Thailand Adventure – Day One: Coffee, A Lightning Show and One Very Long Day!

If there was ever a day that tested our ability to function on very little sleep, it was this one!

Our Thailand adventure officially began at the rather ridiculous hour of 3:45am. One coffee down before we'd even left the house, and we were already on our way to Sydney Airport with Mum and Dad.

Naturally, no family airport departure would be complete without the obligatory family photo underneath the big Sydney Departures sign. And with that, our adventure was officially underway!

We arrived at the airport around 6:00am, which naturally called for coffee number two.

Rory was absolutely fascinated by the planes taking off and landing, spending plenty of time glued to the window at our departure gate watching all the airport activity.

By 9:00am, coffee number three was well and truly needed, accompanied by a Macca's breakfast and the excitement of watching our plane roll up to the boarding gate.

The excitement was building, although for Rory it was also starting to become a little overwhelming.

As the plane began taxiing towards the runway, he started worrying about whether taking off would hurt and whether he would still be able to breathe once we were up in the air. A few reassurances later, we were ready to go!

The flight was a combination of sleeping, movies, snacks and trying to keep everyone entertained.

Everyone except Kailey managed to squeeze in some sleep at some point. I, on the other hand, decided to make the most of the in-flight entertainment.

My movie marathon included:

- Mars Attacks

- Michael

- Forrest Gump

- Moulin Rouge

Quite the selection!

Meanwhile, the kids were doing their best to stay entertained, and we were slowly making our way towards Bangkok.

It took roughly nine hours to get from Sydney to Bangkok.

Arriving in Bangkok brought our first proper Kailey meltdown of the trip. After the long flight, unfamiliar surroundings and general exhaustion, it was inevitable.

Thankfully, there were some highlights along the way. The kids discovered some delicious Japanese animal-shaped desserts, which were a definite hit!

Kailey also found herself a new friend in the form of a cleaning robot, which she promptly named Jerry.

Because apparently every airport trip needs a robot companion.

Between the exhaustion, sensory overload and everyone being well and truly over each other's company, we were starting to get a little snappy. Our survival strategy? Hot chips. Lots of hot chips.

And can someone please explain why other people feel the need to have loud speakerphone conversations in airport waiting areas? Literally everyone can hear your conversation. Nobody asked to be included in your family drama, plans for ordering a Christmas Turkey or politics in Korea.

Our next challenge was getting everyone onto the short flight to Chiang Mai.

Kailey had other ideas.

During the five-minute shuttle bus ride to our next flight, she finally fell asleep. Unfortunately, it was one of those sleeps where waking up simply wasn't an option. She had to be helped up the stairs and onto the plane!

We also had a last-minute change to our seating arrangements, which upset the kids as we had been separated.

Thankfully, the airline staff were absolutely wonderful and managed to rearrange things so we could all sit together again. Frankie even scored a window seat all to herself, with nobody sitting beside her. She was one very happy girl!

The flight itself provided quite the spectacle.

As we were taking off, there was a storm brewing behind the plane. Watching the clouds light up with flashes of lightning in the distance was absolutely incredible.

Although the novelty wore off slightly when the plane itself was struck by lightning a few times during the journey. Each strike came with a rather impressive cracking noise!

Rory had a particularly difficult time with the air pressure and his ears throughout the flight, while Kailey slept pretty much the entire way.

Aaron, meanwhile, found himself sitting next to another drunk passenger. This seems to be becoming a bit of a recurring theme. I'm beginning to think he has some sort of magnetic attraction to them!

By the time we landed, Kailey was so exhausted that she had entered that interesting stage of sleepwalking while still technically being asleep.

It was a one hour flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.

We collected our luggage without any problems and eventually located our driver, despite him initially waiting for us at the wrong exit.

The drive to the hotel provided another memorable family moment.

The four of us ended up squeezed across the back seat of the vehicle, which didn't have seatbelts, while Aaron sat comfortably in the front.

Rory was perched on Frankie's lap, and the kids thought the whole arrangement was absolutely hilarious.

Safety standards? Questionable. Family entertainment? Apparently excellent!

When we arrived at the hotel, Kailey decided that the lounge in the lobby was the perfect place to set up her bed. She was well and truly done for the day!

We finally made it to the Pingviman Hotel and I have to say, we were very impressed with our room!

After what felt like approximately 47 hours of travelling (although I'm sure the clock would disagree), it was lovely to finally have somewhere comfortable to unpack, settle in and catch our breath.

Aaron and Frankie have headed out for a late-night stroll to 7-Eleven, because apparently they still have some energy left in the tank.

Rory, Kailey and I, however, have officially called it a night.

Three coffees, two flights, one lightning show, a robot called Jerry, several meltdowns, questionable seating arrangements and approximately zero hours of decent sleep later...

WE MADE IT TO CHIANG MAI! 🌴

Tomorrow is a new day, a new adventure and hopefully a day involving a little more sleep and considerably fewer airport dramas.

Thailand, we're finally here! ❤️

Before signing off on our very long travel day, we have to give a special mention to Thai Airways.

We would absolutely recommend flying with them. The food was excellent, the staff were warm, welcoming and helpful, and the flights themselves were smooth and comfortable (lightning strikes aside!).

The crew really did make the journey a pleasant experience, particularly when we needed a little help rearranging our seats so we could all sit together.

And Frankie has a very important additional recommendation for anyone considering flying with Thai Airways...

Watch the safety video!

Apparently, one of its highlights is a cartoon flamingo smoking a cigarette and subsequently getting told off by a flight attendant. 😂

It's safe to say that this particular safety demonstration made quite an impression on her!

So, from the food to the friendly crew and even the entertainment in the safety briefing, Thai Airways gets a big thumbs up from our family. 💜