Touchdown!

Imagine my surprise when, this morning (afternoon?   evening?) I went to write a purchase in my $$ journal, and I discovered I had lost a day.   I left late on the 25th, and suddenly it was the 27th!

Two plane rides and one airport bus have landed me smack in the center of Bangkok.   Traffic was awful from the airport, and it is a city like all others.   It reminds me a lot of Chicago with its skytrain  constantly running overhead.   It’s hot and muggy and I like it!   After being blasted with air conditioning for 25 hours straight, it feels good to be wrapped in a warm, cozy blanket of air!

I got my last flight bumped up, and went from an eight hour layover to three, but now am killing time in a mall that would rival Minnesota’s Mall of America.   My hostess-to-be, Diana, isn’t expecting me until after 5.   I also haven’t heard from her in a week, so there’s a good chance that I’m about to spend a few hours running in circles around Bangkok (if she doesn’t answer her door). 🙂

In general, a city is a city, no matter where you are.   However, things thus far that have reminded me I’m not in Kansas, as they say:

1) Painting the chain link fence gray.   There were several teams of folk with paint rollers a step away from highway traffic painting the chain link fences along the highways a lighter shade of grey.   Why?

2) People living between the jersey barriers (the big concrete barriers they use on interstates).   Lots of shacks set up on the small patches of land where different sections of interstate connect.

3) Motorcycles making their own lane between the stopped traffic with two inches to spare.   Yikes!

4) Concrete Sky Train pillars green-ifying  the city with  lattice work of house plants.   I’ll try to get a picture.

5)  Left hand traffic!   I think this is my first time in a place with left hand traffic.   My heart leapt into my throat as we pulled away from the curb at the airport and no one was driving!!!   Pedestrian traffic is left hand as well, which took a few awkward, jet lagged run ins  on the elevated walk way before that little fact dawned on me…

Okay… I have 3 minutes remaining in my session here.   I apologize for the dry blog – I’m really jet lagged.   Wish me luck in finding Soi 50 and the Golden House.   Cross your fingers that Diana is there!