The Beauty of Bangkok

It's been a few days since we've left Bangkok. I'm left with a warm happy feeling and not much else, it's difficult to put other than - "Thailand is an easy country to love"

Arriving via Kolkata it's the sudden feeling of being dropped off in a clean and beautiful country. People drive their cars in lanes and wear clean fashionable clothes. The tourist traps are easy and nearly congenial. Hotels have clean comfortable rooms on the whole. The Thais are on the whole a friendly courteous people, who finish nearly all interactions with hands flush in a small bow. C and I were back in civilization at last, we did a little dance.

Bangkok itself is one of the hottest cities on Earth consistency wise. It's about 85 with 80% humidity year round. That means almost tolerable all the time. The best way to brace oneself throughout the day is pulling over at small stalls that have produced sliced fruit in cups. They blend these with ice and a little salt to make a cheap delicous pick me up. The food on the street is delicious to fare all the time - and C and I can eat Thai every day of the week with ease. Temples here are higher and pointier than those in India, with a curiousity of Thai architecture for extraordinarily pointy rooves and steep staircases.

It's really a charming city, one where Westerners can feel very comfortable. Sometimes they're a little too comfortable - as C and I paruse the Patpong night market for shopping deals we're confronted by bar after bar of listless pole dancers all of whom seem very intent on grabbing my or any other fair skinned child of the West's attention. In typical correction of this circumstance C grabs my arm to divert this unwanted attention. This then begins the inevitable questions to her in Thai and now the view externally that I've already found my Thai escort for the evening - apparently Chinese/Thai distinctions aren't clear at a glance. Sigh - the circumstances worth a laugh, there's a shelf life for this behavior in Thailand. Clearly the Thai girls today dress with an agenda, and there's a look in the eye of some of the men seeking them out - but Thailand is on the rise.

Seemingly no longer content to be a backdrop to seediness or even just a cousin of the Siam areas they are rapidly growing, cleaning, building and accelerating their lives. The truth is that Thailand is a lot closer to Hong Kong than India, and it's done well for it's people. I can say that it's people have done well for C and I too, but Thai massage could be misconstrued as a mugging. Mostly elbows and joint pulling, I can't say I recommend it but for the most hearty and knot ridden of us. The concept of relaxation when you've got a pair of elbows in your spine is tricky, I may still be walking funny.

Now we've moved on to Phuket, our second beach of the adventure. White sands and beautiful Thai people are the features of this beach. A massive outnumbering of woefully out of shape white men and women, and roasting temperatures are it's undoings. A beautiful beach for sure, we spend as much time cooling off in the clear beautiful waters as we can. I'm off for another Pineapple ice shake and I'll update you again soon.

Love from Thailand,
A