After ten days in Bangkok in search of all the western comforts that we missed in the Cambodian village, we're sure that we couldn't have found a starker contrast if we'd tried. Bangkok was commercial, polluted and flooded with tourists from all over the globe. A world away from our already missed village; simple living, leafy green, peaceful, friendly and local.

Thai people are obviously far more used to foreigners than their Khmer neighbours, and we missed the enthusiastic smiles and greetings that we were used to in SB. The children seemed to have lost interest in practicing their 'hello/bye-byes' long ago. Despite this, we did our best to relax and enjoy this city of madness for all that it's worth. Moreover, the western influenced areas and cars driving on the left side of the road made us feel closer to home than we had in a while.

We travelled to Bangkok with Roni, one of the other volunteers from the village, on her way back to Israel. The bus dropped us off around an hour from the city centre and immediately a police officer searched us for drugs, in the middle of the busy street! Definitely not in Cambodia any more! Cleared of all charges, we eventually joined the busy traffic in a taxi on route to the city.

To really feel the contrast, we decided to stay in Banglamphu, now the central tourist area of Bangkok, close to the infamous Khao San Road. This is a place completely over-run by backpackers and schoolies. Khao San is apparently the only street in Bangkok to defy the government enforced midnight curfew, and at night is suffocated by seedy guys trying to drag you to a 'ping pong' show, or buy a cheap cocktail at a bar where the waitstaff wear 'we do not check IDs' t-shirts!

The other thing that Kao San Road is famous for is the large concentration of trans-gendered individuals. At least half of the waiters/waitresses and bar staff were obvious 'ladyboys', and we're sure that we passed many more with hidden secrets that were harder to spot... we started to doubt if any of the local women were actually born female! Curious about the unquestionable acceptance of ladyboys, we discovered something interesting. Apparently in Thai culture, if a family have more than three boys and no girls, the youngest boy is raised feminine and taught domestic duties, which surely would influence their life choices. After a few days, we also started to become less shocked and more accepting as it seemed such a natural part of the culture.

We tried to balance our time between enjoying the chaos of the backpacker district, and searching for a deeper understanding of the worlds of Thai consumerism, Buddhism and Muay Thai.

The girls satisfied their consumer cravings by exploring the huge Chatuchak weekend market. Things on offer included beautiful Thai (and non-Thai) craftsmanship, more deliciously local foods and even a range of exotic pets for sale, including (controversially) Australian feather gliders, Amazonian pythons and tiny little curious monkeys! After all the excitement we wound down the first day with a relaxing Thai foot massage.

Whilst sipping beers one night we were approached by a self-proclaimed movie caster, who needed a female 'Falang' (the Thai word for French, or general foreigner) as an extra for a film he was working on. It seemed a little bit suspect and we've travelled enough to know not to trust every stranger we meet, so we asked a few questions and checked his info with the cleaning staff at our hotel. Everything checked out well, so our worries and doubts were eased and we jumped into a waiting car the next morning to be taken to the studio...

The 'film' turned out to be a soap opera, being filmed for release later in the year, and starred one of the biggest Thai actresses around, Am Patcharapha. Aidan spent the day enjoying the charade whilst trying not to get in the way of the cameras and movie folk. Meanwhile, Jess was worked-over with a heavy layer of make-up and two cans of hairspray, then given a crash course on how to walk the catwalk by a very gay Thai and a Frenchman. It turned out the scene they were filming was a fashion show, and Jess was expected to wear six-inch high heals and act like a 'sexy tiger' down the red carpet! Talk about a contrast from the simple, unmaterialistic and fashion-void village in Cambodia! Some of the other catwalking extras were actually pretty down to earth and filled in the waiting times by teaching us the essentials in Thai language (along with the all the best curses). To top it all off, we were paid 1500 Baht for the day, which is always a good bonus for the unemployed backpacker!

In search of a bit more traditional culture, we visited the Grand Palace, which includes Wat Phra Kaew temple, and Wat Pho, featuring the giant reclining Buddha. The statue represents Buddha just before he passes into final nivarna, is 46m long and completely gold plated. Its magnificence was complimented by the amazingly rich, brightly coloured and bold architecture of the temples surrounding it.

Aidan is beginning to miss his Capoeira, so being in Bangkok, we decided the next best thing would be to go to a Muay Thai fight night. We managed to get ringside tickets for a reasonable price at Lumphini Stadium, and not knowing much about the sport, we were awestruck by the completeness of it. Although much more violent than Capoeira, Muay Thai places an equally strong emphasis on culture, tradition, respect and music. It was amazing to witness all this in a professional match. To top off the night, we had our photo taken with the victor of the feature fight!

To escape the chaotic city streets, and satisfy our curiousity, we decided to check out a meditation centre. The place we chose is run by volunteers in the centre of Bangkok, and completely funded by donations. We discussed the importance of meditation and its indirect relationship with Buddhism with a friendly old Thai retiree. After this we were given a crash course on two different meditation techniques and spent some time practicing them in the centre. The day was very enlightening and we began to appreciate just how difficult it is to turn ones mind off. Apparently by meditating regularly, monks can survive off only three hours sleep each night, and only two small meals a day. It seems that a bit of regular meditation would do wonders for our health, although we decided that we probably do enough mindless staring whilst bouncing up and down on old buses, or waiting for a train.

Ten days was probably a little bit too long to spend in Bangkok as a tourist, however it is definitely one of the most unique and interesting cities in the world. We are already looking forward to exploring more of Thailand, and Aidan is particularly keen on learning more about Muay Thai, but first we're off to the Philippines for our friends, Jason and Sam's, wedding!