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Published: January 25th 2007
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Widowmaker
Death drives a tuk-tuk. Welcome to Bangkok, the ultimate gateway city and #1 destination for sex change operations and first-time backpackers. While the city itself doesn't offer much for the tourist - especially compared to other world capitals - it's a great place to network and sort out details before heading further afield. Travel here is cheap and easy; budget food, accommodation, and transportation are readily available, it's safe and friendly, and you can get a mind-boggling array of sexual favours performed for very little money from very beautiful women.
The drawback on that last point being that Thailand is filled with transvestites. Nothing ruins your day like finding out that hot chick on the bus is actually a chain-smoking welder named Eric with a penis.
The events of this journal are spread out over four days (21st, 23rd, 30th, and 31st), but are combined into one, easy-to-read package. I'm thoughtful like that. As for sightseeing, we weren't too ambitious with our agenda, as very little piqued our interest, but what we saw we really enjoyed. The
Chatuchak Weekend Market is sprawling, lively, and very colourful (much like the city itself) and I've heard there's in the neighbourhood of 15,000 stalls, loosely organized based on
Wat Pho
A 46m reclining Buddha with mother-of-pearl feet. wares offered. After two hours of wandering through the crowded, narrow laneways, there was still plenty left to see. In that time, Denise selected the decor for the next house we buy, and I managed to stuff myself silly with snacks of every variety and drank a very refreshing A&W Root Beer!
The
Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and Wat Arun are some of Bangkok's biggest attractions, and are endlessly packed with oblivious, camera-toting tourists and sneaky pickpockets alike, almost to the point where you'd be better off giving them a miss entirely. But as always, something interesting happens when you mix pleasant, sensible folk with ignorant, clueless hordes of morons that should've stayed home.
As we were leaving the Grand Palace, Denise paused to take an unobstructed picture of the Upper Terrace. Just as she was about to click the shutter a herd of rude Indian assfaces wandered into her frame and started snapping group photos of their own. Tit for tat I say, so now they're blessed with plenty of ruined shots with some white guy in a green shirt in the background looking confused and making big, wavy gestures. Denise took a picture for posterity.
Cruising
Speedboats
Plying the Chao Phraya. the
Chao Phraya is a relaxing way to see the city. All sorts of watercraft ply the busy river, and we saw a few close calls but were spared any grisly mash-ups. Many of the citys main sites are within a reasonable walking distance from the piers, so it makes for an ideal mode of transportation. Everything from five-star hotels to grungy eateries and high-rise condos to rusty shitshacks line the waterfront. It's a very dynamic place and offers contrasting views of Bangkok old and new. We were hoping to take a boat up the river into far-flung residential areas, as I think this would present the city in a light few tourists ever see, but never got around to it.
And who can forget the food? I think I need to retract my previous statement that Taiwanese cuisine is better than Thai...because it's not and I'm a fool for saying so.
I don't think I ate the same dish twice, and I was never disappointed with my selection. Whether it be from a fancy restaurant or dusty roadside food stall, the meals always satisfied my tastebuds and my appetite. In fact, eating from food stalls is one of my
Phra Siratana Chedi
Shaped like a chedi. That means it has a round top sitting on a square base. Not that you care. favourite pastimes. Following your nose has never been so easy, and the results are always mouth-watering. One of the true joys of Thai food is the price - it's hard to believe food this good can be so cheap.
However, Bangkok has its downfalls...noise, pollution, traffic, tourists, and stray dogs to name a few. It's a sprawling, unorganized urban mess of ten million people, and I don't think the infrastructure will ever come close to catching up with growth. By far though, our biggest disappointment was with the tourists. I know, we're 'one of them' too, but there's a big difference between those of us that are aware, and those that come here because everyone else is doing it and show up with bad attitudes and splash around money. It's insulting, the behaviour we saw from other foreigners towards some locals, and it reflects poorly on us all.
But despite a lack of attractions, quiet spaces, and breathable air, there's just something about Bangkok I like. It's surprisingly clean for one, and the new Suvarnabhumi airport is fantastic, complete with a Dairy Queen serving up huge-sized banana splits topped with nuts and whipped cream.
Finally, the
bombings Wat Arun
The Temple of Dawn as seen from the boat on the Chao Phraya river. that ripped through the city on New Years Eve are of little cause for concern, as these events are always blown out of proportion and glorified by western media. In my opinion, Bangkok is still safer than any major North American city, and we would not hesitate in returning. And by the time the bombs went off, we were safely landing at Kansai airport over 4000km away.
Camille & Denise
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Franco
Franklin H
Franco
Hehe. I call this journal, "Rascals in Paradise".