So were were looking forward to a brief 10 day holiday in Thailand before heading back to Cambodia for another three years. It could have been a week or two longer if we left Australia earlier but there was no way we were missing our first Christmas on Aussie soil for seven years.
After flying through Sydney to Bangkok, the plan was to catch a pre-arranged taxi / minivan from the airport to the Juniper Tree in Chiang Mai. This would save us hours of waiting at the airport in the middle of the night for another flight and we could sleep through half the trip until the sun rose.
Imagine our surprise when we awoke at dawn at the beach in Southern Thailand. The taxi driver had taken us to the wrong Juniper Tree hours in the opposite direction. The children were delighted to run, collect shells and build sandcastles while we problem solved. Fortunately, there was a room available for the night and we were able to rest up for a long taxi ride the following day.
The taxi company owner himself arrived before dawn in his own car. It was a sedan, not the mini-van we were expecting. After more discussion, we decided to take it anyway... hoping it would be faster at least.
Thirteen hours. Cramped in a Toyota Camry with one Thai driver and his Khmer magic markings, two weary parents, three active kids, four suitcases (we fortunately lost one in Sydney), five pieces of hand luggage and numerous fuel stops at places like Tankomart, we arrived in Chaing Mai with New Years crackers firing.
We were greeted by our lost luggage and a plate of sandwiches, relieved that the trip and 2010 was over. We survived both remarkably well and even enjoyed parts. Thank God.
Maybe there is a sermon illustration or some sage advice for travelling parents amongst this, but first I just need to rest a while under the Juniper Tree.
No comments:
Post a Comment