Bangkok: Go Go Gadget Insanity

After 28 hours of airplanes and airports, I arrived in Bangkok International, just in time to stand in line for 2 hours to get my passport stamped. Horray! I managed to horde off all the dudes trying to rip me off and hopped in a regulated taxi so I could spend another couple hours getting to my hostel. Apparently the airport is quite a ways from the city, sort of like Dulles to DC, with a super rush hour of its own. Fortunately, we’re working with Thai Bahts so the taxi fare was a grand total of $5 US.

Bangkok is out of control. Big time. The streets are littered with food vendors, trinket vendors, dudes trying to pimp out Thai girls, tuk tuk taxis, women washing dishes, and mopeds whizzing around all the obstacles as fast as possible. Ridiculous glamorous Wats (temples) are scattered throughout the city in the midst of penis gardens (priceless), “Buy Your Buddhas Here” shops, and multiple red-light districts (you like girl? perhaps boy? no? how about young boy?). I stopped to pet a cat today and a lady tried to give it away to me.

As wild as the streets are, the red-light districts make the rest of Bangkok seem tame. The (in)famous scene has definitely earned its reputation. Soi Cowboy is one of the many red-light districts, and was a few alleys over from my hostel. Inside each of the 40+ bars is a stage populated by about a dozen mostly naked Thai chicks with ID numbers hanging off their G-strings. You can tell the waitress which number you’d like (or just select with your eyes – she knows you’re looking) and they come sit beside you within minutes, at which point they can’t seem to keep their hands to themselves. If you buy them a drink, they promote their seat to your lap, where they can’t seem to sit still. I can’t attest as to what happens next, but I think we can all imagine what the next step tends to be. (No, I didn’t sleep with any Thai prostitutes – the experience was for educational purposes only). The ease and transparency of it all is what makes it so unbelievable. And in sharp contrast to Amsterdam’s red-light district, the girls here are actually good looking.

The people here are also bat shit about their king, which I’m finding very interesting because I really don’t think it’s just for show. There are old fashion pictures of the guy on damn near every building and street corner, which are hilarious, along with proclamations of “Long live our King” and “We love the King.” Apparently he was in the hospital recently, just got out, and happened to be wearing a pink shirt. Pink shirts were immediately being snatched up at such a rapid pace that per-visit purchase quantities were limited. Nuts.

Traveling solo for the first time is certainly revealing positive and negative aspects. The freedom to do exactly as you please while only taking care of your own needs is great. Not being able to comment on observed craziness or exchanging random banter is not as great. Luckily, it took no time at all to befriend fellow backpackers at the hostel to party with at night. Of the dozens of people I’ve been hanging out with, almost all are mid to late 20s Europeans who have been traveling for several months and plan on continuing their travels for up to a year. It’s silly how Americans are shocked by someone taking a 6 month tour while Europeans will say “Is that all?”

According to my backpacker companions, the rest of Thailand is completely different than Bangkok. Which may be a good thing. It’s a blast here, but a bit too wild to stay for much longer. Off to Ayutthaya to check out the ruins of Thailand’s former capital. Sukhothai and Chiang Mai next.

So anyways, I’m still alive – haven’t been raped or robbed yet, haven’t been infected with any strange diseases (that I know of) yet, and haven’t even been thrown in jail yet. Hum… Something is going to have to go amiss eventually for some good story telling material. Hope all is well with you guys. Until next post, woot-face!