18 hour flight...

To be completely honest, LA was not very fun and I didnt really get to see anything in my short time there. To the left you can see the view from my hotel room. Those tall buildings in the distance are west LA. Apparently the Hollywood sign is just to the left of the frame of this photograph. I was stationed in Culver City for the night, and used all of the pillows from both beds to get a great nights sleep. I figured that I might as well sleep good there, cause I wasnt going to sleep well on the 18 hour plane ride to BKK. I did have a great meal in LA, though. See this fast food Sarku Japan? Check plus on the shrimp tempura.

US Air gave me a voucher for meals, and I spent it on McDonalds. That was my last meal in the US. And pictured below is the poor Thai man that I cried my eyes out to the night before. When he saw me he cautiously asked me if I was doing okay. All the people who work for Thai Airways look like they are Thai.... which makes me wonder, do you think all the people who work for US Airways look American? Something to ponder. If you find out, let me know!

This was my first meal on the excruciating flight. MMM beef and potatoes, probably the last time I will have that combination for a while. I had the luxury of sitting beside a really interesting 30-year-old who chatted with me for a long time about SE Asia. He was a great companion on the flight, and I couldnt have asked for better. We talked about pretty much everything... He was like one of those strangers that you know you will never see again, so you just open up your deepest darkest secrets to each other. I slept through the 2nd meal of the flight, and Im pretty proud of it. Sleeping on an airplane isnt the easiest, and I tried to get a full nights' worth in, but I kept waking up. Luckily, the entertainment was plentiful... I watched two chick flicks on love... 1) Love Happens and 2) All About Steve... and I watched Julie and Julia. I couldnt bring myself to read any more of my EPL book because the flight attendants kept turning off the lights! The second picture was my last meal on the plane. Shrimp Fried rice and a cute little 'chocolate canoe' and a lemon dessert. The shrimp were the size of a cheerio... and the dressing, well it says POUR IT ON... which made me think of a couple of boys in the states :]

The Thai Airways entertainment system had some neat features, one of which included a pilot's view. Unfortunately, I took off in LA at 9:30 pm (darkness) and landed in Bangkok at 5:38 am (darkness)... so I never got to see the view of the pilot. Another feature showed where we had gone on our flight pattern. Guess the bulge of the earth is something to miss, since we went to Alaska... in the beginning we were looking smooth and steady... I think one of the four pilots must have fallen asleep near the end.

Bangkok has a wonderful airport. Absolutely beautiful, just completed in 2006 I believe. I didnt have my contacts in for the first walk through, but I bet it was still amazing. Chalermchai Chiwinpipat (or Justin for short) was supposed to pick me up at the airport when my flight arrived. It arrived early, so I had to wait an hour for Justin. Not sure how he came up with Justin, btw. This is the point where Im losing my mind. Like what was I thinking coming to BKK, having some rando pick me up from the airport, with no way to contact him. But BKK is a new place, and Im trying to keep my eyes open for Justin or a scribbled 'GOWEN' on a sheet of computer paper (also good for a funnel in case youre interested). Meanwhile, Im trying desperately to keep at least a limb on each piece of my luggage.

Justin finally picks me up, and it looks like he just woke up. We drive 50 minutes to the Amarin Mansion (my hotel). My favorite part about Bangkok at this point is the pink taxi. Probably the majority of taxis in BKK are pink (see the classy playboy bunny in the window of this one?). They are beautiful, and I would totally rock a pink car back in the states! Most of the cars that I see are Toyota... guess I shouldnt have expected to see any mustangs riding around town. I arrive at the hotel at 7:15 and have to be at orientation at 9:00. Rush Rush Rush!