Bangkok - It continues

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I just returned from our meeting with CDM (our events planners) - both nice, and I think if Khun Chariya gets to warm up to me a little, she will be quite funny. Today, it is hazy and humid - the kind of air that sticks to your skin. It is beginning to be summer here and in fact, the school children are on summer vacation - something I can't quite wrap my mind around. Even with the humidity, I am still enjoying myself. We had breakfast in the Riverside Lounge, a high-ceilinged area just off the lobby that takes advantage of its placement by the river with a glass wall. It's wonderful to be able to watch the boats busily floating by while dining on croissants and yogurt.

Our meeting was short and involved discussing the program and then taking a walk around the Salathip restaurant and sunset bar. It's great to be able to picture the delegates enjoying a cocktail while overlooking the busy waterway, and then wandering over to the red roofed pavillions that house the dining area - it will very much set the mood! Now on to lunch with one of our firm's representatives...

Lessons learned: Thai women do wear black; business people do shake hands with westerners; some people even wear sleeveless outfits. I had a delightful lunch at a Jim Thompson cafe, eating some unfamiliar Thai dish that was tasty, and then enjoying browsing for the delegates' gifts in the store. I could have shopped there for hours. Once we returned to the hotel, and I had some serious pool time, we had dinner at Salathip, which is an authentic Thai restaurant. Thais use their forks to push food onto their spoon and eat with their spoon. This presents an interesting eating challenge when eating chicken off of a skewer! But dinner was delicious, with a background of Thai music from a live band and a group of Thai dancers. It truly was memorable!

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