By this I mean the overstimulation of the senses that happens while you are there.
My answer is probably Old Delhi. From the sheer population density, the near-constant honking, the utter chaos on the streets, the panoply of religions and ethnicities, the myriad scents and colours that pass you by as you travel down the narrow lanes, and not least the choking air pollution, it is certain to keep you on edge, not necessarily in a bad way.
Are there other cities that come close to, or even surpass, this?
I’m from NYC, and I found Bangkok pretty overwhelming at first.
I adore Bangkok, and I don’t think it was that bad at all.
Sure some streets were busy, but I feel like that’s the same everywhere where you have 5m+ people.
And all the little roads apart from the main roads to me felt pretty chill. Not even the skytrain was that busy.
Yeah it reminded me of Blade Runner, and not in a good way
Same Bangkok was a lot for me
Bangkok is tame compared to HCMC
Bangkok is downright pleasant if you stay next to a BTS stop.
Hanoi is also pretty wild.
What is that?
Ho Chi Minh City.
Had a panic attack walking along the street after just arriving, never had one before but fuck it was random haha.
Love Bangkok and Thailand in general though!
I love Thailand too, but I got into Bangkok late, I was hungry and just looking for food to fill my belly I was overwhelmed by all the options, smells, sounds, etc.
Bangkok is terrible when you‘re hungry & a little on edge.