Elderly Women Sitting in an Airport, or: How My Parents Had Eight Days Added to Their Vacation

When my parents first booked their trip to Thailand, I was concerned. 15 days, including an arrival just before midnight and a departure at 6am, just didn't seem like enough time for them to do everything that they wanted to do. I already promised my Thai host family that we would attend their two-day housewarming extravaganza on the 22nd and 23rd, so after 4 days in Bangkok, the Conbeers had about 6 free days in Chiang Mai to try to understand my life, meet my friends, and explore northern Thailand.

Thankfully, the PAD understood my anxiety, and decided to take over Suvarnabhumi Airport. The political protests were mostly nonviolent, and in fact the protestors were primarily older women and children, but since the Thai police and army were caught in a bit of a political quagmire, the airports were closed for about a week until the Thai Supreme Court ruled to dissolve the ruling political party, citing electoral fraud. The next day, the airports were reopened, and my parents managed to book a flight back home four days later.

But what that meant is that we had an extra eight days together, which afforded lots of time for daily massages and a very laid-back approach to sightseeing. Plus, it meant that I got to eat at every restaurant in Chiang Mai on somebody else's dime, so I can't complain.

Some highlights: watching my dad tap into his old motorcycle-racing days while riding his 125cc Honda Click motorbike; having a great, big dinner with friends and family at Riverside; showing my parents Crazy Horse, the climbing area, and taking them to the hot springs; becoming rather good friends with the masseuses at the local 120-Baht/hour massage place (they like daily customers); and giving alms to 11,250 monks. [Photos]

There was also the super-mega highlight of the two-day housewarming extravagansa, which merits its own post, coming shortly. Happy New Year, everyone!