Trip to United States

October, 2013

15-16 October 2013
(Tuesday-Wednesday)

Travel Days

Tuesday was a hectic day. In the morning I met with a producer, reporter, interpreter, and photographer from Agence France Presse in Thailand. They are producing a news item on the Deaf Development Programme. Then I made a hurried run to a clinic to check on an earache that started developing yesterday. The afternoon was spent on loose ends before I headed to the airport at 5:30 PM for the flight to Bangkok. In the morning I picked up a United flight to Tokyo/Chicago/New York City,and fiinally arrived at Maryknoll, NY on Wednesday night.

When I arrived at the Phnom Penh airport, I saw long lines waiting to check in at the Economy counters. Then I realized that because I flew three times to the US last year I have a premier gold card and I moved over to the premier check-in counter for a speedy check-in. I took a photo of my suitcase because it almost regularly gets lost.

Checking my suitcase

There were hundreds of people milling around the outside of the departure terminal when I arrived. From upstairs near passport control, I got a better view. They are village people who come to see off some of the young village men recruited as foreign laborers in Korea and other countries.
Crowds at the Phnom Penh airport
Arriving in Bangkok, I found my usual sleeping place on the chairs in Concourse B was locked up. I had always thought it strange that the airport allowed people to wander around--and sleep--in an otherwise empty concourse where there were no flights during the night. It was a bit spooky to be alone there all night but it was quiet so I found it a comfortable place to sleep. Now, though, the airport apparently has decided it is not a good idea to allow people there during the night and the doors to the concourse were padlocked. I ended going back to the place I previously used for sleeping, near the free computers for the Internet.

On this trip I flew Phnom Penh to Bangkok to Tokyo to Chicago to LaGuardia in New York City. Then I took the airport bus to Grand Central Station and then the Metro North train to Ossining and then a taxi to Maryknoll.