The title means "hello" in Thai. I chose this name because the hospitality of the Thai people, expressed through their greetings, stood out to me. This collection of photos feels more scattered and less deliberate, as I did not curate a theme going into Thailand. Hence, I am using this space to summarize what I've discovered. 

 

During a 17 km biking tour, I witnessed the starkly different living conditions beyond where I stayed in Phuket. Almost all the houses I passed by did not utilize conventional construction materials. They depended on corrugated metal sheets for roofing; the walls seemed to consist of repurposed materials, such as wood planks. While I was aware of wealth inequality's prevalence, I had never seen such a profound lifestyle gap within proximity. 

 

At the labyrinthine Sampeng Market, I was overstimulated by the bulk of stuff every store carried. The goods represented a tangible measure of consumerism, which I had never visualized so vividly. Cheap goods virtually concealed every wall, with multiple walls making up one store. Hundreds of stores are established within Sampeng Market, just one of Thailand's hundreds of markets. Thailand produces almost one-seventh of the U.S.'s annual plastic waste, and the U.S. is only one of 195 countries in the world. What I mean is that the human footprint is too vast to calculate mentally, highlighting the severity of climate change—a reality I admittedly overlook while resorting to rhetoric that individuals are powerless

 

During my long airport layovers, I couldn't help but wonder how many of the old white men sitting across from me were traveling to Thailand to partake in sex tourism. Many women enter the sex industry as it can be a stable source of income, and foreigners are happy to spend their money to fulfill their sexual needs. While it may seem like a win-win situation, and one could argue that foreigners help sustain Thailand's economy, I believe it also traps women in limited job opportunities. But who is at fault? Is it the government for failing to enforce the illegality of prostitution? Or is it the foreigners for perpetuating the continuation of this practice?