Thailand - the land of smiles, sales and bargains. SO much to see, hear, smell, touch and taste. You like, you buy. dont like? just walk on. (i was strangely out of place, being a head or 2 taller than everyone else, evident on the MRT)

Everywhere i went, it was like a pasar malam, just that it operated in the day with some vendors selling into the night. Street hawkers deep frying bananas and pork alongside entrepreneurs selling t-shirts, bags shoes and everything that you could think of (the thais really like brands). Pink, yellow and blue metered taxis zoomed past in the background; tuk tuk touts approaching tourists for business, their swanky new vehicles parked by the curb. Everything was on sale but even then, most prices could be reduced by half. The incessant chattering of bargaining and pleading was only drowned by the passing busker, singing in thai.

The food was plentiful and cheap. Not taking a fancy to the exotic tastes of the thais? Try japanese, chinese, italian and even fusion. Not interested in hawker fare? try the many food courts/halls and fast food joints that litter the streets and walkways. From the mish-mash of MBK to the classy chic of Siam Paragon(i couldnt really spend much there), bangkok had much to offer to everyone and anyone.

Just as i was lost in the bustling city of bangkok, a girl, barely 6, lay on the lap of her mother, tucked beneath the mother's dress. Her head was drawn backwards and a towel was draped across her forehead. The mother was rocking back and forth, trying to fan her child and seemingly crying to heaven at the same time. The pale iridiscence of the overhead signboard illuminated the anguished face of the mother and the lifeless face of the girl. I wondered why the woman was still there and not at a hospital and decided that it was not in my interest to take a photo. At the very next crossing just 2 paces ahead, a shiny black Lexus rolled past, oblivious to the dust and grime of the streets of bangkok...