not intent on arriving: Bangkok and...photos!

Hello from Khao San Road in Bangkok, the backpackers' mecca represented in "The Beach" (that movie with Leonardo). Shops, hostels, and street vendors line the street, which, even on the average weekday is packed with both travelers and locals. Bangkok is a very captivating place that finds an interesting balance between a booming tourist industry (I recently read that 11.5 million tourists visited Thailand last year), and a rich culture. This is a place where you can be surrounded by tourists from all over the world on one street, and on the next be lost among closely-packed traditional homes lining a small, slowly-flowing river, with not a foreigner in sight. You can choose to eat in Burger King and sip Starbucks coffee, or to indulge in traditional phad thai and Thai coffee (or, if you’re not hungry enough for a full meal, you can always munch on roasted grasshoppers, worms, and cockroaches that street vendors sell). Bangkok is overflowing with life and activity--there is constantly something going on, a new place or event to be discovered. And, with many bars and restaurants open 24 hours, this city truly never sleeps.

Being one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, I was expecting Bangkok to be heavily westernized, having lost much of its traditional nature to the demands and influences of an overwhelming tourist industry. While the negative consequences of the tourist industry here are glaringly clear and oftentimes hard to escape, the Bangkok I’ve found has been, for me, an incredibly positive and beautiful surprise. From the outstanding food that costs $2 a meal (to Al and the Callahans, every time I eat phad thai or tom kha gai soup I think about you guys—it’s indescribably good), to the intense muay thai boxing tournaments, the passion and intensity of Thai culture is apparent. My first evening here I took a “water taxi” along the river that flows through Bangkok, and as the boat splashed along I was in awe of the things we passed: the Buddhist temples on the river’s banks that literally sparkled, the multitudes of markets selling unknown delicacies and trinkets that would take days to navigate and become familiar with, and the brightly illuminated streets pulsing with life and activity. I felt almost lightheaded as I imagined all the things to be discovered and experienced in Bangkok, and how much time I could spend here exploring the city. Bangkok is raw, rough, and intense, but also beautiful and immensely captivating. It’s almost like a drug that can easily engulf you if you’re not careful.

Even after only a couple days, I have lots to say about Thailand. But instead of writing more, I'm going to take advantage of the fast connection I have to post a few pictures from Namibia. I plan to post more pictures from Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, and Thailand soon, but I have a muay thai boxing tournament I need to head to, so the other pictures will have to wait.

And now, a few unedited photos from Namibia:

They call this place “Giant’s Playground,” and for good reason. Not only are the rocks stacked like toy blocks, but the trees are like miniature trees.