Collection of thoughts and photos from Bangkok.

As I was going for my daily food and drinks hunt in Bangkok - I made sure I have my camera at hand. Fujifilm X10. A tiny companion fitting a bigger pocket is a must have for when I enter unexplored territory. Not only mobile phone is just not good enough - it is often too valuable to use it frequently. Not only it might contain your ongoing flight ticket, but all your logged apps and online resources are at one place and it is surely unwanted experience suddenly to lose access to your digital you.

That's when a pocket camera stands out - not only it is big enough not fall into the drainage gitter somewhere, it often makes better photos! Well maybe not in low light, but a tiny tripod can solve that.

I was accommodated in the old town. It honestly felt as if not being in such a big city. Small, often just one way streets make it hard for cars to take advantage of them and you can walk with ease in certain areas. From that perspective one can say Bangkok is more pleasant on foot than from the saddle of a scooter - although I haven't personally tried.

On day one I have ventured out with great expectations. First time in real Asia - not just geographical Asia which still feels like Europe (take Georgia for example). However very soon I have realised that all the streets kind of look the same. Bangkok being totally flat also made it not that appealing to walk endlessly without having any perspective how far one got - apart from reaching the river and than seeing further than other side of the crossroads. That being said - it was surely a cultural shock of sort. Not in a bad way necessarily. Probably cleaner than say Marrakesh and definitely safer. I felt almost weird sense of no danger around in Bangkok - and I am sure that can be false sense of security. I didn't go out to get smashed to some wild shemale midget strip club so that is maybe why...

After few days I started feeling some form of boredom. It could have been because I wasn't really planning to be in Bangkok and I couldn't enjoy it to the fullest. Sometimes travel is not all too exciting once you become a traveller and you're almost constantly on the move. Which is my case - certainly for about five months each year. When travel blends with your day to day life it is different than what might be an experience of somebody who was working his or her a*s off nearly whole year to have a two weeks vacation. Than it is all about push the pedal to the floor. Let's go! And there is no tomorrow vibes. Than Bangkok can be fun for few days. For me it was more of a spin of of Tom Hank's movie Terminal...

I will most likely have to go and visit Thailand properly - with bigger drive and motivation. Even when taking into account my coincidental arrival and sense of being momentary lost, Thailand left a positive impression on me. So would I recommend getting lost in Bangkok to anyone? The answer is definite yes.

If you don't mind feeling like a gringo non stop - ocasional liquid of unknown source dropping onto you when walking down the street, constant lady boys attention and teasing, Bangkok is the place to be.

All the best,

Global Local