Bangkok .... finally here

Bangkok Sunrise

Flight to LA was smooth, breakfast was really good but the fresh baked cookies were a little over done  (burnt!).   We had a 10 hour layover so we spent it in the exec lounge drinking and eating.  We didn't sleep well the night before and had been up since 5:00 am. so we were exhausted by the time we got on the plane.

Flying business class, we had reclining seats that laid almost flat.  We got about 6 hours of sleep on the 17.5 hour flight.  We had three absolutely delicious meals enroute and the service was perfect.  We arrived in Bangkok at 6:30 am this morning (Sunday).  That's 6:30 pm on Saturday back home.  We watched the sunrise as we came in. 

The 45 minute taxi ride to hotel was only 500 baht with tip - about $17CDN-so cheap.  We are staying in a suite on the 22nd floor of the gorgeous Anantara Bangkok Sathorn Hotel.  We had a quick shower and were ready to hit the streets by 9:30 am.

Tuk Tuks (3 wheel motorcycle taxis)

We bought a one day skytrain pass 120b each ($4).  Very clean and efficient way to get around. The station is a ten minute walk from our hotel.  We went to the Jim Thompson House 100b each ($3.33) He was an American who lived there and got their silk trade going.   He went missing in Malaysia in 1967.  The English speaking tour guide gave us a very good history lesson of Thailand.  Well worth the huge cost!!  Checked out the MBK shopping center - 7 unbelievably huge floors for eating and shopping.  

We really enjoyed lunch at an outdoor patio near our hotel.  We had very spicy chicken curry with rice, a large bottle of water and large glass of green ice tea.  Total bill was only 87b ($2.90).  Great food.  We've been sampling the local beer "Singha" - it's pretty good.  We are exhausted so I think we will order room service for dinner and hit the hay early.  Tomorrow we are taking a river tour to learn more about the culture and religion of Thailand.