A lot of the things over here are the same as they are back home. Things that are almost comforting when you see them. The people are mostly the same too. Maybe a bit shorter than usual, but you can spot a group of giggling teenage girls or the nerdy guy pretty quickly. It's the little things though that are disarming. In America everything has a sound or at least some presence. Everyone needs to let everyone else know that they exist, even if they want to be left alone. Here there have been so many times that someone silently moves closer to you without you realizing. It's not anything sinister either. It's more that personal bubbles are considerably smaller and at least with people selling something they know that they need to be near you in case you show interest. Back home there are really two settings for salespeople. Either they are right in your face or they are nowhere to be found. Here they quietly hover near you. In some cases they are close enough to me to be in my party.
Having spent four days on a relaxing island, where the people are friendly and fairly laid back, it's strange coming to a big city again. I can't tell if it's good or bad. Everything feels like it's western influenced, but not quite western. It's like someone's idea of what America must be like. Apparently that world is full of KFC joints because they are everywhere here. It's ok because this is really meant as a jumping off point for other areas. Still it's both nice to see familiar and somewhat different versions of things back home and a good reminder of the things we're fine with trying to avoid not only on this trip, but in our lives in general.
We have been traveling for a month now. It doesn't feel that long and yet it seems like forever ago that we were home. Thankfully with technology today it's so easy to stay in contact, even though talking to someone isn't the same as seeing them. Life goes on without you while you're off having adventures and it's hard to not feel a little bit like a ghost to the people back home. Gone, but not really gone. There is still plenty of time left in this portion of the trip and I'm making sure that I don't spend my time looking forward to things rather than being here now. That said I am looking forward to getting back out of the city and onto strange and different things like tea and honey from the highlands.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Travel Log: Last Stop in Thailand
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if future travel could also include a time component to it. For instance being able to experience the Ketucky Derby from fifty years ago or seeing an jungle before tourists made it popular. Imagine being able to tell someone about how you went to a place in time rather than just the place as it exists now. Of course every time we visit a place that's how it will exist for us until we return. If we return. Sometimes it's better to keep the memory than to see how things have changed. Thailand has been an interesting experience. One full of weird interactions with people who have become accustomed to tourists as their main source of income. I'm not saying it's bad, but it's certainly altered the way I will see this place.
Our final stop in the country is a small island that was supposedly a well kept secret up until about ten years ago. Since then it's become mostly a beach resort community, with a focus on diving and tours to nearby islands. The first night on the island we found a bungalow just off the beach for relatively cheap. Bungalow being a little cabin made of bamboo with a mattress in the middle of the room, protected by a mosquito net. That was a hard night, as both of us had a difficult time sleeping with the sounds of the jungle right outside. Much like with camping, a lot of the noises you hear turn out to be benign things. In this case, it was a goat that was tied to a stump clomping and chomping away at the surrounding jungle. It was a relief to know that, however, it would have been nice to know at 3:27 AM when we thought it was either a monkey, the most aggressive scorpion monster, or the Thai version of the Blair Witch coming to steal our souls while we desperately tried to sleep.
After the first night we decided that it was time to upgrade a bit. As we were packing that's when I realized my left ear was hurting more than usual. Considering all the bumps and scrapes we've both encountered in our short holiday, I took it as normal road wear. Walking next door and paying five times more than we did the first night, we booked a couple nights at what may be considered the nicest accommodations this whole trip. Two pillows?! For each of us?! It's funny the things you consider to be a luxury as you spend more time traveling in remote areas. Spending our time in a room, even a nice room wasn't how we wanted to spend our last bit of time in Thailand, but considering the night we had, which has been preceeded by twelve hours of travel, we decided we needed to reset back to zero. After a nice nap, or you know, just falling asleep in the middle of the day for six hours, we managed to pull ourselves out of the room, which is when I realized my ear wasn't any better, in fact it now felt like someone had stuffed wet cotton as far as they could and was pressing on it with a sharp stick.
They say don't get sick or injured while you're in a developing nation. This is true, but if you're going to get sick or injured, then do it on the resort island. The medical clinic was nice and fast and cool. Although I had explained to the nurse and again to the doctor that yes my left ear hurts quite a lot, the doctor needed to confirm this by sticking something in there and jamming it around while I did my best to not cry or punch. Confirmed with a true ear infection, it was a bit conforting to know that we did the right thing coming to the clinic rather than trying to just push through it. The size and number of the pills prescribed show me that it's nothing something you could just get over, unless you're cool with quite a bit of unmanaged pain.
