Flights went well and I arrived in Bangkok early this morning. Fairly uneventful and surprisingly comfortable trip. The connection in Doha was interesting. The airport is beautiful and was empty and quiet. Except in the food court. That's where all the people were. I had some dinner. Pizza, that tasted like Sbarro. There was Burger King, chinese, and healthy options too. It occurred to me that the cool thing about the world is that while people may have different beliefs, on a base level we are quite similar. We eat, go on vacation, and like to see our babies laugh. Perhaps we are only separated by a love of Tang.
I arrived in Bangkok after a second uneventful flight. Getting through passport control and customs was a smooth process and my bag came out shortly after I arrived at the belt. Not too bad at all. I got into a taxi around 8:45 for a 45 Minute ( at most ) cab ride that took twice the time due to some crazy traffic. I definitely could not deal with that every day! Nevertheless, I arrived around 10:30 and was able to get into my room early which was a definite bonus. So, quick shower and lunch then it was nap time. Slept for a couple hours and then got my things organiced a bit. It's really amazing. I was in the room for maybe 45 seconds and stuff was everywhere.
I ventured out for a quick wander around. I was told that there would be a couple of days of culture shock and I can say that that is truth. Its amazing to look at the small streets and stores that are in these dilapidated looking buildings. From afar, I would not expect that these buiildings supported businesses or people. It definitely forces you to look beyond the outside to get to the good stuff. Life lessons going on here! Just across the street from the hotel I found such a place and had some Pad Thai for dinner. I think I could eat that every day and be happy. It is of course noticeably warm and humid but was not uncomfortable to sit in open air and eat. The place, called Moon Cafe, was small and cozy. I stopped there because it was full of both Thai and non-Thai people. Now, it's time to be sure I stay up until a decent hour before heading to bed. Tomorrow I meet the group at 9:30. I'm looking forward to seeing who's in the group. I may also be getting a roommate tomorrow as well......the first in 10 years. I wish her luck!
