On Monday we arrived in Bangkok after the long long journey from Reykjavik. Air China is not our favorite airline: the seats were uncomfortable, the online entertainment was basic, the food was OK at best but the stewardesses were cute and the price was attractive so over all I guess we got what we paid for.
Flying over China was absolutely wonderful, we had clear skies and a good view over great mountains, vast plains and square looking villages. Very promising for our visit in April.
The Mountains of China
We were a bit nervous coming into Beijing airport as we had heard would be humungous (3rd largest building in the world) and our worries did not lessen as we came down the tarmac seeing endless buildings along the airstrip – but we were pleasantly surprised when we came inside. Everything was so organized and intuitive and easy and we had a very relaxed stay-over despite the freezing cold outside (-9°C).
We arrived in Bangkok just before dark, took a taxi to our hotel and went straight to bed after the exhausting trip. We woke up at 8 o’clock the next morning, showered and were ready to take on Bangkok. When I got out I realized that something was not right, it still kind of dark, the people on the street ware obviously the remains from last nights party and I could hear the drum and base sounding from clubs in the distance. I therefore checked my watch again and now saw that it was only 05:00 so we went back to bed again, 1-0 for jet-lag :)
After we finally woke up we went out and had a wonderful day in the Khao San Rd. area, watching the people, visiting a Buddha temple, eating good food and enjoying the sun. The weather is nice, sunny with a slight mist, around 30°C and a little breeze, excellent for a couple of Icelanders.
Khao San Rd. where our hostel is located
Thailand has been called the land of the thousand smiles but we haven’t really experienced that, maybe that will change when we get out of Bangkok or to different regions of Bangkok. The sales people are very polite though and are not all over you like in too many places. They seem contend somehow or maybe just used to foreigners looking at their stuff without buying.
All the best to all of you!
– Ö r n and E l í n b o r g –
Orn's Travel Blog 
Excellent reading. Look forward to the next update. The Khao Sarn Road area is good fun. I wish I were in Bangkok! BTW, there is some excellent Indian food to be had in Bangkok, not so much in the regular restaurants, but in the more tourist-free parts of town. I remember one which had the following notice on the wall: “If you order another dish, please use the same plate and cutlery”. Best from the snowy north, Srikanth
Thank you Srikanth and thanks for the tip!
We have had Indian once already after a recommendation from Lonely Planet and it turned out great. We had some roti with tandoori chicken, roti with curry sauce and roti with bananas and chocolate. It is fantastic to see how little we have tried of Indian food so there is plenty to try for the first time.
– Ö r n –