From Thailand to France via Italy

 The Covid-19 pandemic triggered my return back to Europe after thirty years in southeast Asia, among which I spent the last nine years in Thailand.

FLIGHTS BACK to EUROPE

*Suvarnabhumi International Airport was unusually empty. Here is one of the busiest hubs in the world that tonight looked totally deserted. It was particularly striking after the immigration control. The international tax-free section is usually packed with travelers. But tonight, it was dark and gloomy: all the shops, coffee shops, and restaurants were closed. All lights had been dimmed. It was an eerie feeling. 

Even the flight to DOHA aboard the Qatar Airways B777-300ER had few passengers. There were only four people inside the two business class cabins!

*Hamad International Airport was hardly different. It was less gloomy than Bangkok but certainly incredibly deprived of its normal activity. The business lounge had slightly more people in transit but it was also far from its usual frequentation.

The Qatar Airways B787-8 Dreamliner flight to ROME had slightly more passengers on board but this is due to the fact that Doha Intl. is a hub from many overseas destinations filtering through one major route.

*Fiumicino International Airport was another eerie sight, despite the fact that there was an unusual queue at the police control to filter the passengers after a long health channel.

Due to the time zones westwards, it was around midday here in Italy, when in fact I had left Bangkok in the early hours of the morning. 

Here, in ROME, I was expected by two friends, who had come to pick me up. They whisked me off to the northern coast of Italy. A new trip. had started...