Bangkok

My trip around the world, or at least off the North American continent, started with a shock! Checking in I handed my passport to the man at the counter who checked my bags and all that. He handed it back to me saying, "Your passport's not valid!"

What?! It has to be ... I'm leaving now!

"You forgot to sign it."

Huge sigh of relief!

My flight from SD to LA was uneventful. It was a tiny commuter plane, three seats wide. And the flight time was only about 25 minutes.

In LA I dashed through the airport to the international terminal to check into my flight and get a seat and a boarding pass, etc. Then dashed to meet Max and Cynthia for dinner at a very swank restaurant called Encounters. A bowl of soup and a salad -- both delicious -- cost $20! After dinner I dashed back to the international terminal and stood in line a lot. When I finally arrived at the gate (or actually the area where we caught the shuttle to the gate) I heard my name on the PA. Not a very reassuring start to my trip, especially after SD! But they had only forgotten to remove the ticket itself.

The plane was beautiful! Orange and pink and purple seats. Our own purple pillow and blanket. Water bottles waiting for us. I felt like I was in first class, even in the way back of the plane! They fed us real food, on real dishes, with real metal silverware and glass glasses. Gave us wine at dinner and an after dinner drink. An in-seat TV monitor where we could choose from about 40 different movies, or play games, or learn languages, or watch the plane travel around the world, or ... Swank! I either haven't flown on enough international airlines or Thai airlines is spectacular! Or both. Part of what made the trip so wonderful was that the plane was more than half empty. At least where I was. So I had two seats to my self and could "stretch out" and lie down when I wanted to sleep. The strangest part of the trip though was flying the whole way in the dark. I have never experienced a whole "day" of night. Every time I looked out the window it was pitch black outside. Not much to look at. Though I did enjoy seeing the cities of China lit up in the dark. And the reflection of the moon on the ocean below.

The airport in Bangkok was no problem. Other than the fact that I got confused about weather or not I needed a visa -- wound up not getting one, which was just as well (more on that later). And I managed to find a taxi to the city, and my hotel, even without knowing a word of Thai! This international travel stuff is a breeze!

My hotel was in the tourist part of the city (Kow San Road), but behind a temple, so a bit quieter than other areas. I have to admit it was nice to be surrounded by other tourists. It didn't feel quite so unsettling as being surrounded by people who I can't understand at all! The hotel it self is nothing special on the upper flours. Clean (which is a lot) but that's it. The common area, though was fab. Very tropical and exotic. Open air dining area and bar covered with colorful shades where tourists sit and write in journals or drink tea all day. I felt very much like the rich luxuriating tourist!

My first day I wandered around. I arrived on a Monday, and was surprised to see that almost all the locals were dressed in yellow shirts. Often with black pants or black skirts. Everyone. The taxi driver, the street sweeper, the businessman, girls, boys, women and men. It was like a uniform. (I am ironically wearing a yellow shirt and black pants now). A man on the street approached me and told me the reason -- Monday is the King's birthday. Every Monday. So all of Thailand honors the King (They LOVE the King) by wearing yellow on Monday -- and many other days of the week as well. I then proceeded to get scammed by a tuk-tuk driver (despite the warnings). I decided, though, that it was all part of the fun -- and I didn't actually wind up spending any money, only time driving around the city -- which is more or less what I wanted to do anyway.

That night I met up with a German woman, Mareike. She had a tick in her shoulder and together we went to the dermatologist to have it removed. Very strange experience to be surrounded by people waiting to have botox or something and try to explain to someone who speaks limited English about the tick. I'm still not entirely sure we all understood each other completely.

Mareike and I had dinner and then hung out again the next day. It was my first full day, and her last day (she got on a bus to the airport that evening). We had breakfast at the hotel and then took the tourist boat (unlimited rides for $100 BHT -- about $3 US) up and down the river. First to Wot XXXX to see the reclining Buda -- Truly spectacular! I took a zillion photos of the temple grounds. We also bought into the local tourist (and some locals) custom, of dropping $1BHT coins into 100 metal dishes. You drop one in each dish and it is good luck.


We had lunch on the street (soup) and then headed up to the tourist district for a snack of coffee and cheese sandwiches on croissants! (her first in months and my last) Then back down to the flower market where we wandered the streets looking at a world that is very different from the one I am familiar with in Chicago and the rest of the US. There were fried grasshoppers, and grubs of some kind (I was later told that they are silk worms). HUGE buckets of garlic, pepers, and all kinds of crazy foods. The flowered were even different -- the flower part sometimes wrapped in paper to protect it, other times very decoratively arranged.

We took our last boat ride back to the hotel and while she figured out how to get to the airport, I met with a woman from the volunteer organization (Volunthai) to figure out how I was to get to the bus to the town where I would have training and then to the school where I would work. Marike and I had one last dinner together and then, after she headed home, I hung out with the tourists and then went to bed -- still a bit jet lagged. -- Thailand is 12 hours ahead of the East Coast of the US 15 hours ahead of the West coast!

Next day, I wandered the streets, taking pictures and then headed to the bus station. I met Amy, the other volunteer, at the bus station and she and I (the only white people on the bus) headed to training.