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Anna has sent kept us in touch with their antics via email, and this little classic just screamed out to be published. Its a classic backpacker tale - A tale of two blondes:
From: Anna Hutchinson Subject: Good trip gone bad...'bery bery bad' as they say in asia... Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 22:33:43 +1200 (NZST)
Well hello there! Well I am pleased to announce that we have hit London but not after a hilarious adventure or two where Bangkok Airport became home for four days!!! Yes we survived the mad road rules of Vietnam and our spontaneous detour through Cambodia which was incredible - bomb craters for roads, saw horrendous atrocities at the Genocide museum and experienced the deathly eerie feeling at the Killing Field. One of the strangest sights was the electric cattle prodders being used by the police to "zap" the locals away from us tourists when we arrived off a boat in the middle of nowhere and then of course Angkor Wat - one of the 7th wonders of the world - it was like we were in a fairy tale, this magical kingdom appearing out of a jungle built in the 9th century. And then there was Teri's dodgy typhoid scare where she found a funny looking rash, a 40deg temp and fell asleep whilst on a motorbike but came right after some magic antibiotics...and then it was onto the Thai beaches - 3 weeks diving, snorkelling, the full moon party and some serious beach time it was all magic...all up to the point when we arrived at Bangkok airport to fly out on the tin bird to Heathrow… There we were after 2 months of adventures, no mishaps, refreshed ready to hit London with a few extra shopping bags which we acquired along our travels standing at checkout when we discovered we were 12 hours late for the flight - yep we pulled off a huge blonde call - we were to fly out at 12:30am not 12:30pm!! But all was not lost we thought we'd just get on standby and catch the next plane ... ah maybe not, not unless we wanted to stay another 2 months at the airport as the next available flight was on the 6th of May - that's right - over 2 months away. We were not happy girlies. So we then settled in at Terminal 2 for the next four days for some good quality time (QT) at Bangkok airport! We got to know the orange plastic seats very well however they weren't so comfy after 120 plus hours!!!!! But luckily we kept ourselves amused with 2 kiwi boys who had done the same thing - Mikey P and Brucie were classics... the bar got to know us quite well as did the Thai airport staff , so much so that one morning 2am and we had missed yet another flight Mikey P and myself a little delirious and bored at this stage persuaded the staff that we should be allowed to go through the baggage x-ray machine... it was hilarious, no sleep for about hundred hours the staff had a good laugh and the pictures of on the x-ray screen were classic....and did I mention that in all of this QT my wallet got swallowed up by the airport as well - who knows where it is now but the lack of sleep and our sanity was not conducive to any functioning of the brain...so it wasn't until Monday morning 12:30am (4 days later) we got the thumbs up (after Teri brought on the tears and we found ourselves on the fourth floor in the Airport Supervisors office - as we started to get a little demanding!!!!) And we didn't even have to pay for the excess baggage - they were feeling sorry for us I think! So successfully we hit Heathrow having missed St Patricks day (the whole arrival date based on this - mozzzaa!!!) so now our next challenge was the tube - how hard should that be???...well with our backpacks on, freezing cold (Teri in open toe shoes of course prepared like good travellers) Hutch takes her first ever step onto the tube and gets literally jammed, that's right my handbag and little macpac got squashed in the doors, I was stuck. You could imagine... luckily the doors opened and we struggled on... got off at the right stop turn up to the flat, no one home (murphy's law) so we found ourselves at the local corner pub as you do. It was closed but we put on some kiwi charm, they opened up and we found ourselves in yet another situation (even helped them put down the chairs), but now we have showered, frocked up and have a bed ...all systems go!!! First impressions of London are magic, sure its grey, dull raining and everyone on the tube needs to catch a tan and crack a smile other than that its a beautiful city with magic architecture and a horrendous ability to chew up the kiwi dollar. First purchase in London (how could I not!)...umbrella (very practical so this purchase can be justified unlike some others!!!)- the rain hasn't stopped. But we're alive and smiling with many a story to tell. After surviving asia for 2 months with no dramas until the last day!!!! So that is the latest Hutch update. A big hi to you all, hope you're having a cracker time. Keep in touch. Love Hutchie (the experienced traveller - yeah right!) PS. if this reads a little incoherently sorry but the lack of sleep over this last week may have a little something to do with it!!!
Watch out London!
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