And the world's your oyster

Today was another day of travel. We packed our bags and left Patong this morning for a midday flight to Bangkok. The route from Patong to Phuket International Airport was long, winding, and mostly one lane in either direction (and therefore slow as hell). The only notable thing we drove past on the nearly one-hour car ride was a rubber tree farm.

The flight from Phuket to Bangkok was about ninety minutes long and totally uneventful apart from the thirty-minute delay in boarding the aircraft. From there, it was another half-hour drive from Don Mueang International Airport to our hotel.

Have I mentioned how absolutely massive Bangkok is? It's a modern sprawling city of 14.6 million people that just goes on as far as the eye can see in every direction. It makes Patong (a tiny beach town of 19,350 people) seem like a dump. Our hotel here is right along the Chao Phraya River, which runs right through Bangkok and is a massive sight to behold. Boats and barges of all shapes and sizes go up and down the river all day and night, from commuter ferries to cargo barges to party cruises with disco lighting and loud music.

Jenny was feeling under the weather with a sore throat, so she rested in the room while I went out to dinner with my parents. We went across the river to the ICONSIAM shopping mall, which is eight stories tall and more mind-bogglingly huge and ultraluxurious than any shopping mall I've ever been in before. We had a varied selection of surprisingly good Japanese food for dinner and the total came to maybe 3000 baht for the three of us.

Tomorrow I plan to get out and explore Bangkok a bit. For now, however, it's time to go to bed, as all the travel today has wiped me out...but not before stepping out to stop at 7-Eleven to get a chocolate bar or some cookies. My sweet tooth is kicking in.