Bangkok Thailand

Trip Start Jul 26, 2007

Trip End Sep 27, 2007

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Flag of China Bangkok, China
Saturday, September 20, 2008

Arrived in Bangkok, this is our second time here only this time it was done on a shoe string, we stayed in a cheap but not too bad a hotel in the center of town. No doubt we made a mistake of having to stay so long in the Thai capital, 10 days is too long. We made an effort to while away the time, I say this because on our previous visit to Thailand we had enough time to see the sites, most of them without a doubt were impressive and beautiful. But we were looking for something else... Bangkok is a very large busy and in many parts a very dirty city, where you can see cat size rats infesting the main thorough ways masses of people selling everything and anything that can be copied, reproduced and sold in roadside stalls. They park themselves on either side of the pavement in such a manner and so close that in most places it is impossible to go down the street without rubbing up against their stalls and being accosted by someone at almost every stall. On the whole I am not someone who likes city life and here I felt that I would need a week or so back home just to clean my lungs of the terrible pollution, they have a real problems of noise, pollution and prostitution. There have been recently quite a few television documentaries about this acute problem, true that it attracts enormous amounts of tourists who leave behind them lots of money, but the wrong type. It is so very obvious and blatant but nothing in that country is done about it for the wrong reasons.

The size of the Guyavas

Not all is bleak and bad in Thailand or even Bangkok. There are lots of great restaurants, culture and shopping centers.

Sky Train 1

Sky Train 3

One evening we were sitting in a restaurant eating outside when we heard approaching along the street a band of some kind the music was very loud especially the drums.

Dragon Band 1

Dragon Band 7

Then they came into view, it was a large group of young people doing a dragon dance. They were weaving and prancing from one side to the other of the street to the applause of the people. It was very entertaining and refreshing.

Siam Paragon 1

We visited the latest mall to open in the city "The Siam Paragon". This mall is on the Sky Train route and it is enormous and very expensive. All the very biggest names in fashion are there, many of the average Thai and even tourist just cannot afford to buy there, but it is definitely a very impressive mall. Personally I liked browsing around the computer mall. A whole mall, all 5 floors selling everything electronic, most of the software sold there is definitely pirated.