Unemployment - Part 3: Bangkok

Greetings from Bangkok, smirk central.

The blog has now officially left New Zealand! For the next several posts I'll detail a month+ of  travel in southeast Asia with Dakota, Michael, Drew, Jordan and Rhiannon - the first two weeks with the guys. This type of boys trip is not entirely original, and may even be plagiarism. With the movie industry using it as a location to signify crazy partying youths, like in The Hangover Part II, The Beach, and the classic film Forrest Gump (okay, maybe not that third one), tourism is big business in southeast Asia. And I'm all about giving to local economies or whatever.

The region is big, both in terms of covered area and population, comprising of Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia before turning into a number of island nations. This basically means that in 4 weeks of travel, it's impossible to cover all of it. And quite frankly, so much would be glossed over in that amount of time it would be criminal. I liken it to trying to do a massive Euro-trip in a month. We set out in stages, guided by our Contiki tour through northern Thailand, Laos, and a quick stop in Cambodia. Before jumping into it, though, the guys and I had a few days to kill in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.

Travelling is often about culture shocks, and is a repeated theme across this and many other similar blogs. Nowhere else in the world is there a bigger culture shock, I think, than in Bangkok. The weather is hot and sticky and smoggy. As soon as you hit the streets, you are caught up in a jumble of noise and people and traffic and looming concrete. 

The morass of scooters is always bearing down. 

Chao Praya River, a main thoroughfare for marine public transportation.
Long skinny boats are outfitted with handheld motors and over-packed with locals.

All of this pales in comparison to the engulfment in Bangkok's smells. And while some of them are pleasant or even alluring - ambiguous street meats and stir-frys, wafting incense, and succulent fruits - most are desperately disgusting and induce a scrunched-up face.

The side canal seems like a nice respite from the crush of people until you breath in.

Towering concrete structures, narrow sidewalks, hawkers selling their knock-off goods, and tuk-tuk drivers constantly trying to talk you into a ride make Bangkok feel very packed-in. Any shred of agoraphobia rises to the surface with a short walk down the street. This was especially true during our visit as Bangkok turned into a national gathering spot to mourn the beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who had passed away one week earlier. Nonetheless, we soldiered into the masses to visit the national gallery, and the massive reclining buddha and stupas in Wat Pho.

Major streets were shut down near the Grand Palace, where mourners congregated to pay their respects.

I'm terrified to fight one of these when they eventually come alive in my nightmares.

Stupas contain the relics of kings or famous monks. In Bangkok they are ornate.

Despite overwhelming heat and consequent dripping sweat, I really enjoyed walking through this part of Bangkok.

Kate Winslet's inspiration for her Titanic pose.

Note all of us wearing our dark 'mourning' clothing, as if we were actually going to fit in.

Nights in Bangkok are notorious for their danger, cheap alcohol, and immorality. Though we didn't pay for or witness any ping pong shows, I'll never forget our short stint in the Patpong night market:  Michael buying a knock-off Bluetooth speaker, stumbling through endless and stifling aisles of cheap goods, and being briefly pulled into the shadiest dance club (which I will only say would be illegal in most western countries). On the eve before we left Bangkok, we met our Contiki group and had a night out on Khao San road, Bangkok's backpacker haven. Here one can buy anything, for next to nothing:  dollar street kebab (maybe the best thing I ate in Asia), BBQ scorpions on a stick, fresh mango sticky rice, $3 half hour Thai massage, 9 liters of beer served in a tapped barrel at your table, elephant pants in all colors and sizes, and even USA sports memorabilia.

Jordan couldn't resist.

A Khao San Road restaurant. I try to keep a calm demeanor despite the demon over my shoulder.

Bangkok is cool. Strangely, despite the culture shocks around each and every corner (oh I forgot to mention the park Dakota and I went where hundreds of people were jogging in their everyday clothes at 10 pm...so strange), I find myself wanting to return and sample more of the bustling city's sights and foods. 

And finally, I'll be ending every post about Asia with a few photos of the countless animals (domesticated or otherwise) we saw along the way:

Wat Pho kitties pretending to be wild jungle cats.

At the Jim Thompson house, the vicious pond turtle stalks and devours its unsuspecting prey.

Cheers!