Live from Bangkok

So I am currently in Bangkok on business. Its a huge change from Botswana. There are more people in a 10 block circle from my hotel there there are in the entire country of Botswana. Lots of smog, smoke, and cars.

Forget about crossing the street. You have to use a walkway over the street or you can wait till the cows come home to cross.

I have been out and around the city when I am not working as much as possible. There are a lot of different things to do, see, and eat. You name it, and well you can find it here. Sure there is a sex industry, but from what I have seen and heard Times Square used to be a lot worse. Talking to some of the older guys who have lived here 10-20 years ago, the city has really cleaned up a lot.

Tourism is everything to the country, and they (the government) tries to do everything to protect it. I think they are doing a good job of it so far.

I have seen a lot of temples, historic sites, and done some shopping. Things are not as cheap as I had suspected them to be. You can get a tailored shirt for $20-$25 USD, but I usually get mine for $15 untailored so its not worth it to me. You can buy tailored shoes for $50 USD (Eat your heart out Marcus Bragg, and your tailored Itialian shoes), and a good suit tailored to you will go for $150 and up.

I rented a cab the other day for 4 hours and felt like the rich American who was driven everywhere. In the end it was 300 Baht or about 8-10 USD. It just depends on how you do it if you want to live the cheap life. On the other hand I went out with a friend to the top of the State Plaza building and we spend 1000 Baht ( $27) for 2 drinks!!!! But the views were well worth it!