Thailand

Thailand was definitely a visit that I was fortunate to have made, as it was both comforting and strange. It was comforting that it reminded me a great deal of India, which is entirely understandable. It was strange as it was filled with international tourists. Being used to the random spotting of gaijin (foreigners) in Japan, it was a bit overwhelming seeing so many farang (foreigners) in Thailand. In addition to that, the temples were quite glitzy, highly in contrast to the subdued beauty of Japanese temples. There was also that certain emptiness that pervaded all of the city: the emptiness of mass tourism and commodification, coupled with the obvious emptiness that comes from the popularity of the sex industry (which makes two times as much annual income as the Thai government).

Thailand definitely has an in-your-face type appeal.

We started out at the Sirocco, a restaurant on the 64th floor of the State Tower, with no railings but a spectacular view.

We started out the second day with a bike trip through the Bangkok Countryside, which I felt was a great way to see a part of Thailand that we would not have been able to see otherwise.

One of the bike trip stops landed us up at this temple in the countryside, which was a rendition of heaven and hell reminiscent of an abandoned carnival. You had to climb up many narrow steps in the building in the background of the picture to achieve heaven, but when you arrived at the temple grounds you were already in hell, and it only took three steps down to be fully inside of hell, which is a place where coin-operated torture reenactments are prevalent. Please note the graphic representation of birds eating the humans in the foreground.

We took a boat down the river after the biking.

This is a picture of a Buddha that was encased in concrete so that it could be transported without fear of theft. Years later, after the secret was forgotten, the concrete accidentally started falling off and the magnificent Buddha underneath was revealed.

The Grand Palace

The glitzy Grand Palace glistened in the sun.

The Reclining Buddha was one of my favorite stops - he really looked quite at peace.

At Soi Cowboy, one of the original red light districts.

Midnight snack.

Bike trip number two - through the Bangkok Jungle.

Muay Thai fighting is a type of kickboxing that is the national sport of Thailand. It is considered one of the world's toughest combat forms because it involves no pads and is marked by blows struck with the knees and elbows - punches are considered the weakest blows.

We ended our trip in Pattaya, just relaxing on the beach.