Avoid the fruit called "durian".

Arriving in Bangkok.. airport is huge. Jets from all over, the most foreigners you will see. Every time I arrive there we always have to board a bus to the airport building. There is a long walk and you have to get to the second floor. The passport area tends to be slow and they pretty much ask you in English if you are there in BKK on business and where will you be staying. Then you get your baggage. You need to see where your baggage will be on a board with your flight arrival info. Customs itself is quick. If you want a quick bite, the bottom floor of the airport has the stores and food places. I recommend S&P. They have many branches around Thailand, always good food. The coffee is really good. They do latte art too. I do recommend the "cookies and cream frost" which is similar to a frappucino but with ice cream.

Avoid the fruit called "durian".

Lots of taxi's. I take a taxi to my condo in the center of Bangkok. Traffic drives on the left. Traffic is aggressive, especially the taxi's. Long drive.

Traffic jams are common in BKK. There is a subway and skytrain. The Skytrain from the city center to the airport is still under construction.

You will notice too that there are many more street lights, many have countdowns (how many seconds remaining for green light, for red light). Blue street signs tend to lead to a toll. You'll see a lot of modern buildings with a lot of older buildings. A lot of rust, grime. Lots of things have the color of wet cement. It rains a lot, that's has a lot to do with it. Street vendors will sell things on the pavement/sidewalks which tend to be brick to resemble cobbles or are cracked up and uneven. Lots of vegitation and the powerlines, get a look at them. Massive knots of cables on concrete columns. Massive transformers too. You do not want to mess with them.

Do not take the fruit durian to your hotel room.

Department stores are very modern with polish floors, glass, lights. I like them. Esplanade has several coffee shops, including Coffee World, Starbucks, and Black Canyon. The coffee at Coffee World isn't bad. I kinda think Starbucks is a bit better, and I am not a Starbucks fan. However the best frappucino I ever had anywhere was in Bangkok. Since then my opinion of Starbucks has risen a bit. Black Canyon coffee's I have yet to try, but they look like they have their act together. Very nice stores.

Esplanade has a small TRU.

The thing about Bangkok is that it might not look like a great city as you drive around. But the thing is the stores and restaurants tend to be really nice and comphy when you enter them. I went to one this past trip called Greyhound Cafe. It was nice, really nice. Outdoor fountain, seating areas, large oak-like tree, and the cafe itself is behind glass windows. I can see myself there often. A movie actress came and ate some pastry at a bakery across from the cafe.

A few thoughts....

In many Asian cultures the women do things for their men. In Japan, for instance, if the girl likes you/loves you.. she will be the one to order for you, etc. Likewise it is safe to assume in other Asian cultures it is similar, where the woman does things for the man especially around food. Of course things depend on the woman you're with.

Met some friends at the Greyhound Cafe and went down the street to a grill. It was a Chinese grill. First time I'm in a place like that. It's like a buffet (sp?) You get the raw meat and things from the freezers and put them onto a hot grill in the center of the table. You'll see this kind of setup often, where there is a round hole in the center of a table.. that's where a waiter comes and puts hot coals and lights them up for you to cook your own food.

You'll find street merchants selling things on the sidewalks. Food usually, but other things too. They tend to put some sort of tarp over to keep the sun out or rain. Often to get to a store you need to walk past these sidewalk merchants. Keep your wallet safe. I put mine in the front pocket.

Avoid the fruit called "durian".

Always with a taxi, ask them if they will take you to your destination before you enter the cab. Lots of various cab colors. Some taxi's won't allow you to get in if you have durian.

However, I have not had durian. They say women tend to like durian more than men. The thing is not the taste. Ppl describe the taste very highly. It's the after smell. The thing can stink. The smell can linger in your hotel room for days.

Eggs are not kept in the freezer area even in a super market.

Other little things I noticed... a lot of the products we buy in the US can be bought there. A lot of other products you can not find in the US are there too. English is usually on the label.

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