(not even) one night in Bangkok

Twelve hours of flying and I was in Thailand. My first smell as I stepped off the plane was fried food, an interesting omen. I arrived quite late and had an early morning flight, so here were my impressions for the few hours I was there:

• The king’s portrait is everywhere, but at least they have a variety of shots—some young, some in traditional dress, some with the queen, etc. The political factions are passionately divided between the "red" and "yellow" parties, but everyone seems to genuinely revere the king.
  
• Second to the king's portraits, there are 7-11 stores everywhere (I couldn’t help but think of Devan and David). I want to try a Slurpee, but ice is generally off-limits for health reasons (you don’t know the purity of the water it was made with).
• Traffic “guidelines” more than “rules”—I’m just grateful I wasn’t traveling at peak times to see it in full swing! As in India and Tanzania, I feel safer with a local driving because it’s like a dance and they actually know the steps. Still, I was surprised by all the traffic considering it was after midnight and wonder what it’s like during commuting hours. Oh, and the taxi meters are often conveniently "broken"--but negotiating a price beforehand makes everyone happy.
  
• They use orchids in their landscaping like we use daisies—so jealous!
• All the immigration workers at the airport were wearing masks. Not sure if it’s policy or a personal choice against swine flu, but I was tempted to fake a coughing fit just to see their reaction.

Bangkok will be my hub for the next month so I’ll have future chances to see it, but I headed straight north to Chiang Mai for an upcoming festival.