Arriving in Bangkok

More than 21 hours after I departed from Seattle, I landed in Bangkok at 1:45am July 1st. I was incredibly relieved that so far everywhere I'd been there were signs in English.

There was a massive thunderstorm with pouring rain when I arrived. This was the first sign that bringing only a backpack was a good choice. Everyone's checked luggage was delayed for almost 2 hours because of the rain. I'm not sure why, but so far in Thailand everything shuts down when it rains. Considering that it has rained everyday since I've arrived, this seems a little bit over-reactive.

Somehow, even at 2am, customs took FOREVER and I picked the slow line. I didn't get through until nearly 3am and was almost positive that at this point the driver that I arranged to take me to the hotel wouldn't be there. I found the Association of Thai Travel Agents booth where I was supposed to meet my ride and didn't see anyone. Upon closer examination, there was someone there, and they were sleeping across two chairs that were pushed under the desk. After yelling "Hello!" repeatedly he woke up looking very upset that I disturbed his slumber, and when I told him that I was looking for my transfer, he told me to go to the booth on the other side of the airport and then fell right back to sleep. Amazingly, I found my driver. He was waiting for me and another girl who was going on a different Gap Adventures trip but who was on my same flight. We waited but she never showed so we drove to the hotel. This was my first experience with Thai driving. Lanes and speed limits are a very mild suggestion. My driver informed me that his name was something that sounded like "Meatboo" and that it meant "number 1" in English. This was about all the English he knew.

When I got to the hotel I was so tired and cranky. My driver spoke with the desk to tell them about the lost girl as I patiently waited to get to my room. Finally they gave me a key but told me I would have to check out at 11am, and then check back in for my next night. When I got to my room none of the lights or air conditioning worked. I was about to start crying like an overtired baby, but I managed to feel around in the dark and discover a device on the wall that had a slit on the top perfect for my card so I threw it in there.

This was my first experience with the energy-saving practice I would find in every single hotel throughout the trip. I don't know why they don't do this in the US. All I can imagine is a bunch of whiny US tourists complaining that the temperature of there room wasn't perfect after being out all day without the air conditioning on. Service above the environment in America. I instantly collapsed on my bed. I needed to SLEEP.