It was a tough morning to wake up early to pack and catch an 8:00AM shuttle back to Chiang Mai, especially after a very long and eventful prior day seeing Nam Lod Cave and Tipsy Tubing. I said my farewells then walked to town. I slept for most of the shuttle ride.
Back in Chiang Mai, I caught a cab to the Air BnB I stayed prior and met up with Joseph, Morgan, and Catherine. We played a game of Wingspan and ate some ordered-in lunch before I had to head to the airport. Although it was brief, I’m glad I was able to see them all again before continuing onward.
I flew from Chiang Mai to Don Mueang, one of the two main airports in Bangkok. Here, I had a connecting flight to Vietnam. Vietnam is the first country I’ve visited that required visa approval prior to arrival. I booked my flight 4 business days after I applied for my visa, as the visa typically takes 3 business days to be approved. Unfortunately, while in Pai, the passport photos on my visa application weren’t loaded properly, and I had to reapply for the visa which reset the timer. In Bangkok, I tried to check-in for the flight headed to Hanoi, but I wasn’t allowed to without an approved visa. Lessons were learned on traveling country entry requirements. My personal intention while traveling Pai was to balance planning with flexibility, adaptability, and going with the flow. I chose to see being “stuck” in Bangkok as an opportunity roll with the punches and figure it out.
Fortunately, I made friends with a girl living in Bangkok when I visited about a month prior. I called Namwann to let her know the situation, and she agreed to meet me later so I had someone to spend time with and figure out what I can do. I made my way back to Thong Lo, where I stayed in Bangkok previously, and I posted up at the Commons, which is basically an outdoors mini mall full of restaurants and bars. Coincidentally it’s also where we met for the first time. She met me there and we had a couple of drinks while she helped give me recommendations on how to work through my unplanned time in Bangkok. By the end of the evening, I was exhausted by the long travel day and lack of sleep from the night before, and I was called to bed.