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Quote:

Originally Posted by bexley (Post 6223043)

Story:

A friend and I are riding rented motorbikes (yea yea) in Thailand. There's no such thing as a traffic infraction, so he was a bit surprised when a cop on foot signalled him to pull over. I was ahead and got the story later.

The first thing out of the cop's mouth is an offer: "you looking for girl, boy, good time?". My friend says "no", he tries to market it a little more: "very young, nice" etc., etc..

My buddy gives him a firm "NO!", at which point the cop tells him that it's unfortunate, because he broke the law by driving the wrong way on a one-way road. "What are you talking about?" my friend replies.

The cop pulls out a piece of paper, draws an arrow on it and holds it up--"see, one way". My friend knows the drill and pulls out a piece of monetary paper. Story over.

Yep, Thai cops.

I've been here 7 months and I haven't seen anything like that. I tend to stay away from the touristy areas though. I really hated staying on Khao San. The cops are at their worst when they know people are stupid or drunk and have money.

And, honestly, I see so many westerners doing really stupid/horrible things here, I almost don't blame the cops for trying to take a little advantage of them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperVillain (Post 6217685)

Funny thing about Bangkok is that while the city itself is so packed, chaotic, dirty and smelly, there's a train system running right overhead that's clean, modern, orderly and somehow refreshing.

it's the air conditioning.....i always seemed to have trouble giving away my still valid day pass to people after i was done riding for the day.....like nobody every thought of the idea. or maybe it was just me.

Back in Chiang Mai after another 12 hr train ride. The trains weren't that bad. Mostly clean, the beds were comfortable and this one was marginally quieter due to the absence of drunk French tourists having a birthday.

I spent the majority of my time in the chinatown area, going between Khao San Rd and Siam Square. I didn't go far down Sukumvit or out to the further reaches of the city. I think that it is very different out there.

Stuff I'm already missing:
Food selection- specifically the existence of vegan resturants and falafel.

Predictable traffic- Yeah, they all drive crazy here, but for every taxi in bangkok, there are three motorbikes up here. And regardless of the driver, motorbikes move quicker and are harder to see. The only benefit is that motorbikes hurt a little less when they hit you.

Being able to bomb traffic- The greater ratio of cars to motorbikes in Bangkok meant that it was much easier to filter through traffic. Up here there are so many motorbikes that everything gets clogged up as soon as it slows down. I find myself waiting at lights simply because it's impossible for me to get to the front.

Having places to go- Chiang Mai is tiny and boring. I know that now.

Overall, it was a blast. I had as much fun riding there as I ever did in NYC or Philly, much more fun than Atlanta.

Big hint: Find thai's to show you around. Getting away from westerners was the key.

http://bp1.blogger.com/_vKikKpOB9CA/...0/DSC02734.jpg
The end of the first night at Democracy Monument.
Every time I look at this picture the Sesame Street song "one of these things is not like the others" keeps running through my head. More of these pics can be found on the BKK Fixed blog

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...icDaysmall.jpg
Traffic

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...lfBKKsmall.jpg
Me. I know you're thinking how amazingly photogenic I am. It's a gift.
And check my incredible tan line.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...Watersmall.jpg
Ball as the provider of water.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...lShopsmall.jpg
Ball in front of his sneaker/trend shop.

On my last day I saw an image that I hadn't seen in over half a year. Two fixie kids sliding away from me down the center of a four lane street. Ignoring heat and traffic the same. There's hope for this country yet.

Man! I wish I would have known about BKK fixed before my monthlong Thailand trip this past august.

Looks like a blast, I can't wait to get back to Thailand. I remember an awesome outdoor food court in Chiang Mai that had an amazing vegetarian stand, best deep fried tofu I've ever had.

I want a chang...

I don't think BKK fixed was around last August.

Do you remember where that food court was?

Not specifically, we were just wandering around an outdoor market and stumbled upon it.

I also found a good vegetarian booth at another outdoor food court in Pattaya, kind of had similar stuff, near the Alcazar theater. That's not exactly your neck of the woods though.

I'm too much of a help, I was either hungover/drunk or working on the research project we were there for.

I enjoyed my time in Thailand, especially Bangkok! For those complaining, if you don't like the city, you probably won't like most of SE Asia!

The traffic in Bangkok is hectic, but not suicidal. Having been in traffic in various regions of Thailand, China, and Vietnam, I'd say Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City is the scariest. I'm curious about Jakarta and Dhaka though.

Take lots of pics!