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Other entries in Bangkok

Krazy Khaosan Road

Well I'm in Bangkok sweltering in the heat and humidity and after the cleanliness of New Zealand, this city is quite the shock. I had been told to expect the business and the cons and all that but nothing really prepares you for the full reality of it. The best are the tuk tuk drivers who very kindly offer to show you around some of the temples for a mere 20 or 30 baht, they will take you but they also take you to various tailors and jewellery stores where the owners give them vouchers for fuel. Actually if you're aware of whats going on which I was (thanks Justin) and you have some spare time then its not too bad and going to some of these jewellery stores is an experience in itself - who knew the demand for unbeleivably gaudy jewellery was so big!

I'm currently staying on the Khaosan road, a sort of Mecca for seemingly every tourist in Thailand, its an experience for sure but it gets old pretty quickly especially when you manage to lose your wallet with you visa card, drivers license and a few hundred baht. Still you get through it. So far I've been to many temples which are pretty cool but strangely populated wih not just monks but also thousands of the most mangy looking cats and dogs. Rat control perhaps.

The markets are also incredible places, even if you don't buy anything walking around them is an experience in itself - stall after stall seeling exactly the same thing. Talk about pure unbridled capitalism. The sheer volume of brand name knock off clothes, CD's and cheap electronics is truly amazing.

One of the best things I've done so far is visit Kanchanaburi where the infamous Bridge on the River Kwai is. Part of the original bridge still stands, the part that wasn't destroyed by allied bombing. The cemetary for the allied POWs was also incredibly moving..."There is a corner of a foreign feild that is forever England." Its an odd feeling standing there reading the names of young men my own age who went to war and never came home while people of my generation have never known that kind of hardship and privation and travel the world without a care in world.

Anyway, the reason I have been in Bangkok for so long is that I have been waiting for my visa for Burma, I get it today and tomorrow I head for Rangoon so I am very excited for that.

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