Now in Krabi

Our lil Annie was a darling throughout our whole travel to Krabi! In the taxi on our way to the airport, she had her hands folded daintily as she sat quietly with her daddy, observing our faces until she fell asleep. She woke up sometime when we were at the pre-departure lounge and was just her usual self, quiet but bright-eyed and carefully scrutinizing the unfamiliar new things around her. We didn't wait too long before boarding was announced but by that time, our baby was sound asleep again. You bet I was crossing my fingers the whole time we were getting settled in the plane, silently willing her to stay in dreamland so she won't feel her ears pop when the plane takes off. But no, oh no! My heart sank when she was jerked awake by all the noise around her, people walking to their seats, overhead bins opening and closing, cabin crew asking if we needed assistance, etc, etc. MY man handed her to me, I had to get myself ready to feed her in case she cries during take off, and although I felt my stress level gradually increasing, I put on a cheery face and talked to her calmly while the plane cabin crew prepared for take off. Why was I stressed out? Well for one, I was concerned that she might refuse to feed because she drank a full bottle not long before we boarded the plane. And mostly, I didn't know what I would do if she started bawling and I couldn't comfort her. I didn't want to disturb the other passengers okay, and hey, I'm normal, I would be very uncomfortable if they shoot out glaring looks at us because of her.

She almost made it. Almost. She was alternatively sucking on her fingers and my knuckle, seemingly unaffected by the air pressure. For a few minutes. Then just before the plane reached the cruising altitude where air pressure doesn't make the ear pop, she suddenly burst out crying. I hurriedly put her in a feeding position and to my relief, she latched on after a few seconds. A few more whimpers and several sucks later, she fell asleep. The rest of the flight was uneventful.

Just as the weather forecast said, it was cloudy and overcast when we landed in Krabi. Even then, as we walked down from the plane to the baggage claim area, we could see the place is beautiful from the wall-to-wall clear windows of the airport. Deja vu. The place kind of reminded us of New Zealand. Thick, lush trees bordered the runways, and oddly-shaped mountains stood straight and tall in the background. A cool fresh breeze greeted us as we walked out of the airport to the parking lot.

We are happy with our hotel--the airport transfer was good and efficient, the staff are polite and hospitable, and our room is spacious and relaxing, looks exactly the way they show it on their website. Rain fell just when we were getting ready for bed, and most of the night, we could hear it pouring, coupled with thunder and lightning. I just loooove the sound of rain! Perfect way to end the night. And start our vacation :D