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Chapter 13 BKK

Rialoves2cook: Here is the last hint before I reveal where the plane I'm about to board is heading! I'm making mango and rambutan crumbles with cardamom ice cream. Rambutan is this red and green alien-looking fruit with stringy tentacles on the outside you peel to find a grape-textured interior with a sweet and sour taste. It mixes nicely with the ultra sugary mango and strong cardamom flavour. Both tropical fruits grow in my destination country. Post your guesses below :)

#dessert #mango #rambutan #whereamI #sweettreats

Posted: October 13th, 4:30 PM

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After the food on the second flight gave her stomach cramps, Maria twisted and turned, her stretch attempts blocked by armrests, the reclined seat in front of her, and the small bag she'd wedged underneath. Beside her, a white business executive shot her narrowed-eyed glares while he typed on his tablet. She slipped past his unmoved long legs yet again to get sick in the tiny bathroom while the plane bumped over mild turbulence.

On her way back, the man shook his head and said, "Pick an aisle seat next time if you can't control your bladder.

As her face muscles tightened, she made little effort to avoid knocking his tablet as she passed. He muttered something about 'foreigners'.

In her seat, she avoided looking at the jerk and pulled the blanket over her aching body. She'd give anything for her mother's soup and a comforting shoulder to lie on. Instead, she readjusted the thin neck pillow Sunshine had leant her. Maria soothed herself with an upbeat playlist, trying to convince herself she'd recover from the uncomfortable trip soon.

Hours later, a large green island replaced the endless blue ocean below. The monitor in the headrest confirmed they were flying over Northern Japan. Asia. Her family's continent, the one she'd only visited through pictures, videos and her relatives' stories. A clean start. Villages lined the coasts and a few minutes later, the volcanic ridges eased into gentler slopes and farmland. If her stomach felt better, she'd have taken advantage of the fresh seafood on the final layover.

Instead, she got lost attempting to find her gate and browsed through gift shops with cute stationery and matcha flavoured sweets she resisted the temptation to buy alongside. The vacationers in the shop chatted in excited tones, eager to explore a new country together. Few people wandered solo except for the business executives. Maria cured her loneliness by replying to her contest post comments and messaging Sunshine, but it didn't fill the gap of having a travel companion.

After she boarded her connecting flight to Bangkok, she was trapped in a cramped seat too far from anyone she cared about. What if her coworkers were awful, like the business executive and his snide remarks? What if she didn't make any friends and spent the year lonely and miserable? She had more baggage than this stupid airplane, and no one would want to associate with that.

The Japanese woman beside her passed tissues and gave her pitying glances, probably convinced Maria was heading for a fate in the red-light district rather than her grand escape. More like a long walk to an electric chair to end all thoughts of her Canadian life. What sane person left their loving family, good friends and future because they had a nasty breakup and got seduced by pretty beach pictures? Her father was right.

Maria distracted herself by rereading replies to the cooking post she'd uploaded. A few people guessed her destination correctly, others were far from the mark, and Sunshine and Tina competed for the least likely answers. Their responses 'Antarctica', 'Mars' and 'the back of Dad's closet' made her laugh.

Twenty-three hours after leaving Edmonton, she stepped off the airplane into Bangkok's wall of humidity. Her clothes, better suited to Canadian fall, clung to her with sweat. Luckily, the airport was air-conditioned, and the discomfort subsided. Another plane took off on the nearby runway, and her throat tightened. If only she was on it, homebound.