got off the plane, ditched my day pack and figured out how to find the train into the city as I had 11 hours to kill before flying out at 6:30 pm. Found the train station, took the train into Seoul which took about 1.5 hours and emerged from the underground (after a few transfers), to a cold and dreary Sunday in the middle of Seoul. It felt so cold to me since I had come from sweltering heat. So, out came the trusty down jacket that had been my great friend for four months - both as a vessel of warmth in China and Vietnam but also as a fabulous pillow everyday of the trip. I found a hop on - hop off type of bus and decided on that as I had such a short time and it was so cold and I was feeling pretty miserable and tired. I really wished I had chosen to come back home through Japan instead of Korea.....next time.
The hop on - hop off bus Seoul style has much to be desired and is in dire need of updating.   Rather surprising as the last time (long, long time ago) I was in Seoul, it was pretty metropolitan. Seems like those other Asian tigers - especially Malaysia and Singapore, have roared past poor Korea. The streets were drab and I was glad it was Sunday so the traffic was light. Koreans are unique all to themselves. Even 25 years ago they all wore face masks but now, with the swine flu, they wear bizarro custom masks. I should note that I was one of the few on any of the flights I was on without a mask. Asians, everywhere, love surgical masks. They even have designer ones!!!!
In Seoul, image is everything so men, even on Sundays are in three piece suits and ties and the women are in Leisure suits with matching face shields and masks. And gloves. They are obsessed with staying white and not allowing sunshine to reach their skin. Everyone was out walking for exercises in fancy leisure suits, track suits, gortex, etc with every accessory on known to man. Love gadgets.
Because it was cold and drab and brown it looked cold and drab and brown. Not like where I had been. I was on my way back. Cruised around unimpressed and took the train back to the airport and got back onto the plane filled with masked non surgeons for another 11 hours. Yikes I wished I could sleep. Watched a couple of movies - The Reader and Revolutionary Road - loved them both, and ate and ate, anything coming by because I was so bored and tired. Just wanted this part of the journey to be over.