January is always a travel risk month. The same amount of snow that would barely bother Toronto or Detroit, can bring New York City’s airports to a standstill. Only two weeks before, a snowstorm just after Christmas had closed La Guardia for more than a day, leaving passengers stranded. Also, due to the unintended consequences of the 2010 national legislation regarding passengers’ rights, which made airlines liable for huge fines if they strand travelers on the tarmac, airlines are now simply canceling flights rather than risk the financial hit if something might go wrong trying to get travelers to their destination.
So, as I sat in Ottawa last week watching the blue/pink swatch of a storm streaming across the Midwest heading for NYC, I could only see disaster looming for my departure. Then on Thursday, the day before I was to fly out of LGA for ORD, United Airlines announced that they were already canceling flights on the East Coast and had issued a travel waiver, so I could have changed my flight without penalty. Even United’s customer service called me to ask if I wanted to fly to Chicago on Thursday night, overnight there and make my connection the next morning to Tokyo and on to Bangkok without worry. However, I was still in Canada and wouldn’t have arrived back in New York in time to make that flight, much less head back into New York, repack my bags, grab my bicycle and make it out to the airport.
So, I flew home as scheduled, took a cab home and spent the evening checking the weather while repacking. United had already cancelled all flights out of La Guardia for the next morning, right up until the 8:00 am flight that I was on.. so, I was hoping that this would be it and that the storm would pass quickly and the airport would open in time.
As expected the snow started falling soon after midnight and only dropped about four inches. With bike in bag and a duffel full of gear, I snagged a cab on Second Avenue and arrived at La Guardia with plenty of time to spare. Traffic was moving nicely and the chance that the flight would take off really looked good when I arrived and the United counter agent said that flights were still scheduled and that the airport would open soon.
And, once we took off from La Guardia, following a thorough de-icing, the trip was a breeze with a long connection in Chicago and a really tight dash from my incoming flight through security and immediately back on a plane from Narita to Bangkok. By 1:00 am on Sunday morning (where did Saturday go to while crossing the date line) I was wide awake in my hotel room in Bangkok, checking email and watching CNN, the fate of all jetlagged international travelers.
Baan Dalah Spa is my secret vice while in Bangkok. Markus and Lisa had recommended it several years ago as a safe place to go for a good traditional Thai massage. With big signs and security cameras, this lovely refuge from the wild sois off of Shukumvit, is a family-friendly spa. I spent about US$30 for a two-hour session of stretching, pounding and twisting by An, one of the Wat Po-trained masseuses.
By late afternoon I was checked out of the hotel and back to the airport for a quick hour flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai to meet up with Markus and an early dinner. We are staying at the Thaephae Garden Guest House, a one-star traveler’s hotel in downtown Chiang Mai, where we had started our trips two and three years ago from here. Our driver/guide, Khun Jame, met with us to plan out the first day, which depends on several things. First of all, I was looking for a place to watch the NY Jets play football, as there are often expatriate bars that show the games. And we were trying to figure out how far to ride on the first day. While Markus is ready to go, I’m a bit worried about doing the twelve time zone shift and then jumping on a bike right away and tackling the biggest hills of the trip. So, we were discussing starting closer to Chiang Mai and riding north on a flatter section (although more urban) and spending a day warming up and staying the night somewhere just before the big hills outside of Pae.
Got the bike set up in the room. Everything traveled well.
Markus and I strolled through Chiang Mai, past where I had watched the Giants win the Superbowl several years before (while drinking beers from dawn till noon due to the time difference), but the bar looked like it had changed owners and the big TVs were not around, nor was there a sign announcing that they would be open in the morning for football. I guess I could have found a bar if I had really tried, but we just went to Miguel’s and had some truly excellent Mexican food, always a good idea before starting a long ride the next day.
Jack Fruit at a street market.
So, now, Monday morning in Chiang Mai (Sunday night back in New York) and we are off to ride just as soon as the Jets-Steelers game ends. Perfect day to ride. 20 degrees and blue skies! We are off.