Bangkok...Day One

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My first Travel blog ever!

SwadeeKa!!! or hello in Thai (CF - thanks for the spelling!)

I'm sitting in my hotel room looking out over the Chao Praya River. I'm up 13 floors - yes - I'm on the 13th floor...but in my world that's good luck so I think it's kinda cool. Arrived last night - wow - getting here was amazingly smooth! Yes it took 24 hours door to door, but I flew business class (used a gazillion miles) from SFO to Hong Kong. Whisked through security in SFO, got settled into my nifty 'personal pod' on the upper level of a 747. I kid you not - I was only of only two female passengers up there...all men, basically all on business, how exciting - not! 14 hour flight...didn't go by in a flash, but pretty darn close. Pretty good food. Watched 'Saving Mr. Banks' (since I haven't been able to get anyone to go with me) - actually pretty interesting story about the author of Mary Poppins...but you'll just have to rent the movie yourself. Slept fitfully, but got about 4 hours. The guy next to me travels all the time and turns out to be one of those irritatingly rare folks who only sleep 4 hours a night ever. He literally spent the entire flight playing some animated game with fruits and vegetables and/or messaging with some friend somewhere. Seriously. for 14 hours. Didn't even try to sleep. He said that only needing to sleep 4 hours a night sometimes gets boring. Oh really - but you can message and play fruits and vegetables for 14 hours. But I digress...

Landed in Hong Kong, two hour layover - no customs or anything. Boarded Thai airways for Bangkok...First Class! My personal pod there was more like a pad, or a tiny suite. The in flight crew for first class came to every person and introduced themselves. There was even a fresh orchid in every little suite. (I took pictures...feeling like a true full on tourist - but I took them on my iPhone...and at this moment in time don't know how to load them to this blog...meanwhile I practically did a trek to get the fandangled adapter to connect my Canon Rebel camera to my iPad...more about all this technology later).

Landed in Bangkok feeling surprisingly good - was met right out of the gate by a nice Thai gentleman who didn't speak much English but had my name and a few others on his sheet. Got a golf cart ride through the airport to customs...I think it would literally have taken 20 minutes to walk it! Whisked through customs, literally saw my bag coming around as my new handler and I approached. He grabbed the bag, we waltzed out of baggage area and met my next handler...very sweet gal, but whose name I cannot remember. The two of them stayed with me until the air conditioned Toyota showed up (5 minutes) and she accompanied me. Altogether that was 5 people that helped me get from the plane to my hotel - I guess it does take a village!

A note on the weather - when I stepped outside of the aiport at 11pm...yes - it was humid...but truly not as bad as I had anticipated...I don't know if I had blown it up in my mind, or if it was genuinely better than normal...but i am actually surviving the humidity...(still don't like it though!)

Hotel is lovely...perhaps too westernized, I could have been anywhere, but a nice oasis. Room is huge...with kitchen and giant bathroom, tub, shower, mini-bar, etc. And most importantly - Wi-Fi!

Took an ambien...slept about six hours, dozed two more, gave up. Had breakfast at the extensive buffet (included with my room). Back to room to figure out my day, as today I was without handlers. Except, thankfully, my guide for tomorrow, Ya, called me. That's her name - Ya...and she was very helpful - was great to be able to ask her tons of questions.

At 11am headed out to catch the free ferry to the Sky Train, to get over to Jim Thompson's house - recommended to me by multiple friends. Pretty seamless trip...the hardest part was figuring out where to go to start the tour Of the house. Jim Thompson was an American who settled in Bangkok in 1959. He discovered the value of silk...and started exporting around the world. He also happened to be an architect...so he chose to buy several older traditional Thai houses, moved them into Bangkok and joined them together...a first of its kind I gather. The result is a lovely, rambling wooden structure that is now a museum, accompanied by the requisite gift shop, and a lovely tea room/cafe.

Now...for true adventure...technology challenge...please see next entry!

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Photos

Quintessential Tourist
I looked like a dork...but what the heck

Getting Silk from Cocoons
at Jim Thompson house

Comments

[James]

Hi!
Glad the trip went so smoothly! Pictures look great!