Thailand Part 1

At the station

It all hinged on one stroke of luck. One five minute window that would have burned away like a cigarette, dissipating into the humid Thai night air, lost to the wind.

I arrived at BKK international airport just as the sun set, and wearily wandered off of China Air flight nine hundred twenty something with nothing but my backpack and instructions to meet Navid scribbled in my notebook. I was to meet him at BTS Saladaeng station, which was a bus station or train station or something or other in downtown Bangkok or somewhere near. A half an hour of stumbling around BKK following my traveler's intuition and three minutes of help from a kind young airport security guard left me with a red plastic train token and a map scribbled with directions and notes.

On the train, with a thirty minute ride out to the city, I finally had a chance to catch up to myself. I set my bag on the floor, took a deep breath, and hung from the overhead bar. Much as I tried to keep to myself and relax a bit, I couldn't help but listen in on the conversation between some American guy and a completely smitten British girl next to me. They were both in business or advertising or something and were talking about it extremely loudly. But even something that would ordinarily be incredibly irritating to me put a smile on my face. I was in Thailand. After almost a solid 24 hours since I had left my apartment in Japan... I was in Thailand.

I arrived at Saladaeng Station, as planned, filled to the brim with excitement. However, my jubilation was soon to be turned to panic. I stepped off the cool, air-conditioned train into the humid night air. There were people moving in every direction, and the sound of excitement in the air, but I had only one thing on my mind... to find my man. And he was nowhere to be found. I walked down from the station onto the crowded sidewalk and wound my way through the river of tourists, merchants, and Thai people. My system was being overloaded with the flood of new experiences, and I was drawn through the sea of sights and sounds by the distant thought of having to find Navid.  But after having checked the entire station and surrounding area of each exit I realized he was nowhere to be found.

I pulled out my Japanese cellphone and my notepad with Navid's number and called. Each time I called though, all I heard was a woman in Japanese saying "something something something dekimasen." For those of you who don't speak Japanese, "dekimasen" means "can't."

So, having found my cellphone useless and my search for Navid fruitless. I did what any sensible person would do. I started freaking out.

I needed to do something. I needed to figure something out. I could do this. I needed to chill out, have a smoke, and think for a second.

So, I stepped into the only familiar thing I could see. A 7-11. I walked into that 7-11 with such feelings of gratitude I never thought I could have for a convenience store. The clerk at the counter looked at me with the same mix of apathy and disdain characteristic of the clerks I'm accustomed to in America. I kept it simple, a lighter and the pack of smokes with the picture of gum cancer on it. (Thailand's government requires that tobacco products come with a warning and a large, graphic photograph of the potential effects of smoking.)

I paid my batz and walked back out onto the streets.  OK, so what was I going to do next. I started heading for a small enclave off the sidewalk that looked suitable for smoking. Drawing a cigarette from the pack I looked up with a tinge of defeat in my heart and saw a sight that put me back. Under the glow of the electric light in the train station staircase, descending like a complete happenstance angel, was Navid. With a clueless yet unassuming face, he walked down, drawing a cigarette of his pack as well.

He hit the ground and our eyes met. DUDE! we cried and did one of those half handshake half hug things.

Apparently, Navid had no idea that I'd be there. In fact, he had forgotten that he had TWICE told me to meet him at the station, and was actually on his way to the airport. He had been with his Thai friends all day and had decided, on a whim, to stop down and have a cigarette before taking the train all the way out to the airport. I don't know how it happened, or what divine force had guided us together at that moment, but it was surely a good omen.

Our beloved heroes

And there it all began...