Sawatdeekah everyone! I'm writing my (very!) first blog post from my friend Sarah's apartment in the bustling Ari area. The streets are lined with vendors selling grilled corn, fruit, freshly squeezed orange juice (as seen in my hand) hard-boiled eggs on a stick and countless curiosities that will take a while to identify. Sensory overload is the best way to describe my first morning walking along these streets. I've traveled through Europe a couple of times, but these sights, smells and sounds are unlike any I've seen before. During rush hour, a sea of pedestrians dodge broken areas of the sidewalk and compete with motorbikes and cars (driving on the left side no less) for the right of way. The traffic is loud, but you don't hear anyone laying on the horn; instead it's the constant sound of short beeps, mostly from cabbies signaling their availability. The weather today doesn't seem as stifling as I had expected, although I immediately stuck my head in Sarah's freezer after returning from the walk--and that was 9am.My arrival in Bangkok last night was all the sweeter given a beastly flying experience. Short story: thunderstorms in Phoenix led to a missed flight, unplanned stay in San Fran hotel (sorry Steph, I would have called had it not been 3am), and about 45 hours door to door. My luggage has yet to be located (please let the flying gods look down on me; I've always been a pleasant passenger who's never complained about the food or two-gulp drink sizes). Needless to say, I was happy to lay eyes on Sarah, a complete doll for picking me up at the airport at midnight. She had her camera ready to capture my first reaction to my new surroundings (video to come). We stayed up a while chatting over Singhas. Then it was sweet relief to rest my wayworn head on a pillow and fall asleep singing "first night in Bangkok..." to the tune of "One Night in Bangkok". I wonder how long that song's gonna stay in my head.
