Ah Bangkok!

I'm old. Officially. It's true. Not that I just turned 50, but my body is telling me that it just isn't like it used to be.

When I lived in Japan from age 29-35, I made many trans-Pacific trips - long ones. I don't remember them being as hard as the trip I just took. It seems my body just doesn't like flying much anymore. My knees started to ache about halfway through the 12 hour flight to Tokyo from San Francisco. I got up several times and stood as much as I could (since I had a bulkhead seat, I could stand up and not bother anyone), but still, my legs were killing me. By the time I reached Bangkok over 24 hours later (28 hours door to door), my ankles were swollen and I was exhausted.

So first, a message to any young folks out there who might be reading this - don't wait until you get old to travel. I'm so glad I did a lot of traveling when I could because it seems to me, unless I spring for business class, I'm not going to be doing a whole lot of long trips anymore.

But, what a pleasure it was to arrive in Bangkok. My first trip here was in 1991. I was living in Japan and took a short vacation to get away and study for my comprehensive exams as I finished my masters. I flew to Bangkok, green as they come, got roped into staying in a hotel without knowing where it was, and took a "city tour" which included me buying lunch for my guide and driver and going to workshops where they did wood carving, made Thai silk and sold gems. I think we visited two temples before they took me shopping. I thought I would never get to my final destination, Koh Samui, but I did.

A lot has changed since that time. Not only do my ankles swell when I take long trips, I also know not to talk to anyone upon leaving customs. I ignored the tourist information booths, the calls for "taxi?" and any other offers of help. I walked as if I knew where I was going, which I sort of did, but didn't really since Bangkok has a new airport. I just followed the signs and my instincts.

Bankok's new airport is really spectacular. I could live there. I followed the signs to the "public taxi", which was downstairs from arrivals (for some reason, kind of hidden) - told them where I was going and got a short, sort of gremlin looking taxi driver who I did not have much faith in (based on a very judgemental first impression). I was not sure where my hotel was located exactly, though I had an idea and a google map. I told them the name. The driver didn't know it. I said Silom Soi sam (fortunately I know how to count to three in Thai - had it been Soi 4 or 5 I would have been out of luck).

As we walked to the taxi in this almost underground taxi hangout, the driver turned to me and asked me where I was from. US, I told him. "Washington?", he asked. No, San Francisco, I told him. I wonder if he knows where San Francisco is.

We got in the cab and he continued to ask me questions. Was this my first time to Thailand? How long was I staying? I reservedly answered because I was waiting for him to try to sell me something - lady massage, a tour, gems, something, but to my surprise and delight, it never happened. He was just a nice guy making conversation.

I asked him where he learned English. At first I thought he said by himself, which is usually the answer I get. Turned out he had said Saudi Arabia. He worked for 7 years there at Lockheed, a US company. He took classes at the US Embassy. There is a whole world out there that I am not aware of. His English was good. He understood everything I said, and I understood most of what he said.

It was after 2 a.m. when we began our journey from the airport to my hotel. I told the driver when I first came to Thailand there was no freeway, no skytrain and the taxis did not have meters. He told me skytrain was due to open in December and pointed to an overhead train track running to the airport. I wasn't talking about the airport line because I didn't even know it existed. I was referring to the two lines that run in the mostly touristy areas of Bangkok. In the old days you had to haggle with taxi and tuk tuk drivers anytime you wanted to go anywhere. Now there are air-conditioned meter taxis, skytrain and a subway. And the freeway makes the ride to and from the airport quick and pleasant. Bangkok is growing up nicely.

We moved quickly through the mostly quiet streets, most buildings were dark and there was very little traffic. I could smell the distinctive smell of Bangkok from the time I got off the plane - a mix of food (lemon grass and galangal), camphor and eucalyptus (Thais are addicted to the stuff)and car exhaust fumes. It is a heady mixture that I wish I could bottle and inhale anytime I need to feel myself back here.

