Wowee, we've had more stumbling blocks today than any other day so far on this trip.
{Click here to see my recent blogs about this current trip to Asia.}
For me, it started with waking up at 00:22 (just after midnight) and tossing and turning for an hour or more with an upset tummy.
I tend to be less resilient when I haven't slept well.
Then, after falling back asleep I woke to Brad's unfamiliar alarm clock at 4:59am; we had to get ready to leave for the airport before sunrise.
Did I mention I get cranky when I don't get to enter my day slowly and wake with the sun?
I have to remember that I am on an international holiday. I have to remember that I chose to travel. Heck, I chose this flight because it was the best of the options on offer. I have to remember just how damn wealthy we are that we can even afford to not work for a few weeks and galavant around South East Asia.
But that doesn't negate the fact that I felt like crap, trying to pack and wake up sufficiently to enter a very public space called an airport, all before sunrise.
I did, of course, because now I write to you from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at 21:01 as we wait for our clothes to finish in the dryer so we have something clean (and dry) to wear to parkrun tomorrow.
This was supposed to be a post about our discouraging day. And it's true, there was, at times, a distinct lack of flow.
It took ages to clear immigration upon arrival here.
The taxi's air-conditioning was broken and, despite paying top dollar for a direct ride to our accommodation, it was probably the worst taxi ride I've had in my entire life. It was like being in a sauna I couldn't escape from, for a solid 40 minutes. Fcking awful.
And with many small annoyances along the way, too many to list, we hit the most challenging one that took us hours to resolve and we still don't know if it's fixed: trying to organise a taxi to get to the only parkrun in Malaysia tomorrow morning.
Fingers crossed it works tomorrow; the only reason we're in Malaysia at all is for this freakin' event tomorrow morning. 🤦♀️
But, as tired as I am, as over it as I am, it would be remiss of me to say the whole day was a write off. It wasn't.
The taxi driver who took us to Chiang Mai airport this morning was early, drove safely and had a comfortable, air conditioned car.
Our flight went smoothly.
We were sitting next to a guy from Australia, a little older than Brad, and we three got along great, chatting for most of the three hour flight.
The guy who served me as I cleared immigration, instead of being a power-hungry asshole (as they often can be) was totally lovely.
We managed to get lunch at the airport and dinner at the shopping centre near our hotel and both meals were surprisingly cheap.
For some reason, the shopping centre seems to be full of parents with babies and toddlers, so I have been able to people-watch (and grin at gorgeous small humans) several times this afternoon and tonight as we tried to solve solved one issue after another.
Our hotel apartment is spacious, clean and lovely. And the staff have been polite and helpful.
May we sleep well tonight and may flow be restored tomorrow.
Come on Malaysia, show us how awesome you truly are.
