I've arrived...sort of...

Wendy Guesthouse, Saturday 6 am, Bangkok

Yesterday I arrived in Bangkok. What a smelly, dirty, busy, and wonderful city this is! I had to wait for about an hour in line at the immigration booth...and then down to claim my bag (which I had to check, apparently the limit is 7 kilos and mine weighed in at a laughable 17. I don't know how many pounds that is (maybe 35?) and think I'm glad that I don't actually know how much weight I'm carrying around...). I took a taxi from the airport into the city, and am staying in an area called Siam Square. It's very close to the train station that I will be using to head up to northern Thailand on Sunday. It's also very close to the skytrain station that I'll be using today to head off to catch the river boat to then take the typical tourist temple tour.

The first thing I noticed about Bangkok was the traffic - WOW. I am convinced that every Thai person, especially those on motorbikes, has a death wish. I quickly got used to the driving on the wrong (well, left I guess) side of the road...but, when my driver was attempting to get on the highway from what appeared to me to be another highway, we had to actually back up in the middle of two lanes or crazy traffic because a truck decided that they didn't want to take the highway. I was in the back of the cab (seatbelt on Mom) wondering if I was giong do die before I actually set foot into somewhere other than that airport in Thailand! Alas, I am alive and well.

Yesterday I walked around BKK for about 5 hours. I went to Siam Square, MBK (both big shopping areas), ate food from a street vendor..about the food - it was only 15 baht (less than 50 cents US) and I got some skewers with an unknown meat - good thing I'm not squeamish - and a big bag of white or jasmine-type rice, I couldn't tell. I walked around eating my skewer (beef maybe?) and trying to avoid the tuk tuk drivers, all the while breathing car and motorbike fumes. Tuktuk drivers are definitely a pain in the arse. A tuk tuk is basically a three wheeled motorized bicycle, made for carrying tourists. I'm happy to walk, thanks. Oh - I also happened upon Jim Thompson's house (that makes me laugh because I'm picturing you racking your brain for some friend or person we know from the US named Jim Thompson)...JT as I like to call him was an American that came to Thailand and was big into the silk trade. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but what I took away was that I love the Thai style design. Very minimalist, lots of plants, dark wood, noncluttered, very beautiful. I got used to wai-ing (placing your hands in front of your face facing each other and bowing slightly, to show respect), although I must say my first attempts were pitiful. The Thais do it like pros (well, I guess they are pros) - whether they have things in their hands or not! I still haven't mastered how to wai with a waterbottle in one hand and a camera in another, but that is on my list of things to do. I'm proud to be a tourist.

Last night I hit the hay early (7pm) in expectation for getting up today and trying not to be jet lagged. I think I succeeded! It's 6:10 am here, and I'm ready to eat the complimentary Thai breakfast that comes with my room (1000 baht, about 25 dollars for two beds, air con, my own shower, and breakfast. The two bed thing is a story in itself...but this is definitely the most expensive place I'll stay.)

The people here are amazingly nice. I met my first friend, who's name I can't spell but was something like Pharashada in Taipei. She is a natural born Thai, lives in AZ with her husband, and was coming back for three months to visit her family. She volunteered to put me in a taxi and negotiate with the driver so I didn't get ripped off, but we had to split up at immigration and I'll probably never see her again. And I probably got ripped off. But, for some reason it feels ok when it's a matter of $10 versus $9. Anyway, very nice, sweet people - willing to help in anyway, even for a tall, very pale farang (Thail version of white chick) like myself!

Tomorrow I'm goign to a weekend market during the day, and then taking a night train up to Chiang Mai. I hope to hop off the train and find a trekking company immediately ... set off in the Thai wilderness four three or four days and hopefully not meet up with too many crazy bugs.

Off to eat some breakfast and try to get used to the heat...it's not that hot (only high 80s, low 90s) but the humidity means that my clothes are in a consistent state of dampness. Attractive, I"m sure.

One last thing - even in Thailand, you can't escape the Backstreet Boys. Breakfast and boy bands. What could be better?!

Love you guys -
Genevieve