I made it! Here I am in Bangkok after a happily uneventful flight where I even got a few hours of sleep. Stepping off of the plane into the jetway  I could feel the incredible heat seeping through the walls and as I walked down the long sets of corridors of Bangkok Airport I found myself smiling like crazy.  All the anxiety had disappeared and I was just incredibly thrilled and excited to be here.

It took about an hour to get to the hotel, which is beautifully situated on the river. From  my window you can see the boats crisscrossing back and forth.  From where I’m situated, you have to take a ferry to get to anything else and I love knowing that my day starts with a boat ride.

And it did start early — given the jet lag.  My friend, Jennie, has arranged my two Bangkok events for me, and the first one was to meet with her writing group.  We were due to begin at 9.30 and getting to the cafe where it is held was a bit of a challenge.  The traffic in Bangkok is horrific and the taxis don’t necessarily speak English so Jenny suggested I take the Skytrain (BTS).  Thankfully, she came to collect me at the station and together we made our way to the Bitter Brown Cafe in the Ashok area — very downtown, very hustle and bustle, but the cafe is quiet and cool with the same sorts of coffee drinks (iced and otherwise) that you would find on any corner in London or New York. What a marvelous way to start off.  The five of us sat around a corner table, chatting about the hows and whys of writing, sipping coffee and tea.  Yes, that’s me – photographic evidence thanks to Jennie and her instantaneous facebooking. And yes, it is hot out there!  People are saying the hot season has come early.  That’s fine with me.  I couldn’t be happier.
  After the meeting, Jennie took me to a wonderful local restaurant for a divine lunch of Thai food.  I thought I knew Thai food, but already I’m discovering new tastes, like some sort of leaf that you wrap around a selection of nuts, citrus, scallions, sauce like a package that you then pop into your mouth.
And then it was time to say goodbye, knowing that we would be spending the entire next day together as well.  The powers of blogging — this is a good time to reflect on how wonderful it is.  Jennie and I met through our blogs, and now here we are, spending days together, chatting away as if we’ve known each other for years.  And in a way, I suppose we have.

  When the afternoon was over, we walked to the nearest BTS station, and armed with very explicit instructions on how to maneuver my way through the Sky train system and back to my hotel, I set off.  Given the fact that I am notorious for my terrible sense of direction, I made it back quite easily and without any hiccups at all.  But how can you complain when the view outside your train window looks like that photo above.

And now, I think it’s time for a nap, maybe a bit of some poolside sitting and sipping, then dinner….ah, the life of a writer 🙂

Tomorrow — my big event at the Neilsen Hays Library.   See you afterwards.