Bangkok is a city of chaotic contrasts. It is both beautiful and wretched. The rich cruise expressways in their Rolls Royces and the poor amputees choke in the gutter begging to maintain their existence. The traffic of the city creates a hum and buzz found few other places, but around each corner are tree filled alleys without hardly a sound or movement. The sweet aromas of food waft over large areas competing with the strong smell of raw sewage emanating from canals and sewer grates. The beauty of new skyscrapers prick the sky, while decrepit shanties hide in their shadows. The beauty of the temples and monuments leave you breathless, as well as does the choking air pollution.
Bangkok has changed a lot since I was last here six years ago. There are many new skyscrapers, and many more are going up all over. The pollution has lessened as many big vehicles have been switched over to liquefied natural gas but it is still the worse I have experienced (Lima gives Bangkok a run for its money). I have even seen some tuk-tuks running on LNG.
Tourism is more plentiful than ever. It seems as if Bangkok captures the travels who are interested in partying and other pleasures of a new and exciting place, but at the same time accepting them for all the tattoos, piercings, and shocking clothes choices they may wear (there would have been a scandal in rural Honduras if I had the accessories that many tourists in Bangkok have). Though I have to admit that I'm surprised again by the number of Caucasian white males with their rent-a-girlfriends. Prostitution still holds a significant place in Bangkok's tourist industry, a hold over from it being the closest safe big city to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Who knows, maybe it even goes further back.
The openness of the city may bring about a lot of drugs and prostitution, but it also allows a mosque, catholic church, and a Buddhist temple all to be located with a block or two of each other. I have been few places where I have seen so many people of different backgrounds.
International business is in full force in Bangkok. The number of western businessmen (oddly, I haven't seen that many western businesswomen) is astounding, with major international business areas of the city seeming to be completely western.
Shopping malls here in Bangkok are confusing. There are many varieties, and they all look architecturally amazing from the outside. What is odd is how different the insides are. Of course there is the super high-end luxury mall with Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Rolex, and other stores that I can't even afford to enter. There are other malls with their food court with McDonalds, KFC, Krispy Kreme (it had the longest line I've seen in Thailand) and others. However, most malls here look more like the market of yesteryear. The architectural skin will be beautiful and modern, while the inside is full of shops set up over a lettered and numbered square on the floor, much like the booths at a convention. I went into one mall that was six stories tall and just had booths/stores selling electronics. Most of the stores sold knock-offs, but there were legitimate ones as well. I found these malls interesting as they didn't just replacing the average local tenant in the name of big international tenants, but actually accommodated them many times alongside a McDonalds or Starbucks. It makes the mall experience a little less sterile than I would normally have expected.
I have been taking Bangkok's local buses instead of taxis or tuk-tuks. One reason is to save money, but a bigger reason is that I'm always interested in seeing how the average person gets about. Bangkok's buses run the gamut of beautiful luxury to ancient diesel belching rattle traps. I have been riding on the rattle traps as they run the shorter routes. Initially, I had some difficulties with the buses as I couldn't read the destinations written in Thai. The Thai alphabet looks more sanskrit than Roman, leaving my illiterate. I started by having the woman at my hotel write the name of a major site near where I wanted to go in Thai on a piece of paper. I would just show the name to other transit riders who would tell me when the bus I needed arrived. It worked surprisingly well. Now that I know the buses that run to the areas where I need to go (this is only two or three buses) so I need very little help. It was also nice to get away from all the mean tourist-dependent Thais and around the wonderfully gratious and friendly average Thais.
I'll be in Bangkok for a day or two more before I head south towards Malaysia. I'm excited!
Bangkok has changed a lot since I was last here six years ago. There are many new skyscrapers, and many more are going up all over. The pollution has lessened as many big vehicles have been switched over to liquefied natural gas but it is still the worse I have experienced (Lima gives Bangkok a run for its money). I have even seen some tuk-tuks running on LNG.
Tourism is more plentiful than ever. It seems as if Bangkok captures the travels who are interested in partying and other pleasures of a new and exciting place, but at the same time accepting them for all the tattoos, piercings, and shocking clothes choices they may wear (there would have been a scandal in rural Honduras if I had the accessories that many tourists in Bangkok have). Though I have to admit that I'm surprised again by the number of Caucasian white males with their rent-a-girlfriends. Prostitution still holds a significant place in Bangkok's tourist industry, a hold over from it being the closest safe big city to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Who knows, maybe it even goes further back.
The openness of the city may bring about a lot of drugs and prostitution, but it also allows a mosque, catholic church, and a Buddhist temple all to be located with a block or two of each other. I have been few places where I have seen so many people of different backgrounds.
International business is in full force in Bangkok. The number of western businessmen (oddly, I haven't seen that many western businesswomen) is astounding, with major international business areas of the city seeming to be completely western.
Shopping malls here in Bangkok are confusing. There are many varieties, and they all look architecturally amazing from the outside. What is odd is how different the insides are. Of course there is the super high-end luxury mall with Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Rolex, and other stores that I can't even afford to enter. There are other malls with their food court with McDonalds, KFC, Krispy Kreme (it had the longest line I've seen in Thailand) and others. However, most malls here look more like the market of yesteryear. The architectural skin will be beautiful and modern, while the inside is full of shops set up over a lettered and numbered square on the floor, much like the booths at a convention. I went into one mall that was six stories tall and just had booths/stores selling electronics. Most of the stores sold knock-offs, but there were legitimate ones as well. I found these malls interesting as they didn't just replacing the average local tenant in the name of big international tenants, but actually accommodated them many times alongside a McDonalds or Starbucks. It makes the mall experience a little less sterile than I would normally have expected.
I have been taking Bangkok's local buses instead of taxis or tuk-tuks. One reason is to save money, but a bigger reason is that I'm always interested in seeing how the average person gets about. Bangkok's buses run the gamut of beautiful luxury to ancient diesel belching rattle traps. I have been riding on the rattle traps as they run the shorter routes. Initially, I had some difficulties with the buses as I couldn't read the destinations written in Thai. The Thai alphabet looks more sanskrit than Roman, leaving my illiterate. I started by having the woman at my hotel write the name of a major site near where I wanted to go in Thai on a piece of paper. I would just show the name to other transit riders who would tell me when the bus I needed arrived. It worked surprisingly well. Now that I know the buses that run to the areas where I need to go (this is only two or three buses) so I need very little help. It was also nice to get away from all the mean tourist-dependent Thais and around the wonderfully gratious and friendly average Thais.
I'll be in Bangkok for a day or two more before I head south towards Malaysia. I'm excited!
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