While the realtor wanted me to agree to take the other apartment he'd shown me as our only other choice, I didn't really like it, so Chris sent him an email saying we'd move to a hotel upon our return from Bangkok and asking him to find additional apartments to show us. Then, with that dealt with, I headed to the airport.
Even though it was Thursday, and the Golden Week holiday didn't officially begin until the following Tuesday, it took me almost 2 hours to get checked-in, go through Customs and security, and get to my gate. It was interesting to stand in the long lines at check-in and customs and see very few other Caucasian faces and here no English being spoken. From what I could tell, there didn't seem to be many Americans among the Caucasians - you can usually tell by the shoes. Very stylish Americans can have outfits similar to Europeans or Australians, but the shoes are rarely similar.
The flight to Bangkok from Shanghai is only 4 hours and was fairly uneventful, other than the fact they had nothing to serve for lunch to someone allergic to nuts and seeds. My sesame allergy is very challenging in Asia. I ended up eating about 1/2 cup of watermelon slices and about 1 cup worth of white bread and butter. Yum.
Chris had told me where to get my taxi and given me a card for the hotel, so the trip was easy, although not quick. Traffic in Bangkok is apparently always a nightmare. It's a very busy city of more than 10 million that used to be a canal city, similar to Venice, but they have built up, out, and over those old canals. There were times that felt a little like the Jetsons, although dirtier, when we were riding in a taxi on an elevated highway, looking down at several layers of street and highway below and up at the sky train that whizzes by overhead.
But then, there are the Tuk Tuks - definitely not something I ever saw on the Jetsons. 
I arrived on Thursday afternoon and Chris worked late on Thursday, all day Friday and Saturday, and much of Monday. I took myself to the spa on Friday and Saturday for a foot massage that went all the way up my legs and included my shoulders, head, neck, back, and arms. I never knew I had such big feet. I read a lot of books this weekend and even caught up on some American TV, since our internet speed here is so much faster than in China. We went out to dinner at an Argentinian steak place on Friday and a great little Italian place on Saturday. It was so good, we went back on Monday night as well.
When Chris finished work at 5:30 on Saturday, we headed out to the Chatuchak Weekend Market. It 
is the largest market in Thailand and the world's largest weekend market, covering 35 acres and containing 15,000 stalls. 
I will admit to being somewhat overwhelmed by the crowds and smells, especially at dusk. We stayed for a little while, bought a few gifts and looked at some of the local delicacies, but the stalls started to shut down and we decided it was time for dinner. 
On Sunday, we had arranged for a private tour guide to show us the highlights of Bangkok - in extreme heat and humidity. You'll notice in our pictures that I have quite a rosy glow and Chris's clothes seem to vary in color - yes, it was just that hot! I guess the point of this is to make me appreciate the weather in Shanghai.
The tour was fantastic, even if we were dying of heat and humidity. The guide had wonderful English and gave us a short but interesting history lesson on Thailand and cultural appreciation for Buddhism. He also took us to a local neighborhood restaurant for a delicious Thai lunch. Once again, my Select Wisely allergy wallet cards were complimented and very useful in making sure lunch was safe for me to eat.
I will discuss the tour in more detail in my next post, as there were so many details, and I took so many pictures, there just isn't enough space here. After all the walking, taxi and tuk tuk rides and profuse sweating, at least on Chris's part, we collapsed in our hotel room for showers, naps in the air conditioning, dinner in the hotel, and a quiet night of U.S. TV viewing. A long but very enjoyable day.
Given that Monday was another work day for Chris, with a break for lunch in a little French-Thai place near the hotel, our next touring day was Tuesday. We went to the Jim Thompson museum (more about that in the next post), took the sky train, had lunch at Cabbages and Condoms (ditto), went back to the hotel, took a swim in the pool and had a quiet evening in. We flew smoothly back to Shanghai and are checked into the Marriott for a week while we search for a new apartment. Here's hoping we find a new place and can get in sometime before November 15, when I fly to Vienna for more than 2 weeks, then return to the U.S. for nearly 2 months. I'd like to be settled in our Shanghai home before I return to our Elmhurst one.
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