Dear Bangkok,

     Bangkok, I don't understand you. The sun relentlessley beats down upon you but within minutes, the sky opens to pouring rain only to return to its prior state just as rapidly. You embrace materialism at the utmost of luxary even when the most decrepid and crumbling existences are within sight. Today, I even saw a roach eating a roach. Every imaginable mode of transportation – and I mean everything spanning automobiles, scooters donning two or even three people, and bicycles to old lady-propelled all-inclusive cooking stations, tuk-tuks, and open-topped flatbed work trucks loaded with so many people one has to wonder how the stationary vehicle ever initially broke inertia – floods the streets like salmon in an Alaskan stream during the spawn. And it never slacks, there is no down time, nor are there rules. Bangkok defies the common logic that works in other cities where taking a taxi is a quick, efficient way to get directly to one's destination. No, not here. That pathetic little salmon stands no chance of swimming up, down, left, or right in hopes of getting to any destination in a timely fashion. Save yourself the stress and just take the BTS Sky Train; a monorail that runs on an elevated track through the city. In typical Thai fashion, it doesn't go near the major tourist attractions though. Be prepared to walk.

     I'm not done yet. Your written language. What? How? I'd like to optimistically think that I'll grasp some aspect of it in the future, but I probably won't. During my time in Korea, I came to the realization that stylizing the alphabet makes it incredibly difficult to learn. We take it for granted because it's something we're so familiar with but there are an infinite number of fonts, even some with or sans serif. When you're forced to diligently study each mark in hopes of learning the skill that is basic communication, you'll understand what I mean.

     Your currency. To put this in perspective, $1 roughly equals 34 Thai Baht. Conversely, 1 Thai Baht is $0.028. That's essentially nothing. Pointless, right? Well confusingly enough, there exists the Satang. There are 100 Satang in 1 Baht. They actually mint 25 Satang coins. During my short time here I haven't studied the status of the economy but I can offer a suggestion that'll help no matter what it is. Stop creating currency that is valued at less than the metal it is made from! That doesn't even take into consideration the workers' salary or the cost of powering the machinery either.

     Finally, your men – specifically lady boys (do NOT perform a Google search for this at work!). I haven't been here nearly long enough to delve into this counter-culture yet, but more on this to come in due time.