Hello, vacation. Having a lovely time with Emily (i.e., girlfriend-host extraordinaire) and very glad I eased into Southeast Asia with a quick stopover here in BKK. I feel fantastic and still haven’t felt jet lagged, which I attribute to strict veg meals on the plane (no mystery meat or scary dairy), lots of stretching (Note: some people actually call it “plane yoga.” It’s just stretching.), drinking lots of water and intermittent napping. I also had my favorite chocolate bar with me, which had to help.

So, a few notes on the last 24 hours…

1. I started the day with a 1 1/2 hour workout + yoga on the rooftop of the Legend luxury apartment complex overlooking the city.

2. I later traipsed around central Bangkok, took a local ferry up to the Grand Palace (where the old royal residences are, as well as the famed Emerald Buddha monastery), enjoyed a $20 two-hour Thai massage, navigated the public transport system, and soon actually made enough progress on my very basic Thai skills to solicit nods and cheers from a couple of locals.

3. I learned that it’s more challenging to play “Is she really a he?” here than in NYC.

4. I wholeheartedly gave in to the anticipated fact that fish sauce will be in everything I eat, and was thrilled to finally find dishes that are truly spicy.

5. I had a very clear moment when I was on the ferry. I was wading by the fishing families who live along the river, listening to the people around me speaking in strange tongues, sitting comfortably outside of my comfort zone. And I realized, again, that I’m totally, absolutely, completely made for this sort of thing.

The Grand Palace

Temple of the Emerald Buddha