With my ear being a limiting factor we decided to treat our last few days on the island like you would if you went to a resort and spent a lot of money. We stayed in the resort and took advantage of the room and its extra soft pillows, which meant ordering pizza and watching a movie. I know it may have seemed like a bit of a missed opportunity considering where we are, but with several more weeks still to go on this trip, it's safer to heal up in luxury rather than push to the point of breaking.
Our last night in Thailand was a quiet one. Walking down the street mall, seeing all the vendors and wondering if that Asian tourist is aiming for you as you step into a ditch to avoid them. Lightning on the beach and dogs coming up with wagging tails, hoping you're one of the nice people who maybe drops more food than you eat. When the sun came up the next day we stepped onto the boat, which was playing a pirated copy of the latest Fast and Furious movie, that I had to actively avoid watching (spoilers!) and headed to our next destination: Malaysia.
Our final stop in the country is a small island that was supposedly a well kept secret up until about ten years ago. Since then it's become mostly a beach resort community, with a focus on diving and tours to nearby islands. The first night on the island we found a bungalow just off the beach for relatively cheap. Bungalow being a little cabin made of bamboo with a mattress in the middle of the room, protected by a mosquito net. That was a hard night, as both of us had a difficult time sleeping with the sounds of the jungle right outside. Much like with camping, a lot of the noises you hear turn out to be benign things. In this case, it was a goat that was tied to a stump clomping and chomping away at the surrounding jungle. It was a relief to know that, however, it would have been nice to know at 3:27 AM when we thought it was either a monkey, the most aggressive scorpion monster, or the Thai version of the Blair Witch coming to steal our souls while we desperately tried to sleep.
After the first night we decided that it was time to upgrade a bit. As we were packing that's when I realized my left ear was hurting more than usual. Considering all the bumps and scrapes we've both encountered in our short holiday, I took it as normal road wear. Walking next door and paying five times more than we did the first night, we booked a couple nights at what may be considered the nicest accommodations this whole trip. Two pillows?! For each of us?! It's funny the things you consider to be a luxury as you spend more time traveling in remote areas. Spending our time in a room, even a nice room wasn't how we wanted to spend our last bit of time in Thailand, but considering the night we had, which has been preceeded by twelve hours of travel, we decided we needed to reset back to zero. After a nice nap, or you know, just falling asleep in the middle of the day for six hours, we managed to pull ourselves out of the room, which is when I realized my ear wasn't any better, in fact it now felt like someone had stuffed wet cotton as far as they could and was pressing on it with a sharp stick.
They say don't get sick or injured while you're in a developing nation. This is true, but if you're going to get sick or injured, then do it on the resort island. The medical clinic was nice and fast and cool. Although I had explained to the nurse and again to the doctor that yes my left ear hurts quite a lot, the doctor needed to confirm this by sticking something in there and jamming it around while I did my best to not cry or punch. Confirmed with a true ear infection, it was a bit conforting to know that we did the right thing coming to the clinic rather than trying to just push through it. The size and number of the pills prescribed show me that it's nothing something you could just get over, unless you're cool with quite a bit of unmanaged pain.
With my ear being a limiting factor we decided to treat our last few days on the island like you would if you went to a resort and spent a lot of money. We stayed in the resort and took advantage of the room and its extra soft pillows, which meant ordering pizza and watching a movie. I know it may have seemed like a bit of a missed opportunity considering where we are, but with several more weeks still to go on this trip, it's safer to heal up in luxury rather than push to the point of breaking.
Our last night in Thailand was a quiet one. Walking down the street mall, seeing all the vendors and wondering if that Asian tourist is aiming for you as you step into a ditch to avoid them. Lightning on the beach and dogs coming up with wagging tails, hoping you're one of the nice people who maybe drops more food than you eat. When the sun came up the next day we stepped onto the boat, which was playing a pirated copy of the latest Fast and Furious movie, that I had to actively avoid watching (spoilers!) and headed to our next destination: Malaysia.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Travel Log: The Jungle Lake
After several days in a large city we decided to 'get away from it all' for a little bit. We hoped on a bus headed to a remote town out near the national park. It's a little disarming when you get to a bus station and the bus is getting ready to leave as you hop on board. We kept asking if we were on the right one and people would just nod. Apparently we found the locals bus, meaning we were the only white faces on board. Even still they nearly took off without us at one of the rest stops when the twenty minute break was closer to thirteen. When we arrived at our town a taxi driver took us down to the end of a long dirt road where our lodge was. We were told about our rooms and the price, which was kind of funny because at that point we didn't have a whole lot of options. Thankfully the room was nice even if we did end up sharing our bed with a variety of different critters. Eventually you get too tired to care if that feeling on your leg is in your mind or really a bug looking for a warm place to bed down. You can tell you're in for an adventure when the person at the front desk makes a point to tell you to lock your windows and doors because the monkeys steal anything and when swimming in the river always keep moving so the puffer fish won't bite you.
