I made it to Bangkok!

I don’t recognize these green vegetables. Kind of like raw string beans and cucumbers and cabbage. I ordered what seemed like Pad Thai and a few deep fried chicken meatballs. Also thought a Mai Tai seemed like a fun drink to go with this meal.  I’m super impressed that I can sit at this outdoor RESTAURANT and eat and type on my iPad since I figured out how to log onto wifi.  You just have to ask for the password. Now I get why kids always ask me for the password when they come over.  I’m not being unsociable.  There are 2 couples dining near me and one young Asian guy talking loudly on his phone and smoking.  Here is my meal:

The flight here went smoothly.  I was a little apprehensive about landing in Qatar, next to Saudi Arabia. So I watched a youtube video and learned it is one of the wealthiest countries in the world with only a population of 250,000 people. The flight attendants were very attentive.  We had 2 meals on the flight and unlimited wine. There were TV screens on the back of the seat and I literally watched 5 movies, including my favorite: The Sound of Music!  Lol. Why not?  I couldn’t sleep on the first flight but on the 6 hour flight from Qatar to Bangkok I was out like a light!

Qatar airlines meal with wine New York to Qatar along with movies and T.V. for entertainment.

The Qatar flight lands amongst the sand storm smog in newly developed Qatar next to Saudi Arabia.

This is the meal and screen on Qatar airlines.  This picture was landing in Doha, Qatar.  The air seemed smoggy but it was a desert all around.  Maybe a sand storm?

Once we landed in Bangkok it was a long walk to the baggage claim area and you have to pass through customs.  The line went slowly because they asked for your passport, boarding pass, arrival form and departure ticket.  Hardly anyone has a real ticket for when you are leaving so many people were searching their phones for itinerary information.  That’s why I love my mother in law’s idea of having a Manila folder with a hard copy of all those important papers.  Phones run out of battery people!

I headed toward door number 3 where I was truly praying someone was going to meet me and then I saw it! My name in all capital letters on a piece of green paper.  Hallelujah! I shared a cab with a young  woman who was celebrating her 30th birthday by taking a different tour from Thailand to Singapore.  Turns out she is from New York also but since she is employed by New Jersey schools, Governor Chris Christie decided all public school employees must live in NJ. She was excited for her big trip before going back to work just like me.

Now I am going to try not to get lost and find my way back to the hotel FuramaXclusive Sathorn to sleep.  It’s 11:30 am in NY and 10:30 pm here on Saturday. I will have a solo day in Bangkok tomorrow then I’ll meet my small tour group and my roommate. So excited!