The Priority Pass lounge at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport is called The Miracle Lounge. I’m writing this from there. From one of many rooms. My flight’s not until 1:30 am, but I’ve been so conditioned by my wife Charlotte over the years, that I got here an ambitious four hours before takeoff.

While the food offerings are far from reaching miracle status, the size of the lounge itself compensates more than enough. It’s really big and as per usual here In the land of smiles, wonderfully overstaffed. So when I asked if they had any vegetarian alternatives in addition to the usual lineup, the hostess was eager when she suggested the kitchen make me a stir-fried vegetable and rice dish a la minute. It was pretty good, too.

Earlier, at the checkin counter, I asked, more or less jokingly, if there were any seats available in Business Class. Thai Airways is notorious for their upgrade pricing, so I wasn’t even seriously considering it. The soft-spoken airline rep that checked in me and my bagage, smiled and told me the flight was fully booked. She still managed somehow to reassign my seating to so that I got an exit chair. If you haven’t been seated by an exit on a Boeing 777, the legroom is on par with what you get in Business Class.

For whatever reason, I found the immigration process unusually smooth tonight. What typically takes about an hour, was completed in under half that. It’s still very serious business and I never feel as far removed from the country’s renowned gentleness and politeness as when entering and leaving the country. Once in a rare while, I’ll get a richly decorated official to share a smile with me. But not tonight.

Just learned that my flight to Europe has been delayed an hour. Which is a bummer, but a manageable bummer as long as I’m in the Miracle Lounge. It’s gonna be a long flight home…