Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands

Yesterday felt as if Tim and I closed our eyes, held hands and took a running leap off a great cliff.  But after a twenty-two hour drop, we soft-landed in a bed of Thai smiles and ocean breezes, and it seemed as if everything would be okay in the end.

My heart was aching as we drove away from home and family.  I had flashbacks of leaving Tim at preschool in Texas for the first time when he was just two years old - same hot tears, same questioning of my decisions (this was the norm in my Texas neighborhood back in the 80's - two mornings a week at a Christian church - the 21st century me would probably not go for it).

After a quick run through the car wash, we turned in both cars (in my mind a symbolic loss of my independence), and jumped into a taxi to the airport.  Once we were checked in and waiting for the flight, I was able to start feeling excited again for the adventure that awaited us.

 I watched "The Trip to Italy" on the flight, and Coogan and Brydon kept me laughing all the way (ho,ho,ho).  Had a short layover in Narita, Japan where I got to try out some of the interesting lavatory options available:

That's right - you can enjoy a spray and a squirt whilst enjoying the sound of a flushing toilet!  When I saw this, it became clear to me why there was such a long wait before anyone exited a stall.

On to Bangkok, the second flight was an assault on what was left of my circadian rhythm - lights out for departure, then just as everyone drops off, the lights come on and food is delivered.  Then, once they've fed everyone and we're all awake, the lights go off again.  Finally drifting off, we are again startled awake by bright lights.  A quick visit to the immigration counter, a dance through customs, and we were on our way...to a taxi ride of more than an hour to the hotel in Pattaya.  

As we neared the city, we noticed what appeared to be Chinese lanterns (or sky lanterns) dotting the sky.  (We knew this because we saw these a few times this summer in Brighton and thought, at first, that they were UFOs or secret government aircraft).  As we rounded the "dolphin circle" (everyone uses this as a landmark in Pattaya) we saw hundreds of lanterns drifting above the water along Beach Road.  And as we exited the taxi, we were welcomed with fireworks!  We just happened to be arriving for the end of the Loy Krathong Festival.  This beautiful festival of lights is celebrated over every body of water in Thailand on the evening of the full moon of the twelfth lunar month (November).  "Loy" means "to float," and "Krathong" is a little raft made from banana leaves.  The idea is to put all your misfortunes in the boat and let them float away.  Some Thais say the festival is to pay homage to the water goddess, Mae Khongkha.  They also say that couples who make a wish when launching their Krathongs together will enjoy long-lasting love.

I don't know, it just seemed like a good omen to me - makes one hopeful for magical encounters to come.