Hi Gram!
Habits are hard to form and easy to break. There are things that we want to have done but don’t want to do in the moment. This is similar to what some people call “level 2 fun” – things like working out in the morning aren’t always fun in the moment, but after we do it, we feel the reward and are glad that we did. All of this to say that I’m working on getting back in the habit of writing these letters about my adventures. It hasn’t been the easier habit to restart, but I’m really glad that I have.

I flew to Bangkok, Thailand last week to kick off my next international trip. The jet lag is starting to fade, although I still woke up at 4am and was instantly wide awake. Not one to waste an opportunity, I got up and went for my morning walk. It’s so peaceful walking early in the morning before traffic swells, shops open, and there are people everywhere. The humidity is still heavy here and I was a little afraid of rain starting but I stayed mostly dry(ish) for the whole walk. I’m getting ahead of myself, though. Let’s go back to where I left off in the last letter…

I got “home” to my house in Illinois safe and sound from my trip to Colorado and immediately started to panic thinking about all the things I needed to get done in the few days before my flight. In the moment, I was wishing that I had given myself more time, I was sure that I wasn’t going to get it all done. Looking back, I had plenty of time and actually sat reading my book for the last few hours on Sunday morning before my friend Zibby picked me up. It was a good few days of packing and re-packing my bags, filing things away that I wouldn’t need in Asia, but wanted to be able to find when I came back, taking care of things like oil changes and signing documents for my lawyer, and of course visiting with my awesome friends. There’s a quote, “The more places you go, the more people you leave behind.” that feels relevant at times like these. The upside to that is that you have more people to visit and catch up with when you return!

A few weeks ago, I got lucky. Now, you might be thinking to yourself, “Keith, aren’t you always lucky?! Aren’t you the luckiest person I know?” and I hear you. I think I’m so lucky, though, because I pay attention to the times that I feel lucky and fortunate. I pay attention to the good things in life, so more good things seem to happen. Anyways, stop distracting me. The lucky moment I’m talking about here is when I did a search and found a business class ticket on Air France for just a little more than my economy ticket was going to cost me! I know people who are amazing at scouring the web and all kinds of resources to find themselves an amazing deal on flights and hotels. I’m not one of those people. I don’t have the patience or skill to finesse out these deals. I listen when I hear about a new resource that I hadn’t heard about before, so I was pleasantly surprised when I tried points.yeah for the first time and found this ticket. The coolest thing is that a ticket on any other time or day for 4 days in either direction cost more than 5x what I paid. This flight was a couple of days earlier than I’d originally planned, but for the chance to fly in comfort I was willing to move my plans forward a little.

When I got to O’Hare, I barely stopped walking as I whisked through security and to the lounge. The world had just seen a computer meltdown a couple days earlier that the news was telling us had crippled airlines and other businesses, but by the time I got to the airport things were smooth sailing and trouble-free. The lounge was really nice, not crowded, and had some comfortable seats to pass my time before the flight. They offered showers, which I’ve never done in an airport and just seems lavish for some reason, but having just showered a few hours earlier at home, I decided to pass. Boarding went very smoothly, although the little luxuries like warm towels and champagne were lost on me. The crew was perpetually confused through the rest of the flight (and the next flight) when I turned down the liquor, champagne, sodas, and other perks, wanting just water. They even presented me with the water bottle as if it were a bottle of wine before pouring it in a glass for me. I felt silly but happy. The snacks and meals were delicious, the ability to stretch out while reading, then lie flat to get some shut eye was so comfortable, and the whole experience was something I could easily get used to. We landed in Paris, went through security, then I found my way to the lounge there. It was similarly comfortable, with delicious little finger foods, plenty of charging for my electronics, and reclining seats to relax. Do you know what else they had? Showers! I feel like a silly child getting so excited about this, but I just felt so fancy taking a shower at an airport during a layover. At 50 years old, I don’t get as many first time experiences in life so I cherished this one. I walked around the terminal a little to keep the blood pumping before my next flight and saw a few spots with PlayStation consoles set up to keep people entertained between flights. Such a cool idea!

The flight from Paris to Bangkok was a longer one, but similarly posh with hot towels, fancy water presentation, and plenty of room to stretch and sleep. I never get great sleep on these flights, but it was nice being able to lie flat with a pillow and blanket and walls all around me instead of battling my seat neighbor for an armrest. I saw a couple of movies and read my book between dinner and breakfast while I tried to adjust to the time changes. Once we landed in Bangkok, I whisked through customs and immigration, then grabbed my checked bag within 30 seconds of reaching the conveyor. I quickly downloaded a local esim to my phone, ordered a car through Grab, and was on my way to the hotel before it really settled in that I’d just flown halfway around the world (the long way) and was in Thailand! Whenever I’m traveling somewhere, I book a hotel for the first day or two so I can get my bearings and see if there’s somewhere I’d rather stay. The hotel I chose seemed pretty nice as we pulled up, and the staff was very attentive and helpful. Upon reaching my room, I saw a nice, modern room with the amenities that matter to me, including a bed, a fridge, a shower, and a desk where I could set up my computer and stage my pocket contents when I went to bed each night. I don’t need a lot, and this room exceeded my expectations. After unpacking my bags, plugging in my charging cables (the first step I take whenever I go somewhere new – it makes me feel anchored and helps battle homesickness, as odd as that sounds), and taking a shower, hunger drew me out of the hotel to explore the streets.

