100 degrees

the view from the apartment

My blog will have a new point of view for the next few weeks. Lauchie has been slogging away at work in Thailand since the end of July. He has extended his stay so that he can focus on a project with a fast approaching deadline. So you know what they say about mountains and mohammed...I have joined him in Bangkok to give his life a sense of normalcy.

The thought of living in Bangkok is always a bit daunting for an outdoor type like me. It is a city that forces you to expand your tolerance and calm your mind. As the Lonely Planet describes it: "Bangkok is excess in all of its unrestrained glory. Bigger, better, more: the city is insatiable, a monster that feeds on concrete, shopping malls and diesel exhaust." I have spent quite a bit of time in Bangkok and on the flight, the negative aspects of the city were looming large in my thoughts. The traffic, the heat and the pulsing crowds kept replaying in my head. I made the trip in 3 hops. A short jump up from Halifax to Toronto connected me to my flight to Tokyo. The 777 was filled to capacity and most of the passengers were Japanese. The mood in the departure lounge was quiet and reserved. Passengers were deferential and polite during the 13 hour flight. Out of Tokyo, I joined a Thai Airways flight direct to Bangkok and in the lounge the mood was different. The thai passengers were bubbly and chatty. Little groups collected and they compared their duty-free purchases and laughingly shared their snacks. It was then I remembered one of the most positive things about Bangkok. The incredible thais and their terrific good nature. The Thais love fun and everything they do should be "sanuk" or fun. The tourism tagline: Land of Smiles, which has been used for years is still accurate. I had forgotten how entirely warm the people are in this overcrowded asphalt jungle and it's a relief to see their smiling faces again.

look Susan...there's a pool at the apartment

click to see the big picture