Traveling is already stressful…traveling in a pandemic is a nightmare. We had a lot of bumps in the road trying to make our way from Chiang Mai to Cambodia. Because of continued COVID restrictions, there were no flights from Chiang Mai to Cambodia like there normally would be. We had to fly into Bangkok first then to Phnom Penh, the only city receiving flights directly from Thailand. We booked a flight to Bangkok with Thai Lion Air and it was a huge mistake. After payment they only sent my e-ticket via email. Bradley had to sit on the phone for over an hour trying to get them to send his e-ticket. After many emails back and forth showing our receipt and stating what we had paid for, they still sent the wrong ticket 3 different times. Only after threatening a report to the tourism authority did we finally receive Bradley’s boarding pass with the baggage allowance we purchased.
We made it to the airport for our flight to Bangkok with plenty of time to grab some breakfast and coffee and relax before boarding. Checking in to receive our physical boarding passes, mine printed out but they did not have Bradley’s boarding pass in the system. A rush of panic and anger washed over the both of us. It was very early in the morning and we were not in the mood for more issues with this airline. We waited for an hour on the side of the desks after insisting we not be pushed aside to wait while they held our bags and Bradley’s passport in their incapable hands. After escalating the issue to the supervisor and waiting for the call center to confirm they had generated a new e-ticket with a new PNR number, we finally got Bradley’s boarding pass printed out and luggage tagged. We had 10 minutes to get through security, get to our gate, and board the flight. I was livid and I was hangry! It was unfortunate as well that we missed a Zoom call with the family for a Christmas family game night. We had purposefully arrived at the airport when we did so we would have time to chat with everyone, if only for a moment, while we ate breakfast. We barely made the last boarding call.
Our time in Bangkok was actually lovely. If you have read my previous posts, you know that Bangkok is a very intense city and it is not my favorite place to visit. We splurged on a bougie hotel, Anajak Bangkok, with our credit card points and it was a dream. We slept in the most comfortable bed we had slept in in over 2 months! It gave our old bed a run for its money. We ate delicious food at new spots, enjoyed the Chatuchak Market again on the day they had plant and floral vendors, and we relaxed. It was nice to feel pampered after a week shoveling elephant poop, sleeping on a wood hard bed with only one thin pillow, and being constantly sweaty and dirty. We even did the most ‘normal’ thing we have done since we left home and had dinner at a friend’s place. A wonderful woman that we met at ENP, Tam, invited us to dine with her at her condo in Bangkok. It was a fun time! It was so nice just relaxing and enjoying a friend’s company. Once again, I was surprised by this big city and I now had something to love about Bangkok.
2 days before our flight to Cambodia, Bradley received an email that the flight had been cancelled. Once again, our bodies were immediately flooded with anxiety. Bradley begins checking everything he knows to check while I curse COVID, mutter obscenities, and frantically organize our things and clean (I clean when I’m stressed). Our scheduled, and very expensive, PCR COVID test was later that afternoon and we already had nerves over that. We had to quickly find another flight before we could even think of completing our PCR tests and fortunately found one for the same planned day. Bradley is a saint, for many reasons, and is by far the best travel agent/guide there is. His persistence never let up even though he was frustrated from ignored calls, wrong numbers, useless travel agents, sitting on hold only to be hung up on, all while searching for a flight we could afford in the time we needed to leave. But he did it! We still ended up paying more than what we had originally, but it wasn’t as bad of a financial hit as most other flights were going to be. We also had no choice as we had to leave Thailand before violating our visa which was up in a few days. We were traveling during a holiday and flights were in high demand due to cancellations from the pandemic taking its toll on airline staff. The stress and time crunch was very real.
