Welcome to Bangkok

our view, originally uploaded by Dianthus.

We have officially arrived in Bangkok! After successfully rendezvousing with the (awesome) Dr. Metee at the airport and getting teary-eyed watching the boys wheel away, we made it to new home away from home. After some brief admiration of our new room and an email to the family to let them know we made it safely, it was time to crash. I can’t remember the last time I slept so hard. D had to be up for work and the office holiday party, so we rose at a reasonable time. After breakfast and a shower, all the while thinking, “I’m going to do some exploring!” I ended up succumbing to jet lag and unable to do much but lounge around our room and watch ‘No Reservations’ with Anthony Bourdain on iTunes. D arrived back from the holiday party, with plans to go see the boys at the pet hospital. Thankfully, it turned out that the pet hospital was a few blocks from one of the Skytrain stops. I was duly impressed with my first trip on the Skytrain. Super clean and super fast (not to mention super crowded), a train showed up right away and we were off. It is very cool to be up on the platforms and looking down on the chaotic Bangkok streets. Armed with a map faxed from the Vet, we exited the station and began walking in what we thought was the right direction. We were both anxiously looking around for any clue of the place. After a few blocks, we were getting worried that we had missed it. We stopped at a gas station and were helped by one of the attendants and a shopper who spoke English. Everyone here is so nice! Luckily, we were on the right track and only a few blocks away, just across a small street they told us. We found and crossed the small street, and according to our map the place should have been right there. The only signs we saw were completely in Thai. Mild panic was beginning to set in. We stumbled onto a gate with lots of pictures with dogs and cats. We tentatively stepped through the gate unsure if we were in the right place. It looked like a vet/kennel, but no signs, just pictures of dogs and cats with ‘Royal Canin’ underneath. We had just turned to leave when someone popped out of the door, saying “hello!” It turned out to be the same guy who had been at the airport with Dr. Metee and he even remembered the boys’ names! I felt such a rush of relief! What felt like the entire staff led us to the room where the boys were staying. (I’m not sure if it is their size, the fact that we’ve come from the US, or their breeds, but everyone is so curious about them…It felt like everyone was watching us…) It was a family reunion filled with lots of pets, kisses and wagging tails. The boys were very happy to see us, and I know we all felt better seeing each other. They too seemed to be suffering from jet lag and toward the end of our brief visit were lying down and falling asleep. After that, an early dinner (at the insane Siam Center, which is a whole other post) and early bedtime and our first day in Bangkok was complete.