My airport shuttle didn't show up at 3 p.m. yesterday in Bangkok.
Fortunately, the travel agent was aware of it and at five past three, she was on the phone with the shuttle, demanding to know why they hadn't arrived yet.
The shuttle had been cancelled as no one else had booked. They'd just forgotten to tell her.
I was lucky—there was a meter taxi looking for a fare right outside the travel agent's office. He zipped me over to Phayathai Skytrain station where I jumped on the airport train, making it to Bangkok's airport in no time.
The Thai Airways flight was amazing for an economy flight. I kept thinking they'd bumped me up to Business Class—that's how much leg room I had.
Unfortunately, due to a blip in the Star Alliance round-the-world ticket, I had to fly to Sydney and then take Virgin Blue (which is red, due to a blip in Australian culture) back to Perth, which isn't really all that far from Bangkok. But there was nothing the alliance could do get me from Perth to Sydney, so I would have had to fly back to Asia then back to Australia to get from Perth to Sydney.
So I bought my own Sydney-Perth-Tasmania-Sydney tickets and am just using Sydney as my Star Alliance gateway Australia base.
Meanwhile, Roberta went and checked out my aparment. My last tenant had just vacated and thank goodness, it was fine. Does anyone remember the time it was NOT fine? My new tenant is a friend and it's a relief to just not have to think about my apartment back home.
I got to Sydney early this morning, jetlagged from (not) sleeping on the plane, spend hours in the airport, flew four hours back to Perth, and caught the shuttle to the cheapest private room I could find in Perth.
Australia is giving me sticker-shock. Serious sticker-shock. How serious?
Here is what $70 a night gets you in Perth. (Shared bathroom, no towel koalas.)
And here is what $35 a night gets you in Bangkok. Crikey, this is going to take some recalibrating of standards.
Fortunately, the travel agent was aware of it and at five past three, she was on the phone with the shuttle, demanding to know why they hadn't arrived yet.
The shuttle had been cancelled as no one else had booked. They'd just forgotten to tell her.
I was lucky—there was a meter taxi looking for a fare right outside the travel agent's office. He zipped me over to Phayathai Skytrain station where I jumped on the airport train, making it to Bangkok's airport in no time.
The Thai Airways flight was amazing for an economy flight. I kept thinking they'd bumped me up to Business Class—that's how much leg room I had.
Unfortunately, due to a blip in the Star Alliance round-the-world ticket, I had to fly to Sydney and then take Virgin Blue (which is red, due to a blip in Australian culture) back to Perth, which isn't really all that far from Bangkok. But there was nothing the alliance could do get me from Perth to Sydney, so I would have had to fly back to Asia then back to Australia to get from Perth to Sydney.
So I bought my own Sydney-Perth-Tasmania-Sydney tickets and am just using Sydney as my Star Alliance gateway Australia base.
Meanwhile, Roberta went and checked out my aparment. My last tenant had just vacated and thank goodness, it was fine. Does anyone remember the time it was NOT fine? My new tenant is a friend and it's a relief to just not have to think about my apartment back home.
I got to Sydney early this morning, jetlagged from (not) sleeping on the plane, spend hours in the airport, flew four hours back to Perth, and caught the shuttle to the cheapest private room I could find in Perth.
Australia is giving me sticker-shock. Serious sticker-shock. How serious?
Here is what $70 a night gets you in Perth. (Shared bathroom, no towel koalas.)
And here is what $35 a night gets you in Bangkok. Crikey, this is going to take some recalibrating of standards.
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