How crazy is this place?

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Well we arrived in Bangkok and it was about 35 degrees and it felt hotter !!!
From the off it was a pretty mad culture shock, but on check in at our hotel we were happy with the grandness and for the price it was pretty amazing, "the Royal Benja" was bang on the Sukohmvit ( the main drag of Bangkok), the streets were lined with market stalls and street vendors selling all the fake gear (t-shirts,dvd's and music cds) and all the latest weapons needed to arm a small army.
The smell of the place is one that will stick in our minds, like charcoaled meats and sewage mixed together with a high dose of traffic fumes.
Something which did surprise us was a limbless man pulling his torso along the busy side walk holding a cup in his mouth begging for money of which no one blinked an eye.
Then as walking and looking for food we were surprised at Tarzans son riding an elephant through the same side walk and stopping off at the nearest pub lunging his trunk through the front door for a quick pint?!!!!
After the initial shock of it all, in the next few days we visited the grand palace which was quite a sight and also the world famous (thanks to Leonardos the Beach) Koh San Rd, which was as expected, full of western backpackers and also the same market stalls and street vendors that lined most of the Bangkok streets.
After having a beer and a wonder here, we went to a nearby park to relax for 5 and take in the views of an old man with his trousers down taking a pee in broad daylight into the fine shrubbery and flower gardens !!!

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Photos

snook
Grand Palce 2

tori
Grand Place

Hotel
View from The Royal Benja