Trip to Angkor Wat, Cambodia (1)

I was supposed to be off to Angkor Wat, and see the splendors of the Khmer civilization but the siege of the Bangkok airport prevented me from that. You see, I went to Yangon airport and 8 o'clock sharp to check in for the flight to Bangkok (from where we would go on to Siem Reap in Cambodia where the Angkor is) with my mum and bags, all ready to fly out. But what was this large group of about a thousand people doing, milling around in front of the airport's entrances? This was not right! I asked around and found out that we would have to say good-bye to our holiday trip to Angkor again. Why again you ask? I will explain.
My mum was downcast, a bit hot and miffed. I knew she was very disappointed. We had been planning this trip for a more than 2 years now. We didn't get there at the beginning of 2008 because of the Great Fire at the Yadanarbon market and my school was burned to cinders along with it. And with all the relocating and start-up of classes and school, the trip had to be postponed. So you understand why my mum was a bit more than disappointed when the flights were cancelled to Bangkok.
So we made our way home and I started thinking on the taxi on the way. I still have the money; I still have about a week's vacation. So what we need is another destination! I don't want to go back to Mandalay with my tail between my legs and an embarrassed grin on my face!
We go home and have a bit of lunch. I naively thought “what if the flights to Bangkok start again tomorrow?" I go check the internet after lunch. To be honest I did not understand the magnitude of the problem in Thailand. Come on, whoever had heard of Bangkok's airports ever shutting down? This was a nearly 1 in a million or billion chance and by Gawd, I had to have tickets fly there at the time the 1 in a million / billion chance presented itself.
The next day I was off to the airline offices. Full of worried looking people they were. Refunds, cancellations, rerouting were the words that filled the air. So I asked the Bagan Air place: Can I get tickets to Tacheliek? Or Kawthaung? Or Sittwe? Sorry Sir, was the answer. Arghhhh… I was getting frustrated. Then I got an idea.
To be continued …..

By Soe Lwin, BEST Language School, Mandalay