a few days later...

I made it! After much delaying, and a minor misstep at the SFO airport the next morning, I finally got on a plane to Tokyo and then connected to Bangkok. Granted, it was all a day later than planned. The best thing about the Tokyo airport was the toilet in the public bathroom. Is that weird? Well, they have a "flushing sound" button on the toilet, which makes me think that extreme modesty combined with environmental sensibility led them to develop a technology where you don't need to waste water to cover up any embarrassing noises.

Arrived in Bangkok, I did. I made my way to a hotel/motel (not Holiday Inn) where everyone was very friendly both in getting me there and once I arrived. It's amazing how you will put all your trust in total strangers when you're in a place where you have no idea what's going on, have no plan, and don't speak the language. But I figured that I was a head taller than most people I was interacting with so could take 'em out if I needed to. Not necessary, as it turns out.

The roosters woke me up the following morning around 6 AM so my 6:30 wake up call didn't have to. I had a complimentary "American breakfast" (complete with microwaved egg, ham, and white toast), and went back to BKK to get on a flight to Chiang Mai. No such luck. Everything was booked. So I hoped a bus into the city center to the train station and booked a ticket for the 6 PM sleeper train to Chiang Mai, which would get me in around 7:30 or 8 the next morning. I had a few hours to kill in the city, as it was only about 9 AM.

The first adventure was negotiating the women's bathroom at the Hua Lampong train station near Bangkok's Chinatown. 2 baht for toilet service, and 10 for the shower service. I opted for just the toilet, but couldn't quite figure out the system. I eventually bullied my way into a stall (again, shouldn't have been so difficult given my relative size) and then realized the toilet was ridiculously low to the ground and that I hadn't done adequate quad exercises to condition for this situation. But I made it through and headed into the unknown city. I hopped on bus 53 and found myself at the Grand Palace where I visited the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (where the Buddha is actually made of jade). People give offerings of incense and marigolds and other things, and it is important and respectful to keep your feet away from the Buddha itself.

From the Grand Palace I went to Wat Kho down the street to see the 46 m long Reclining Buddha, grabbed a quick lunch of pad thai and orange Fanta (I LOVE orange Fanta when I travel), and then hoped back on bus #53. It wasn't as easy as I thought to get back as it seems the buses don't necessarily go back the same way they came. But I found my way, ignoring many offers for taxis along the way. Despite the appeal of the brightly covered Toyota Corollas (coming in colors more likely to be seen on the side of an ice cream truck than a taxi cab in the states), I wanted to figure the city out a little on my own.

I was back at the train station with a few hours to spare, so I forked over about the equivalent of what it would cost to get a grande latte and cookie at Starbucks and had the most wonderful hour long foot massage. It was the best part of a pedicure, but for an hour, and a fraction of the cost. I totally went into some sort of trance.

After picking up some mixed nuts and Pocky from the little market in the train station, I boarded my train and within a couple of hours was asleep on my bunk. I've always wanted to sleep on a train, and after seeing White Christmas for the first time as a kid, I used to pretend my closet was a sleeper car. It was a similar size, but not quite as luxurious as it looked in the movies. But I was very impressed with the cleanliness and the comfort of the bunk, and it was a cost effective way to find a place to sleep AND get to where I needed to be.

So I arrived in Chiang Mai this morning and Laura was waiting for me at the Siri Guesthouse. I cleaned up, got out of the clothes I'd been wearing for 24 hours, and we headed to Baan Thai with her friends, Laura and Kevin, for a Thai cooking class! What a great way to start my trip. To REALLY start my trip. I learned to make pad thai, spring rolls, green curry, and sticky rice with mango. And it included a trip to the market to learn about all the local produce and ingredients necessary for these dishes. Basically I've been eating since I got here.

Laura and I will be in Chiang Mai for one more day before heading to Phuket and Kho Phi Phi on the 30th. I'm guessing that is where my next update will be from...

Until then...