I’m ready to “Thai One On,” especially after getting up at 4 a.m., fighting numerous flight delays, and sitting nearly 24 hours on my butt. I’ve written several posts, and watched numerous movies along the long air route from Portland to San Francisco through Tokyo and finally into Bangkok. My eyes ache, my feet are swollen, my stomach is upset, and I’ve broken a pair of glasses. This is the physical price to pay for traveling such a long way from home.

I went to the dentist before we left, joking about all the tooth problems I’ve experienced while traveling. This includes a cap that fell off in Rome and a crown that came loose in Paris. There has been some discomfort with the bridge they built between my two upper left molars, covering a giant hole in my smile. Even though it’s only “temporary,” while they craft the porcelain permanent version, I hope it at least stays in place until we get back. So far, there’s been some soreness resulting from having an extra tooth in my mouth. It will take some getting used to after the extraction two years ago. I’m glad the grinding part is over, and it allowed me to practice sitting still in a chair for hours, anticipating my upcoming flight plans.

We landed in Bangkok at about 11 p.m. faced with the hassles of customs, ground transportation, and checking in at our hotel still ahead before bedtime. After a few hours of restless sleep, we’ll be anxious to start exploring Temples and Buddhas. We are on a afternoon tour of the Grand Palace, Golden Buddha, and Gem Museum and then dinner at highly touted Thanying. Tomorrow night’s feast is at Nahm, but apparently I won’t get a chance to “Thai One On” there because it’s Election Day and the bars will be closed.

The movie Hangover 2 was shot in Bangkok, mostly in Chinatown. The rooftop views were from the Lebua at State Tower Sky Bar, not too far from our Marriott Empire Palace Hotel. It shouldn’t be crowded tomorrow night with the ban on alcohol. We did see the entourage of Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun exiting the VIP section of the airport. The King of Thailand’s (once King of Siam) titles include Head of State, Head of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, Adherent of Buddhism and Upholder of religions. He is not an elected official, but rather inherited the throne in 2016 from his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He is 67 years old and a favorite of our cab driver, who pointed him out in the royal processional that slowed our progress from the airport to our hotel. We were also trying to communicate with him about the conversion rate from dollars to bahts.

Our hotel that is really an apartment is very luxurious an situated in the downtown business district. I tried to run this morning through a sea of people rushing off to work on the narrow sidewalks. There was also a near collision with a motor scooter. We’ll catch the tour bus in a couple of hours and let them navigate the endless stream of street traffic through the Bangkok streets. After that, I’ll be ready to “Tie One On” and hope that there will be no hangover to hinder tomorrow’s activities.