First Impressions of Thailand

We arrived safely in Thailand on Sunday evening. We somehow managed to find Natie's family without any problems by wandering aimlessly past "meeting points" in the Bangkok airport. I immediately recognized Ba Nom, Natie's Aunt, (I wasn't sure if I would since it has been quite a few years since I last saw her) as she excitedly waved us down! 

As we left the airport, I was pleasantly surprised that it was actually cool outside and not deathly humid! It was already dark when we arrived, so it was tough to see the city as we drove to P'Pui's house (Natie's cousin), but it seemed just like any other city so far with large billboards, etc. Obviously, one of the biggest differences I noticed right away was the lack of traffic laws or safe drivers! People on motorcycles are weaving in and out of lanes like it was nothing and while there are marked lanes, no one seems to use them or stay in them!! I'm just glad we didn't have to worry about driving. I will say that just like all major cities, the cab drivers were the worst offenders on the road!

We stopped off a grocery store that has a nice eatery inside for a quick dinner. My first meal in Bangkok was Pad See Ew and Natie had Lad Na. Our two meals only cost less than 5 dollars...pretty crazy!! When we got to P'Pui's house we crashed pretty early since we hadn't slept much on the plane ride over - I only slept 2 hours over the 24 hour travel period.

This morning we woke up and Ba Nom and Na Nee made us breakfast and we headed out to the mall to meet Loung Tawat and his family (Natie's uncle on his dad's side) for lunch. We ate at a Chinese restaurant where we stuffed ourselves with Dim Sum and other yummy dishes. It was so nice to meet some of Natie's family on his Dad's side. Loung Tawat reminded me a lot of Natie's Dad - same mannerisms and he looks just like him :) After lunch, we also visited with Natie's Aunt on his Dad's side, Ah Toom. 

I've always been told that Thai people are very friendly and that has definitely held true. Everyone is always smiling and greeting you. I haven't felt out of place at all, which is a nice feeling. It also helps that Natie's family is extremely gracious and friendly - they have made us feel so incredibly welcome. We'll share pictures as soon as we can figure out how to transfer them from our camera to the iPad!

Special shout-out to Don and Liz - Happy Birthday guys!! We love you!!