And it is over... 10 days of visiting the city of Bangkok, learning about the Thai fashion industry, and marvelling the city of Bangkok; over in a blink of an eye.
Our schedule reflected the country well; busy, unorganised, and fast-paced. Yet at the same time there was an organised intention and a lot of learning to be had. Bangkok, like our schedule was organised chaos.
The city was never-ending, you could spend all day choosing to watch the city either by following the numerous horizontal wires or gazing up at over-towering buildings.
You see snippets of modernism in amongst such ruin; it is a city filled with people that treasure their history, respect their past, and revel in their traditions.
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Thailand, Bangkok is a night life city but not so much in terms of staying up all night and getting hammered in all kinds of ways. It is a city that comes alive at night. From shining lights to whizzing people and it is quite beautiful.
I'll be honest the amount of smells your nose inhales as you walk down the streets of Bangkok is overpowering and at times gag-worthy. Seafood, bugs, and scorpions seem to be on the menu everywhere however with a British pallet and an inability to embrace such delicacy, I often indulged in guilty pleasures like pizza, McDonald's, and Starbucks.
Yet one thing the Thai and I can agree is on is an adoration for sugar. They seem to have no issues with the health risks of sugar; their sachets match my large tea spoons and I would be lying if I said that my handbag wasn't full of many sachets ready to take with me on the plane to spruce up the bitter tea's coming my way.
The Thai culture is ever so evident at the Temples. The care, the respect, and the love at these sacred places is so apparent and infectious it is some-what humbling. The buildings, the architecture, they’re beautiful to look at; mesmerising and mind-blowing. The amount of sparkle surrounding the Buddah’s is any girls dream; inspiration to me is what this experience has become.
The elephants were A M A Z I N G! What beautiful creatures they’re and while I DO NOT condone the abuse of animals, and I am so sorry to the elephant that I rode, you were magnificent! Your ‘driver’ genuinely cared for you. You had the freedom, within boundaries, to go as you pleased. You took us to the very edge of the river where you ate leaves off a tree, and then you strolled lesuirely through another river to cool down. To be able to sit on top of you as you strolled through the field was truly wonderful and an experience I am so grateful to have had. Elephant; you were my most memorable moment, and I shall cherish it forever.
Our trip in Bangkok, although short, has been memorable and that is thanks to the amazing Thai students and lecturers that we had, basically, touring us around the city. The Thai seem to be lovely people in general but this particular group are amazing. They're friendly, patient, and ever so kind, with hearts of gold; thinking of all the little things. Perhaps I am a little bias, but when you go to a country that you have never been to before, that speaks an entirely different language, you really do appreciate the small things.
It's humorous to see that girls gossiping and giggling, and boys being the topic of conversation is universal across cultures; we have had many gossip sessions and giggles, as well as a few dance parties on the bus! These beautiful people made our trip, there is no doubt about it.
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Busy Bangkok, you were truly memorable as a city and as my first independent trip. It wasn't all just fun and games in this big city, Bangkok has provided me with many learning opportunities and has given me a new outlook on fashion which I will explain in another blog post but for now...
Thailand, Bangkok, you have my admiration as a big, busy city.