Finally made it.

Well, I made it in late last night. The new airport here is really quite nice. After reading all the stories about all the mismanagement and corruption there along with the myriad problems I wasn't sure what to expect. The passport control line moved really slow, but luckily I was in row 1 on my flight so I got in line sooner than most people and my bag was waiting for me on the carousel when I got there. The only problem I had was trying to find my driver. The map from the tour company wasn't exactly accurate. There were all kinds of people who wanted to give me a ride though. I got some help though and finally found him. His sign had me listed as "Miss Glenn Auve" but of course I didn't see his sign at all because I wasn't looking where he was standing. I got to the hotel around 12:30 AM. The amount of traffic here is fairly stunning even at that hour.

The hotel is gorgeous. They were all sold out of the regular room that I had reserved so I got a complimentary upgrade to the executive suite which is enormous. I think the bathroom is bigger than by bedroom at home. Breakfast this morning was also quite nice. The only issue I have is the one I have with all hotels of this level and that is things like overcharging for internet access. I guess they figure everyone is on an expense account. The location is also not exactly ideal either. It's about 6-10 minutes walk to the subway station. The road is quite busy but luckily I never have to cross this one. One nice thing about Bangkok is that there are lots of pedestrian overpasses that put you up above the traffic.

This morning I took the subway 1 stop (about 50 cents) to the one closest to the area where I stayed last year. I wanted to drop in at the tour company's office to say hello. I chatted with the owner for a few minutes. The guy who helped make my arrangements is out of town now. Then I walked back to the sky train station to head down to the main shopping area. I walked around Central World. It is a huge mall. They have a ton of Japanese restaurants there for some reason. I found the location for next week's ModernDog concert there. It's a pretty small venue. I don't think you need a ticket, you just show up.

The weather is not too bad. It's is in the upper 80s but there is a light breeze. It is quite hazy though.

I noticed when I got off the plane last night that this place really has a distinctive smell. It smells sort of like Indian cooking for some reason, but I instantly remembered it from last year.

I didn't sleep a whole lot last night. I think I am going to get a massage this afternoon and then I am meeting Em who was one of my guides last year for dinner and I suppose we will go out after that somewhere. Then tomorrow will be a quiet morning followed by the concert for the rest of the day. Should be fun, but I understand the venue is in the middle of nowhere.