All Aboard the Midnight Express

We departed our Hotel in Bangkok on 3rd May for the Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok's International Airport) at 7.30pm. Along the way to the airport, we drove past several army checkpoints, each time with a soldier shining a torch into the car to see whom was inside. We think this was mainly due to one of the roads to the airport being closed due to the red-shirt protesters claiming the road. We arrived at the airport at around 8pm for our 00:15am flight to Helsinki onto Berlin.

We checked in our luggage and then headed onto Customs it was here that I experienced one of my "dumb" moments. My carry-on bag was sent through the x-ray machine and was pulled aside to be searched. When asked "Show me your scissors", I replied with "No, I do not have any scissors". Then realising I had packed the First Aid in my carry on luggage (duh)and they had a freakin' x-ray machine (dammit). Having found the stray scissors and disposing of them we continued through. We then waited around for 3 hours for our flight to Helsinki.

Our flight to Helsinki took around 10 hours, once in Helsinki we had to go through customs again. I had sent my carry-on backpack through the x-ray machine again only to find 3 containers full of liquid - hand-cream, sunscreen and deodorant. Now without any liquids nor scissors I was on my way. (David was not impressed, he had continuously told me - "you can't have any liquids, nor sharp objects". oh well, its all drilled in now). (photo above shows me over the waiting in Helsinki Airport, I well and truly felt like a smelly backpacker at this stage, having been in the same clothes for the past 3 days!)

Eventually arriving in Berlin Tegel Airport there were no customs, we went straight through to catch our bus and then train to Prenzlaurberg, where we will be staying for ten days. We were both feeling pretty jetlagged when we arrived to our hostel at 12pm, but we managed to stay awake for a few beers and then ended up in bed by 6pm. Tomorrow, ready for a new journey.