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Published: September 3rd 2011
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After 9 ½ weeks abroad, I am finally coming home. What a journey it’s been! Coming home is a bit bitter sweet. I full heartedly look forward to seeing my family and of course, my dog, but the friends that I’ve made in China were nothing short of amazing.
Now onto Thailand. The smells, the food, the traffic, the monarchy, and the Buddha’s are all that greeted me as I entered into Thailand. I got off the plane, took the sky train into the city and hopped into a taxi. I was actually pretty proud of the way I handled things because there was a point in the taxi drive in which I was getting very concerned. I didn’t know it at the time but I actually printed the directions without the address so the entire time the taxi was roaming around searching for my hostel with only minimal information. I didn’t know this because I can’t read or speak Thai. But thankfully, I got to my hostel and it was a great one too!
First Impressions: Thailand is a cultural wonderland. I honestly didn’t think that Thailand would be that different from China but in reality, it was.
At first glance, I was so surprised by the amount of shrines of the monarchy. I knew that the Thai people loved the royal family but not to this level. Every house and every streets seemed to have a picture of the king or queen. I think that’s what adds to the wow factor. It’s like being in a Disney movie.
I was also surprised at the immense amount of Buddhist worship in the city. In fact, if I were to use 2 words to describe Bangkok it would be Royal and Buddha.
My first full day in Thailand was all about discovering Bangkok and seeing the highlights. I started with the Grand Palace and followed it with Wat Arun and Wat Pho. Luckily, I ran into a fellow traveler from my hostel and he was a wealth of knowledge. He basically gave me an awesome tour of the sights, even though he had not technically been to them himself.
For the second full day I booked a tour of the ancient capital ruins of Ayuthuya. It was the highlight of my trip. It started with the king’s summer palace and then transitioned into the ruins,
which were epic! Coolest of all, I got to ride an elephant. Who could possibly resist? Yes, I did give up some time at the ruins but it was totally worth it.
Finally, our tour ended with a lunch cruise down the river that goes into Bangkok. I met some fun Americans along the way so that made the cruise even more enjoyable.
On my last day I booked a quick tour of Coral Island. It was interesting… I loved the beach portion and met some great people but it definitely had it’s shady moments. One of which was the random stop in the middle of the sea to board a barge where we can buy stuff or do parasailing. No, it was nothing terrible but it was unscheduled and we had no idea what was going on.
Now this topic may seem adult but being Bangkok, I have to cover it because everyone asks about it. But yes, there are prostitutes and ladyboys prevalently in Bangkok. Granted that this is only a late night thing but most adults stay out past 11pm so you don’t miss it.
I never visited the red light district, mainly
because I just didn’t care. Yes, you could consider it part of the culture of Bangkok but it’s part of which I didn’t have any desire to see. The prostitutes along Khao San Road were enough of a sideshow!
Alright, so that’s my little spiel on the ‘interesting’ side of Thailand but as anyone who has ever visited the country they will tell you that it’s not what defines it. The religious and royal culture outshines the seediness and traffic congestion.
In conclusion, I give Thailand my highest recommendations. You cannot go to Asia without visiting this fascinating country. It’s very tourist friendly and oozes with culture, and a beautiful one to boot!
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