I clicked this picture on a cloudy Tuesday afternoon on August 9, 2011. It was the end of my first solo trip outside India and with a heavy heart I had bid adieu to Vietnam – the country that had hosted me for almost a month.
Vietnam was not only my first solo trip – it was my first international trip ever. And I had gone in headfirst – without knowing anything about its language or its people. All I knew was that there was a bruised generation suffering from the effects of the Vietnam War. I found they had given way to a new commercially-driven generation who travelled around freely as well.
I saw them first at Suvarnabhoomi Airport, Bangkok’s most famous airport. I had arrived here in July to begin my solo sojourn in Vietnam. It was my first international airport – and everything was utterly novel. From the features of the people around me to the signs and features of a huge airport, I took in everything even inside the sanitised environs of my surroundings.
I had three hours worth of waiting to do and walked around the length of the Suvarnabhoomi Airport – blessed as I was not to have carried my mobile phone and oblivious to the messages that could wait until I wished to attend to them. I marvelled at the huge installations and gingerly took out my point-and-shoot camera to capture my first international picture. You can see the image below.
I clicked and waited to see if I had broken any law and if armed commandos would see me through invisible cameras and pin me to the ground and take away my camera. Nothing happened, thankfully, and emboldened by the situation, I took a few more pictures and walked further.
I could see the skyway where many travellers headed to go to Bangkok. For a moment I flirted with the idea of joining them and coming back quickly – just a round trip to the last stop and back with the visa-on-arrival facility. But the absurdity of the thought hit me the very next second and I kept walking on.
On another level, I saw a food court with dishes and names that were as alluring and inviting as a Thai spa. The price on the right of the card served as appropriate bouncers to the idea. I settled on an overpriced coffee after taking stock of the entire food court and big stores selling everything you would find in a mall.
By now, there was only an hour to go so I found my connecting flight and joined my other co-passengers to wait for the Thai Airways flight that would take me to my final destination – Saigon.
Coming back from Hanoi, my thoughts turned to the window and that insane moment when I thought I would take a quick round trip around Bangkok. The clouds cleared – as if my thoughts were being read – and I caught this breathtaking view of Bangkok from the sky.
I made two promises to myself right then – I would always pick the window seat whenever I go and I would come back to Bangkok some day soon.
I have honoured my first promise multiple times in subsequent journeys and never once regretted it. Today, it is time to fulfill the second promise.
Bangkok – I am coming to you.
