Getting out of Bangkok was quite the hassle, I must say. First off (the omen I should've listened to) my backpack strap snapped off just as we were getting into the car on the way to the airport.
THEN because I had not checked the baggage allowance properly - I realized on the day of (and at the airport in fact) that I was only allowed 23kgs TOTAL. Furthermore, the supervisor at the counter was not willing to budge much. I had packed two bags totally approximately 46kgs.
SO at the airport, I repacked my bags. I pulled em both open and moved things around from the essentials to the BARE essentials and so on. After that, I redistributed the weight between the bags, got 1 bag to 25kgs (after basically going from 29 - 22 - 28 - 27 - 25), checked that in, and got started on figuring out how to ship the 2nd bag over. (I also consolidated carry-on by stuffing my guitar case with a lot of paperwork!!!)
Luckily we got to the airport very early - 10:30PM for a 2:35AM flight.
Anyhow, after a couple of hours worth of repacking bags, negotiating (to no success), and $300, we got MOST of my stuff on the way to France. I did forget my flip flops which is really quite upsetting since I do need a pair and I really loved that specific set. I might even ask Mom & Dad to mail them to me. Let's see how desperate I get.
I was one of the last few to make it to the boarding counter and as soon as I hit the seat in-flight I passssssssed out. I was awoken a few times by the stewardesses because I had somehow been put down for a Hindu meal - which automatically means, for some reason, not-too-great-veggie options. That is quite frustrating since "Hindu" can mean so much but I guess if you are an airline, you want to err on the side of the most religious possible Hindu you might come across. Needless to say, I did bow my head towards the big G man up in the sky as we took off :)
My layover in Doha lasted a very short amount of time. Most of the time was spent on a shuttle from the flight to the terminal and then another shuttle right back out of the terminal to an aircraft parked next to the one I had disembarked from... something about the efficiency there seems lacking - might be a great business idea to exploit. Speaking of business ideas - I watched a bit of Badmash Company, all of Megamind (highly recommended), The Town, and Dabangg.
Doha - Paris was also without much activity. However, once I arrived in Paris it was another story. CDG is a bit old & grimy. At least it feels that way. From the terminal I walked to Customs and this is the first time that I was in the shorter line - Foreign Passports. The other line being EU :) Felt pretty good to be getting the VIP treatment!
The wait for my bags was approximately 1 hour. I guess since I checked in so early for the flight in Bangkok, my bag was in the very back of the plane!
And then I walked out of the terminal to meet a couple of INSEAD students I'd coordinated with to shuttle over to CDG...
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