And so Willard says goodbye to Chiang Mai airport for the first time today...

This is our morning snack, courtesy of Thai's domestic Royal Executive Service. OK, so there isn't any Champagne (in fact, like the lounge, there aren't any alcoholic drinks at all), but it is still streets ahead of the equivalent domestic service in the UK, and at less than a third of the price, it is difficult to really complain!

Here we are, landing at Bangkok's Don Muang airport for the first time today (and hopefully not the last). This gives you a "Willard's eye view" out of the window, and yes, those really are golfers. Don Muang is virtually unique in having an 18 hole golf course INSIDE the airport (between the runways, in fact). Obviously, this helps to stop taxing aircraft overshooting the exits from the runways (green fees are significant, and you are not allowed on unless you've booked) and I understand that hitting a departing Jumbo with your initial drive from the tee invokes a 2 stroke penalty!

Now, it appears that our luck may be changing! Thanks to two angels at the Thai customer service desk (not these gorgeous ladies, I thought I should protect their identities, as I'm not sure how far the rules were bent in our favour) we now have a booking on the 14:00 flight back to Chiang Mai (which is actually the 13:15 flight, delayed), and our other cancelled booking is resurrected, albeit with confirmed seats for tommorow. The mileage run may yet be ON! So, buoyed up by this news, you see us checking in to the Thai domestic lounge for a celebratory (if non-alcoholic) drink!

And here is Willard, hanging out at the gate, waiting for the (first) flight back to board. Note that this is a bus gate (i.e. our plane is parked on a stand, and we're going to be taken by bus to it) which is usually a BAD THING....