Flat tires, smoggy Fridays, and some damn good pad thai..

Well, I finally arrived in Thailand, several hundred dollars and a couple days short, but here none the less. Just for future reference...I would not recommend missing a flight. I've traveled quite a bit, and thankfully or luckily or perhaps just by chance, didn't ever have to have the misfortune of arriving to the airport, check in counters closed, watching the plane I paid to be on fly away into the great, big world....without me. Well, first time for everything, I guess...and hopefully the last. It just turned out to be the most expensive flat tire I've ever had experience with.

My dear friend who agreed to drive in the rain to deposit me at SFO, well, the car had other plans, and halfway up Hwy 17 decided that damn right front tire had had enough. Okay, still time....I plan ahead, after all...trusty backup friend to the rescue...uhh ohh..., hmmm...we are only going 10 mph...an accident miles ahead slowed us down for a good 40 minutes, and by the time we flew down the summit and up Hwy 101, the clock was approaching 11:15...hmmm...flight at noon, supposed to check in two hours before...I'm calculating in my head how fast i could run through security to get to the gate...

I was ready to break into a run at the check-in counter, boarding passes in hand, but wait?, what's that?, I'm too late? Thank you very much, Ms. Ticket Counter person, come back tomorrow...I breath....I keep breathing all the way to rental car counter, sure, okay, i'll pay your obscene taxes, just get me out of this airport!

*I headed to Castle Rock and ran in the rain, and decided I had been meant to miss the flight in order to see the insanely beautiful fog floating in through the redwoods, with soft forests of moss growing sideways on the trees...filtered light drifting sideways. Hmmm...maybe winter isn't so bad after all...

Arrived at the airport EXTRA early the next day, only to just barely make it onto this plane because of the nice pleasant Indian-accented representatives from cheap0air.com...bastards, I almost got away with just the $100 date change fee...oh well, what are credit cards for?

I ran around the Royal Palace this morning, appreciating once again the efficiency that comes with stop lights, and drivers who obey them (and p.s. I didn't fall like last time, though I did catch the sidewalk trying to move on me)...

I'm off to the islands tonight, to wallow in the warm Pacific with yummy Pad Thai in my belly...(hopefully it will stay there on the ferry!)...

Photos to come, my friends..blessings and much