Bangkok

It's been an interesting few days. I was up before 4:00 on the 19th to get to the airport for my flight. While in Chicago waiting for my flight to Tokyo, I heard on the news that there was a military coup going on in Bangkok. A little adventure never hurt anyone, but I was a bit concered about flying into the middle of a civil war. By the time I got to Tokyo about 16 hours later, the situation didn't look too dire so I decided to press on to Bangkok.

It felt like I was in the air for a couple of days, but flying time was probably about 24 hours all together. (With time changes and the date line, the calendar said I arrived in Bangkok 41 hours after I left Ottawa.) I was able to doze a bit, but arrived pretty tired. Entry into Thailand was a breeze and there was very little evidence of any military presence on the way to my guesthouse. I had a quick shower and went downstairs at about midnight for a beer and to unwind before going to bed. Met a couple of interesting people in the lobby and ended up getting to bed at about 6 AM. Judging by the way I feel now, drinking beer all night is not the recommended cure for jet lag. I had a curry for "breakfast" at about 1:00 PM today and will likely spend the rest of the afternoon by the pool relaxing.

I spent a couple of hours wandering around in the touristy section of Bangkok earlier today. It feels great to be here - it's very much as I remember it, although somewhat more grown up. The noises and smells and colours are all wonderful - had a huge smile on my face the whole time I was out. Still no sign of the military although I haven't gone looking for tanks. If I hadn't seen it on the news, I wouldn't know that anything political is going on here.

It's very hot and humid so it will be nice to get to a beach. Will make some plans tomorrow....