[-AX-]

Previously :
Vientiane, Laos (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=194157)

Here's the part 2 of my South-East Asia trip. This one shows the best of my Bangkok photos, taken over 1 week in January and 1 week in April, including pics of the Songkran Festival. It took me a while to properly feel inspired by this city, but once I was used to it, it proved to be one of the best places i've explored!

Here are the photos in a completely random order :

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[Okayyou]

Most people I have spoken to that have visited Bankok are not very fond of it. Too Big, too dirty, too many scams, etc. I didn't have much time in the city but found it intriguing. You definitely saw a lot and captured it well. Great stuff.

[arkitekte]

Nice stuff. I guess that guy throwing water on the bus had a bad experience with the local public transportation.

[ColDayMan]

A city loaded with personality.

[Boroda]

Amazing thread

[tayser]

Too Big, too dirty, too many scams, etc.

All the stereotypes are 110% true...... and it's fucken AWESOME!

Bangkok should be on everyone's bucket lists.

[Kilgore Trout]

great photos!

i love bangkok. it's a huge mess but immensely lovable. the streetlife is amazing.

Too Big, too dirty, too many scams, etc.

i've been to bangkok three times and have never been caught in a scam. never even been taken for a ride or ripped off by a taxi driver.

the scams are only a problem if you stick to touristy areas. if you try to get a taxi on khaosan road, you'll get ripped off. in fact they won't even consider turning on the meter. but if you walk two blocks away and hail a taxi passing by, no problem.

as for the rest, well, big-city common sense saves you from a lot of trouble.

[diskojoe]

how much for the cat?
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6016/5995005819_324bb48e4b_o.jpg

[diskojoe]

great photos!

i love bangkok. it's a huge mess but immensely lovable. the streetlife is amazing.



i've been to bangkok three times and have never been caught in a scam. never even been taken for a ride or ripped off by a taxi driver.

the scams are only a problem if you stick to touristy areas. if you try to get a taxi on khaosan road, you'll get ripped off. in fact they won't even consider turning on the meter. but if you walk two blocks away and hail a taxi passing by, no problem.

as for the rest, well, big-city common sense saves you from a lot of trouble.

Remember if someone asks you, "where you got your shoes?" always answer, "On my Feet!!!"

[Travis007]

Great photos. Bangkok looks like a lot of fun, must have been an epic water fight. :)

[Benonie]

Wow! Bangkok never fails to amaze me! Great pictures, top quality!

[stepper77]

Your photos are amazing. Thanks for sharing!

[-AX-]

great photos!

i love bangkok. it's a huge mess but immensely lovable. the streetlife is amazing.



i've been to bangkok three times and have never been caught in a scam. never even been taken for a ride or ripped off by a taxi driver.

the scams are only a problem if you stick to touristy areas. if you try to get a taxi on khaosan road, you'll get ripped off. in fact they won't even consider turning on the meter. but if you walk two blocks away and hail a taxi passing by, no problem.

as for the rest, well, big-city common sense saves you from a lot of trouble.

Very true, I havent been victim of any scam in Bangkok, and outside the touristy spots, people are not too hassling... A breeze compared to Phnom Penh!

Still, now that I start to know the place quite well, i'd like to jump on one of those "one hour 10 baht" tuk-tuks and just see where they take me (probably somewhere far off but that I still know) and then give then 10 baht and either walk back or take a metered taxi :D

[pallo]

How come it looks so hot in January?

I thought by that time of the year temperatures would be cooler and more

pleasant in Bangkok....

[destroycreate]

Bangkok is one of my most favorite cities in the world. Spent a week there this summer, and longing for it...I could live there for a period of time actually.

[xavibarca]

Great series of this urban mess. I have enjoyed Bangkok when I visited. Did you go to Chatuchak as well. Fantastic market! The food is amazing in Bankok as well!

But you have to stay out of of the areas oriented to Western tourists and be wary of the intentions of taxi drivers.

[big T]

Loved the thread! Bangkok looks really huge and bustling, I think I would enjoy visiting there. Lucky you, looks like you had an awesome trip!

I can't wait for your Phnom Penh thread. That city intrigues me.

[Ayreonaut]

Immense. I'm not sure I could do Bangkok alone, I think it could be overwhelming. But I'd still love to visit someday.

[bnk]

how much for the cat?


About ~150 Thai baht or roughly= US $ 4.89 dollars uncooked. You can barter from 4 to 5 dollars depending on how hard of a bargin you drive.

But the cat looks young and tender so what is the big deal. Heck give him six dollars and help the local economy.

Than give a local resturant a five or so, mabey a bit more today, and let a local resturant cook it for you live, [ ask to watch the cut up so you do not get baited and switched for an old almost dead stray instead ] for about the same price and you do not even have to clean and gut the beast.

I would advise against letting them break the cats bones and joints while still alive. For the Thai they say the adrenaline rush in the beast from the pain make the meat more tender. The longer it suffers before being killed and gutted the better the meat I am told.

To me I cannot tell the difference in the taste and the many- and I mean many many miniutes of a crying and wailing cat, and the cracking and physical breaking of the bones, can make one lose ones appetite for those of a weak constitution. A cat in incruciating pain can be quite loud, sometimes extremely so to a westerner, but many local restaurant patrons don't seem to mind and some consider it a part of the overall dining experience.

Also ask for the blood [ you can drink it with a vodka like spirt, sometimes even with the beating heart, cut small enough to chug or shoot ], brains, tounge and the eyes otherwise the cooks will keep it for themselves. Avoid eyes that have milky like exudate extruding from their sockets for the cat is likely infected with a conjuntivis type of disease. Also look for obvious anal prolapes, and or rectal bleeding, for in that case the cat was probably sexually abused and may have a myriad of bizarre sexually transmited viruses that cannot be cooked out.

In that case you can give them to the cooks. Also avoid cats that are in a general malase apperence and are discharging excessive mucus though the nose or have obvious flees or fight injuries. These cats will likely harbor many different pathogens that could be harmful to a westerner.

But as a tip feel free to give away the tail, feet and shanks and internal organs other than the heart if you like cardiac muscle.


Also as a general recommendation please visit an infectious disease travel - vaccination doctor to make sure you are covered for the proper vaccinations and have the proper prophylactic antibiotics on hand before you arrive at your destination. If you plan to visit the infamous redlight districts or plan to use their ladyboys let your doctor know before you leave. That will require additional medical interventions and precautions.

Everyone enjoy your trip! and be careful out there.

[Private Dick]

The world is my oyster after viewing the thread... 80s hit song reference.

Very nice photos. Thanks for letting us see a city not featured on here often.

[hagbard]

Nice stuff. I guess that guy throwing water on the bus had a bad experience with the local public transportation.

They have a water festival. When I was there, I freaked out every time they went to toss water on me, as the water mostly came from the very unclean canals.

[ifeeldope9779]

wow how did i miss this. what a claustrophobic tour. nice job

[Bedhead]

Brilliantly observed, as ever!

[bobdreamz]

what a chaotic yet exciting city! Thanks for the pics.

[Nightsky]

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5277/5879625578_523ea3ebb2_o.jpg
What happened to this building? Was it damaged during the last "civil war"?

Bangkok seems to be a great city, exciting and colorful, a shame that it got damaged during the civil war, and now the flooding...:(

But great pics!:)

[-AX-]

The construction of this five star hotel was stopped circa 1997 when a financial crisis hit Asia, and developpers didn't have enough money to finish several projects (even those like this one that were almost finished!) There are a couple of half-built skyscrapers in Bangkok, but this one is the most notorious!

[General Electric]

good job! want to go to Bangkok!