Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008
That Saturday we had to move out of the Bangkok Christian Guest House. We had originally planned to stay longer there, even before we knew of the fiasco we would have with the USCIS. However, when we had to cancel all of our plans due to the airport closures in Bangkok and then reschedule them, we were unable to reserve all of the nights again at the BCGH. So, we made plans to stay at a little hotel that looked beautiful and quaint in it's pictures on the internet. Originally, we planned to stay there because it was closer to the airport and we thought we'd be able to leave the country on the next Wednesday, the 23rd. Well, although the place looked very nice, it turned out to be a horrible place to stay because it was DIRECTLY in the path of the big jets flying directly overhead ALL NIGHT! That Saturday night I didn't get a wink of sleep at all! Besides all of the noise, Penny was feeling really insecure and kept kicking and jabbing me ALL NIGHT.
We also had our first experience that Saturday evening of really being taken on a run for our money by a taxi driver. We had been invited to a Christmas party by some of my missionary friends at the Abundant Life Center. We had the hotel call us a taxi. The friends had told us that the taxi driver should be able to find it with no problems. If they were unsure they could just contact them via their cell phone. Well, turns out that our taxi driver's cell phone didn't work. What should have taken 30 minutes took over an hour. I finally yelled, "Torasaap!" (meaning telephone) when I saw some pay phones. The guy got out and leisurely chatted away with my friend on the phone, with the meter ticking away. Then when we got to the general area he kept asking US where it was. Duh! He was the one who had just jabbed on and on with my friend about how to get there.
Finally, we saw a cross and just yelled for him to stop there. Turns out it happened to be a different church, but not far from where my friends were. Those kind folks allowed us to use their cell phone and our friend rode over on his scooter and called us another cab to get to the party. While we were at the party Penny was not happy at all. I kept hoping that she would enjoy the Christmas program put on by the kids and the delicious Isaan food, but she kept asking about when she would be able to go back to Udon Thani. It was quite an emotional day for all of us.
Sunday the 21st
The day started off almost as hectic as our Saturday had finished off. But, eventually turned into a really good day. We were supposed to meet some other missionary friends of mine at an English church service meeting at a Novetel Hotel. However, we did not know that there was more than one Novetel. We found info on how to get to the Novetel by the airport. But, when we arrived there no one at the hotel had any idea what we were talking about when we asked where the Christian church was meeting. So, I got a hold of my friend and discovered that the church was meeting in another Novetel, called the Bangna Novetel. We made it in time for the sermon. It was Penny's first time in a church service. She enjoyed reading a Thai comic version of the New Testament that our friends from Khon Khaen had given her. After church this friend took us out for Thai food and then invited us to their home. It was SO NICE to relax in their peaceful home. Penny loved being able to speak Thai with them and go on some bike rides. We were so thankful that we were in this nice, calm setting when our daughter just happened to enter puberty for the first time.
Thankfully, my friend had raised three girls and could explain everything in Thai to Penny. We also discovered the Novetel Bangna was much nicer, a little farther from the airport and offering prices that were a third of their normal rates due to the low level of tourism after the airport closures. So, we decided to move over there on Tuesday. After a nice dinner with our friends, the Fujii's, they drove us back to our little noisy hotel.
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