The last time we checked in, we were waiting for our flight to Tokyo in the international terminal of LAX. We've been on quite the journey since then, and we cannot wait to tell you all about it. The beginning of our new life in Southeast Asia has two major hurdles to get over before we can truly start living it up in Bangkok. The first was 18 hours of flying, and the second a two week hotel quarantine. We are proud to say that we are currently on our last day of quarantine, and are so excited to tell you all about how these two challenges went.
The 24 hour Travel "Day"
In Santa Barbara on March 18th, our alarm went off at 5:45 am signaling the start of our travel day to Bangkok. After our last Cope family breakfast and an early morning goodbye to Ross, we hopped in the mini van with Traci, our four carefully packed 50 lbs suitcases, two Rick Steves back packs, and two regular back packs (with out a doubt, TOO MUCH stuff). We left Santa Barbara, one of our two homes over the past 8 months, while watching the sunrise over the ocean. It was the perfect goodbye to such an amazing place. The drive took about an hour and a half and we were filled with nerves while reciting plans on how the next 24 hours would go. One last goodbye awaited us as we pulled up to LAX. Hugs were given and then tears were shed as we watched Traci pull out of the airport drop off. We were officially on our own. We lugged our gear into the airport, and after checking in with more paperwork than has ever been required for a flight before, we dropped off 200 pounds of our luggage, and we made our way to the terminal. The airport was emptier than Nolan had ever seen it, and every once in a while travelers would make their way down the terminal in either the required mask, or a full hazmat suit. As our flight began boarding, our last few minutes in the United States were filled with good luck texts and "see-you-later"s to all of our amazing friends and family. At 12:05 pm, we boarded our flight to Tokyo, Japan.
The flight was more crowded than expected (partly due to about 65% of the airplane being dedicated to first class seats that maybe three people occupied). Most of the seats were full, but we had booked a window seat and an aisle seat in the very back of the plane, and we were ecstatic to find out that no one had booked the seat in the middle. As the plane backed out of the gate, we turned our phones onto airplane mode, and said farewell to our American phone numbers for the next 14 months.
As we took off, the distant yet familiar feeling of travel began to set in and we could not be more excited. The flight attendants came by with drinks (free wine for Jessica!) and our meals, which were delicious. We were having a ball! Our adventure was finally taking off (literally!) and the feeling was amazing.
That amazing feeling lasted all of three or four hours, and slowly drifted away as we checked the sky map, and saw eight and then seven and etc. etc. hours to go. Nolan slept for probably five hours on that first flight, as Jessica lay awake and stared with envy, possibly getting two hours herself. The only saving grace of that flight for Jessica was the Emma Watson movie marathon of the live action Beauty and the Beast, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (pt. 1). As we started our decent into Tokyo, it felt impossible that a seven hour flight was still awaiting us.
We spent our two hour layover watching the sun finally set, and walking around the eerily empty international terminal. Almost everything was closed and almost every flight on the departures board was cancelled. We found a small 7/11 to buy some water and coffee, ventured into the toilets to find the ever popular Japanese toilets with more buttons than we've ever seen on a toilet, and standing at tall tables to try and stretch our legs. It was about midnight California time when we landed in Tokyo at 4 pm, and that was when we started telling ourselves that time was a social construct not to be regarded in this current moment. After what felt like a short two hours, we boarded our seconded flight to Bangkok, Thailand.
This flight was emptier, and we had practiced the same successful strategy of booking a window and aisle seat, leaving the middle empty seat to become Jessica's bed for the next few hours. It was now 2 or 3 am California time, and Jessica was starting to feel seriously ill from the lack of sleep. She passed out for about half of the next flight, this time leaving Nolan awake for the entirety of the journey.
