24. The time for our trip came and on the fatal sounding date of 13.01.2016, we set off for Bangkok.
The feeling for both of us was great and very exciting. I can imagine what was going through our parents'
heads. Well dressed for the winter season in Bulgaria, we headed to Sofia airport. There, as always, the
excitement grew, especially when we queued up for the Qatar Airways counter and the screen above it
said...Bangkok. I confess that even as I write this story and wish I was there. Nearly 5 hours later we were
at Doha airport, but this time, unlike my second trip, with the perfect logistics of only a 2-hour layover.
Time enough to enjoy the view of the airport. Every time I stay there I feel a true citizen of the world. And
then we saw people of all races, religions and nationalities. People with different dress, customs and
traditions. Everyone rushing somewhere. I'll mention here somewhere that between my first and second
visits to Thailand, I had the honor, with the same friend from my first contact with Thailand, to use the
services of Qatar Airways again, and the trip was impressive. In 2 weeks then we toured Hong Kong,
Macau, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. But, back to the story. The time came and we boarded the
transoceanic flight to Bangkok. It was the first time my wife would fly that far in her life, and her interest
was strongly riveted on that fact, and the emotion was overwhelming. We were already on board the
Qataris and looking around for our seats. We were reading and walking backwards. But...it turns out we
can't find our seats and we are stumped. "Where are our seats? Why didn't we see them?" we said to
ourselves then, looking into each other's eyes. Yes, you would say, they were so excited about those two
that they missed them, but no...they were gone. We called one of the flight attendants and waited with
unbridled interest for the outcome. Turns out there were seats...but, on the second floor of the plane.
Haha...we climbed up some super spiral bar-like stairs and found ourselves in an area of about 100 seats,
in front of which began a VIP area with seats and...a bar. Just ahead of them was a VIP area with wider
seats with internet access during the flight. "Nice! Why not!" we cheered and proudly took our seats. We
enjoyed the professionalism and the hassle-free flight and after about 7-8 hours we were at Suvarnabhumi
Airport in Bangkok. There were so many people at the airport, it was like half the world had poured in at
that exact moment. The heat and humidity was creeping in behind a few open doors. We waited about
an hour to get our paperwork processed and headed to the Bayoke Sky Hotel.