...What's small turn to a friendship
A friendship turn to a bond
And that bond will never be broken...

How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?
Everything I went through you were standing there by my side…

It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again…
When I see you again

Wiz Khalifa (feat. Charlie Puth) – “See You Again”

Italics for conversations in English.

September 21: 4:08pm, Incheon International Airport

Almost as soon as she arrives at the Main Terminal on the shuttle from Concourse A, Hayaley is engulfed in a big bear hug. Shawn Collins had arrived about an hour earlier from London and has been waiting for her.

Shawn is the frontman for Common Gound. He grew up in Manchester, England. He is the life of the party and the most vocal. He gets along best with Hayaley since she seems to tolerate his loud and outspoken personality best.

“Hiya, love!” he plants a kiss on her cheek.

She hugs him back. “How was your flight?” giving him a peck on the cheek.

“Brilliant!”

 “Wait, is that a new tattoo!” She eyes the intricate design on his arm.

“Yep!”

“Argh! Not another one!!”

“You don’t like it?”

“I’m with the fans. You should stop covering yourself in tattoos.”

“Oh, hush! You know I look good covered in them.”

Hayaley rolls her eyes. “I disagree but we will discuss that later. Let’s go get something to eat. I’m famished.” They turn towards Gate 10, where Christian Ramirez, another band member is scheduled to arrive in less than 2 hours.

Shawn and Christian

Christian, Shawn and Haley had planned so their flights got in at approximately the same time as Mael, June and Michael, each flying in from Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam respectively. Hayaley and her band members grew up in different parts of the world, come from different family backgrounds and speak different languages. They always say it was more than mere coincidence that brought them together because on a campus of 43,000 students, they found each other and as fate would have it, they are now bound together by a common bond – music and friendship.

All six have been looking forward to this Bangkok vacation. Despite their busy schedule, they try to take at least two vacations each year together, be it long or short. They are family, spending more time with each other in the last 10 years than with their own family. Having been apart the last two months, withdrawal symptoms were beginning to set in so this vacation is perfectly timed.

September 22: 7:48am, The Verandah, Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok

The group looks like they’ve been dragged out of bed with a major hangover. Truth is they didn’t get to the hotel till 1am this morning. Shawn and Christian had both flew for over 12 hours. Mael and Hayaley are not morning people.

“C’mon, let’s at least enjoy the view.” June is always the cheerleader for the group. The Verandah is right on the Chao Phraya River and it’s a glorious morning, warm but not stifling. After picking through their breakfast, the group stops by a market to pick up gifts and other essentials before heading out to the orphanage located north-west of the city. This has been their routine for many years now. Every time they are in Bangkok, for work or personal reasons, they would visit the orphanage.

A group of children are already awaiting their arrival. A familiar face hugs Hayaley as she gets out of the car. “Sawadee-kah, I’m sorry for causing so much trouble,” Thip greets her.

“I’m so glad you are okay. Just don’t ever do that again.”

Hayaley’s sister had been helping out with this orphanage since she was a teenager. When Heather passed away, Hayaley decided to keep her sister’s cause going. Thip, who has been the catalyst for all of this, has grown up to be a beautiful young woman and will be starting her college education in Bangkok soon. Hayaley feels she has done her sister proud. The orphanage has also grown from housing 24 children in two crowded thatched buildings to now having several nice size dormitories for 80 children as well as 28 staff, a school and a clinic on site.

Hayaley and her friends cooked lunch for the children, distributed gifts of toys and clothing and enjoyed some music time with them. Michael and Mael played the guitar while the kids sang and danced. The sun would be setting when they finally say good-bye.

On the two-hour drive back to Bangkok, everyone is quiet. They know these visits are always bittersweet for Hayaley. She is always reminded of her kind-hearted sister who had such ambitious plans to improve the lives of the many orphans in Thailand. If not for that plane crash, who knows what she could have accomplished.  At the same time, Hayaley is thankful that she is allowed to help make some parts of her sister's plan come true. 

Day 2 in Bangkok starts with checking out of Mandarin Oriental. Then on to some sight-seeing. Even though they have visited Bangkok a number of times, they have never been to the beautiful Grand Palace. They take the River Ferry, one of Hayaley’s favorite way to travel in Bangkok. The group spends the whole afternoon at the palace before heading back to check into the St. Regis Penthouse Suite, their home away from home for the next few days.

Their visit to Thailand is always filled with delightfully delicious Thai food. This includes the must-have street food so the group heads out to Sukhumvit Soi 38 for dinner. They order up a feast – satay, pad Thai, fried rice, oyster omelette, braised pork, different curries and dishes, topping it off with sticky rice and mango. This will not be the only feast they will indulge in during this stay.

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