bangkok {a review}

There you have it, a complete recap of our first week in Bangkok (never mind the fact that we’ve been here over five weeks now). And just to wrap things up, here’s a personal review on the Thai capitol:

Bangkok was the perfect place to acclimate ourselves to Thai life considering there are similarities between Bangkok and major American cities. Of course, there are many differences as well… Families of four don’t commonly ride helmet-less on the same motorbike in Chicago. Hot dog stands in NYC lack variety and taste compared to the countless street vendors here. Finally, I can’t imagine that DC residents would stop what they were doing twice a day, at 8am and 6pm, everyday to sing the National Anthem. It’s moments and experiences like these why I found Bangkok an inviting and exciting new place.

Still there are some downsides: it’s overcrowded, hectic, and polluted. Crossing the street was a deathtrap waiting to happen, the BTS was uncomfortably congested, and certain city smells could make your stomach flip.

In the end, I wouldn’t want to live in Bangkok but I genuinely enjoyed being a tourist.