Go Thailand: Day 1

We left on the 28th, and arrived on the 30th. For a man who likes to take advantage of all my moments through all my days, losing a day doesn’t sit well with me. So while this post is actually written on day three, we are living our first day in Bangkok.

We arrived to a hero’s welcome at the Bangkok airport. Men and women in uniforms gathered near us, taking pictures. It was 1:00 AM. And I was wide awake. Save for horrible food and a smelly man to my right in the first leg of the journey, the flight was pleasant enough. I wrote. I read (Louis Zamperini’s book “Devil at My Heels”). I watched movies (a Hindi film called “The Lunchbox” and the Tom Cruise & Emily Blunt sci-if flick “Edge of Tomorrow”). And I slept. 

Immigration was a breeze. WiFi was a gift; and we communicated with our families back home. The airport itself was quite clean, well laid out, and all-in-all, seemed quite a bit nicer than the U.S. airports of which we were accustomed. For a first glimpse into a new city, this airport served her city well. We exchanged some money and easily found a cab to take us to the Hotel Luxx, our accommodations for the next couple days. The roads were empty as we made our way from the airport. The highway seemed like any other highway I’ve ever been on; and I’ve been on a ton of highways these last three weeks.

It’s after 6:00 AM now, and I have not slept much, hoping against hope that jet lag doesn’t do me in, either today or (what I am more fearful of) tomorrow. Later this morning, we are meeting an old high school buddy of mine and his mother, who is visiting from the States, for a sightseeing tour of Bangkok. I love the sights and sounds of the early morning, which is funny considering it was almost impossible to get me up when I was a kid, and when I was an adult, I saw the sun rise more often from staying out rather than getting up. Technically, while I haven’t slept, last night was not one of those nights. I imagine we will have one of those nights at some point on this trip. 

Like much of India, Bangkok is full of colours. Besides the off-white, there’s flesh-tone pink on the sidings, cadmium yellow on the building across from us, a sea-green that outfits the awning on the building next to it, and a deep maroon that colours the metal siding on the building to the left. A large dish antenna sits atop the roof. Clothes hang against balcony railings and clotheslines. 

The sounds of the early morning engulfs me as I sit on the balcony watching for signs of life amongst the buildings in front of me, as the sun drops his rays upon us and the city. I hear crows cawing. I hear other birds cackling and snipping. I hear the sounds of cars and trucks from the streets behind me. I hear a motorcycle in the distance, its roar getting louder. I hear voices from a loudspeaker far away. And I hear the slight sounds of the morning breeze.

It’s a beautiful morning, and I cannot wait to experience what’s in store for us.

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