Quote: (10-13-2014 12:21 PM)Mike OBrien Wrote:
Have you seen Bangkok or only lower Sukhumit? The stuff you describe happens exactly there, in the shady Sukhumit district. It's a part of Bangkok, it's a part of Thailand, but it is not Thailand.
Well, it's a huge city so I have obviously only seen a fraction of it.
I went to various places around the city, the names I have long forgotten by now. But it is part of Thailand, as that type of shit happens in places like Pattaya and Phuket as well.
But that's not to say I think all of Thailand is like that, it isn't, but it grosses me out.
The fact that Thailand is one of the most common tourist destinations + sex tourist destinations in the world tarnishes a lot of its unique and interesting attributes that's all. And that is probably the number one reason I didn't like it.
In contrast, I really enjoyed Laos despite it being a significantly less developed country.
If I was to ever go back to SE Asia (not sure if I ever will...) I would explore countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, or Burma, where you can actually get away from that type of scene and enjoy the culture more for what it is.
Until then I'll just continue to enjoy my life in Latin America and North America, which I have come to get used to and love.