[LEMONS] 12.03.2002
Bangkok ! ,
Today, it's more like a big bar where everyone's had too much to drink and the dance music is a little too loud, but hey, it's Friday, right? Yeah, it's still flashy and the air stinks and there are one hundred and fifty things to look at in every direction. But where I once found it overwhelming and obnoxious, now it's just sort of too much after you've been here for a while, though quite nice at first.
Part of this, no doubt, has to do with where we're staying. We're a few blocks from Thanon Khao Son, on a quiet street on the water called Phra Arthit. It's chockablock full of artsy bars and coffe houses, tres San Francisco. Furthermore, we splurged on a 300 Baht room with air con and sweet, sweet hot water.
But still, it's funny how perceptions change.
Yesterday we went to the old capitaol Ayuthaya, which was sacked by the Burmese in the 18th century. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life. It felt like walking through a cemetary. I could almost hear the dead. A gorgeous place. We rode the train up there, which was another thrill for me.
On the way back, however, we rode past slum after slum. Tin shacks thrown up next to the tracks. Festering poverty. We'd seen this in Bangkok before. It's stunning, how decrepit some of the conditions are. Particularly when you see a tin shack thrown up next to a grand hotel. It makes me realize that no matter how little I have, I'm a wealthy man. Forgive me.
Photos
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