Day 1ish??? We did cross the International Dateline

Sometimes the enjoyability of a trip depends on the initial travel part. 



My Buddha was smiling on me - through security at Pearson in 10 minutes. Left on time. 13.5 hours to Tokyo - through security in 20 minutes. An almost 8 hour layover, good to stretch legs. Another 6.5 hours to Bangkok. Saw Jesse in the security line ahead of me. He and travel buddy, Carl (Pearson to Calgary to Vancouver to Bangkok) arrived 20 minutes early - my flight was was delayed by 20 minutes. So perfect timing. About 30 minutes in that line as Bangkok is the most visited city in the world. So not a terrible wait considering. I met J and C in baggage pick up, even tho’ I had no checked luggage. We took a Grab (Thai Uber) to our hotel during rush hour. The hour ride was a whopping $17!!! Arrived at our hotel at 8am. Rooms available at 2 so we checked in, left our luggage. We were all quite sleep deprived but had no bed, so we headed out for an exploratory tour of the neighbourhood to immerse ourselves in the Thai culture. 





Even short walks in humid 36 degree temps work up a sweat; as does dodging scooters, motorcycles, tuk- tuks and cars. Traffics signs and lights are mere suggestions here. To cool off, we took a boat ride on the  Chao Phraya River. The hotel is very close to a number of major sites we can explore tomorrow  

One stop was The Flower Market which dwarfed the Waterloo Farmers Market. Fresh flowers of every variety plus spices and herbs and vegetables galore. Our olfactory senses were wonderfully assaulted by a melange of aromas.

Our stomachs told us that we needed to experience our first real Thai meal. Right across from the hotel we hit the jackpot. We all ordered pad Thai, spring rolls and beer. All fresh ingredients in this mom and pop place danced on the tongue. 





  

It’s only noon and there’s It’s only noon and there’s more to come….

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 13, 2024 at 5:12 AM

    So glad to hear that your flights went smoothly. The Pad Thai looks delicious! You will be in dreamland right now. Hope you slept well!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 13, 2024 at 5:14 AM

    That last comment was from Steph. Can’t get out of the Anonymous mode.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 13, 2024 at 6:57 AM

    So glad all flights went well & you were able to meet up w/Jesse so quickly. Lots of sights to see & I know you’ll enjoy to the fullest! Jo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Alexandria KorpelJanuary 14, 2024 at 8:39 AM

    I’m so glad that you arrived safely! How funny about the man with the sunglasses on, I hope you didn’t make too many funny faces in his direction haha! Just kidding! Beautiful pictures so far.

    ReplyDelete

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