Bangkok

We've arrived in Bangkok! And, even though I've barely stepped out of our hotel thus far, I love it. Mostly that's because we're staying at a seriously nice Sheraton on the river. I have a feeling once I'm hit with the wave of steamy heat I can see coming off this city of 7.5 million people I may be a little overwhelmed. However, I am really excited to be here.

The hour and a half plane ride here may as well have been a sixty year plane ride into the future as far as the difference between Hanoi and Bangkok. Decades of war, years of embargo and their current communist regime have really done a number on Vietnam. I'd almost forgotten that most cities don't have cows on the highways, motorbikes cramming every inch of street space and consider air conditioning an unheard of luxury. While Vietnam has its charm, so do the Starbucks on every corner here in Bangkok.

Today we're headed out to explore since we didn't get to our hotel until around 11 last night. We all stayed up until 1:30 watching American Idol and The O.C. This was probably pretty close to the latest I've stayed up the entire trip. Everett and Laura keep referring to me as Grandma and some hints have been dropped that I may be narcoleptic. I don't know what my problem is, but I can't seem to stay awake to save my life these days. If I'm in any kind of sitting/laying position for long, chances are I will follow asleep (and snore, apparently) almost immediately. It's kind of embarassing. And it's going to create a real problem in a few days when we go to the Full Moon party in south Thailand where I'm supposed to stay up all night because we're not even booking a hotel. I suspect someone is going to be pretty grumpy come sunrise.

Ok, we're off to see what the 14th most populous city in the world has to offer to a couple of American tourists.