We landed at BKK, again enjoying the nice view provided by the air-cam at the front of the plane that provided the pilot's perspective, and as we taxied to the terminal, the first rays of dawn were peaking over the horizon. I passed through passport control without a hitch, and discovered that my bag had indeed successfully made it to BKK.
I was waived through customs while people coming off a plane from India were targeted to have their bags run through an x-ray machine for futher inspection. At BKK, sometimes the contraband smuggled through is capable of biting back--BKK routinely busts people smuggling illegal wildlife through the airport that somehow got past the security screeners at the originating airport.
The scams/tourist solicitations at BKK are mild in comparison to other airports--the only group that actively solicits you is an over-priced airport run limousine service with offices in the baggage claim area. Considering there are plenty of other options, its best to ignore them and head to either the newly built train to the city center, express buses or even cabs. Cabs in Bangkok are a relative bargain provided you make sure they turn on the meter--which is not usually a problem--and the meter is pegged to distance traveled. And the process of getting a cab at the airport is simple--you write your address on a piece of paper, and give it to the officer in charge, and she fills out a form, and gives it to a cab driver. Quick, easy, and painless.
I knew it was going to be humid in Bangkok, and had mentally prepared myself for it. But I forgot just how bad the humidity was--as soon as I stepped out of the terminal it was like I had stepped into a steam room. It was like stepping into a wall--and this was at 6am, no less.
The last time I drove into town from the airport was at night in the midst of a rainstorm, and saw a spectacular scene of sideways rain being illuminated by some of the billboard lights. The drive into town this time was also pretty, as the sunrise gave the area a pinkish glow, with some of the morning mist still hanging around near the ground.
The cab driver kept repeating to himself "Silom, Silom"--and I could only guess what he was thinking--"ooh, big spender going to Silom." Unfortunately, my Thai is limited to about three phrases, and its impossible to have a conversation with anyone when the only phrases you have in common are hello, thank you, and don't worry about it. So, all I could do is sit back and hope to god I was going to the right place--because of printing issues, I forgot the map.
Fortunately, my fears of being taken for a ride were unfounded, as I recognized the various locales as being in the area of my place, and I arrived and check into my temporary residence for the summer--just a short walk away from my office.
The cab ride cost? a very reasonable THB 400 (about 13 bucks).
In comparison, whenever I withdraw money from the ATM, the local banks here, knowing this isn't a local card, charge an absurd THB 150 for the privilege--double what I usually pay in the US.
And what did I do on my first day in the city of angels? Write-on. Seriously. I locked myself in my residence, plugged in my laptop, and twelve hours later, had a rough draft ready to go. It wasn't much fun, but hey, that pretty much describes the life of any professional student (outside of those in adult day care aka biz-school, according to my biz-school attending friend).
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