Back again in BKK

Without fail, everyone we talk to seems to be less than impressed with Bangkok.  When we explain that we are flying into Thailand and staying in the city for a week their faces go sour and their response is usually "really?" or "why?".  Most people warn us that a few days in Bangkok is enough and in many ways, we can understand why this city would not be high on everyone's list.  The streets smell of a mixture of fish sauce, urine, dirt, and exhaust.  Most of the structures/buildings are rundown (or beginning to fall down).  The power lines are a spiderweb of low hanging wires that obstruct any potentially appealing views.  Prices vary by day, time, mood, skin color, etc.  When asking for directions, one is bound to have one person point to the left and another person point to the right regarding the same location; third and fourth opinions are a good idea.

All that being said, we love this city.  Bangkok is a place where we can buy bags of chopped pineapple, papaya, dragon fruit and durian for $1.  It's a city where the street food is better (and significantly cheaper) than most restaurants.  Where the mystery meats look and smell so mouth-watering while roasting on their bbqs that you disregard the fact that it could be rat or dog, and order up anyways.  It's a culture of people that will take 20 minutes out of their day to walk us from the BTS (skytrain) to the "small bus" to make sure that we don't get lost.  It's a place where we can pay 7 THB ($0.25 USD) to catch a ride on a "small bus" which is actually the back of a pick-up truck with monkey bars on the sides for safety to take us to our destination.  

Maybe the reason we love the city so much is because we stay outside of the bustling city center and therefore, get a more authentic Thai experience.  Maybe it's because we love Thai food and massages.  Regardless, underneath the somewhat unsightly and seedy exterior of this city we've found some things that we absolutely love and that entertain us to no end.