April 1st is a long day!
We checked out of our hotel around 8 pm March 31, according to Air Canada we should have been at the airport by the time we left the hotel. When we got dropped off at the airport by the taxi ( ฿400 about $15 CAD) we ran inside to get out of the heat. Fully dressed in long pants, socks and shoes for the first time in months. When we looked for the JAL check in desk number we had trouble finding the flight because our flight departure was the next day. The flight finally showed up and we were off to desk “P” where Japan Airlines flight 718 was taking check-ins and luggage drop off. We waited quite a long time for the guy ahead of us to get processed. Once we stepped forward it was like the Spanish Inquisition. The fact we had completed the web check in and uploaded all our documents and they were approved, we still had to show paper copies of our vaccine information. When you look on the ArriveCan app, it shows our passports have already been designated as belonging to fully vaccinated owners. As far as the ArriveCan app goes, its a mess. When we attempted to put our flight in the previous night, while drinking a beer, the app led us to believe we would require COVID test to leave Thailand. We clicked through accepting quarantine and all these questions about where we planned to quarantine. Finally the app spit out a QR code with approval. No test required at this point, maybe at Vancouver. Who knows.The app actually asks you to pre-book an arrival test. We’ll see how that works out.
We were shocked at how busy the Bangkok airport was compared to when we arrived Jan. 8. They are busy re-opening shops and getting them set up. Social distancing was pretty much impossible, we put our medical grade N95 masks on and are hoping for the best!
Our flight from Bangkok to Tokyo was late leaving. Apparently there were issues with loading of some cargo. We made it to Tokyo’s Narita airport where we and all of the other transfer passengers were allowed to de-plane first. People arriving to stay in Japan were held back. We saw a huge area of chairs lined up in rows, like what they did in Phuket. Guessing there is an arrival testing program in Japan. There was a ton of paperwork handed out on the flight that those staying in Japan had to complete.
We arrived at Narita terminal 2 and required a bus trip to Terminal 1. Terminal 1 is fully open except for everything that involves the one thing people need to survive. Food.
We bought a can of iced coffee for about $2 CAD and tested it, then we bought another, so we both had drinks. A purchase of a few nuts got us through breakfast. The plane had served salmon rice congee. That’s rice porridge, with a bit of shredded salmon on top. It was ok (says Gary), especially when the dessert got opened up. Strawberry yogurt with a huge strawberry and another dish of watermelon and fruit.
Once we got to Terminal one we walked to our gate, then all around the terminal. By the time we got back to the departure gate for Air Canada flight 4 to Vancouver we had put on 3 km.
The washrooms here are amazing. Bum washing toilet seats and a place to leave your child securely sitting inside the stall. There’s disinfectant and instructions on how to disinfect your toilet seat. Push a button and warm water shines up your tush. This is pretty much normal in Asia, from this high tech system here in Japan to less advanced spray systems in all of Thailand. North America had a lot to learn!
We board at 16:05 that’s 4:05 pm, as of this moment we have 2 hours to sit. We’ll upload this blog post and that will be it until we get home later today, in about 17 hours. April 1 is a long day for us, we are packing in an extra day due to crossing the international date line going east. We lost the same amount of time on the way to Thailand, it’s only fitting we get it back!
We have so much video from our trip that we just could not deal with because of the length of time it takes for processing. We plan to get more Thailand blog posts and YouTube videos out in the near future. We should arrive home around 4:30 pm today, April 1. It’s still 11 pm March 31 at home and noon April 1st in Bangkok. Not sure what time our body thinks it is at the moment, our sleep patterns will be totally messed up by the time we get home.