We awoke the next morning and I popped up to the lounge to see what the breakfast spread was like. It was pretty nice, actually. I enjoyed an eclectic mix of Thai, Japanese, and American foods and consumed a bunch of fruit juices. I went back to the room to let Wesley know that he had about a half-hour to get some breakfast and that it was good. He came up shortly and did his best to put a dent in their buffet. I asked the lounge attendant about Narai Phand as it was a recommended spot to look for souvenirs. With some information in hand and full stomachs, we set off souvenir hunting.

Narai Phand used to be located in a mall near one of the BTS stops, but after searching high and low we were unable to locate it. I stopped at the mall information booth and asked if they knew where it was and was directed to the InterContinental hotel. We got there and started looking through the attached mall but again couldn’t find the store. It was only after we decided to give up and leave the mall that we spied the sign for it in an alleyway behind the IC. It was nice to finally find it after a half-hour of searching, and even nicer that it was air-conditioned. Inside it appeared to be brand new – in fact there was still construction going on and half the store was empty. We looked around for a few minutes before deciding to see what else was available.

Our next stop was the Weekend Market (Chatuchak). I had never been before but it was also a highly-recommended stop for souvenirs. We took the SkyTrain to Mo Chit, hopped out and joined the throng of people walking towards the entrance. The Weekend Market is a pretty crazy experience – tons of people, tight quarters, strong smells, heat, and an insane variety of stuff for purchase. You could easily spend all day there and not see everything, and we didn’t have all day.

We spent at least an hour there, perhaps two, and ended up with a variety of cool souvenirs – some more durable and popular than others. From candle holders to coasters to key rings to lamps, I bought far too much given my available carrying capacity.

It was getting a little late, and we needed to re-pack everything and possibly freshen up before heading back to the airport. I had hoped to grab a light lunch and had considered stopping in McDonalds to see if they had sweet taro pies, but alas we didn’t have the time and so I had to console myself with simply watching it pass by as the SkyTrain brought us nearer to the hotel. We did have time, mind you, for Wesley to stop in another 7-11 in search of odd Fanta varieties. I don’t recall what he purchased, but I know he found something in the 7-11 down the street from the Conrad. We walked the distance from the BTS stop to the hotel, went up to the room, and re-packed for the last time.

We had no time for showers or last-minute visits to the lounge, so we simply hauled our bags downstairs and Wesley worked on getting a taxi while I checked us out. Twenty minutes later we were pulling into the airport. I imagine traffic in Bangkok can be absolutely terrible, but I’ve never had anything but smooth sailing between the airport and my downtown hotels (knock on wood). We checked our bags in, cleared immigration, and set to work exploring the business class lounge.

I was very unimpressed by the food offerings, and the lounge itself was quite crowded. I had mentioned to Wesley when booking the flights that one of the benefits of an ex-BKK departure on TG was the spa lounge. I reminded him of this benefit but he appeared uninterested. I figured it was his loss, and told him I’d be back in a half-hour. I received a delightful head/neck/shoulder massage and returned to the lounge just in time to see boarding being called. We grabbed our stuff and walked over to the gate.

The flight home was uneventful, other than being the longest flight (distance-wise) that I’ve ever been on at 8,270 miles. We pushed late, had a very friendly crew and a very full flight (a few last-minute op-ups to C ensured a full cabin). The food was pretty good, in fact better than my F-class food on previous flights. We were also provided satay, and top-ups, and garlic bread. All in all, really good catering. The IFE was nice and I watched a movie or two before falling asleep. I slept really well. I’m not sure why (I had plenty of sleep each night at the hotels), but I managed at least eight hours in the slanted-flat seat that Thai has in business class. I awoke with about 45 minutes to go before we landed in Los Angeles.

Wesley and I had hoped to standby for a same-night departure from LAX-PHX, rather than have to overnight in LAX and arrive later at work the next day. And at first that plan was looking to have some promise with our flight from BKK boarding early and the winds being favorable. Sadly, our late departure ate up most of any connection window we might have had. We walked quickly to immigration, hoping beyond rational hope that we might still make a connection that night, but after a ten minutes of waiting in line at immigration it was clear our plan was a failed one. The immigration computers were down, and they weren’t processing anyone. It was a ridiculous scene. We waited for about ½ hour before the computers came back up and processing began again. You’d think they might understand a thing or two about high-availability operations, but I guess it’s not something they’ve worried about.

So resigned to our fate of overnighting in Los Angeles, we called around to see which hotels had the best rates. We ended up staying at the Four Points by Sheraton. It was a nice enough hotel and we even got an upgrade despite having nothing other than general-member status. The hotel was quite crowded, and we were hungry but the restaurant was closed (or closing). So we set out for the nearest open restaurant – Burger King. Like many things in life, it sounded like a good idea – a tasty burger with toppings, some fries, and a soda. In reality, I regretted the decision as soon as I was halfway through my sandwich. We were tired after this, and had a very early flight the next morning, so without further thought we went to sleep.