I heart Bangkok

I've met plenty of people who say they don't stay very long, or don't like Bangkok. However, after a recent visit, now my third, I'm completely in love with the city. It's hustle & bustle, it's food, it's vibrancy all make for something which excites me. It's a city with many personalities, the obvious example is the difference between day and night.

Day time has all the activity and buzz of any modern city, but on a more grand scale. The traffic is intense and I don't envy anyone driving around the city by car, but the amount of exciting things to be found on foot makes this the most fun way to explore. Then hopping on the skytrain to discover a new area to walk around, or jumping on one of the local buses. They have some really cool old fashioned buses with wooden bench seats, and no fans or air con. So all the windows are open and you just hang your head out watching their hectic world go by. Plus if you can work out which bus you need they cost next to nothing.

Pretty much all over Bangkok streets are lined with vendors selling anything and everything, including delicious food and drink for next to nothing by comparison to English prices. You can pick up bowls of noodle soup, spring rolls, pad thai, rice and mango, fresh fruit shakes... The list is endless. Unlike at home where anyone selling off a cart or out the back of a "rat van" wouldn't be trusted, here so many people survive eating and making livelihoods from the street food it's just part and parcel of the life there. Plus from my experience it's all pretty tasty, and in general agrees with my belly(!)

Night time a new lease of life is injected, which for me is even more exciting. The neon lights everywhere give you that Asian night time feel and areas dead in the day come to life. Places like the Khao San Road and the (in)famous Patpong night Market pop up with stalls where you can buy anything. Seriously anything! Cross bow, tazer, fireworks, fried scorpions, sex, drag show, fake student cards, degree certificates, watches, tailored suits... They have it all. Bars and clubs everywhere mean there is plenty of fun to be had as well, especially with most of the bars having live music. Normally a backing band with one male and one female singer playing popular songs in what can only be described as a karaoke style. They're pretty hit or miss but always hilarious - especially some of the lyrics!!

The city itself also has a huge difference in terms of affluence to poverty. Looking for a Playaaa time, Bangkok has it all. Huge shopping centres like the paragon in Siam square have all the luxury shops and more, then even have car showrooms on the 7th floor for Audi, Maserati etc. Want to go for a cocktail or a meal at a luxury hotel? There are plenty. We popped for a drink at the Lebua hotels sky bar where they filmed part of the hangover 2. And whilst hellishly expensive (£37 for 2 cocktails and a beer) it had amazing views of the city, making you appreciate how vast it is and the free honey roast cashew nuts were pretty badass too.

However it's not all lavish, there are areas of Bangkok that are extremely poor and many of the locals are reliant on the tourism to make ends meat. Whilst many people don't like the constant harassment from people hawking anything from tshirts to tuk-tuk rides, you get used to it and have to appreciate that all the people in this city have to make a living somehow.

Lastly there is plenty to see culturally, as Thai culture is still deeply embedded into Bangkok regardless of the size of the place. From vast temples and buddhist monuments to standing up in the cinema for the national anthem, the cultural experiences are vast. With such huge differences from Europe its amazing fun simply wondering round all the different sites.

Its definitely somewhere I'd recommend to anyone and somewhere I'm already looking forward to visiting again.