I was nearly packed up by the time we gathered around the dining room table for breakfast. Suddenly, Fred, who coordinates the Airbnb listing for the owners, came through the front door and introduced himself. We told him how much we loved the place and his wonderful staff, and briefly inquired about the bronze elephant doorknobs, before he dashed off again. Soon we had eaten our fill of breakfast, and taken our last wistful looks. Our van had a fairly easy drive to the airport, and check-in was much easier in Phuket than it had been in Bangkok.<\/p>\n
Only after passing through security did we learn that the Bangkok Airways lounge was outside of security. Not wanting to go back through again, we wandered the shops to check out their wares. Shelf-stable goat curry packets anyone? Fire and Fury<\/em> at 60% off? Once the amusement wore off, I joined the group near a powerful air conditioner until it was time to board. Our flight was smooth and we soon were headed to the exit at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport, looking for our ride.<\/p>\n The coordinator for Thai Happy Taxi had my name on a sign, but there was a long wait for the van to arrive at the curb. Our driver, perhaps frustrated by Bangkok traffic, did not brake gently, making it the worst of our shuttle rides. Nevertheless, we eventually reached the Royal Orchid Sheraton without losing our lunches. This time, our friends staying in Bangkok had spectacular suites at the top of the hotel that seemed to be almost over the river. Geneva and I borrowed floor space to repack our various bags for our flight while everyone else headed to the Sheraton Club Lounge, where happy hour was just beginning at 4:30. By the time we joined them, the party was well under way. At 5:30 a buffet opened featuring small savory and sweet bites from a wide range of cuisines. We sampled meatballs, dim sum, cheesecake, and Thai jellies with our various wines and cocktails. No need to book a reservation or catch a boat, we were in full leisure mode now, and we certainly wouldn\u2019t want to waste this great view. Another margarita? Sure!<\/p>\n The buffet finally closed at 7:30, and we had plenty of help lugging our baggage to the lobby where we said our goodbyes. One last Grab taxi met us just before 8:00. We filled his trunk and front passenger seat with our luggage, and headed to the airport. Before checking in, I had my elephant bag shrink-wrapped to make it more durable. I took advantage of my business class privileges, which included a shorter line through immigration and access to the EVA Lounge. The lounge didn\u2019t have a lot to eat, but then, I wasn\u2019t especially hungry yet. I used the wi-fi to catch up on a few things and lost track of time. Suddenly noticing the clock, I clicked send on an email to a client at 11:18 and ran to the gate.<\/p>\n Fortunately, my plane was still open, and after a flight attendant helped me clear bin space by relocating some small bags I was able to park my roll-aboard and settle in. As we were flying a Korean airline to Seoul, I chose Asiana’s bibimbap for dinner. The beef was nothing special, and the shredded dried fish and sour kim chi might have been a little too authentic. The best bite was a daechucho, described on the menu as a preserved date. It was stuffed with nut meat and candied in a spiced sugar syrup. Still, the main attraction of business class, what you\u2019re really paying for, is the real estate. The lie-flat seat on the Boeing 777-200 allowed me to get some sleep en route to what promised to be a long, busy day.<\/p>\n
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