We had a positive experience getting our PCR tests completed, which I’m very thankful for. Even though there were no more reservations after Bradley had booked his, we took the gamble and hoped they could fit me in since we are married and would be tested together. I was able to get in and register as a “walk-in” and test right after his reservation slot. The Thai Travel Clinic inside the hospital for tropical medicine in Bangkok was absolutely lovely to work with. Their staff was so kind, very informative, and full of stellar patient care. We were thrilled and relieved to get negative results. The hospital staff chuckled and celebrated with me as I shouted “dee jai!!” which translates as “happy heart” in English. It was really cute and they enjoyed our celebrations in Thai. Hoping that all bumps and potholes had been cleared, we headed back to enjoy our last evening in Bangkok. The airport experience was smooth and efficient at BKK and our flight was short and sweet. I even finished the book I was rereading, Into the Wild, just as we landed. We were finally in Cambodia!
Surprisingly, our arrival was incredibly coarse and stressful. We were ushered off of the plane and through the maze of health and immigration checks like cattle by grunts and gestures. The airport staff were less than kind and seemed completely put out by having to do their jobs. Once Bradley and I made it through check in and had our passports stamped, we picked up our bags and were ushered to the COVID testing area. Although Cambodia is open to travelers without quarantine, everyone has to take a rapid test on arrival and await results at the airport. The man who took our info and handed us our vials was young, kind, and spoke good English. As directed, I sat down in the little red plastic chair and the man who administered my test grunted “head back.” It was by far the most invasive, aggressive, and painful COVID test I have had.
Since testing was available and after traveling to several countries since the pandemic started, I have had more than a dozen tests. I cried out and shed tears involuntarily and he yelled “relax!” He twisted and jabbed that swab more than any professional would ever need to and I felt in my whole body that he was enjoying my pain. I felt completely violated. I got up from my chair, sobbing with snot dripping fast down my chin (for a moment it felt like I was having a nosebleed), with my arms full of my bags unable to readjust my mask and get myself together. He pointed in the direction of the waiting area and yelled “go!” I yelped, “alright!” and made my way. I stopped to get my shit together (and check to see if my snot had any blood in it) and process what had just happened. All kinds of awful feelings were bubbling up from inside me. I watched carefully as Bradley got his test administered by the same man and it was nothing like what I had just experienced. I immediately felt crazy, like something was wrong. Like I did something wrong.
As Bradley made his way to me and saw that I was disturbed, I explained to him what had happened. He held me tight and tried to comfort me. I ended up collecting myself in the ladies room and when I got back there were more people waiting in the area for their results. I overheard some other English speakers commenting on how aggressive the man on the left, my administrator, was. I felt validated hearing that coming from grown men who probably aren’t as sensitive as me. A lot of old familiar feelings, like those of abuse, churned inside of me. It was awful. Waiting for the results was exasperating. They called out names in thick Khmer accents and we listened carefully for ours. Mine was called last out of the first round of results and I had to wait on the other side of the doors without Bradley. Separated by the unknown. That was absolutely terrifying. We stared at each other and waited. Finally, after what seemed like years, they called Bradley’s name. WE MADE IT! We embraced, I sent out my gratitude for the negative results, and we quickly got out of that awful airport. Needless to say, Cambodia did not welcome us with open arms. It was a very different experience than the one we had with their Thai neighbors.
Through all these trials I am constantly learning. Learning more about myself, Bradley, people, and travel. It has been wild and challenging. I am most thankful for our health and safety during these unpredictable and insane times. I am thankful that I have been able to see some of the world’s most beautiful and special places without crowds of other tourists. And I’m thankful that we made this crazy decision to risk it and take the chance of a lifetime. But there’s always that fear that sits in the back corner of my mind. We have no choice but to keep up with the daily news of the current state of the world and the ever changing guidance and restrictions of COVID and that keeps the anxiety at a constant. We are living our dream, but we do pay a price. I always want to write and convey what is real. No matter what dream you chase, you will pay a price. You have to be okay with that price and decide if it is worth it to you. There’s always good and bad. There are no filters for life. When I write I promise to always give you both, because that is exactly what makes experiencing life so beautiful.