here were foreigners everywhere in Bangkok. Some sowing their wild oats and living out fantasies in one of the many tourist havens, while others were just looking for an inexpensive place to pass the time. We saw enough foreigners in hippie clothes to think that a more suitable name for this country might be "Thai-Dye" Land. It's funny to imagine a Thai person visiting a Western country only to discover that most people don't dress so foolishly at home.
s we took in the major sights of Bangkok, we also found many of the tourist hangouts culturally interesting microcosms in their own right, but not for that long. We strove to find a real "Thai" place that maybe hadn't seen a billion tourists pass through OR where at least we wouldn't walk in and find a billion tourists. Try as we may, we couldn't really escape the crowds in Bangkok or to the north in Chiang Mai. Even on a $12 flight to a small border city with Burma, we found ourselves in a plane solely filled with tourists (save one local who was getting sick in the seat across from us!).
e quietly grumbled about just being part of the masses, but could only realize why so many choose Thailand as a destination. Friendly people, great food and a good exchange rate make it an easy choice for a holiday. It's a developing nation with enough infrastructure and English speakers to make travelling easy, and yet it offers a variety of venues and cultures to be fascinating. We missed some of the obstacles and challenges that sometimes push our journey to the edge, but it was easy to cut our losses, adapt to a more relaxed adventure, and enjoy the camaraderie of others.
here were foreigners everywhere in Bangkok. Some sowing their wild oats and living out fantasies in one of the many tourist havens, while others were just looking for an inexpensive place to pass the time. We saw enough foreigners in hippie clothes to think that a more suitable name for this country might be "Thai-Dye" Land. It's funny to imagine a Thai person visiting a Western country only to discover that most people don't dress so foolishly at home.
s we took in the major sights of Bangkok, we also found many of the tourist hangouts culturally interesting microcosms in their own right, but not for that long. We strove to find a real "Thai" place that maybe hadn't seen a billion tourists pass through
e quietly grumbled about just being part of the masses, but could only realize why so many choose Thailand as a destination. Friendly people, great food and a good exchange rate make it an easy choice for a holiday. It's a developing nation with enough infrastructure and English speakers to make travelling easy, and yet it offers a variety of venues and cultures to be fascinating. We missed some of the obstacles and challenges that sometimes push our journey to the edge, but it was easy to cut our losses, adapt to a more relaxed adventure, and enjoy the camaraderie of others.
