Bryan took us to the airport Saturday afternoon, where we boarded United 935 to London. Plane was almost full. We watched several movies en route - Hercules, Maleficent and Draft Day, none of which were stellar, although Draft Day was suprisingly crisp and fun. Managed a tiny bit of sleep and arrived in London about 9 hours later, a little early. Had a little more than 2 hours layover. No problems with security, etc. and we boarded Thai Air 911 on time.
The Thai Air plane was only 15-20% full, at best, so we had room to spread out! Watched a little entertainment, had a typical chicken and rice dinner and then was able to sleep for a few hours as Beth stretched out on the three seats behind us and Greg had three in our original row! The Thai attendents were very nice and polite, greeting us with wai's and handing out warm towels before every meal or snack service.
Arrived in Bangkok and moved smoothly through passport and customs. Chap and Mam were there to meet us and had hired a driver and van to pick us up and take us to the hotel. It is Monday morning here. Heavy rush hour traffic where lanes tended to appear and disappear at random. Aggressive drivers, but didn't see vehicles with dents so I guess they all get along. No way we would drive here! Many scooters in the city, which weave in and out of the other traffic.
Narai Hotel on Silom Road. Checked in and had a good hot shower. Then Greg and Mam had a quick bite to eat and headed back to the airport to meet Tom and Sue. Beth went with Chap to run a few business-related errands. We picked up some certifications for a few stones, bought some cutting supplies for his shop and delivered a few things to his friend Indie in the Jewelry Exchange Building where Chap has a small office. A man at the cutting supply store was able to show us how to replace the sim card in my phone, so that is now functioning, with the same number. Stopped at Bangkok Bank, also, and exchanged some dollars for bhat. We walked and enjoyed the sights - many food carts selling meats, vegetables like corn on the cob, and many types of fresh fruits. Traffic is a bit crazy and I learned that not everyone will stop at a red light and, as Chap said, the pedestrian does NOT have the right of way here!
Water had lots of floating hyacinths. Temperatures warm and humidity high so it felt good to be moving. Our boat soon turned off of the Chao Prayo River into canals which wound around the city, past many homes, Wats, etc. Some homes were very poor, almost tumble-down, others were quite substantial. Many homes growing morning glories in the water nearby - the young plant growth makes a tasty salad (which we sampled later). Glimpses of many fish - some quite large - along with several komodo dragons - very large 3-6' long! Several fishermen and we passed a few boats which were hawking drinks, hats, etc. Quite a mixture of peoples and homes, but most smiled and waved at us tourists.
We walked a few blocks down the street to Silom Village Trade Center where we enjoyed an interesting a tasty dinner, with Chap and Mam ordering a collection of dishes that we shared. Some of the dishes included catfish, prawns in garlic, scallop salad, morning glory salad, chicken with cashews and a glass noodle & mushroom salad. All with rice, of course. A few of the dishes were spicy but by avoiding those little green and red chili peppers, all were fine. Slices of fresh papaya, water mellon and pineapple topped things off! We wandered back to the hotel, stopping at Hindu temple across the street which was having some sort of ceremony. We will all meet for breakfast tomorrow.
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