At last

I really rate Qantas! The menu, the staff, the entertainment and the three seats I was spread across for my 9 hour flight was a perfect formula for the start of my adventure. 

The day before, my delightful pal Kristen drove me to Canberra to pick up my long awaited visa and passport from the Nigerian Embassy. Praise The Lord that I didn't have to wait longer for the little bugger to be processed. I was starting to think that this trip wouldn't happen at all. Never have I called my mum so much within the space of 3 days- all with anxiety, high stress, irrational thinking and more often than not, constant sobbing. She would have loved it. 

Anyway, of course- God pulled through. So there I was, aboard the plane, spread out, complete with music, colouring in and puzzle book, card-making and travel journal- not to mention the mounds of pillows and blankets I managed to collect from the empty seats around me. 

The moment I stepped off the plane at Bangkok (Suvarnabumi) airport, the waft of heat, humidity and the perfume of Thailand greeted me like a warm hug and left me beaming from ear to ear right through to the long line of immigration. Finding Jana on the other side was not an easy feat. There was over an hour of her waiting for me at the arrival gate and me waiting for her near the public transport. I had no Thai money, no internet, no working pay phone and my recently unworking iPhone. Unable to contact her was really just another catastrophe to add to the already saga that has been leading up to this trip. Thank heavens that my pal Laura loaned me her old iPhone to use as an iPod (which had plenty of battery). I found an information sign with instructions on how to set up the airport's free wifi to let Jana know where I was and at long last, a pair of the strongest arms had me locked in the tightest hug I've ever received. The immense feeling of being home was encapsulated in this embrace and the tears flooding our eyes only confirmed it. Relief. Comfort. Exhaustion. Twenty one years of friendship. Home.