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Much has been said about the infamous capital city of Thailand, like it is the Pearl of South East Asia, also it is the city of Squalor if you have ever watched the Hangover II. To be completely honest, both are very true. Bangkok truly is one of the world's most incredible cities for good reason. Truly it is a wonderland for those who want to get away from the monotony of regular life and get to live life on the edge. It is a city that is renowned for the seedy underbelly it has. But Bangkok also has a proverbial heart and soul too. It is the home of the much loved King and Queen. Never heard of the Thai royal family, well let me explain exactly how important they are to the Thai people through a comparison. Queen Elizabeth is a loved figure in England and the United Kingdom that is no secret, but in comparison to how the Thai's feel about their Royal family in particular their King, the British public's love of their Queen is nothing. I feel confident in saying that there are many people around Thailand would happily give their life to protect their king
and the day when the unfortunate happens and their King passes away, there will be mass sympathy and upset from the public that is for sure. Bangkok also is very important to the Buddhist culture to with massive Golden Buddha in the city to.
Bangkok is one of those cities where you will immediately fall in love with the place, or you will despise the place and very thankfully for me I immediately feel in love with the city from a short stop over in 2013 on my way through to Europe and it took several months to return but I was unbelievably thankful to have a second chance to explore the city that left such an impression on me after such a brief visit. I arrive in the city and immediately head to where I was staying in the Nana district of the city. Little did I realise that Nana was one of the cities Red Light districts, but to be completely honest I should have realised this as the price of the hotel was too good to be true. After checking in, I decide to walk down the street to the BTS Sky Train terminal,
and walking down the street there was many different bars full of the Bar girls. These are women who are employed by the bars to keep men who enter into the bar company and persuade them to drink more and even buy them drinks to seduce more money out of their wallet and into the cash register of the bar. There was also a nightclub, several 'massage' parlours, a few above ground places with ping pong shows and a few street stalls offering cheap food. The whole way down the street women were trying to persuade me into having their 'services,' and all I can do is say no thank you and continue to walk away.
After a short trip on the above ground light rail service, I decide to get off at the Siam stop and immediately I am amazed. Three massive shopping centres that look brand new. They are full of the cutting edge of fashion and technology, with the jewel of the complex being Siam Paragon even having several high class automobile company dealerships within the complex like Lamborghini, Lotus and many others. But all of these complexes were ridiculously clean, well air conditioned
and full of tourists and locals. After all three of the major complexes we reach an overpass to go to another shopping complex that was one of the best places I visited in all of Thailand, the MBK Centre. It is several levels full of many different stores, but it was the fifth level that was the best as it was exactly what I knew that South East Asia is famous for, production of cheap knock of items. It was in here I spent a lot of baht. I mean it coast about 200 Baht odd for 5 pairs of knock off underwear that doesn't look even the slightest bit different from the name brand things and at about a quarter of the price too. WINNING!
Another of the amazing things that I got to experience when I was exploring the town was a great experience on the river boat. Once the lifeblood of the city, the river is now a huge tourist attraction. This is demonstrated through the world famous floating market, which seems to draw thousands of people each time it happens. But the river itself is brilliant and traveling down the river on one
of the traditional boats is an experience that no visitor to the city should miss. You get to see the famous city from a whole new perspective and you can understand exactly why the river was the backbone of the city for centuries. After a 15 cruise down the river I disembark the vessel and go and visit arguably the most famous attraction of the city, the royal palace. A huge palace that is enclosed by large white walls is well worth a visit, but one little heads up for those who plan on going there. Ensure that you are wearing a collared shirt, long pants and enclosed shoes to ensure a quicker entry, without having to rent stuff from near the entrance. Walking around the ground you realise exactly how important this structure is and this is demonstrated by the beauty and the history, that this place has to offer. Whether it is from the extensive paintings on the surrounding wall, which looks like it would have taken years and years to finish and the sheer perfectionism of the piece suggests that it would have been a stressful and painstaking job to design it. What looked like marble buildings
and museums of previous era weaponry were some of the highlights of the palace, but if truth be told, just walking around seeing everything was well worth the effort and time it took to get there. It is definitely something that I would suggest visitors to do.
Tuk Tuks are the most efficient way of getting through the cities chaotic and often traffic jammed streets and it is a Thai experience that every tourist needs to try before they leave. As I enter into the Tuk Tuk the sun is starting to set and makes for a great time to drive back to the hotel to get ready for a night out in the infamous city of squalor that I will become well acquainted with over the next couple of hours. After a quick shower and change of clothes I head off to a sports bar and start drinking. All I can say is that Bangkok nightlife is wild, and with all of the drinks being inexpensive chances are you wont be able to remember most of the night come the next morning with a massive headache thanks to the Thai Whiskey you will no doubt be
drinking.
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