Sawadee Ka!

On the 23rd of September the sun set on Boston and we flew out in a big bird. This American Airlines flight would take us to London. We played one game of cribbage and then I was out like a light, as they say.  But poor Brant is way too big for any airplane seats, let alone on this outdated plane.

Six hours later Brant had eaten dinner and breakfast with almost no sleep in between.

Both Brant and I had never been to the UK, someday we hope to return and see past the airport. The Heathrow Airport is absolutely huge. Once we landed we were shuttled to a different terminal a couple miles away. By the time we got to the correct gate it was nearly time to board our second six hour flight to Bahrain. This flight was operated by Gulf Air.
To Brant's relief, Gulf Air had slightly larger seats (not to say that he slept). He watched Ocean's 12 and Blindside and ate a couple meals while I dozed in and out of consciousness. Bahrain greeted us in the evening. Once we landed we could see lamp lit streets over the giant walls of the airport, giving us a small glimpse of another world. It seemed very dry and very orange, if that makes any sense. It made me happy we were headed somewhere tropical and verdant.

We ate at a Chili's in the airport (it was between that and Macaroni Grille). Here, we learned that things ain't cheap in Bahrain, as the one appetizer we split turned out to cost 21 dollars (including gratuity). Whew! We paid our bill and boarded our last 6 1/2 hour flight to Bangkok.

After 24 hours of travel we arrived at the modern Bangkok airport on the morning of September 25th. Customs were easy. So with the thump of a stamp in our passports we moved forward into the baggage claim area.

Here was the moment of truth: did everything make it?

We went to our baggage claim and immediately saw the only bag I checked. One down. But the claim was looking quite skimpy. So we stood there watching the same five bags go round and round, hoping that something would change. But the sign on the baggage claim switched to another numbered flight. Uh-oh. From there we went to look for our bicycles at the oversized baggage claim. No bikes there either. We handed the attendant our baggage claim tickets; he punched something into the computer, and then motioned for us to go somewhere across the room (if I spoke Thai, this may have been slightly more clear). We  walked into the other large room and found the airport customer service desk (I think this is what he meant). And Prapaporn, a wonderful Thai lady, who spoke pretty darn good English, filed a report for Brant's lost panniers and both of our bicycles. She assured us that they should be tracked down and located within five days or less and that the airport would deliver them to wherever we were staying. We thanked her, gave her our contact information, and hoped for the best.

We were so tired we didn't have the energy to be upset. And now that I have my bicycle, I look back and am thankful that someone delivered the bikes to us. After 24 hours of travel, assembling two bicycles in the middle of an airport sounds like hell, but in the comfort of our lovely guesthouse? Fantastic.

We ate some Thai food in the airport, our first Thai meal, which was delicious and well priced (considering we were in an airport). Those needed calories gave me enough energy to head to one of the cell phone service providers to see how much it would cost to get a local SIM card and phone number. I wanted to be able to update our blog photos on the road, while also being able to have the convenience of a local phone number. And boy was it easy to do, $31 later I had a new SIM and unlimited internet for a month, all in the palm of my hand.

And with that, we headed to the Express Train that would take us directly to the city center. The Bangkok guesthouse, The Shanti Lodge, was recommended to us by Going Slowly, a very experienced cycle touring couple with one beautiful website. The Shanti Lodge website had some fantastic directions for making life easy when you get off the plane: they tell you how to get on the train and ask you to print a provided map with  directions in English and Thai to give to a taxi driver at the train station. This  made getting to where we needed to go in a country where we cannot read the alphabet, let alone communicate, so incredibly easy.

We followed directions and hopped on the train. This was our first of many experiences with Thai public transportation. I must say, Thailand (especially Bangkok) kicks public transportation butt. The train was clean and beautiful, and both Brant and I had our noses to the window as the train flew over neighborhoods and introduced us to this foreign land.

We arrived at the Phaya Thai station, grabbed our few bags, and walked into the hustle and bustle that comes with any metropolitan center. As we marched down the stairs, a nice man asked where we were headed, The Thewet District, and then advised us to call for a taxi on the other side of the street. We did as we were told. Once on the other side of the six lane street, Tuk Tuk drivers bombarded us with pleas to take us to "Kao Son Rd." (the gross backpackers district, where, it seems, most every traveler stays). No Kao Son Road for us.

Our piece of paper told us to not take a Tuk Tuk, but to take a "Taxi Meter,"  these taxis have meters so that no one gets ripped off.

One wasn't hard to find. Once we got in, he looked at our map for awhile, seemingly a little  perplexed. Once he oriented himself, we were on our way.

After 10 minutes or so, he pulled into a one lane street lined with trees and bustling with Thais. He pointed, and there, in the midst of lush vines was a small wooden sign saying, "The Shanti Lodge." We payed our 65 Baht fare (a little over two dollars), and made our way to the reception desk. A Thai woman in her forties greeted us with a huge smile asking where we were from, how long we were staying, what kind of room we wanted, and if we had a reservation. We got everything squared away, were given a key to our little bamboo room upstairs, and within the hour (at one in the afternoon) we slept. We slept and slept--till 5am the next morning. It was exactly what we needed. The next morning, we rose with the sun.

It felt as if our eyes hadn't been open the day before, like I didn't have enough energy to take in all that was around me. But this time I walked down the stairs and finally realized how beautiful everything was. The Shanti Lodge has a magic feel. You don't wear your shoes inside (for the most part) and the rock and tile floor feels good beneath your feet. Even the house turtle loves it.

 The lobby/dining area is dotted with beautiful wooden tables and Thai pillows, and plants seem to grow all around you. Whoever dreamed up The Shanti Lodge, dreamed it up for the bookish mellow sort of tourist, appealing to those who care if MSG is in their food (as the restaurant tries to use organic veggies from the Shanti Farm, and prides itself on MSG-free Thai cooking) and to those who want to feel like they are in Thailand (not Disneyland) when they go to sleep.

 The Shanti kitchen didn't open till 7:30, so Brant and I ventured into the street. Turns out, across from the Shanti is a giant market that bustles in the wee hours of the morning, providing the local street vendors with their fresh vegetables and meats for the days work. Meats carcasses hanging everywhere, eels and frogs in buckets of water, coffee, rice, a gazzilion types of colorful vegetables-- the market is the most invigorating place to walk through at five in the morning. People laughed at us as we walked by saying "hello" in Thai (the only word we knew at the time).

Within five minutes of our walk out the front door, we both realized one essential thing about Thai people, they smile. They smile big and often. I think it's contagious (especially when you can't speak). So Brant and I continued our stroll, smiling. We smiled over the canal that runs behind that market and laughed at the swarming schools of catfish. We smiled as we walked out to the great river that seems to be the heart of Bangkok. We smiled as we tried to order coffee using our best pre-travel purchase, our "Thai Phrase Book" (we live by it). The coffee was sort of horrible, but we smiled anyways, and made our way back to the Shanti for a long awaited breakfast.