Coming in second to the question of 'Are you a Singaporean?' would be 'Is our flight confirmed?'. But with our time in Bangkok, then later U-Tapao, you realise that it doesn't matter if the airline has confirmed the flight. There is no such thing as a confirmation until your plane has landed at your destination!
We had left our hotel on 1 Dec at midnight and arrived at U-tapao International Airport at about 2 am or so. It is definitely a military facility cum commercial airport. Although the terminal itself is small, there were numerous commercial liners at the parking bays.
(Above pic shows the check in counter at U-Tapao at about 3 am. This is not considered crowded as it is the wee hours of the morning)
There was a First Aid clinic in between the departure and arrival halls of the small terminal.
Our makeshift airline check-in counter wasn't open and there was a single A4 sheet of paper pasted above the table, that said our morning flight had been cancelled, then an arrow pointing to the evening flight. What did that mean? Had that paper been for the previous day's flight? Did they mean today's flight? Someone told Mike to buy the Airport Tax in preparation for the flight. We had already pre-paid our airport tax with our tickets but apparently we had to pay for THIS airport's tax!
Here's my son making the most of the situation. I must say, both our kids have been Super Troupers throughout this experience. I wouldn't exactly call it an ordeal because we tried our best to be positive through the 2 weeks (well, until the last day when we were all kinda weary already after our flight got cancelled again!).
We wait.......we walk around asking questions. There is confusion. Where do we go? What do we do? Where are the airline check-in staff? We wait again. We nod off. We try to eat and drink food we'd brought along. We pull our jackets closer as it is a bit chilly. When it's finally past 6.30 am, we realise that the counter isn't going to open at all. When it's past our flight time of 9.15 am, we realise the plane isn't going to show at all! Mike walks to the airport tax counter and angrily slams the airport tax coupons on the counter demanding a refund. The ladies do it without any question.
The flight schedules are manually updated at this board.
Mike has been chatting with some other Singaporeans. In a group of 15, we make a decision to leave U-Tapao airport and follow a guy back to a resort provided free of charge by the TAT. We decide to go there for lunch, catch some shut-eye and then be back at the airport for the night flight.
Although we were not in a celebratory mood of any kind, we were pleasantly surprised by the size of the resort (600 acres)! Below shows a pic of fake giant ants crawling up the wall - no idea what the significance is.
We checked-in, had lunch (it was a sumptous buffet spread) and then walked around to explore the resort.
Told my kids this was totally surreal. One minute, we were sleeping at U-Tapao Airport and the next, we were paddling in this lake with cows and rats floating on lotus flowers! Didn't know if we should laugh or cry!
We buy large packet of fish food and have a good time watching the fish swim around our swan paddle boats!
After lunch, I set my phone's alarm clock to ring in an hour's time, hit the cold shower and knock out as soon as my head hits the pillow. I wake up an hour later to find Mike and kids in deep sleep. Worried that we'd miss the bus, miss the plane, miss anything, I drag myself up and spend the next half hour yelling at the 3 of them to wake up (we were in two separate rooms) while packing up our bags.
We meet up with the rest on time and head for U-Tapao airport again. This time, it's a complete mess over there. Just imagine a gigantic pasar malam that is free for all. Like some bazaar with food, 'lady-boys' singing and dancing and check-in counters strewn all over. People are everywhere and I am talking about just outside the terminal.
We turned up at the airport and the check-in counter still had no staff attending to it. Apparently, it had been like that since morning (when we had left the airport). Finally, they turn up and we are told (with no real surprise) "SORRY, YOU ARE NOT ON TONIGHT'S FLIGHT MANIFEST." There are 40 people on the wait list. We wait. Things do not look good.
Mike is running around trying to see if we can buy tickets for other airlines departing that night. It is not easy. No one is picking up. The online options say they are all sold out.
My kids and I hold hands and pray to put our trust in God and if or not we would get on board that flight that night, we would leave it in HIS good hands.
Now, I wouldn't be sitting here typing this blog now if not for the help of CHAN our group leader. A very composed and positive thinking Singaporean, he kept us going by liaising with the MFA and embassy people! It was our guardian angels, CHAN and JOEY from MFA who finally and I mean FINALLY got us on board the night's flight. To these two guys, we owe everything! Although the 15 of us just met for the first time that day, the camaraderie was apparent. Singaporeans were bonding just by the fact that we were Singaporeans.
We had to let the airline check in all the passengers who had been confirmed on the night flight first. The irony is some of these people who were confirmed on that flight, had made their bookings much later than we had. I mean, we had been stranded since 26 November and no one at the airline seemed to give a hoot that we'd been shifted from flight to flight.
Then we stood huddled for the lottery draw. When our names were called, we jumped for joy! I actually shouted! I love Thailand and the Thai people but shuffling to and fro between airport and hotel and the uncertainty was taking a toll on me. We got our boarding passes and paid our airport tax (with NO COUPON issued to us???). I asked the counter staff for the airport tax coupon but they said they didn't have any. We just paid and did what they said.
I am sure I speak for the whole group of us when I say we held our breaths until we finally landed at Changi. We knew that even getting the boarding pass could mean we would get off- loaded at the last minute. They had even issued me a duplicate seat no. I was so sure I'd be the lucky one to get off-loaded! Finally, we took off and I believe many took their first comfortable sleep in days.
When the wheels of the airplane touched Singapore ground, we broke out in applause. That spoke a thousand words.
To Chan and Joey ~ Many thanks!
To the Thais, we haven't forgotten you ~ We will be back!
(If anyone who has appeared in my photos wishes for it to be removed, please let me know).
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