ลาก่อนกรุงเทพฯ!

Andrew and I took full advantage of Bangkok’s efficient elevated rail system to travel around the city. Besides Khao San Road, we also explored…

The Grand Palace & Temple of the Emerald Buddha - gorgeous Thai architecture, doused in brilliant gold. My favorite was the temple, with its ornate decor and detailed, extensive gold-leaf murals.

Sukhumvit – a bustling commercial area catering to tourists, filled with bars and restaurants. We kept within Soi 1-10, of which the sidewalks were jam-packed with vendors (selling cheap trinkets, clothes, knockoffs, sex toys, condoms, Cialis), and plenty of ladyboys were lining the streets. The signs of a thriving sex tourism industry is highly visible in this district, especially with the numerous old, white men we spotted with escorts hanging off their arms…

We met up with Min Kim (here doing a sweet internship) on Friday night, but by no means was that an easy task. We arranged to meet on the corner of Soi 10 (think of it as block numbers) at 10:00pm. Lum and I hung out looking super shady for 40 minutes, with no Min in sight. Without phones, we resorted to stealing wi-fi from whatever nearby bars and cafes that we could. Turned out, there had been a miscommunication about the soi, but we finally were able to meet up at 11pm. #PHONE-DEPENDENT.

We rolled out to Bed Supperclub, allegedly the hottest nightclub in town, frequented by the “rich & beautiful.” I couldn’t get in, because though the drinking age is 18, the clubbing age here is 20. Actually, we couldn’t have gotten in anyway, because Lum was sporting shorts and flip-flops. Cover was also a ridiculous 800 baht (almost $30)!!! We headed to a chill shisha bar with awesome decor instead.

Siam Square - shopping and entertainment central! Lum, Min and I took an afternoon to explore the Square and Paragon Mall Paragon Mall is a behemoth mall complex that includes, among many other things, an aquarium, luxury import car dealerships, a gym, a tech floor, a massive movie complex on the top floor, and your run-of-the-mill lineup of luxury brands. We drooled over the Lotus Elise and grabbed seats to watch X-Men First Class. Not the best idea when you have plenty of other options as a visitor in an exotic city…but X-Men was ON POINT. SUCH A GOOD MOVIE. What I found interesting was that, before the movie began, the theater showed a montage on the life and contributions of the current King of Thailand. It seems to be a standard practice in movies. Everybody stood up in respect and the entire audience clapped after it was over. It came as a complete surprise to us three, but it reflects the importance of the role of the royal family in this country. If you’re heard talking negatively about the royal family, it could spell a jail sentence…

Really goes to show you how different lifestyle extremes can all be encompassed within a single city, and I’m lucky to have been able to experience much of it.