Bangkok-only good for sex tourists and shoppaholics!

Before arriving in Bangkok many people told me you either love it or hate it, plain and simple. Well, as we come to an end on our third day here, all I can think about is getting the hell out! Although Bangkok is known to have some of the most amazing temples and Buddha statues in the world, the feeling of peace and serenity are no where to be found among the honking horns and swindling street vendors. Amidst all the beauty spread throughout the city, you are constantly berated with scam artists, street vendors, and enough smog to liken your lungs to those of a 20 year smoker's.

Now, I don't want to be too hasty in my overt judgement of this powerhouse city, in our short time there we were able to experience some of the best it has to offer. It didn't even take one day before my senses were enticed and I found myself entranced by the best 2 1/2 hour massage of my life (sorry all- no happy ending to speak of here). In addition to this near nirvana experience, we have stuffed our stomachs with more Thai food than is healthy in such a short period of time.

But alas, we sit here on a bus heading out of town, north to Chiang Mai. We are nothing short of ecstatic to be getting out of the city and off to a place where the enlightenment can commence. After sitting through a grueling 2 hours of traffic just to get to the bus terminal, we are both in utter dismay as to why anyone would attempt to drive in such a permanently gridlocked city. Bangkok offers an above ground train, the acclaimed Sky Train, which can whisk you away to many popular areas around the city, but not actually into the heart itself. Aside from this, your other modes of transportation are cab (which goes back to the gridlock I mentioned above), the Thailand tuk-tuk, or huffing it on foot (which, to be honest, isn't a very doable option).

Don't let the afore mentioned issues put you off entirely, there is a great deal of culture to be seen and smelled lying inside the city walls. As you walk down the street your senses are constantly challenged by new, sometimes foul, smells. Foods you've never seen or imagined line the walls and hang off the carts, just waiting to be plucked up by a passing pedestrian. All the while, the most interesting noises are serenading your stroll and causing your head to turn in all directions. This adventure is often times interrupted by street vendors shoving everything from the latest Louis Vuitton knockoff bag to frog noise makers in your face. This is a city that survives on selling tourists everything they don't need and then sending them down the street with a smiling man who will scam you out of the last 50 baht left in your pocket (which equals about $1.25 US).


(This guy gladly leaves Thailand without a dime to his name, already planning his next trip back to see his "girlfriend")