The title means "hello" in Thai. I chose this name because the hospitality of the Thai people 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, and the walls seemed to consist of repurposed materials. While I was aware of the presence of wealth inequality across the globe, I had never seen such a stark difference in lifestyle within a close radius. It was not the same as seeing the juxtaposition between tents and corporate buildings in well-developed U.S. cities because people who inhabited these homes likely worked in the tourism sector. Unlike the U.S. homeless population, who are often ostracized by society, these Thai employees are arguably considered ordinary people–yet their living standards are evidently insufficient. Despite not knowing much about Thailand's private markets, I think it's jarring that a substantial amount of money is allocated to building and maintaining hotels, while the adjacent rural areas remain severely underdeveloped.  

 

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 hundreds of stores established within Sampeng Market, the hub of commerce is one of Thailand's markets. The point is that the human footprint is too vast to calculate mentally, highlighting the severity of climate change.

 

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 because it's a stable source of income, and foreigners are happy to spend 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 who perpetuate this practice?