If any part of Bangkok seemed the most like the desperately dark and crowded Los Angeles of Blade Runner, this is it. The rain, the crowds, the shops, the neon lights flickering over head -- I kept expecting a blimp to pass by reading "A new life awaits you in the off-world colonies...". You push your way through the endless night market of cheap knock-off Rolex watches, t-shirts, luggage, and, yes, the sex district that has gotten Bangkok infamous. The streets are perpetually overloaded, teeming with the multitudes sweating under the heat and humidity, each looking for a deal, a bargain or a con.

Over head looms the foundation of Bangkok's latest attempt at mass transit, an elevated railway. It's one of many huge public works projects, undertaken to cut through the traffic choking the city. But it has turned into yet another boondoggle, merely a way to spend big money with little hope of real progress. The great con above through a long shadow, inspiring the many cons on the street below.

Patpong grew out of the Vietnam war, when American soldiers would drop into town for a little R&R. Patpong, the area between Silom and Surawong roads, is populated by cafes, street vendors and go-go bars, with the prostitutes aggressively soliciting any male westerners who dare pass by. Given the high incidence of AIDS and other STDs, almost 90% in according to some, it is surprising how many take them up on it.

Yet, for all its faults, Patpong is not as sleazy as it sounds, and you will find the open air market as populated by women and couples as by farangs looking for a good time. And where else can you buy roasted squid after midnight?