All the videos you see of the beautiful beaches and endless horizons cover up the real Thailand. I started my journey in Bangkok where there are towering skyscrapers shadow over the dilapidated shacks of abused and disgruntled people who struggle to make a few dollars a day. Every inch of the city has video cameras that watch every single move. Being a foreigner means your a giant dollar sign, everyone is trying to rip you off your not going to get mugged but they prey on your ignorance. Every restaurant has an alley where the dishes are washed in buckets of filthy water then sent back into the restaurant that serves watered down food that would make Gordan Ramsay shut them down. Not too mention the influx of rats that roam through all these restaurants. The after hours are even worse the streets are littered with prostitutes any poison whom desires is there russian, african, thai, ladyboys that are indistinguishable. There are no health codes however the hospitals are cheap. Do not mistake my distaste the cities Grand Palace is stunning and the array of temples are ones that could not be replicated, but the people ruin the experience. When walking through you have to hold your pockets to avoid being pick-pocketed. Then when you leave to ride in a tuktuk they start at ridiculous prices and you have to negotiate them down then they take you to tailor shops and jewelry stores even though you told them specifically where you want to go. I went to the southern most point in Koh Lipe and you arrive on this beautiful white sand beach with crystal clear water with amazing ocean front resorts but behind all this are people who live in shacks behind the walls. When you walk at night there are packs of stray dogs that will bite you if you come to close. The worst part is when you get scammed you cannot say anything all they have to do is call the police and say you disrespected the king and you will be thrown in jail. They burn their own trash because they do not have any proper dumps or recycled plants yet they think leaving a light is bad for the environment. Im not writing this to deter people from traveling to Thailand the country is beautiful however a majority of the people are not and will take you for anything they can.
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From @flico