<\/p>\n

Oh, Bangkok. What will we ever do with you? Some love it, some hate it, some have both feelings towards it — often at the same time. It grabs travelers for indefinite amounts of time\u00a0when they were\u00a0simply passing through.\u00a0It’s conflicted, it’s beautiful, it’s Bangkok, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.\u00a0The complex culture and contradictions pose some obstacles for the millions\u00a0who travel there, so when I found\u00a0a post on some tips to Thailand,\u00a0over at\u00a0thrillingheroics<\/a>, I took notice.\u00a0 It’s written by an expat, self described as being “marooned” there:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a\u00a0 developed metropolis in the middle of the developing world where ancient tradition meets cutting edge technology. Bald-headed, orange-robed Buddhist monks wander the streets toting the latest iPhones; gray-haired Alabama exports sport handlebar mustaches and transgendered girlfriends.\u00a0 You will see the Old juxtaposed with the New, the East juxtaposed with the West. Thailand feels a bit like the Wild West meets The Fifth Element<\/em>. I came to Thailand in 2008 after a bad breakup (two actually), quitting my office job, and many months of stagnation and boredom with my suburban existence in the States. I wanted to live for a year abroad, somewhere as different as I could possibly find. I wanted to create a location-independent\u00a0\u00a0lifestyle, free up more time to read, learn, travel, and work on personal projects, test my self-reliance, expand my understanding of other cultures, and of course lounge on the beach.<\/p>\n

I can remember having\u00a0a ridiculous amount of\u00a0questions\u00a0before I boarded\u00a0my first\u00a0plane to Asia.\u00a0Luckily, this post covers a wide range of topics that may trip up a first timer. It’s loaded with tips, from when to go (Oct. to Apr. to avoid the monsoon season), which cheap airlines to use (AirAsia,\u00a0Tiger, and Nok Air…\u00a0avoid Jetstar), to the\u00a0legendary Thai food (go street stall), and the numerous scams you should be aware of (NEVER get in a taxi that doesn\u2019t have the meter on).<\/p>\n

Despite\u00a0all the intimidating\u00a0madness, riots, and scams, the author’s voice never turned negative (which could have happened).\u00a0I mean, how often have you seen monks standing on the same street corner as prostitutes? In fact, the craziness may just be what us travelers have come to expect, what we want, and what we need to discover by traveling there.<\/p>\n

“Bangkok almost feels like it\u2019s experiencing a bit of a renaissance right now \u2014 there are a lot of creeps in this town, but there are also innumerable creative types out here trying to make the world a better place.”<\/p>\n

Perhaps\u00a0Bangkok may have\u00a0it figured out more than we will ever know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oh, Bangkok. What will we ever do with you? Some love it, some hate it, some have both feelings towards it — often at the same time. It grabs travelers for indefinite amounts of time\u00a0when they were\u00a0simply passing through.\u00a0It’s conflicted, it’s beautiful, it’s Bangkok, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.\u00a0The complex culture and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1,2576,2562,2572,2564],"tags":[599,131,178],"yoast_head":"\n