Use the links above to see more photos.

By the end of March it was time to head home.

There used to be direct flights from Rome to Bangkok, but no more. Our flight was with Emirates Airline and included a stop in Dubai. We booked that before DJT began his already infamous excursion into Iran. But a week or so before our return trip we got a message from Emirates that said: "Due to unforeseen circumstances we've had to rebook your flights."

Needless to say that came as no surprise. The note said we were now departing Bangkok at 3AM - with a very short layover in Dubai. And as it turned out the route from Dubai to Rome went farther south than usual -- across Saudi Arabia and then north along the Red Sea.

But we made it.