I just realized that on the very first day of my trip I already crossed a quarter of the globe. Normally I don't get a kick out of looking at the flight path on the monitors, but this time it was different.

Seeining all those really far away countries and places pass was exciting: Iran, Lahore, Bangladesh, Yangon and all those other names and places I have already forgotten again. The flight itself was pretty eventless: We had about 20 small children (i.e. under the age of three) on board so I expected hell to break loose but they were all really nice and quite. I even managed to sleep o.k. and don't feel as jet lagged as I have feared. I suppose I feel like after a 3 am-shift in the newsroom.

As for Bangkok - well I can't really tell you what I'm thinking about it yet since I've only been here for three hours - two of which I spend with immigration, customs and sitting in a bus. But what little I saw was surprising:

• traffic is not as horrible as I expected and
  
• everything is much narrower then I had expected.
  
• my cellphone doesn't work
  

The guesthouse I checked in seems really nice and friendly and the people who are hanging around there is pretty much my kind of crowd.

Oh and it has 31 DEGREES CELCIUS here! Yes!

Time to get some food - time to find out whether I like Thai food.