Bangkok feels like a lot of big cities, which to me means that it feels congested and busy. I much prefer smaller towns with more of a laid back vibe, but since the airlines don’t tend to fly into tiny towns, this seems to be my launching point when I come to Thailand. Luckily, this hotel seems to be surrounded by a good combination of local restaurants and tourist joints. A few blocks away, I stopped into a tourist spot that was having a taco Tuesday special. They had a nice outdoor terrace with an awning stretching over the tables. It was a good combination of a breezy outdoor feel with protection against the rain and falling leaves from the overhead trees. After the dance of English, Thai, pointing, and gestures, the waitress delivered a couple chicken tacos and bottle of water while I got into some casual people watching along the street out front. I was expecting half-assed tourist tacos, so I was pleasantly surprised when flavorful, moist (but not dripping) bites exploded across my taste buds. It made for a great first meal and people watching of the trip. After my late lunch, I wandered around and let myself get a little lost. I noted where the local mall is located (not hard to find – malls are very popular and oversized compared to American counterparts here. I think this one had 7 floors and a basement), the local grocery store, about 10,000 massage shops (also very common here), and even found a good nail salon. That last one was kind of an accident. I was walking when the rain started falling, so I ducked under the next canopy which happened to be in front of the nail salon. Not one to waste time just standing there wishing the rain away, I ducked in and got a pedicure. By the time she was done making my feet pretty and pampered, the rain had stopped and the sun was back. I headed back to the hotel, feeling tired and worn out.

The next morning, I woke early (fighting jet lag leaves for some very early mornings the first few days here) and joined the Fintalks zoom call. The topic happened to be travel, so I chimed in a couple of times with my $0.02. After we finished the call, I went for a morning walk, then went downstairs for some breakfast. The rest of the day, and the next couple of days in fact, are a bit of a blur of walking around, getting a massage, reading my book, shopping for nothing in particular, napping, going to see a movie (Deadpool and Wolverine. A fun movie, highly recommended!), and just unwinding from the previous hectic week of driving, packing, preparing, saying goodbye, and flying.

Yesterday, I headed to meet up with an online friend at a weekend market. This was a bit of a comedy of errors. I forgot that businesses will name themselves something very similar to a popular destination in hopes of drawing in tourists, so I ordered a car to take me to the first “weekend market” that popped up, which was a vacant lot. After grumbling, I pulled out Google maps and looked for “weekend market”, which pointed me somewhere else a few miles away. I texted my friend who told me that wasn’t it either. She sent a google pin of the actual market, which I plugged into the app and called up another car. An hour later (traffic here SUCKS), I arrived. It turns out the BTS has a stop right in front of the market. It also has a stop a few blocks from my hotel. So this whole trip from hotel to market could have been quick and painless, but that’s what makes for memories on a trip – making mistakes and rolling with the punches. Anyway, the market. I’ve been to some street markets in Bali, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. I’ve been to flea markets back in the states. This was like those, except many times larger and more diverse.

We knew what Siri sounded like. I discovered what she smells like too!

While many markets have a bunch of stalls selling all the same basic things, spread across a block or two of streets, this place was like a fairgrounds with vendors lining the streets between block-spanning buildings filled with more vendors, musicians, barbers, massage shops, and even a puppy room. When we passed it, I asked Jeab if they sell puppies, or pet supplies or if this was like an indoor dog park or what this was. None of those, it’s a room where you can pay to just go in and play with puppies, get your picture taken with them, or just lie down and get overrun with dozens of puppies swarming you. The world just needs more of these places. I can’t imagine being sad with puppies and grown dogs just excited and paying you all kinds of attention. I tell myself that all of the dogs there are well cared-for, fed and trained, and supported throughout their whole lives. I hope I’m right. All this walking around tired me out, so we said our goodbyes and I caught the BTS back towards my hotel. A couple blocks after leaving the train station, it started to drizzle so I picked up my step. Shortly thereafter, it started raining a little harder, so I stopped under a canopy, cursing myself for not bringing my umbrella. The rain wasn’t letting up, so I ducked into the restaurant there and ordered a coconut to sip on while I waited.

I finished my delicious treat just as the rain let up a little, so I took my chance to make a dash for it. The window lasted me less than a block before it started pouring again. Resigned to the fact that I might never get back to the hotel if I stop every time it rains, I sucked it up and just finished my trek. In addition to the water falling from the sky, every driveway I crossed had a few inches of puddle, so I was thoroughly soaked from head to toe by the time I reached the hotel. I took off my squishy waterlogged sandals, changed into dry clothes, and spent the rest of the afternoon/ evening reading and relaxing.

This morning, I was awake at 5am (improving, but not quite sleeping in yet) so I headed out for a morning walk. I did about 2.5 miles, looking for canopies and trees in case it started raining. Fortunately, the rain stayed away (although the humidity was so thick, I don’t know where “humid” crosses into “drizzling”). Back at the hotel, I chatted with some friends before they went to bed, then wrote what you’re reading right now.