Bangkok - Day 7

Oh my goodness! What a week! I cannot believe I have been in Bangkok for a full week now.

The week began slowly... that is, after two flights, totaling 29 hours travel time. My flights, first from JFK to Hong Kong then to Bangkok, were uneventful. My sojourn through the Bangkok airport was equally uneventful, despite a rather nerve-wracking wait while the Thai immigration officer examined my passport and visa before finally stamping it and allowing me through to Thailand. I found all of my bags, found the recommended taxi service, and arrived at my serviced apartment. (I think my travels to Sierra Leone have made me a little paranoid about international airports, as the simple act of getting all of my bags shocked and thrilled me.)

I arrived at my "serviced apartment," or long-stay hotel, and wondered if I was in the right place. The Centre Point is beautiful! It's pretty much a 5 star hotel with incredibly friendly staff. I will take pictures and post them. I have a gorgeous view from my 21st story balcony of downtown Bangkok, including Lumpini Park, which offers a rare patch of green among the skyscrapers and cement.

The first few days are an overwhelming blur. Walking around Bangkok, getting lost, trying to find my way back while deciphering Thai, eating unknown foods, dealing with crazy traffic jams, and avoiding getting run over by a (enter some form of vehicle here) are the highlights and lowlights.

First - walking around Bangkok. There is no standard way of translating Thai letters into the Latin alphabet. So, each translator tends to spell words differently. I have a map that spells the same street name three different ways. I've found the best way to figure out how to speak a Thai word is to look at all the different spellings. For example: Chatuchak is also spelled Jatujak. This, of course, means that it's a bit difficult to use a map to get around which leads to my second and third points - getting lost (pretty self-explanatory) and deciphering Thai.

Next, eating unknown foods - all I can say is yum. I could use fancier words to describe Thai food (enticing, delicious, ambrosial) but yum... well, encompasses it all. And, food is available everywhere: there are thousands of street vendors whose culinary expertise is enviable. Each vendor seems to find the right mix of tastes, textures and smells to create a memorable dining experience (even when you are eating "street food"). I have yet to find a dish I do not like, despite my dislike of seafood and chili peppers.

Finally, crazy traffic jams and trying not to get run over. Although I have heard there are worse cities for traffic, I have yet to see one. Bangkok is a mangled mess of streets that wind and wander through the city, changing names, directions and speeds. There are few major thoroughfares and when it rains (as it tends to in the rainy season), the smaller streets flood, causing insane jams. Even when it does not rain, jams occur without rhyme or reason at all hours of the day and night. The traffic system is exponentially intensified by the crushing congregation of cars, trucks, buses, vans, taxis, motorcycles, tuk-tuks, bicycles, other various wheeled objects, and, of course, pedestrians. Then, to top it all off in my jet-lagged, culture-shocked, sensory-deluged brain, they drive on the left side of the road. So, I look the wrong way when I cross.

And, that was my first week. Next up, the weekend!