The first thinkg I noticed about Bangkok was the smell. Like so many places I have visited it had its own unique garbage/sewage smeall. Traveling has reallly made me appreciate our sanitation department.

When I was in a small town in Honduras, a pick up truck drove by ringing a bell like the ice cream man. Everyone came out of their houses and threw tehir garbage in the truck- a good portion of which blew right back in the street.

Our garbage mend are paid well presumably b/c it is an undesireable and dirty job. This may be true, but it is also a really important one.

From my experience, I would say that sanitation and air quality are two fo the first noticeable indicators of the quality of life in a place.