Tropical discomfort

Jetlag woke me up at 4am and I immediately regretted not bringing my melatonin tablets to Bangkok with me.  I don't even remember how I found out about those magic pills, but they work wonders to counter the tossing-and-turning effects of jetlag and lull you back into a non-habit-forming dreamland.   Since I had neglected to pack them, I got myself out of bed and played around online for a while, before fatigue got the better of me and I crawled back into bed for a few more hours.  I got up in time for a conference call with work and then pulled myself together in time for breakfast in the hotel restaurant.

I seriously did not pack properly for this trip.  For one thing, it is so oppressively hot and humid here.  I think part of me always knew this would be the case, but I just didn't pack well enough for it.  For instance, why the hell didn't I bring any summer dresses with me?  And why did I think work pants and a Gap tank top would look good on me, after nearly 5 months of frigid New York temperatures?!  I should have faked tanned.

Let's face it, the Thai women who work in this hotel are stunning.  They have model-like bodies and their skin and hair don't show any signs of living in a humid environment.  How do they do this?!  How can I ride the elevator six floors to the lobby and look like I've crawled out of a South American jungle?!  There is no justice.  And the hotel staff are so lovely.  Their English is about as good as my Thai, but we are making do with hand gestures and lots of smiling.

My hotel is lovely though and I uploaded a couple of photos here (more to come).  The hotel pool looks great but of course I did not bring my bathers.  I haven't put them on in several years and I never even seriously considered packing them anyway.  I have a red two-piece bikini and even typing that made me laugh out loud.  Then again, the pool also has some closed-in cabanas, and a poolside snack and cocktail menu.  Now that's what I call incentives!

For the rest of today though I'm going to be preparing for the next two days of meetings.  My job is to write Australia's report of this meeting, and while that's a big responsibility for me, I fortunately have a couple of people on standby to proof-read it before it gets submitted.  It does of course mean I have to pay close attention and capture all the pertinent things that get discussed over the next two days.  Let's hope the Conference rooms air conditioner is fully operational, and we can find a Diet Coke vending machine before things get underway.  More news to follow.