Well, here we are in the heart of Bangkok and what a city! But first, we must discuss the heat. When we got off the airplane a few days ago, I asked our driver if it was hot outside and he said, “Not much”. Not much?! The doors to the airport opened and I was enveloped in a wave of hot air that took my Chicago breath away. And this is not much? I knew immediately that we were going to have to slowly acclimate ourselves to this new climate. And did I mention the humidity? But I should complain, eh? I have been blessed to travel half way around the world to experience a new culture, taste some interesting foods and travel on my beloved bike and already I am complaining?! Alas, I splash cold water on my face and we are off and running.

Our traveling buddies, Jim Simone and Janie Bender have all made it safe and sound to Bangkok. We are all looking forward to some real adventures and I am sure southeast Asia will not let us down. My first impressions of Bangkok are crowded and hot. The grid lock of traffic makes the Eisenhower Expressway look like a rural road, except with motorcycles zig-zagging through the cars. The sky train and the Bangkok version of a subway is the real way to get around and very easy to navigate. Even I could figure it out. And cheap, too! It is also amazing how clean the stations and the train cars are here. There are workers sweeping the terminals and wiping off the hand rails all the time. There was no trash in sight anywhere. Just like Chicago! Now get off the said train, drop down to the street and it is whole different story. Sometimes sad but mostly very interesting.

Walking around Bangkok is a great way to experience the pulse of the city. After taking the sky train to Jim’s hotel, we got off and walked around trying to find this restaurant Jim ate at 12 years ago. (I couldn’t believe we actually found it, too!) The streets are lined with vendors selling just about everything and I mean everything. At night that everything gets a little seedier...if you know what I mean! The street food vendors, of which I have not yet tried, are selling the most interesting fare. I read that it is very safe, although looking at the cooking utensils, I am not so sure. Maybe the heat of the flame and the humidity kill off any bacteria? I suppose at some point I might try. Rich told me my life insurance policy is paid up! We’ll see...

There are smells here that I have never experienced before either. Of course, I live in DuPage County, how would I? Between the mixture of food vendors, the exhaust of cars and body odors, I can see why so many people walk around with surgical face masks! The pollution is pretty high here and you can really see it during the hight of midday. The sky is hazy and looks like it is going to rain but never does. The building of the sky train has really cut down on the amount of traffic and car emissions but the reality is there are 8 million people living in Bangkok and another 4 million that are here illegally. Some things never change no matter where you live.

After lunch. Jim decided I needed a lesson in bargaining and a tuk-tuk ride. A tuk-tuk is a three wheeled, open-air motorcycle with a canopy thing. The haggling back and forth is amazing and Jim seems to be a pro at it. But the thing with the tuk-tuk drivers is they want to take you to all these shops, where they get a kick back for bringing tourists their way. You don’t have to buy anything but if you go in, then the driver leaves and you are stuck where ever they left you off and you have then bargain your way for a ride to your original destination. You might have wanted to go only a few blocks but the tuk-tuk takes you all over trying to up the commission from the stores. Sounds like a cab ride in Chicago? Needless to say, I have not been on a tuk-tuk ride but the bantering back and forth between Jim and the driver was rather comical.

Rich left his ethernet cable at home so guess what, there’s an Apple store in Bangkok. We hoped on the subway and made our way to shopping mall north of central Bangkok. Of course, it wasn’t called an Apple store and trying to find someone who could understand that Apple was not a fruit, rather a computer led us in all directions. Finally we found the store, “iShare” and we were back in internet business. And thank God because it was 4 pm and I was fading fast. My body was still trying to catch up with the 26+ hours of travel to get here. A nap was in order for this aged soul if I was going to make it to dinner time.

Tonight we ate at the Mango Tree and I was in heaven. Finally, some real Thai food in a beautiful restaurant situated in an alleyway. At first I thought, okay, Jim has taken us to another dive but once inside, it was beautiful. There were choices of indoor or outdoor eating but since I am still trying to acclimate to the heat, I opted for the group to sit inside. The food was delicious, just like home. No, really! Rich and I eat at a little place in Wheaton called “Mai Thai” and it is good authentic Thai. Just to prove it, I had my favorite dish, Larb Kai and it was just like home. Everyone had something different and most of it rather spicy. My friends at Mai Thai taught me some words so I could ask for not so spicy and it really helped. I don’t have the steel stomach like Rich, so I need a “mai phed”.

It was 11:30 when we finally stepped back into our hotel room at the Shangri La. My tummy is filled and my eyelids are drooping. Tomorrow we will take out first boat tour and begin seeing the historical sights of Bangkok but for now my bed beckons and I will be asleep before my head hits the pillow.

Rich says I write too much but there is so much to tell. I don’t think I can take enough pictures and I hope my stories of the road will your imagination and mine. Thank you for following us on this adventure in southeast Asia.

A quick aside from Richard. I have been traveling to the Orient for business since the mid 70’s and look on most of this with a more jaundiced eye than Laura.

Link to todays photos