Bangkok

After eighteen hours of flying, two hours of layover and a couple more hours in the immigration line, we are finally here! Wow, what a city.  We basically just drove from the airport to the hotel Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square but I can tell I like it. The cityscape is made up of the stuffs sci fi writers describe. Looking out my window this morning I can see the sky train whizzing by two - no four trains, in and out of the local station. There are also several high rises that dominate the horizon. Concrete, steel and people for as far as you can see. It reminds me of New York, just more spread out. When we drove from the airport early this morning around two am the city was still a buzz. There were full conversations going on in corner restaurants with bowls of food spread out as if it were afternoon. A city that never sleeps. There's something quite delicious to me in that recipe of people, cityscape, no time lines and many, many cultures all mixed together. We are off to breakfast now and some light walking around this morning before we hit the daily market with Aunt Punons sisters.

I must tell you about the Thai greeting before I move on. It's simply wonderful. Aunt Punons younger sister came into Bangkok from her hometown of Pisunuloke, which was a six hour bus ride! Her older sister Supranee arranged to have a truck for all our luggage and her two sons Big and Bomb both came to help us unload the luggage and say hello. Everyone was so nice and loving to get up and come out on a week day/ work day evening just to greet us and  take us from the airport to the hotel at 2am. This epitomizes the Thai culture in a nutshell. Through giving you receive much. I was overwhelmed by the generosity and it gave me great joy to see how tightly knit the family is. This trip is starting our decidedly well, and surprisingly smooth. Our travels were wonderful. More on Korean Air later… and it's all good!!!