It turned out the hotel I am staying, the FuramaXclusive, is the same hotel i stayed when I was here in April 2008. It was the Unico Sathorn then. It's a nice hotel, located on a quiet soi between two major streets - Silom and Sathorn. It is near the Patpong night market, which I avoid, but I like the convenience of the shopping centers, the skytrain station and other amenities that this area provides.

I was hoping I could order some room service when I checked in, but the kitchen was closed, so I unpacked, set up my computer and went to bed. I woke up at 8, feeling like I had slept all night and got to breakfast by 9.

I love Thai breakfast. Usually they have pretty much the same as what they would eat at any other meal it seems. My favorite thing is rice porridge with chicken or pork.

At the buffet here, they had porridge, but it was plain. I tried adding some things to it, but it wasn't as good as the rich porridge they make with pork or other flavorings. I also had some fried noodles with vegetables and chicken stir fried with basil. I looked at the other tourists eating eggs, croissants, and the typical breakfast stuff that does nothing for me.

I went on to have some fruit - papaya and pineapple, and then ordered some fried rice with pork. They made a mistake and brought me chicken. It wasn't that good, but I really could not complain about the choices they had laid out in the breakfast buffet.

I went from breakfast out for a walk. Usually by 9 a.m., Bangkok is sweltering, the air thick with humidity and the smells of food, exhaust fumes, camphor and eucalyptus and the clogged, polluted canals. But today, the air was fresh, not so humid and the temperature was mild by Bangkok standards.

I walked to a little foot massage place I usually go to. It used to be an open air seafood restaurant, but a few years back, the restaurant closed and they built a little shack for massage. The last time I was there, I was a little uncomfortable because they tried to get me to go upstairs for a full body massage and I felt there may have been a little hanky panky included, but for foot massages, this is a good place.

I asked for a foot massage and a pedicure. The woman who sat down and grabbed my feet asked me if I wanted a manicure. I said no, only a foot massage and pedicure. A few other women were walking around chattering and laughing. I assumed they were talking about me. I tried to pretend I understood Thai so they wouldn't get too carried away. In the end, I just laughed along with them.

As I drifted off into deep relaxation while my foot was poked, massaged and rubbed, I felt another pair of hands grab the other foot and begin my pedicure. Every time I opened my eyes, the woman doing the massage would ask if I wanted a manicure. I would say no, laugh and close my eyes again. Finally after about the 5th time I put my hands under the towel they had laid on my chest. We all laughed.

My massage and pedicure cost me about $12. After tipping, I spent about $18. It was worth so much more

I walked down Silom Rd and stopped in a Family Mart to get some water and a toothbrush (I forgot to pack one). From there I passed a little soi (a soi is like an alley) that I have passed many times. Vendors selling food, fruit and clothes spill out from the soi onto Silom Rd and around lunch time it gets really congested with office workers buying lunch and other goods. I decided to walk down the soi since it would lead me to my hotel.

It turned out to be quite a major market. Lots of women's clothing with bears and other animals, sparkles and other designs mixed in with vendors selling Thai food, sweets, and fruit. The smells were amazing and I may go back for lunch. I saw my favorite Thai desert, which is a mix of little jellies, and other things like water chestnuts, that are served in cold coconut milk with ice. It is super refreshing and really yummy. I got a little bag to go and continued walking through this amazing hidden world which I have passed so many times since my first trip here in 1991, but never ventured into.

I was thinking of how well I know Bangkok. I've been here at least 10 times, maybe close to 20. I have lost count. It is always a convenient jumping off point for other places in SE Asia - Cambodia, Laos, Burma, and now Bali, but in reality, I don't think I really know Bangkok. I know the shiny shopping centers and have been to most of the tourist sites, temples, etc., but I would love to be able to get a little off the beaten track and see some more of the real Bangkok like what I saw this morning.

Either way, knowing it only on the surface, or getting to know it better, Bangkok is a city that always feels welcoming, warm and a little bit like home.