Arriving and Culture Shock

After a long and tiring 13 hour flight from Minneapolis to Tokyo and another 6 hour flight from Tokyo to Bangkok, I finally made it to my destination. We arrived around 11pm on Saturday exhausted and ready for bed after sitting for 19 hours.

I remember the bus ride from the airport to the hotel was relieving and exciting at the same time. There was so much to see in the city and so little time (we only got to spend the next day there and then another day on our way back). 

My first experience with culture shock happened even before we arrived in Bangkok. When we arrived at the airport in Tokyo and took a short bathroom break...toilets on the floor...that's all I have to say. I was not brave enough to try that one out. My second experience was when I finally got into my room at the Arnoma Hotel. As I unlocked the door to the room, I found my self reaching for light switches that didn't exist! To get light, we had to stick our key card into this slot to get light. To my surprise, you have to leave your key card in the slot, or else the lights will eventually all turn off automatically. It was also annoying how it had to be in the slot at the perfect angle, or else the lights would keep turning off. It definitely took a few times to get used to.