POWERHOUSE JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD (IN 80 DAYS) – BANGKOK

Week 4 (Day 21): BANGKOK (THAILAND)

unnamedOur Powerhouse Journey Around the World continues. We have now travelled 4,677 miles from Sydney to our new destination of Bangkok, Thailand.

Bangkok is the capital city and the most populated city of Thailand. It spans an area of 605.7 sq miles and has a population of over eight million.

Considering its size and very busy streets, Bangkok is a relatively safe city. However, with being such a largely populated place, it is not crime free and sometimes its possible to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Bangkok2As always, exercise caution and remember the Powerhouse Self-Defense rule of PROI: PREDICTION of misplaced situations, that is being aware of anything that appears out of context. RECOGNITION of potentially harmful behavior. OBSERVATION of your surroundings. Look for street signs and landmarks. Know exactly where you are at ALL times. INTUITION: Trust your gut and when in doubt, both feet out!

Though Bangkok is fairly safe, some biggest issues are theft and scams. Just like any busy city, you need to be aware of pickpockets, so be sure to carry a purse with a zipand hold it close to you. Never keep your wallet in your back pocket.

Bangkok3Bangkok receives a lot of tourists each year and is the reason for so many scams. Scammers are very skilled and mostly operate in the touristy areas, such as the LuckyBuddha Temple, Grand Palace and Siam Square. The Gem Scam is the most common, which has been operating for over 20 years. Bangkok has a network of ‘touts’ that convince tourists they can purchase gems at duty free prices and then be able to make a substantial profit by selling them overseas! The gems are then shipped to thetourists’ addresses, only for the tourist to discover that the jewelry is worth a lot less than they paid for.

Bangkok5The advice would be to think first and not make any rash decisions. Use your common sense!

2010 Bangkok Crime Statistics (According to the Metropolitan Police Bureau)

Murders: 183
Robbery: 265
Assaults: 3,694
TOTAL CRIME: 4,412

EMERGENCY SERVICES NUMBER: 191

BANGKOK FUN FACTS

1. Bangkok was ranked the best city in the world in 2008, according to Travel and Leisure Magazine.
2. Don Mueang International Airport has the tallest control tower in the world, measuring 434ft.
3. Bangkok is known as the ‘City of Angels’.
4. It is illegal to leave the house without underwear! You can be arrested and thrown into jail.
5. Bangkok is also known as the ‘Venice of the East’ because of its large number of canals.

Bangkok6OUR POWERHOUSE JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD CONTINUES. WHERE WILL WE BE NEXT WEEK?

Jennifer Riis-Poulsen is the Founder & CEO and also a 2nd degree black belt, who formed Powerhouse Self-Defense as a response to the ever-increasing statistics on emotional and physical attacks on females each year. She made reducing these statistics a mission and personal goal and has set out to develop a comprehensive, HOLISTIC personal safety and empowerment program focused on awareness and powerful techniques to build courage and confidence. For more information visit http://powerhouseselfdefense.com