chapter 3

     A little over six hours later my plane made its connection in London.  I made sure to locate where I was to board the plane to Bangkok.  Then I found a place to sit, have a snack and attempt to connect to the internet and check in with my parents.  This effort being unsuccessful, either because there was no free wi-fi, or because I was too technologically incompetent to figure it out.  Regardless, I found a set of computers at which I could take a moment to send my mom a quick email to let her know I had made it successfully to London and was ready to continue my journey to Bangkok.
     Some time passed and I was finally able board that plane.  I sat anxiously in the boarding area where others waiting to take their seats on the same plane sat.  The gate was located in a small corner area of the airport at the end of several winding corridors. My excitement was palpable.  I tried to remain patient, switching back and forth between trying to read my book, glancing at my watch, and studying the others waiting for the flight.
     What was there story?  It was a mixture of other Westerners and Thais.  I did not realize until much later that many of these people were also from Australia; the plane would pause in Thailand and then continue on to Australia.
     After what seemed to be an eternity I boarded the plane and took my seat on the giant craft. I was seated on the right hand side, sandwiched between two other people. I tried my best to make myself comfortable for the more than fourteen hour flight.  I hadn't slept at all on the flight to London despite the fact that I had hardly slept the night before.  I took some sleeping pills and hoped for the best, but my excitement and the nervous exhilaration of my journey got the best of me.  Those hours combined with the difference in time zone brought me from Tuesday morning in Boston to mid-morning on Thursday in Bangkok.  I changed my watch, as well as the time on my iPod accordingly mid-flight.  
     I staggered off the plane, leaving behind those who were continuing to Australia.  After entering the gigantic Bangkok airport I began to look for the place where I would claim my luggage.  First I had to go through security. Before the checkpoint I stopped at the money exchange counter and changed the few hundred dollars I had removed from the bank in Boston into Thai Baht.  There was a line at the security checkpoint and I stood impatiently amongst the others waiting to enter the country.
     When my turn came I was unsure what to do.  The man first gestured for me to come forward, then told me with his hands to stand back as I started to come forward.  He sorted through a few papers in front of him and then motioned me forward again.  I approached, holding both my passport and my plane tickets, just in case.  I handed the papers to him.  He tossed the tickets back at me then began flipping through my passport.  He studied the non-Immigrant B visa I had acquired back in Boston.  It would be good for ninety days once I entered the country.  Although I was planning to be there for approximately ten months, my boss ensured me that a more permanent work visa would be acquired for me before these ninety days were over.  The man at the desk signed and stamped my passport, handed it back to me, and I was then on my way to claim my bags.
     I almost always feel nervous at baggage claim.  This time I was particularly nervous due to the length of my flight and the fact that I had to connect in another country first.  Also, one of my bags had been too heavy and I was nervous that that would be an issue.  Finally I saw my two gigantic bags bearing just about every possession I owned come around the baggage belt.  With all my strength I grabbed each belt and yanked it off, nearly pulling myself to the ground while doing so.  It didn't help that at that time I had hardly any strength left and probably did not weigh that much more than either bag.  I located a cart on which I could put my two enormous suitcases and carry-on, then began my search for Mr. Vee -- the man whom I was told by the agency who had found me the job would pick me up at the airport.  I waited for quite a while in the pick-up area watching person after person be claimed by their loved ones or drivers with signs.  There was no sign of him.
     Beginning to get nervous, I extracted the paper on which I had written the phone numbers of Phil and Claire, the couple who had arranged the job for me, and called them from a pay phone after studying the unfamiliar change in my hands. Claire picked up the phone.  I identified myself, told her I had arrived but could not find Mr. Vee.  Seeming quite perturbed, she dialed his cell, then told me where to look, what he was wearing, and in which direction to head.
     I hung up the phone and began heading toward the 7-11 she said he was also heading towards. 7-11s, I would soon learn, are almost, if not more, numerous in Thailand than in America. Finally, there he was.  He held no sign, but clearly spotted me from a mile away.  I couldn't have been hard to miss.  A small petite American girl all alone, wide-eyed, lost looking, and carrying enough baggage for a medium-sized family.  He greeted me with wonderful English and took my cases.
     He led me toward the exit to the parking lot where his taxi was waiting.  As we opened the doors leading outside the heat hit me.  It was like walking into a sauna.
     "How do you like the heat?" Vee asked me.
     "I absolutely love it!" I responded. After a very long winter in Boston, I did truly love it at the time. It was uncomfortable, but certainly a relief.  I couldn't help but anticipate all the time I would spend in the sun, getting as dark as humanly possible.  Overcome with excitement, I thought to myself, "I made it, I'm here."
     We found the car and after he finished loading the heavy suitcases in the trunk I began to get into the car.  On the wrong side.  Of all the minor details I'd read about Thailand, it seemed to have escaped me that, like England, Thais drive on left side of the road.  He laughed as I foolishly tried to get into the drivers seat and asked, "Oh, you're driving, are you?"  I chuckled, excused myself and walked around the car and got in on the correct side of the car.
     Vee was a really nice guy, as I would find out is true of just about all Thais.  The ride to the hotel I would be staying at that first night was a long one and included a pit stop at a gas station.  On the way he offered me some fresh fruit he had just picked up in mass quantities at the market.  I wasn't very hungry. My stomach had been tied in knots for days.  But, in order to be polite I took one of the small, pink fruit, which had long, green spikes on its exterior.  I had no idea what it was.  After coaching me for several minutes on how to pronounce the name in Thai I still could not master it.  Nor could I open it.  Cheerily astonished at my naivety, Vee took the fruit from my hand and masterfully tore open the rind of the fruit and handed it to me to open.  The fruit inside was white and juicy.  I ate several more on the long ride to the hotel.
     I was astonished at how huge Bangkok was.  It seemed like we drove forever, passing multi-laned highways, all equipped with toll-booths, down massive main streets with bicyclists, motor-taxies and tuk-tuks whirling past us in the dense smog.  Palm trees, people, food stands, markets, restaurants, and stores abounded.
     We reached the hotel and unloaded my bags.  To the right was a dining room.  To the left was a seating area.  The check-in desk was in the middle.  I checked in and my bags and shortly after Phil and Claire met me to say hello and give me a copy of Lonely Planet's guide to Thailand.  I was elated. I gave them the Boston souvenirs I had bought them in the airport.  We made arrangements to meet in a couple hours after I had showered and freshened up.
     I made my way to my room and set up my laptop.  After calling my parents on Skype, assuring them that I was alright and telling them how beautiful the country was, I settled in and took a shower.  The room was clean, but due to my own paranoia about unfamiliar showers, I wore my flip-flops anyway.  I also dodged the tiny little ants inside.  These ants, I would later learn, were just a small part of living in Thailand that I would have to get used to.
    After that refreshing shower I began to get dressed and put on my make-up, which was a futile effort, being that I would sweat most of it off later anyways.  As I waited for the arrival of Phil and Claire I began to reflect on the past few months and what had influenced me to come here in the first place.