The city of old and new, tradition and transition, poor and rich, historic and modern. Bangkok is an interesting city to say the least. It is a city with many traditions that is merging with the modern world and all the minor and major changes that bring with it. It was amazing to walk down one of the most touristy streets in Bangkok and see a mix of travelers, businessmen, street vendors and beggars/homeless all living and interacting together. I enjoyed seeing the diverse culture and visiting some of the amazingly intricate palaces, temples, monuments and statues although it was sad to see people so devoted and entrenched in a religion that causes many of them to live in fear of bad luck and disfavor with the gods.
I was also saddened to see the prevalence and relative openness of the so called sex trade there. From tourists walking around with different Thai "girlfriends" every day to the Tuk-Tuk drivers always willing to take you to a massage parlor or ping pong show for free, to the "girly" boy that asked me if he/she/it could come to my room with me. I loved how inexpensive everything was and plan to return to southeast Asia again to further explore and enjoy the beautiful people, culture and landscape there.

Labels: Bangkok, thailand, Travel, World Tour