Principles

Hi,

I'm coming to you from high above the South China Sea, on the way to Taipei. I'll probably finish this in the airport, but it was too dramatic an intro to pass up.

"School's Out" was the song. It was by Alice Cooper. Now if you look at the clues it makes perfect sense. See, I try to help. (Ha) This one needs no introduction: "All day long, wearing a mask of false bravado. Trying to keep up the smile that hides a tear." Hint: The singer wasn't playing, he was begging in this mid-tempo number.

Our day began at 5am. Daku was totally caught off guard since he's usually the one that gets the day started. He wakes up and comes to the bed with a stuffed toy in his mouth, tail wagging, happy as can be and wants to play. I started to grab the toy and mess with him this morning but there was work to do. We managed to get everything packed and double-checked and we were ready to go at 7am. Tye took us to the airport in our car and dropped us off. Inside we learned that we were slightly overweight at the Air Asia counter. Hmm, it's OK this time.

Our flight to Bangkok was quick. Well, shorter than scheduled anyway. We had a whole day to wait in the airport but it actually went pretty fast. First we checked on the weight of our bags at EVA. Since they have a higher weight limit everything was fine, but we couldn't check our bags because it was too early. We found a private vendor that checked bags and headed for the level with food. It had been 6 hours since our light breakfast.

After a meal of so-so chicken burgers (couldn't resist) we went for a foot massage. At the counter we requested 'foot, shoulder, hand' but all we got was foot and shoulder. It was one of the best I've ever had. My operator really worked on the reflex points. They use a small stick that has a different shape on each end. The stick is used to focus pressure on points on the body (pressure points) and open up blockage of energy. We both left feeling much better and ready for the rest of the day.

We timed everything so that we were able to check in after our massage. That meant that we could go through the passport check and enter the world of high-end designer shops and the EVA Lounge. We did a bunch of walking and looking and searching for a headphone splitter. After finding one we went to the lounge and hung out. We watched an episode of Smallville, real escape stuff, had some munchies, and got away from the airport vibe.

Sitting in the shade of a pillar in the waiting area for our flight gave us a front row seat to watch everyone who was going to be on our flight. It was quite fascinating, seeing the travelers and wondering where they were going and what their story was. Most of the plane was going back to Taipei. They held Chinese passports. Our plane left late but made good time. It took us 3 1/2 hours to reach our destination.

Now we're in the EVA lounge in Taipei waiting for the longest segment of our trip. From here to LAX will take 11 hours and 45 minutes. Total flight time from Chiang Rai to L.A. is 16.35. If you add the waiting time it gets you a free pass to the Twilight Zone. We left on the 24th and we arrive on the 24th, even though we've been traveling for 24 hours. Hmm. What?

It's time for Wacky Wednesday.

Peace,
Danny

"The principles you live by create the world you live in;
if you change the principles you live by,
you will change your world."
~Blaine Lee

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
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