Just thought I'd let you know I arrived safely in Thailand after some 20 hours in transit. Luckily, the departure proceedings were easy as I was exhausted from the final busy days in San Francisco. Inspite of the subway being late, and missing my stop, I got on the plane easily with time to spare.
The flights were mainly a daze of naps. The in-flight food was good, though I'm not sure what I was eating. I'd selected asian-vegetarian from the food preferences. The side salads were most interesting. I think perhaps pickled bamboo shoots formed their basis.
I arrived in Bangkok and walked through customs... worries about being hassled for only having a one way ticket were for not. I took a taxi to my Thai friend Maan's house... I'd met Maan in Kathmandu last year. He works for a magazine and does something with fashion/design/photography and travels extensively himself with his work. He took me to lunch at a nearby Mall, which was the biggest Mall I've ever been in. It was a bit bizare to be in such a place. It truly is a world culture now, for better or worse. The Mall had Auntie Anne's Pretzels as well as being filled with "American" brands: Sony, North Face, Adidas, etc. I took a nap which ended up being a deep sleep for 5 hours then went with Maan to a party hosted by his friends and then to meet a friend who'd just been separated from her boyfriend.
This morning Maan took me by taxi to Khao San Rd where I got a room at my favorite guesthouse. It felt good to be here, familiar from my previous visits. A strange mix of sights and smells. Motorcycle tricycles hauling vendors/goods. Three wheeled taxi's called Tuk tuks that sound like chainsaws. Smog, traffic, feral dogs. Yet many smiling people. On my layover in Tai Pei, I sat in the airport people watching. The airport seemed modern... full of duty free shops. Yet at the gate for a departing flight, a steward barked for over an hour "Ho Chi Min City" like a newspaper boy of days of yore hawking his wares. The plane was to leave at 7:30am, yet the steward was still calling out an hour later and went looking for a missing passenger. It reminded me of my Biman Air flight of two years ago, where we sat on the ground waiting until every last passenger was found. A nice civility in a way.
My body is in shock from the heat. I think it's in the 90's and humid. I've been catching up on my favorite foods. Thailand is unique in the world for it's abundance and assortment of street foods which are surprisingly hygenic according to a recent documentary. Corn on the cob, rubbery pancakes called roti filled with bananas and covered with Borden's sweetened milk aka corn syrup, stir fries, papaya salad, roasted meats on a stick, fresh fruit smoothies... and more.
I enjoyed street shows by a group of traveling cyclists whose motto is "we go it by bike"... accordion, juggling... a classic folk traveling entertainment. The group has been traveling for 6 years throughout Asia. Their website is http://myspace.com/cyclowns.
The Buddhist New Year is coming up and that means travel routes will be filled and many services/businesses closed. So that may impact my travel. I'm going to research the trekking season in Nepal and perhaps dash off there. Otherwise, will likely stay in Thailand for 2-4 weeks.
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