The Force Awakens in Bangkok

Jeff and I have not gone to a movie together since we moved to Bangkok, but we were both so excited about the new Star Wars movie, that we decided it was time to change that.  My sister really wanted to see it with us too, and so our original plan was to wait until she got here with my parents and then all go together.

Star Wars came out in Thailand on Thursday, December 17, and that morning one of my neighbors posted that she had extra "couch" tickets.  Movie theaters in Bangkok have reserved seating.  Most of the theater near us is stadium seating, but then the back row is a series of couches, so you can get one and snuggle.  The tickets cost about $8 each.  It was too good an opportunity to pass up, so Jeff and I decided to buy a couch from our neighbor.

Jeff comes from the school of punctuality where if you're not fifteen minutes early, you're late.  Therefore, he really wanted to make sure we were at the theater well before the 7:30 pm start time.  I figured that "Thai Time" would apply to movie starts, so I wasn't overly concerned about getting there early, but I figured it never hurts.  We got to the theater around 7:20 and found several of our neighbors sitting around the concession area, because they weren't allowing anyone in the theater yet.  We sat and chatted, and 7:30 came and went.  Around 7:35, they let us in the theater, but they had already started the pre-show stuff and turned out the lights, so Jeff had to use his phone as a flashlight for us to find our seats.  Then we had about 30 minutes of previews, commercials, and standing for the King's Anthem.

It was all worth it though, when STAR WARS appeared on the screen with a Thai subtitle.

In order to avoid spoilers, I'll just say that the movie was really good.  I laughed, I cried, and I was totally ready to watch it again on Christmas Eve with the family.  We also brought Vivian along, and upgraded ourselves to the first class movie going experience, which is an option they offer here in Thailand.  

It was good that I had already seen the movie once, because the part where I cried, Vivian had a total meltdown.  Still, she liked the movie overall.  We also all liked the first class experience, which meant we got to go up a special stair case, have little snacks before the movie, and unlimited popcorn during.

But even in first class, they waited until the last minute to open the doors to the actual theater, after they had turned off the lights and started the previews.  We decided not to stress about it, and just enjoyed the big reclining seats and the good movie.

When we got home, Young and I got our super yummy Christmas Eve dinner ready.

Later that night, we relaxed even more with foot massages.  It was my sister's first, so we got a picture.

It's so great to have my family here enjoying some of the best parts of living in Thailand.