Hello Bangkok!

Bangkok is a city unlike any I have ever experienced or even imagined. The heat, the people, the air pollution, the endless cars and scooters and buses, the markets, the presence of American culture(however faint), the tangled power lines, the vendors and the animals--all things that have jumped out at me since being here.

First off, I have never been so hot in my entire life.

The World Meteorological Organisation says:

Bangkok, Thailand is the world's hottest city. Other cities like Rio may reach higher temperatures but Bangkok rarely cools down, tending to remain largely above 30 deg C from day to night, summer to winter.

Also, according to almost everything I have read, April is the hottest month to be here...lucky me right? I managed to get over the heat and get out for a walk this afternoon after getting into the coolest clothing I had: rolled up jeans and white T. It wasn't ideal, but it worked.

In addition to being the hottest city on Earth, it is also probably one of the most congested and polluted. The air is thick with car exhaust. Walking down the sidewalk feels as though you are walking through an endless cloud of exhaust. Add a little REAL humidity and you begin to feel as though it is about 10-15 degrees hotter than it actually is (93 degrees). 

The air is marginally better once you get off main streets but still, very bad. I now understand why so many Asians where face masks over their nose and mouth; they aren't paranoid, they are just smart. 

As mentioned before, the traffic here is intense. There are too many cars for the streets to hold and the lights are too long. Add that up and it spells one thing: congestion. It can take hours to move a mile during the peak rush hours of the day. 

Crossing the street is like playing dodge ball, with cars.

Even in the markets, men and women on scooters weave their way through the pedestrian walkways that are barely big enough for 2 people, let alone a scooter AND a person. Just today I witnessed a small child begin to wander into the path of an oncoming scooter only to have his head grabbed by his father--pulled back to safety just in time. The child reached for his mother, crying. As scary as the scene was, I got the feeling that it was an everyday thing; just part of growing up in Bangkok.

I walked over to Prakanong Market today. I had scene the entrance streets from the bus on my way in from the airport and decided it was worth further investigation. It was huge, street after street, alleys and passageways winding around the interior of some of Bangkok's busiest blocks. Fake Rolex watches, cell phones, insane stereo systems with more buttons and knobs than I had ever seen, clothing, vegetables, sweets, meat, LIVE fish, dead fish: all for sale. It was something; to walk along these stalls, browsing with the locals. All of this so new and interesting to me, to them: everyday activities.

Today I was introduced to a world I had never known before. A world I had only heard about from friends, from movies and TV. Every expectation and idea I had about what it was be like to actually BE HERE was shattered within 5 minutes of getting on that bus at the airport.

I have seen a tiny part of an enormous city. A tiny part of the world. 

My experiences have just begun.

PHOTOS HERE