wayne

To Kerry/Randy/whoever, NOT you again Eric, you bigot, appearing under another guise!Get a life!

jorge

kerry ... please poste where else you have been <BR><BR><BR>... your obvioulsy a rookie travaler...<BR><BR>for one you believe all those glossy brouchures.. hey here a tip for you when a panflet says ocean view. all it means is tha you can physically see the water even if you have too poke your head out of the balcany an look way too your right..<BR><BR>Hell I actually thank fellow Americans like Kerry.. when ever im travaling and I mention I'm american and hang out with the locals they usually say I I have a good heart, since I don't act like the typical american tourist .. thanks again.

Lisa

Yes, Bangkok is very polluted and humid, I agree. But we still LOVE Thailand, the temples, the friendly people. Don't stay more than a three nights in Bangkok, go to the southern part of Thailand, to Phuket and the small islands in Southern Thailand like Phi Phi island, Ko Phan Ngan(spelling?)...etc, gorgeous, gorgeous beaches!!! The food in Thailand is the best! From Phuket, take the boat to to Phang Nga, the most gorgeous sight (similiar to Vietnam's Ha Long bay)...

Marilyn

Kerry, do you think people choose to live "like that?" Most of the world is poor, especially compared with middle-class America. If you want to better understand it, perhaps you should shift your studies to global economics. <BR><BR>I consider Thailand to be a "2nd world" country. There are many places where people are far worse off. What I find amazing and inspiring is the friendliness and lack of resentment I have usually encountered in some of the poorest places.

HKTraveler

Kerry, you need serious help as a traveller. It is so sad to see well-fed americans like you looking down upon poverty stricken countries like Thailand. Ever heard of the term developping countries? There is a reason why Thailand is called a developping country. And Thailand is miles better than places like Nepal. As appalling as the living conditions maybe, Thailand is still a beautiful country. Since you don't seem to be someone who enjoy travelling, why don't u just stay home and make that vacation of yours a trip down to the local Safeway?

Daniel

I'm looking forward to my first trip out of the US this October. I hope I can learn something and grow a little, and see the world with different eyes. Is it possible to escape american influence for a while? or is it rampant in Thailand as well. It's to bad that kerry didn't take the opportunity to make her trip a good one. Oh well, for some the glass is half empty.

wayne

Kerry FYI Thailand is not one of the poorest countries in Asia. In fact it is very middle class. If you wanna see poor, try certain parts of India, Bagladesh,Mongolia, some parts of Indonesia. Bangkok would seem like a developed country compared to those places.But you wouldn't know poverty from up your ivory tower.

Jerry

Kerry, the orginal poster, had the guts to tell us what Thailand was really like and she was attacked. How many of you work for the tourist promotion department?

Torrey

I would guess NONE! I have just had a fabulous time in Thailand for 2 weeks and cannot wait to get back!

Marilyn

Sorry, Jerry, but I don't think Kerry told us &quot;what Thailand was really like&quot;. I think she told us her impressions of it, largely negative. Most places you go in the world do have their negative side. <BR><BR>You can visit San Francisco and say it's the pits because the weather is usually chilly and foggy and there are a lot of homeless people. (&quot;How can they live like that?&quot<BR><BR>You can visit Italy and say it's the pits because there are so many tourists and people drive like maniacs on the freeways. (&quot;How can they live like that?&quot<BR><BR>You can visit a beautiful country like Thailand, with its magnificent landscape and beaches (have you ever seen the clearcutting in northern California?), its fabulous food, and its wonderfully friendly people, and focus only on the pollution in Bangkok and the poverty.<BR><BR>There is poverty literally everywhere in the world, and pollution in much of it. It may be better hidden from you in a place like Paris or Rome, but it exists nonetheless. If you do not want to come in contact with that on your vacation, stick to resorts that will insulate you from the real world.

Jill

Thanks Kerry for helping us look past the hype and tourist lobby to see the real Thailand. To me Thailand was nothing but a mass of sprawling shantytowns, tin roofed huts and terrible smog. Oh do not forget the water pollution and general poverty.<BR><BR>What is nice about Thailand, it is cheap.

Janice Ross

Jill, can you tell us the names of the places that you visited in Thailand and the routes that you took? We went to Thailand and obviously missed these places but would indeed like to see them on our next trip, so DO let us know exactly where you went, perhaps you can also let us know the hotels you stayed in. I am concerned that obviously WE did not see the same country as you did and are upset that we did not manage to see everything Thailand has to offer.

bob

at first your coments made me mad, as i yearn to return to thailand each and every time i get back to boston....<BR>after thinking about it i then decided that i felt sorry for you....poor thing has never been anywhere....sure we have a fabulous country but it is artificial in many ways....look at the rest of the world....you obviously have had limited travel experiences.....

bob

at first your coments made me mad, as i yearn to return to thailand each and every time i get back to boston....<BR>after thinking about it i then decided that i felt sorry for you....poor thing has never been anywhere....sure we have a fabulous country but it is artificial in many ways....look at the rest of the world....you obviously have had limited travel experiences.....HOW MANY SAD LOOKING PEOPLE DID YOU SEE...you should go to myanmar or cambodia where things are 1000 times worse than in thailand...

Jill

I have traveled all over Thailand, including Bangkok, Chaing Mai and Phuket. Lots of shanty towns and con men, lots of fake embarrassed smiles. Thailand is one of 45 different countries I have visited and still feel the country is overrated as a tourist attraction. I much preferred Singapore and Hong Kong!

Sarah Rey

Jill, looks to me like you have picked some place names off a map! Ok, so where did you stay in Chiang Mai and Phuket. Where is the shanty town on Phuket?

Ted

Phuket City is mostly a shantytown with tin roofed buildings. Really the only place in Thailand that is not a shantytown is certain parts of Bangkok.<BR><BR>I challenge anyone to find well constructed buildings in any town in Thailand, outside of Bangkok, not for the tourist. Every building is a tin roofed dump! Get real people!

Dan K

Part of my house in Hawaii is covered with tin base roofing materials and a lot of my neighbors has the same kind of roof. Does this mean that I'm living in a shanty town?<BR><BR>You people are crazy!

Kevin

Ted you need to use the dictionary a little bit more since you clearly don't know what shantytown mean or refer to.<BR><BR>PS. Thailand is one of the largest exporter of tin in the world and most of that comes from the south of Thailand. Does it surprise you that the main roofing material is made from tin?

Eric

Any one with a brain knows what the people that describe the majority of buildings in Thailand as a shantytown are right. Buildings are poorly built, tacky looking and ugly, unless it is for the western tourist.