24 hours in bangkok

A big hello from Bangkok. I've arrived safe and sound! No mishaps along the way. No problems or delays. The first 24 hours is behind me.

The journey over here turned out to be very smooth. It couldn't have been better in fact. Andrew and Chloe dropped me off at Heathrow at about 8.30am on Wednesday morning (thanks again for letting me stay over guys), and as soon as I got inside Terminal 3 I was swept with excitement and anticipation.

Check in was smooth and simple. Amusingly, when I handed my passport to the check in clerk he looked at my passport photo and said, 'wow, you've lost weight,' a phrase I thought I wouldn't be hearing again for a while.

The first flight to Muscat in Oman took about 7 and 1/2 hours. I requested an aisle seat by the fire exit, which meant there were no seats in front of me, and I had masses of leg room (leg room is always my priority in such affairs). I sat next to a nice guy called Will who was on his way to meet his girlfriend, who has just travelled on land from Hong Kong to Bangkok.

The transfer in Oman was simple, and I was soon on my second flight to Bangkok. This took a further 6 hours. The seating was a little less ideal: this time I was next to an Omanian 10 year old who didn't speak any English. The conversation was limited. We mainly communicated by him accidentally, yet continually, jabbing me with his fork during the flight meal, or by him leaning into me after he had fallen asleep. We got by.

My only mistake during the 14 hours was watching the flight movie: 'Inspector Clouseau' starring Steve Martin. I know. I should have known better. About 15 minutes in I began to pray that I would be struck down with deep vain thrombosis so that the pain would end, but mercy never came. In the end it became an endurance test. How long I could I watch before falling comatose? 25 minutes for the record. I'm happy to say without fear of hyperbole that this is the worst film ever made, or that ever will be made, in the history of the universe.

After I arrived (at 8am Bangkok time) I caught a bus to my hotel, and was dropped off right outside. My hotel is lovely. It's called the Swasadee Bangkok Inn and it's on Khao San Road (Khao San Road is like Mecca for the backpacker). The motto below the hotel name says 'service of mind' and they've certainly provided me with that so far. My room has air-conditioning, and a television, so I'm not exactly roughing it as yet. There's also an open air restaurant and cafe on the ground floor, which is where I'm sitting right now.

I had a thai green vegetable curry and a couple of beers in the evening, and then turned in for a good night's sleep. I think I've pretty much conquered any jet lag already.

All feels well so far, and I'm very pleased and excited to be here. No moments of panic, or thinking 'what am I doing?' yet, but it's early days I guess.

Anyway, I've got a date with some Buddha statues. Will be in touch soon. x

Full name: Kingdom of Thailand
Population: 64.1 million (UN, 2005)
Capital: Bangkok
Area: 513,115 sq km (198,115 sq miles)
Major language: Thai
Major religion: Buddhism
Life expectancy: 66 years (men), 74 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 baht = 100 satangs
Main exports: Food and live animals, office equipment, textiles and clothing, rubber
GNI per capita: US $2,750 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .th
International dialling code: +66