The last 30 minute of the flight from Addis Abeba (Ethiopia) was probably the longest 30 minutes of my life. It felt like forever had stopped, and mind you, it wasn't a very nice place to be stuck forever, between a HUGE Mozambique dude and a tall Nigerian dude. I felt like God was punishing me for all the nasty things I've said in the blogs.

But nothing lasts forever, even my 14 hour return flight, plus 4 hour transit time, and 3 hour delay. Numerically, they add up to 21, just 3 hours short of a full day, but it felt like a month, I tell you...

When the plane's landing gears finally touched the ground of Suvanapum Airport, I let out a silent scream of joy... And relief... I never felt so relieved from a safe landing... Usually I'm a bit disappointed that nothing had gone wrong... like a bird being sucked into the engine or the tires of the airplane blowing up.

And usually, I'm not anxious to exit the plane, like many other 'jai ro~n' passengers, but today I was pushing the African dudes in front to make way for myself.

The procedure of entering the Kingdom of Thailand was a bit different, as I had to report to the disease control desk and get the OK sign to enter the country. It wouldn't have been so annoying if I had not been starving for the last 10 days, and if I had not been missing my family so much.

Nevertheless, I finished the process calmly, and went to the duty-free area to get some gifts for my wife and kids. I was probably the fastest customer there... Just run in, grab this and that, and pay and go...

After the immigration and picking up my luggage, I ran out of the airport and dived into a taxi on the fifth floor.

Note: When you arrive at the airport, the fastest and cheapest way to get a taxi is to go to the fifth or the departure floor. There, the taxis which brought the departing passengers to the airport will be lining up to take cunning customers like me. And they don't charge you the extra 50 Baht.

I told the taxi man,

"Take me home!"

Thailand hadn't changed a bit, but everything was shining more brightly. The street looked nicer and the buildings looked better. The air was cozier, and the ladies were prettier. All the things I have ever complained about Thailand had been rectified, and there was nothing for me to complain about.

The taxi driver kept asking questions, but I didn't really feel like talking too much, because I was just marvelling the beauty of this country, and I was thanking the Lord, for I get to call this beautiful place my home...

400 Baht is how much it costs to ride a taxi from the airport to my home. And it was the worthiest 400 Baht I've spent in many years...

I stood in front of my house and took a moment to appreciate all that this house stands for... A place to sleep... a place to eat... a place to rest, and a place to play... but most importantly, it's a place where my family is... 

"There is no place like home..."

I whispered, and took the last steps of my journey... through the gate, pass the door, pass the living room, up the stairs, and into my room.

And finally, into the arms of my lovely wife who had been waiting for me for 10 days.

Dear fellow bloggers,

I thank all of you, who had been a real inspiration through out the journey... You have been wonderful... You cheered me up when I was blue, you filled me up when I was hungry. You assured me when I was in doubt, and you gave me strength when I was scared. And because of your well wishes, I am back home, alive, and still in one piece.

I will recharge my cameras first, and load the pictures and write a photo blog... I know you'd like to see the photos that I've taken while risking my life. (I'm such a drama king...^^) 

But for tonight, I'm just going to relax and reminisce the memories I've made in the past 10 days...

Thanks for reading this, and good night! 

GG :-)