There are many reflections about Devcon7. I wrote this article on November 22nd but haven't edited it since then due to procrastination. Although I might be late to share this, I thought it would be fun to discuss some interesting things I discovered in Bangkok during Devcon7. This is a casual diary-style entry about things that happened when I first arrived in Thailand.

I arrived in Bangkok at around 6 AM, exactly one week before Devcon 7. One reason for my early arrival was to prepare for some side events, either related to my projects or initiatives I'm deeply connected with.

The weather here in Thailand reminds me of my hometown - one of the major cities in southern China. That said, I'm not very fond of humid, rainy, hot, and sticky weather. Fortunately, in Bangkok, most public areas like malls and restaurants have air conditioning, so it's not a problem when you're indoors.

This is my first time in Thailand. We chose the SRT railway to transport us between the airport and our hostel. On our way to the SRT railway station, we crossed a large pedestrian bridge. As soon as I stepped onto the bridge, officially outside the airport, I was struck by how wild this city is: Every vehicle on the main road seemed to be racing at top speed - cars, motorcycles, and Tuk-tuks (one of the most iconic sights on any Bangkok street, a three-wheeled vehicle typically modified with an incredibly powerful engine and distinctive noise) were competing with each other, creating tremendous engine noise. The vehicles under the bridge formed what looked like a raging river - rushing, roaring, and unstoppable. By then it was nearly 8 AM, and the sun was casting bright rays with intense heat through the air, while the river of vehicles reflected every slice of sunlight into my eyes... ouch.

The tunnel that connects the airport and the SRT, a perfect spot for enjoying the race from here

Luckily (or perhaps unluckily), we lost our way immediately after crossing the bridge. We took the train in the completely wrong direction. Well, at least we got a chance to see how this city operates from a peaceful, normal, non-tourist perspective: A large group of students took the train to school, their young and passionate faces greeting each other; some were playing games on their phones while remaining extremely quiet on the SRT (I'm not sure why - perhaps it's part of the culture?). We saw the areas between urban and rural Bangkok filled with forests and farming fields, where birds and squirrels occasionally jumped across the power lines. After a couple of hours of being lost, taking the wrong direction on the SRT railway, and climbing up and down stairs at the railway station just to find the right direction... we finally arrived at our hostel. I'm not complaining about the city or the trip though - it was actually quite fun.

One thing I should mention is that when I was booking a suit, we asked the shop owner about accepting Bitcoin, Ethereum, or stablecoins as payment methods, and we received a relatively positive response. He was already familiar with and had some knowledge about Bitcoin, stablecoins, and even Ethereum. However, official acceptance would need to consider Thailand's local laws and regulations. Details like payment security (to protect against potential hacks or social engineering attacks) and centralized backup support, such as having a Coinbase sales team available, would be really helpful when it comes to implementing real-life crypto payment solutions.

I might introduce more about Sukhumvit in the next post, or I might not - it depends on the vibes xd. If you enjoy reading my content, feel free to follow me. Thanks for reading this far, see ya :)

My First Glance at Bangkok