Bangkok, Thailand

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After twenty three hours of international travel I arrive in Bangkok, Thailand at around 10:30 PM. My first impression... hot. I mean really, really hot. I imagine the experience is analogous to a lobster which is about half way done boiling... except the lobster didn't travel a full day to throw itself into the pot. To my great surprise my hair does not immediately explode into an uncontrollable afro. A Good start. A painless cab ride and a half hour later I am staring down the barrel of an electric shotgun known as Khoa San Road. I would claim culture shock; however, I am not sure if there is a discernible culture to describe. Whether this is unbridled multiculturalism or an international cluster f@*k I am unsure. The New and Old world clash for attention; McDonald's and 7-11 are juxtaposed against a sea of tuk-tuks, Buddhist shrines and pad-thai. The crowds ebb and flow like the tide, relentless and predictable. I secure myself a room for two nights at the first location that doesn't make my skin crawl, climb into bed and wait to wake up the next day to make sure I am not dreaming it all up.

I awake to find that the lobster is cooked. In fact, it is probably over cooked. The heat is oppressive even at 8 AM. After a much needed shower I hit the streets of Bangkok to see what there is to see. I am quickly given an itinerary by my tuk-tuk driver. It seems that I have arrived on a Buddhist holiday, which means that while some temples are closed, others which remain closed to tourists all but one day of the year, are open. Among my many stops during the day two standout. The Standink Buddha statue and the Lucky Buddha. The former being a 45 meter tall Buddha statue and the latter being a temple/shrine where the King of Thailand studied as a monk in his youth. Inside the very modest temple of the Lucky Buddha are priceless Buddhist artifacts the likes of which I have never seen, ranging from a 2.5 meter, 24 karat solid gold statue weighing 1,300 lbs to a 2 foot Buddha encrusted with diamonds and gold. For a religion that holds that worldly goods are at the core of suffering, they sure have some nice stuff.

Not yet accustomed to the time change, I am forced to engage in some serious mid-afternoon power napping. I awake in the evening to find that the chaos has returned to Khoa San Road, and I decide to delve into the madness. Everything and anything can be bought here, and my purchases range from a handful of $5 t-shirts to a real "Fenter" guitar. After seeing the amount of counterfeit goods and the gross violations of copy right law I feel decidedly better about illegally downloading music back home. I finish the evening at a music bar where a very good Thai band hammers out Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd songs while I enjoy a couple of Singhas. Although my time in Bangkok has been interesting to say the least, I am ready to depart for a more relaxing scene. Today I leave the madness of Khoa San Road behind and head to Ko Phan Yang hoping for equal parts excitement and tranquility. While I am glad to have come to Khoa San Road I am equally glad to be leaving.

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Photos

Standink Buddha
45 meters of Nirvana.

Another statue
Look closely and you will notice the Buddha has a bottle of water. Ya, it's that hot.

@ the Lucky Buddha
Made with gold, encrusted with diamonds.

Khoa San Road @ Night
Descend into the madness.