The Two Faces of Bangkok

Now that our stay in Bangkok has come to an end I feel that I can express my opinion freely. I've been asked many times by those hosting us and helping us in Bangkok, "So, how do you like Thailand?" I had to lie so as not to offend. I did not enjoy the city of Bangkok at all. In the heart of the city, where we were staying, I saw so much filth and deprivation that it was impossible for me to overlook. A positive thing I can say is that there is great diversity. I met people from Conga, Sri Lanka, Australia, the UK, Japan, the US and Canada, for starters. Although the dominant religion is Buddhism, it was obvious to me that there were many who were Hindi, Muslim and Christian, as well. I admire the beautiful Buddhist temples which were built with such magnificent Thai craftsmanship and maintained with such great care, but was saddened by the sight of such obvious poverty and property neglect. After being in Singapore, where image is everything, it is hard to be in Bangkok where garbage and rubble and refuse is the norm. As we were transported throughout the city, we passed alley after alleyway lined with rows of tin shacks, making trailer parks look like Beverly Hills. We were fortunate to be staying in the Marriott hotel, where the conscientious staff knew our names and our preferences and treated us with such great kindness and respect. When we went out walking along the city streets we saw many people missing hands or legs or fingers, most of them begging for a few Baht. I watched from the taxi window this young girl of, maybe, five years, sitting cross-legged against a wall, fidgeting with a piece of plastic for a plaything, glancing towards a beggar woman thirty feet away, whom I guessed was her mother. It made my heart ache to realize that this beautiful girl will never know anything other than life on the street.
It made me sad, sad and grateful, grateful for my neat little house and a clean, safe neighborhood. I am truly blessed.