My first international trip since I went to Swaziland in 2005 according to my passport. That really is a long time between trips!
I've caught an 08h40 flight to Johannesburg this Saturday morning, thereafter a 13h35 flight from Johannesburg to Bangkok. I will be spending a total of 13 hours in transit on this leg of the journey. I'll be incommunicado for the better part of 2,5 days before I get to Dili. That's a lot of time for someone like me not to be connected. I have lots to read, and time to think. It's very rare that one gets to sit in one spot for such a long time in the hurly-burly of everyday life.
About to take off for Bangkok, and I've ended up with a whole row of seats to myself. This trip is starting on the right footing, holding much promise. There's the rumble of the powerful jet turbines as we taxi out over the runway, a brief shudder as the bird settles down into its heading to and over the Indian Ocean. The City of Gold drops below and behind us, the Golden Reclining Buddha beckons us in Bangkok. Landing gear retracted and everything smoothens out.
The sing-song voice of the purser comes on over the PA system, reminding me of my first international flight many years ago, also to Bangkok... Now I think I'm a little more seasoned as a traveller, yet each new trip still fills me with a sense of anticipation and wonder at what lies at the other end, what new experiences lie in wait for me, how I'll be touched...
Not sure what awaits me in East Timor. A presidential election last week, marred by some violence and some news of faulty counting and corruption with both the British and Australian governments issuing travel advisories to their citizens to either avoid East Timor or to get out. We'll see when we get there.
It'll also be great to work with Undine again - she's been in Cologne for nearly a year. She's a great colleague and we work well together...
It's 20h15 Cape Town time (I've not adjusted my watch yet). We're flying past the southern tip of india already. Pretty soon way down below we'll be slipping past the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka... I should get some sleep; all around me are the soft soporific noises of people flying off into their own dreamlands. But it's not quite bed-time for me although the curtains are drawn and it's quiet. My head is buzzing though, a maelstrom of thoughts and feelings... I've opened my journal again -to let them out, onto paper
I've reread the Book the 4 Agreements, and have decided to recommit myself to making them part of my life:
- I will be impeccable with my word - speaking only from a position of love
- I will take nothing personally - I will not make how I feel subject to what others say or do
- I will make no assumptions - about others or myself and seek clarity before acting;
- I will always do my best - This means that I will live my life intensely and take action because I love it.
Landing at Bangkok airport at 05h00 local time, the captain warned us that it was overcast and 28 degrees. But inside the airconditioned haven of the airport halls (endless halls!!) this was hard to believe. Until I took the short walk to the bus! As the doors of the building opened, the heat hits one like a physical force... Sawasdee, welcome to Bangkok.
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