We spent a few days in Bangkok, mostly because Brian was flying out of Bangkok back to the US.
It’s a huge city, and I suppose it’s reputation is pretty well deserved. It’s not as nutballs as I thought it would be, but it’s got all the shit that you’d expect. It’s kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Now tourists go for the stuff they hear about, so the locals manufacture and sell it to meet the demand.
I think more than anything, it just reinforces to me that I don’t particularly find big cities that appealing. After a while, big cities start to feel the same to me, and have a similar kind of stressful energy. Bangkok, Manila, Rome, Delhi… same same, but different. I suppose my emerging preference for small towns has to do with the feeling that they’re more unique, allow for a bit more local culture and flavor, and a better context for getting to know the people and places.
Anyway- a few memorable things. The first night we went to the clubs on Royal City Avenue. Pretty fun- but generally, a club in Bangkok isn’t that different than a club in any other big city. Second night, we went to a rooftop bar overlooking the city, which was pretty nice. Third night, was Chinese New Years Eve, so we went to Bangkok Chinatown. It’s a pretty huge Chinatown. The feature picture is of one of the main streets closed off for the parades and performances.
On Sunday afternoon, we did brunch at the Mandarin Oriental, which was incredible. The quality and range of food was some of the best I’ve ever seen. On Monday afternoon, we got some chewy fried noodles in soup, on a street corner from some nice Thai ladies, which were also incredibly delicious. The price of the brunch was at least 50 times the price of the street noodles… just an observation that seemed kind of notable at the moment.
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