Here we go...

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I am happy to check out of the Pradiphat hotel and transfer to the Comfort Suites Airport hotel; it may be a small step for one man, but it is a giant step towards my encounter with the Aral Sea. Even though I have a printed map with directions of how to find the hotel, the taxi driver has a really hard time finding it. We end up driving all the way to the airport and then turn back towards town again until finding the correct exit. The weather continues to be mildly boring, and it starts raining as we finally get there.

Although I am at first disappointed to get a room that is not facing the airport I discover that instead I get the views of the departing airliners climbing into the sky, which is compensation enough. I am thrilled everytime the building shakes slightly and a four engine monster roars toward the sky. I consider going back downtown, but not wanting to go through the hassle of guiding another taxi here I decide to make use of the room service for dinner, and I am happy to order some spaghetti and my first bowl of Tom Yam since I came to Bangkok.

As I sit down with my bowl of shrimp soup its smell is absolutely wonderful, and it is only my previous experience that leads me to carefully take a small sip instead of gulping down a spoonful. A wise choice, because this is the spiciest soup I ever had, and I run around my room with a burning throat. It takes me quite some time to finish the soup, but every second is one of pure enjoyment.

My excitement for the early morning flight and the fact that airliners keep shooting into the sky makes it hard for me to relax and wind down. Trying to sleep turns into a tiring ordeal, as I count the minutes through the night. It is not until 3 am that I finally start slumbering a little, and by that time there is practically no time left for sleep.

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Photos

Yummy!
It is my firm belief that the spicy Tom Yam Kung shrimp soup is one of the best things in life.