A Taste of Thailand

Thailand – a country full of extreme differences. On our last day in Thailand, we had to wake up at 5:30 to catch our flight out of Bangkok. Within five minutes we saw a couple walking home, two long-legged, well-dressed lady boys who were surprised to see us, one said “Oh my gosh, just you two together!?!” and lastly two monks with their brass bowls collecting their alms from faithful Buddhists. I wasn’t sure of what to expect from traveling through Thailand because I’ve heard mixed reviews from friends. But, we had a really unique experience because we have friends who live there. We had the chance to see how foreigners experience Thailand as well as some locals. I was especially surprised at how clean the cities, large and small, were.

Thais are some of the nicest, most down-to-earth people I’ve met while out here in Asia. Everywhere we went, people smiled and cheerfully helped us out. They also had their own unique fashion style. I almost felt like it was leaning toward the Japanese style of guys with lots of spiked hair and girls with their colored orange/red hair, just without all of the gaudy make-up.

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People here are definitely used to having foreigners around, whether they live in Thailand or are just visiting. They’ve definitely perfected the tourists’ route. Bangkok is a huge modern city that is the center for traveling throughout Southeast Asia. Their backpacker district is huge and blows Saigon’s backpacker area away. Expensive shopping areas are all over the city as well as great transportation – bus, subway, skytrain, taxi, tuk-tuk and canal ferries – but traffic is horrendous. Temples are beautifully decorated with crystals, jewels, gold, intricate details and elaborate statues. And the nightlife is a must experience, but can be contradicting in many ways. {Actually my friend from high school, Henry Trejo, and some of his friends are in Southeast Asia for six weeks trying to bring back beauty, Beauty Creates Beauty.}

Enjoy as narrate the highlights of our ten days in Thailand!