By the time we landed in Bangkok, life seriously felt distorted. It was 10 pm when we landed, but 8 am back home, and both of had slept for maybe 5 hours each. We just had to make it through about 5 immigration and health checks before being released to the area where the quarantine vans were waiting for us. Thailand took the immigration process very seriously. It was organized and well structured, and although it took about an hour, we were excited to be in a country where they were taking the virus so seriously. We found our hotel driver and hopped into the van as she noted just how many suitcases we had brought (again, TOO MANY). The thirty minute drive to the hotel was the most awake we had felt in hours, knowing that it was the most we would be able to experience Bangkok for the next two weeks. The closer we got to our hotel, the more excited we became. In the last 5 minutes of the drive, we drove down the street that would, in just two weeks, become our future neighborhood! The feelings of intense excitement to get out and travel quickly came to an end as we filled out more paperwork for the hotel, and were subsequently shut in our rooms, not to leave for the next two weeks.
Quaran-Time to Do Nothing
As the door closed and we were officially in our two quarantine rooms for the next two weeks, a huge sense of relief lifted off our shoulders. After all of the paperwork and logistics we had worked through to get here, we had officially made it into the country and into quarantine. However, the feeling of relief only lasted for a few seconds, as the overwhelming exhaustion set in. We each took a short shower to wash off that feeling that lots of travel causes, and we hopped into bed at 2 am, sadly setting our alarm for 8:30 am, just a few hours later. We had had fears that we wouldn't be able to fall asleep because of jet lag and the fact that it was noon back home, but after the travel "day" and lack of sleep over the past 30 hours, falling asleep was no issue.
The next morning, we woke up to the start of our quarantine routine. One of the requirements for the quarantine was to submit our temperatures twice per day to the hotel, using two different apps. So, we woke up, found our thermometers, and after Nolan wrestled with the technology for awhile, we submitted our temperatures and then, breakfast arrived.
Every day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner were delivered directly to our door. Part two of our quarantine requirements was to submit what we wanted to eat for the next day, by 2 pm on the
current day. Each meal had a few different times it could be delivered at, as well as a few different options for each meal. The meals were all fairly good, and we quickly realized that all of the Thai options were better than any of the Westernized options. Rice was on the menu at least once and up to three times per day, depending on what we choose.
The first few days passed in a sleepy blur. On that first day, we forced ourselves to stay awake all day, absolutely no naps. And we did it! Kind of. We fell asleep at 8 pm, and it was a struggle to even stay awake that long. Sadly, because of our early bedtime, we were both awake before 5 am. And so started the game of stay-up-15-minutes-later-each-night-so-that-we-could-sleep-in-15-minutes-longer-each-morning. It took about a week, but eventually we made it to falling asleep at 9:30 pm, and sleeping in until 7:30 am.
After two days of plane recovery, Monday morning arrived, and with it, came one of the things we were most excited for. We were able to teach to our students in the morning. This is something that pre-2020 and mega-distanced learning wouldn't even make sense, but now, it was like a dream. Nolan had gotten used to being half asleep in his last two classes because of how late they were into the night, and now, he was completely awake and energized, ready to show his students how great his classes could really be. Jessica could sing the Good Morning song with her students, and have it actually be morning. It was incredible, and absolutely worth every second of logistics and flying.
The first week passed quickly, with teaching in the morning and watching Lost or Avatar the Last Airbender at night, intermixed with reading The Alchemist out loud to each other. It was nice to have an excuse to do a bit of nothing. After our negative COVID test came back on Day 5, we were allowed to go up to the roof for 45 minutes each day, which made quarantine just that much
better!
By the end of the two weeks, it simultaneously felt like two weeks had passed in the blink of an eye, and like we had been living in those hotel rooms forever. Going into this experience, we were a little bit nervous. People had given us warnings such as: Wow, two weeks stuck in a hotel room together? Good luck not getting sick of each other! And with complete honesty, we don't think our relationship has ever been better. It was the first time we truly had our own space, with only each others needs and wishes to tend to, not the needs and wishes of our parents. And it was amazing. We spent the days laughing and excited to get to know each other that much more.
And now, on the day before quarantine ends, we obviously could not be more excited to leave.
We've been watching tuk tuks and motorbikes driving by, and up on the roof we can see the never-ending Bangkok skyline, and we couldn't be more excited for the experiences we know we will have once we can get into it. But, the tiniest bit of us is sad to leave. It has been wonderful and so so easy. We are sure the next step will be all the more wonderful. But we will definitely look back on this one with gratitude and happy memories.
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