Sennen went quiet. It was such an unusual sound that at first, we didn't notice it. But there he was, passed out in the front row of the shuttle van as we headed from the Suvanabumi Airport into Bangkok. Little did we realize that the relief of our overtired. yet tightly strung boy going quiet would be negated in less than a minute as our driver turned us into what at first appeared to be a gas station which turned out to obscure a giant, long tent of COVID testing which acts as a facility for vans with arriving international passengers like us to pull up, have everyone swabbed and get out.
This incredibly long, almost facility had a number of shuttle vans coming and going. Our driver pulled us into the driveway where we received our vials and were asked to ensure the labels reflected our correct names and dates of birth. We then drove around the building to one of the testing stations where the staff had us jump out, quickly swabbed us and sent us back to the van in what could have been no more than two minutes. Sennen awoke for all of this. Ailyn, however, remained passed out. The nurses were quite kind and went into the van to swab Emily and Ailyn, taking only a mouth swab for our sleeping girl so she could remain asleep.
We were also given self-tests to perform on day 6 or 7 as a follow-up – something we had never heard about among any of the literature. But hey, yesterday it was Thailand Passes, today it's an extra self-administered swab. "What kind of strange world is this?!" Emily kept asking, referring to what it means to travel during COVID and how there are entire facilities geared toward the quick assault of tourist nostrils. But hey, we'll just go with it. Because what else are you gonna' do?
We arrived at our very central Bangkok hotel only 10 minutes later and were glad to be able to get everyone showered, fed and to bed after a long tiring journey. The Novotel Platinum by Siam Square is everything you could want in a quarantine hotel situation – friendly, comfortable, well appointed and has decent room service. We should have our test results clearing us from quarantine by 6:30 am.
As always, the last leg of the journey was the hardest. By the end of our layover in Singapore, it was clear that Sennen was overtired – which for him means incessant talking, asking the same questions repeatedly, doing dumb things and becoming highly anxious – especially about making it to the gate on time and understanding what everyone is doing and why. At lunch, I actually suggested to him that he was very tired and that his couldn't stop his brain from going so fast. He agreed.
Ailyn just fell asleep everywhere – on the plane, in line for health check, at passport control, by the baggage claim, waiting for the shuttle van, in the shuttle van, in the lobby, in the room. She was done.
Of all of us, it may well be Bailey who did best – sleeping well on the flights and being awake during the layover and once we arrived. She was nothing but a great and easy traveler.
For tonight, we decided that given the configuration of the two hotel rooms, we would have a boys' room and a girls' room. Sennen was very happy with this and after telling me that he had the best shower of his life, he laid down in bed, watched some TV on the iPad, had a nice dinner with me. and then passed out cold in bed. Hopefully he sleeps through the night. He needs it.
Assuming our tests come back as expected and we are free to go, the question Emily and I have been kicking around is what's next? We need to move to our Airbnb midday. So what do we do with the rest of the day? Our favorite Siam Paragon mall down the street? The Grand Palace? Wat Pho and its famous giant reclining Buddha? A long tail boat ride on the Chao Phraya and its khlongs (canals)? Who knows? It's vacation – we have nowhere we have to be. We'll take it as it comes.
Maybe on the first real day, it doesn't matter much what we do or how ambitious or not we are. Just the everyday sights and sounds of Bangkok might be enough, or more than enough. I watched Bailey in the van to see her reaction as we drove into town from the airport. It was clearly a new and different world before her. Not the pretty, benign one of Singapore, but something more gritty and less cohesive. It's a world of ramshackle roadside stands; homes and businesses with corrugated metal roofs; large apartment and condo blocks; sleek office buildings; dumpy food stalls; worn out little shops; incredible mega-malls; Buddhist temples galore; and a shiny, sparkling Starbucks on the ground floor of our hotel. Thailand is 32 flavors and then some.
