In Thailand at last!

I last wrote from the relatively clean and peaceful airport in Athens. From there, my next 24 hours were a blur. I was feeling anxious about being so unprepared for Thailand, and had carefully scanned both bookstores in the Athens airport and while their selection was impressive, Thailand was nowhere to be found (however, the inventory manager is predicting a large influx of Greek tourists traveling to Finland based on the number of guidebooks in stock). After passport control and security, I was about to board the plane as I walked past a stand selling newspapers and magazines. On the side of a magazine stack were two random books. One just so happened to be a guide to Bangkok. I took it as an omen and quickly bought it.

Flight to Qatar was uneventful. Arrived around 10pm and my flight to Bangkok was scheduled for 8am. This is where the fun began. The airport in Doha, was large and new, but there were far too many people hanging around to feel real comfortable. Many people were passed out on the floor of the three mosques in the departures hall of the airport, but I chose the "Quiet Lounge" that had 14 lounge chairs spread out in a dimly lit room. If I could snag a few hours of sleep, the next day would be much easier. However, not one, not two, but three, yes THREE consecutive people who sat in the chair next to me were violently loud snorers. Right when I was on the verge of passing out, I would find a new culprit beside me. Finally, after the last snorer had left, a possessed or more likely heavily drugged gypsy girl began sauntering silently around the room. Her eyes were glazed over and she just circulated the room until everyone else was awake and clutching their bags. It only took about 15 minutes before the entire lounge was empty. I then found myself a row of seats in the waiting area. I am certain they designed these seats to be unsleepable, but luckily I managed to curl around the armrests in such a way that I was in a state somewhat resembling comfortable. Got my two hours of sleep in that position. The final flight was fine. My window seat in the exit row treated me nicely. I think I will start arriving an extra hour early for all future flights if it will gurantee me a window exit row seat. I mean it's like getting the benefits of economy/business class without the extra fee!

Got some delicious pad thai noodles from a street vendor last night for less than 50 cents. Today I walked around the main tourist area where I was blown away by how much cheap crap everyone is trying to sell. I thought Peru's collection of junk was impressive but Bangkok blows Peru out of the water. Things are so cheap that I feel half-way tempted to purchase them even though I have no need for them. I did splurge today and got fitted for a custom tailored sports jacket. Black with a faint pinstripe, silver silk interior lining, double vents, and some dark metallic buttons that I need to hunt down in China Town tomorrow for them to complete the coat. I could go with the standard buttons, but if I am going to the trouble to get a custom made jacket I should get it exactly how I desire. Plus, I won't run the risk of encountering someone with the identical coat...how embarassing that would be.

Dinner tonight was a delicious pumpkin curry with chicken over rice. Phenomenal. I've also been indulging in several Thai iced teas. The only catch is that the ice cubes are not good to drink. Hence, I find myself gulping down the tea as quickly as possible in order to limit the amount of ice melt I consume.

I will spend one more day in Bangkok and then plan on heading north. Earlier, I found a Thailand guidebook and fipped through it to help get a general plan for seeing Thailand. I will go north, and then probably the northeast. If I have time and feel like it, I may crossover in Laos for a few days. If anyone has any suggestions on places to visit in the north or northeast sections of Thailand please post a comment or shoot me an e-mail.