IMG00009-20090419-0048.jpg

The Bangkok airport is really nice. I feel totally safe being here overnight because it is well-lit and busy. Unfortunately these are also the reasons I can't sleep. I found a spot at the end of the third floor that was away from the shops and by a less used bathroom. This was clearly the place for people trying to sleep and several people were already stretched out on benches and the floor.

I grabbed a bench (the metal benches made of individual seats that you find at airports) and settled down with my book (after a meal of pork noodles and dumplings for 205 bahts). I read for a long time, eventually stretching out. Finally I tried to sleep but just could not fall asleep. Maybe its the lights and people. I tried listening to an audio book and covering my eyes but no good. The bench, surprisingly, was more friendly on my back than the row of seats I slept across on my flight to Sydney. I should have passed out either way considering that I woke up at 5:30 am Sydney time and it is now 4 am there. And I only slept 4 hours last night and about 20 minutes on the plane.

Finally, I gave in. I gathered my stuff together and went back to Starbucks where I ordered coffee and grabbed a cushy booth seat. I wrapped my pashmina around myself and reflected that I am world traveler Megan Shitama, who traipses around Asia and stays up all night at Starbucks. Then, depending on your perspective, I either raised or lowered my cool factor by pulling out my silver Sharpie gel pen and finishing the personalized word search that Gibb made for me.

Incidentally, if you love word searches (or search-words as one of my special needs campers called them) I have a hint for making them extra challenging. Stay up for 23 hours or so and drink caffeine and sit under fluorescent lights until your eyes can barely focus on anything. It really ups the difficulty level!