Dateline: Vientiane, Laos.
As I start to write this in the hotel, it's half past seven in the evening on Wednesday, 24th Sptember. Soon my guide, Mr. Bounleuth, will pick me up for the airport. I'm due to depart on Thai flight TG693 for Bangkok, arriving 23:10. After stooging around for a bit, I'm then supposed to take Emirates flight EK419 to Dubai, departing Bangkok at 02:30, Thursday morning.
It'll take a while to post my pictures, but I've put a short assortment at Far East Miscellany.
Incidentally, some hotel pictures have been added at Hotels of the World because, being smaller Collections, they've easier to transfer.
Flash ... Flash ... Here's an update at a quarter to midnight, Bangkok, Wednesday.
Mr. Bounleuth picked me up as arranged and, since it's less than five miles to Wattay Airport, we were soon there. Mr. Bounleuth stayed with me until I was checked-in, then we said our goodbyes and I went through passport control and into the small Thai lounge. I used their internet computer for a while but it wasn't very easy. However, the flight was soon called so I joined the aircraft, this time a 747-400. The flight is only 65 minutes, so they've only time to serve a snack meal, but it's done well and I'm so relaxed that I go to sleep on finals at Bangkok and wake up with a bit of a start when we touch down. We taxi for about ten minutes to the stand and disembark via steps to a waiting transfer bus. It's hot when we leave the aircraft but the transfer bus and the whole of the huge terminal have air conditioning going hard, so I'm glad I'm wearing a long-sleeved top. Next, it's the problem of trying to find a transit desk to check-in for my Emirates leg to Dubai. I find the transit desk but there's a sign suggesting Business passengers check-in in the lounge, so I've the new problem of locating the lounge. I crack this and get a good welcome. The inbound flight (from Auckland and Sydney, I think) is about an hour late, but with a lounge to wait in, I'm fairly happy, especially since the Wi-Fi seems to work well.
On the way out from England, I transited through Dubai, but on the way back, I'm going to spend a couple of nights there. Dubai should be positively my last stopping point and I hope to be back in England on Saturday.
