In case you were wondering

[peteryoung]

Yes, I am stuck in Bangkok, and I need to get back to London by 3 December at the latest to go to werk.

With both airports closed and all airline crew evacuated yesterday, I've had to work out a Cunning Plan... two, in fact.

Plan A: Drive 2 hours south east tomorrow morning to a military airport which is being temporarily used for commercial flights. Scrounge a lift on a Cathay Pacific relief flight to Hong Kong which is due to leave at lunchtime (probably a jump seat in the cockpit if I ask nicely). Wait a few hours for two BA flights to London, for which I've had to buy a flexible standby ticket. I'd say the chances of me actually getting on that Cathay flight are fair to good.

Plan B: Hire a van with a few other passengers tomorrow and drive 14 hours south overnight to Phuket, and take the Dragonair flight to Hong Kong from there the next day. I've bought the (fully refundable) ticket already. If all goes well, this will mean arriving in London a day later than Plan A, but still in time for werk.

Most people only get to work out one exit route, if at all, but I've worked out two. Such are the joys (or otherwise) of international aviation when things go exceedingly tits-up.

And all this on the day Benji and I discovered we are expecting a baby next August. Excuse me, but I'm a little overwhelmed right now...

Comments

[eleyan.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on impending sproglet! And I hope that the easier of the two Cunning Plans work out for you. Look forward to hearing about it in due course.

[lamentables.livejournal.com]

I was indeed wondering. Good luck with the plans. And congratulations!
Be safe.

[hawkida.livejournal.com]

That's one hell of a life you're leading, Pete! Congratulations!

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! You just sort of sneaked that in there at the end, didn't you...

[drplokta]

Congratulations! And good luck getting back to the UK.

[cosmic-anchovy.livejournal.com]

Yey - congratulations on impeding fatherhood :)

Hoep everything works out with you getting home. You are a lot more organised than my friend (also stuck in Thailand, but I'm not sure she's bothered at the moment because it means she doesn't have to be at work) so I'm sureevrything will be fine

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! And good luck getting out of Thailand.

[snowking.livejournal.com]

Congrats! And best of luck.

[coth.livejournal.com]

Oh wow!

Congratulations on the baby.

And best wishes for safe travel and cunning plans.

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

You snuck in the bit about the baby just to make sure we read to the end, didn't you! Congratulations!

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Just to test, I think, whether we did indeed read to the end. We passed! Yay us!!

[sbisson.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

And safe travel...

[swisstone.livejournal.com]

Like others, I had been wondering how this farce was affecting you. But great news on the sprog!

[evil-mogwai.livejournal.com]

congratulations on the news!

Good luck and hope you manage to get out of the country safe and sound.

[annafdd.livejournal.com]

W00T! Congratulations! A baby Pete! A baby Benji! I'm smitten already! :-)

[tvor.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!!!

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Congrats, and good luck with the flight.

[ang-grrr.livejournal.com]

I think "Bloody hell, Pete" just about covers it!

[lapswood.livejournal.com]

Wow! Great news. Congratulations. I was thinking about you the other day during our SDS Annual meal. I am so pleased for you and Benji and would hope to see you in the near future.

Great Jumping Snakes!

[godelescherbach.livejournal.com]

Marriage...moving to another country...trying to sell a house when the bubble bursts...and now...parenthood?

Gee, Pete, when you change your lifestyle, you really go for broke!

Congratulations! You will become completely gray when the little tyke is born and starts working out the world on his/her own. Believe me!

[j-lj.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! Good luck getting back to the UK.

[jukkahoo.livejournal.com]

As everyone else has said, congratulations for the progeny. And all the best for the best for the situation over there.

[missfairchild.livejournal.com]

Congratulations to you both xx

[voidampersand.livejournal.com]

Good luck!

[(Anonymous)]

Bon voyage and many congratulations!

[abrinsky.livejournal.com]

That's great news, congratulations.

And hope plan A or B (or C?) works out - they at least sound interesting.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Yay baby! (Am awed also by deviousness of escape plans - I do understand the necessities of werk, but werk should also understand the inescapability of Bangkok? Me, I would just have flourished that and stayed put. But me, of course, I know nothing. Except about the wonderfulness of babies.)

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! And I hope the cunning plan(s) work.

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

I'll just add another congratulations/good luck here at the (current) end of the comments. Yeah!

Congratulations and good luck!

[miramon.livejournal.com]

Congratulations and good luck to both of you!

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Joining the chorus: Congratulations!

Having a back up escape plan if the first doesn't work makes total sense to me. Good for you for putting the pieces in place. Fingers crossed all goes smoothly from here.

[jamesb.livejournal.com]

Hiya Pete,

well that all sounds extreamly exciting, all of it. I sorta secretly love those sort of enforced road trips that are to meet a deadline, and the way you can jmp onto airplanes and seem to have a route that - believing the media- would never be feesable - ie escape from bangkok.

Meanwhile, daddy Pete - woot, thats good news, indeedy. Congratulations to you both.

Gis a shout when you arrive in t'UK, would be good to meet for a coffee, am on earlish roster, so can meet in Hrow in afternoons? (ish)

James

[fjm.livejournal.com]

Good luck, and congratulations to both of you! Wonderful news.

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

congratulations! enjoy the view on the flight back!

[athenais.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on double exit strategy and new baby news!

[pennski.livejournal.com]

Oh wow! Congratulations on your last sentence!

I hope the travel exit plans all work/ed.

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

Great news: I'm delighted for you both.

[dyfferent.livejournal.com]

Wow! Congratulations, on both the impending baby and the depth of your cunning re: travel arrangements.

[hnpcc]

Congratulations!

And on getting back to London so quickly!

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

*faints*