Will Robb Photography

I’ve been lucky enough to spend a month or so in Thailand on two occasions. The first time I was 20 and it was my first taste of Asia. The second time I was 30 and I’d been living in Asia for 6 years. A lot changed in the 10 years between the two trips.

My first trip felt like how I’d imagined Asia would be, sweat dripped from every pore day and night in the stifling humidity. I went there with about 500 dollars to last me a month, so I stayed in the cheapest dives possible. Air-con was a luxury I couldn’t afford. The air felt thick and was filled with scent of spices, mixed with a heavy dose of pollution and the stench from the sewers. Cockroaches scurried on the floor of the restaurants I ate in, sometimes I even felt them run across the top of me as I slept. The people in the cities were really in your face, you couldn’t take 20 steps without being approached by a hooker or someone out to scam you. One day you’re speeding through Bangkok at in a tuk-tuk driven by a maniac who had been awake 3 days straight by constantly drinking potent energy drinks, then a couple of days later and a long bus journey later you could either be sitting alone on a beach with a view out to paradise, or trekking through the jungles and burning leeches off your legs and arms. Traveling alone I made new friends all the time. Sometimes you’d share a meal with a few people and part ways, other times you’d travel together for a few days together and even share rooms to cut down on costs. Until then, definitely the best experience of my life.

Ten years later things seemed to have calmed down a bit. Bangkok got modern, there was a sky train and an underground. I wasn’t so worried about budget, so I stayed in nice hotels, business suites, high tech gyms and massive swimming pools where I could dive in and escape the heat and the noise. The shacks I had stayed on in the island were now gone and replaced with luxury spas and resorts. I stayed in a few, pretty damn nice they were too. I wasn’t alone either, my girlfriend came along and it was nice to show her some of the places I had visited before. No more spending 12 hour bus journeys to get places for 15 dollars when we could fly in an hour for 150 dollars. The joys of not having to scrimp and save.

I think traveling with more cash makes for a more pleasant stay in terms of where you put your head down for a night, but then you miss out on the social aspect of the backpacker dives. Cutting out the cockroaches was good though. Travel for me isn’t so much about where I stay though, it’s about what you can see and what you can photograph. In that respect, things hadn’t changed a bit. The vibrant colours, the smiles on peoples faces, the gorgeous blue skies and the gold of the temples glistening in the sun, the tuk-tuks buzz through the streets, for a few dollars you can sit down with a feast of a meal and some excellent beers, then go check out a go-go bar, or a fight. It’s got a ultra modern side, a dark sleazier side, it buzzes with life and it’s in your face. You either love it or hate it. I really love it, it always has some new sight to offer up, always new places to explore and different people to meet. On my second visit, as well as retracing my steps from 10 years ago, I also spend a bit of time photographing the slum dwellers of Bangkok. I got in touch with some charity groups and they were kind enough to take me a few places and introduce me to people. Places well away from the metro stations, places the government doesn’t really want the tourists to go. I like these places, they stand in a stark contrast to the tourist sites. You’ve got to see it all to get an idea of what a country is really like. I feel that I still have a hell of a lot to see there though, I’ve barely scratched he surface. I’d love to get back some day.