June 25, 2010

Arrived in Bangkok today on British Airways flight 009 from London at 3:45 pm. Unfortunately, my luggage did not make the connection in London, so I spent some time in the airport filing the necessary forms and getting compensation. BA gave me, and two other fellows whose luggage had also not made the flight, 100 pounds each – which translated into about 4500 Thai baht.

Then, found the driver who was waiting to take me to CentrePoint on Soi 10, Sukhumvit – a “serviced” apartment which will be my new home for the next several months.

First impressions of Bangkok on the way in from the airport –
--I’d forgotten that they drive on the left. That will take some getting used to.
--The air is much cleaner and clearer than I reminded. It was sunny and hot, but the view was clear.
-- Traffic from the airport moved smoothly and quickly, until we got off the main highway and onto the surface roads. Then, it ground to a halt. But it was Friday afternoon at rush hour, so not a surprise.

First impressions of CentrePoint –
-- The apartment is a good size, though the living space is smallish. There is a kitchen, a dining area, and a living room all in one. The bedroom is separate and a good size, and the bathroom is large and has both a tub and a separate shower.
-- Very clean and efficient, but corporate and sterile. Will need to buy some small items to make the place more personal.

Walked up soi 10 (my street) to Sukhumvit – the main drag – to buy some clothes. Traffic was very heavy. Crossed the street via the Asoke SkyTrain stop and had a great view of a full moon coming up and the head lights and red lights from all the cars down below. Too bad my camera was in my lost luggage.

Interesting thing about how Bangkok is laid out. There are main drags (in my area it’s Sukhumvit) and then little streets/lanes - called sois - coming off in either direction. The even-numbered sois are on one side of the main drag and the odd-numbered ones are on the other. But, the even and odd numbers do not line up. So, soi 10 is in fact opposite soi 15.

The nearest department store is called Robinson’s. There seemed to be more employees than customers. I needed to buy several things – socks, shorts, etc. – and each item seemed to be in a different department, serviced by different employees who each took great pains to assist me and to put aside my every intended purchase. This all made sense when it came time to check out. At the cashier, each employee showed up with his or her “service card,” which the cashier used to beam in their bar code for each item. Not sure if they work on commission or if they receive some sort of credit. But thanks to BA, I was able to buy socks, underwear, a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and a polo shirt and still had enough money for some toiletries and dinner.

That’s one thing that will be easy to find here – food. The street vendors are everywhere and it all looks very tempting. I’d read that street food in Bangkok is very good and very cheap. I will, of course, have to try it, get sick, and get over it so I can enjoy the many options. But for tonight, I just went to the restaurant in CentrePoint and had a tasty dish of sea bass in hot basil sauce. No liquor on the menu (will have to buy some and keep it in the apartment) but they did have a good drink of crushed strawberries, pineapple, and watermelon.

I am meeting Por (not sure if that is a man or a woman) in the lobby at 10:00 AM. Which could be a problem, since it is now 3:30 AM and I am wide awake. No wonder – that is 4:30 PM in Boston.

All in all, not a bad first day. Now I just need my luggage to show up tomorrow.