For a map of my travels, click here.
So, bright and early on February 4, I strode into the terminal at Dulles Airport in Washington to begin my journey.....
.......and an announcement immediately came over the loudspeaker informing us that my flight from Washington to Addis Ababa was delayed. To make a very long story only slightly shorter, the incoming Ethiopian Airlines flight from Rome was delayed for an indeterminate (they said) length of time, which turned out to be 12 hours. The good news is that because I had scheduled a 17-hour layover in Addis Ababa, I would still be able to make my connection, and there would still be plenty of time for them to transfer my suitcase onto the flight from Addis Ababa to Bangkok (right?). The bad news is that I wouldn't have enough time to do a tour of Addis Ababa, although I would have plenty of time (5 hours) to get familiar with the Addis Ababa airport. So, to start things off, here is a picture of the Addis Ababa airport.
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| A picture from my tour of Addis Ababa Airport |
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If you have 5 hours to spare, I do not recommend the Addis Ababa airport, unless you really enjoy the smell of cigarette smoke. Nevertheless, I survived that experience, and just after midnight, my flight to Bangkok took off (on time!).
At about 1:30 PM the next day, we landed in Bangkok. Despite the fact that Ethiopian Airlines had approximately 5 hours to get my suitcase from one plane to another in Addis Ababa, they were not up to the task., so I got to spend an hour filing a missing baggage claim with Thai Airways, who was handling baggage issues for Ethiopian Airlines in Bangkok. Instead of spending a relaxing afternoon at the hotel pool, I got to hop on a train to the center of Bangkok to buy some underwear and a charger for my camera battery.
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| On the Train to Downtown Bangkok |
During my shopping trip, I made my first discovery about Southeast Asia--the natives are not nearly as big as we Americans are. I am moderately large by American standards, but the largest underwear I could find in Bangkok (their size XXL) was, shall we say, snug.
In addition to their clothing sizes, I also discovered that the McDonalds' in Bangkok are also very small.
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| This is the entire McDonald's |
Having acquired the necessities, I took the train back to the airport, and got a taxi to the Airport hotel, which the taxi driver had never heard of and couldn't locate. After a 15 minute adventure, the hotel was located, and the rest of the evening passed uneventfully.
Bright and early the next morning I boarded my Bangkok Airways flight to Yangon, Myanmar. (For those of you who work for the U.S. government, that would be Rangoon, Burma. I will refer to it as Yangon, Myanmar, because that sounds more exotic.) Bangkok Airways, like almost all non-US carriers, was a delight to fly. For a 50-minute flight, they had full meal service(!) on a plane that was less than 20 years old.
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| In the air over Myanmar/Burma |
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| Yangon (Rangoon) International Airport |
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Here are a few additional pictures from Addis Ababa, Bangkok, and flight to Yangon--click on one to get a larger view..
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| Departure sign in Addis Ababa |
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| Another view of the Addis Ababa terminal |
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| Coming into Bangkok by air |
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| Central Bangkok from the airport train |
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| In the Bangkok Airport |
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| Coastline somewhere between Bangkok and Yangon |
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| Aerial view of area near Yangon Airport |
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Coming up next--
Yangon!
