The morning started with my new healthy travel routine of some core exercises, yoga, and seated meditation. I packed my bags, then left the hotel to run a quick errand. I bought some souvenir gifts for family and friends I needed to mail back to the United States. 30 minutes and $330USD later, my package was prepared and ready to ship. On the way back to the hotel, I grabbed some Nepali tea to taste for the last time (this trip) and a couple pastries to munch on.
I rode in a cab across Kathmandu’s chaotic and packed streets to the airport. There were long lines for the initial security screening just to get into the check in departures area. Eventually, I made my way through the airport and boarded the flight. I spent the next three and a half hours writing tales of the Nepalese adventures until we arrived in Bangkok.
For the third time since arriving in Asia in January, I touched down in Bangkok. It was about 6:00PM local time. When I made my way through immigration, I felt pretty cool using my known Thai greetings for “hello” and “thank you.” After grabbing my bag, I went to a restaurant to eat. I had 7 hours to kill until my next flight, a red eye to Osaka, Japan.
The first time I landed at this specific airport in Bangkok was on January 19th, with my friend Joseph. Memories of that arrival and time spent in Bangkok and the emotions that came with it enveloped me. For the first month of traveling, I had my friends Joseph and Morgan with me. Mid-February, I split off and began my solo traveling journey. For the first time since solo traveling, feelings of loneliness and missing my friends and family got the best of me. So I listened to my sad boy playlist and let myself get a little teary eyed sitting alone in the middle of a restaurant in the Bangkok airport. It felt relieving to let some of my emotions release physically in the form of tears. I sat in the feelings while reminding myself that it’s natural to miss family/friends and that the feelings are a response to the depth of love and appreciation I have for the people in my life. Even facing difficult, unpleasant, or uncomfortable feelings and emotions, I still try to find the silver lining.
One Thai meal and mango sticky rice dessert later, I felt better. I stayed posted up in my booth for the next three hours, writing and blogging. Around 10:30PM, I went to the check in counter for my flight to Japan, where there was a ludicrous lengthy line. I made friends with the Thai family next to me in line, talking about Japan’s cherry blossoms and Hanuman, the focal point of my Sak Yant tattoo I received by the monk in Chiang Mai back in February. Eventually, I was able to check in, made my way through security, arrived at my gate, and boarded the flight. It was around 2:00AM when we took off, bound for Osaka, Japan on a 5 hour flight.