Day 092 of Our Winter: We didn't fancy a 12-hour overnight train nor an equally long ride on a bus. So we flew to Chiang Mai and today we returned to BKK the same way.
Doing the trip in around an hour sounds like magic. However, the truth of flying is different because one needs to get to and from the airport and spend lots of time checking in and going through security. We took the low-cost carrier and didn't spring for the extra seat charges. So, their computers ensured that the gang didn't have a chance to sit close by. I'll be darned if I can be blackmailed to convenient seating just so the airline can sell 'normal' space for optionally inflated prices.
Air Asia flights into BKK encounter the Bangkok afternoon system crunches. We would have made it earlier than the estimated 4:00 pm arrival, except the airport was too full to take us on. Our plane had to do several large loops to stall our arrival time. We landed only 15 minutes late.
Even though I'm complaining, it was a whole lot easier to fly than going those 700 km either by bus or train.
On the Bangkok end, we got a pubic SUV taxi to get us and our luggage back to the Ramada D'Ma. We were here for three days when we arrived in Thailand. Our eight nights in Pattaya and Chiang Mai are finished now, so we're back until we fly back to Colombo. We will do that on February 6th.
Tonight we went back to the Manel Lanka restaurant as it's right in the neighbhourhood. We are quite tired considering we spent the majority of the day sitting.