ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK AND THE WORLD'S YOUR OYSTER...
One night in Bangkok
“One night in Bangkok makes a hard man
humble,” sang Murray Head for the musical Chess in an iconic track that sums
up, pithily and unapologetically, everything that represents the capital of
Thailand. Made of equal parts spirituality and sleaze, commoditization and
nirvana, Bangkok continues to hold tourists in thrall.
Home to over 9 million people, Thailand's capital is both one of the most
popular tourist destinations in Southeast Asia and a wannabe metropolis with
one of Asia's widest rich-poor disparities. The chaotic and vibrant city is a
mishmash of dizzying skyscrapers and colossal shopping malls jammed up
against residential apartment buildings and homes. Crowded streets bustle
with sidewalk vendors and motorbikes, and 7.5 million registered cars
overwhelm roads designed for just 1.4 million.
Just an air-hop from Bangkok, famous among other things for its intriguing Magic
Tattoo Festival (see slideshow: Incredible Ink) are the floating markets (see
slideshow: Footloose in Thailand's Floating Markets) and beach resorts (see
slideshow: Hale and hearty in Thailand's resort islands), but the capital
alone has its charms, its draws, its temptations and its traps. Not much to
choose between despair and ecstasy, as some might say, quoting the song
written by Swedish lyricist Anders Glenmark.
And, yes, you can't be too careful with your company.
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