suvarnabhumi airport, bangkok

i flew from sydney to bangkok and have a 10 hour layover until my flight to siem reap.  i was deciding what i should do with the time, maybe take a taxi to the city and explore, but i landed shortly after midnite and was outrageously tired and thought it best maybe to stick around the airport, nap, not get lost and miss my flight.

this airport is amazing.  its like walking down 4 floors of rodeo drive with bits of thailand stuck here and there.  duty free shopping throughout and cute little restaurants and thai specialty stores and massage parlors.  when i first got here i walked for 2 hours just taking it all in, 2am and everything is open and there are people everywhere.  crazy statues and pagodas and dried fruit stands amidst dior, rolex and coach.  this is the kind of airport that you could live in for a few weeks.  they have shower rooms and bed rentals and travel stores for whatever you forgot.

first though, some sleep.  i'd walked roughly a quarter of the airport in my 2 hours and passed hundreds of people sleeping wherever there were chairs.  there were areas with small couches and comfy recliners, mostly full, but i found a couple nice padded chairs, pulled them together, and slept for a couple hours.  

i went through another time zone change and have no concept of what time it might be here or in australia or at home but i had plenty of time, that's something to worry about later.  wouldn't even upset me too much if i missed my flight.

when i woke up the first thing i saw was a giant glowing chanel sign, made me feel like a bum in a cardboard box waking up in beverly hills.

coffee was next on the list, and surprisingly, some cafes were closed.  most places never closed, you just had to wake up the person napping at the counter.  starbucks was open, of course, and the first one ever without wifi.  

another hour or so of wandering and it was 5:30am, time for a thai foot massage.  i did have to wake up the women but they're all so cheerful anyway.  my foot and leg massage was 40 minutes and cost about $12, and it was glorious.  since i still have 3 hours until my flight i might go back for a full on thai massage, its the same price.  traveling makes me sore.  but i felt good enough to continue my exploration through the booze and cigarettes and chocolate and perfumes and shoes.  

i stopped for dried mangoes and ginger, that seemed like an appropriate breakfast, more coffee, and a sunrise.  

greatest airport ever.

nap time in the orchids