It's not until you lose something that you realize what it was worth. The next day we took another taxi into the park, rode a long boat for an hour, until we came to our cabins on the shore. They were situated on floating logs like something out of Waterworld. Knowing they were only for storing our bag and sleeping it wasn't something we really thought about too much. We came out here to experience the jungle...with a guide, fresh water, and provided meals. Before we left for the park we were told only take swimming gear, the cameras, sunscreen, a headlamp, and towels. Before we left on our first trek to the cave we were told just bring the camera and have your swimsuits on. Before we entered the cave we were told to drop everything else that we might still have. It was both thrilling and terrifying to strip down even further before walking into the darkness.
In any group activity the dynamic of the group is made up of its people. A single person can change that when you're all strangers. While everyone seemed nice enough there was this overall feeling throughout the group that this experience was some thing you had to get through rather than enjoy. The hike to the cave was done in a way that felt like passing through checkpoints. I would have preferred to enjoy the trek to the cave as much as the cave itself. Once we entered the cave that feeling didn't go away. It was almost like being on a Disney ride where you're on rails and being pulled along in a way to see everything, but not enough time could be spent experiencing it. That's not to say the cave was bad. It was my favorite part of the day, however, there were people in our group who moved through things like they were checking them off a list. Once they got a picture they moved on and you had better keep up. It was at that point when I felt like a tourist.
One of the things we hoped for on this whole trip was to make travel friends. People who share our ideas for travel and also want to make friends as they go through their adventures. We were lucky early on to meet a group that had been traveling for over a year and were incredibly nice. We even sort of traveled with them for a little bit of time. Meeting up at a few different places over the course of a week. It was nice having friends, even if for a little bit. Then thing is though in order to make friends both sides have to be open to the idea of it. Admittedly there are a lot of times where I'm content to just go along without having to be 'on' for new people, but there are times when things work out just right and you meet someone unexpected. This part of the trip was equal parts of both. Many of the people were quick to talk to us and yet there was at least one couple that seemed to keep everyone on guard. Normally I'm not concerned about the language thing. Being an American we just sort of barely get by knowing English. This time though it was hard because even in our small group of European tourists there were several times were it felt like we were being intentionally excluded from the conversation as people would suddenly start speaking in their native language while you were sitting next to them. Now I know that I shouldn't expect everyone to speak my language and some people may not feel comfortable with English as a second language. That comes with traveling abroad. This was something else. This was the equivalent of holding your hand to someone's ear and whispering while looking directly at the person you're talking about. I don't need to get to know that kind of person. We have plenty of those kinds of people back home.
Don't get me wrong. The jungle adventure was fun, even with some unfriendly people, sunburn, and a few scrapes and buises. Going on it makes one appreciate little things a lot more, which I think is another thing we wanted from this trip as a whole. A little bit of perspective. When I was here, I wanted to be there; when I was there, all I could think of was getting back into the jungle.
It's not until you lose something that you realize what it was worth. The next day we took another taxi into the park, rode a long boat for an hour, until we came to our cabins on the shore. They were situated on floating logs like something out of Waterworld. Knowing they were only for storing our bag and sleeping it wasn't something we really thought about too much. We came out here to experience the jungle...with a guide, fresh water, and provided meals. Before we left for the park we were told only take swimming gear, the cameras, sunscreen, a headlamp, and towels. Before we left on our first trek to the cave we were told just bring the camera and have your swimsuits on. Before we entered the cave we were told to drop everything else that we might still have. It was both thrilling and terrifying to strip down even further before walking into the darkness.
In any group activity the dynamic of the group is made up of its people. A single person can change that when you're all strangers. While everyone seemed nice enough there was this overall feeling throughout the group that this experience was some thing you had to get through rather than enjoy. The hike to the cave was done in a way that felt like passing through checkpoints. I would have preferred to enjoy the trek to the cave as much as the cave itself. Once we entered the cave that feeling didn't go away. It was almost like being on a Disney ride where you're on rails and being pulled along in a way to see everything, but not enough time could be spent experiencing it. That's not to say the cave was bad. It was my favorite part of the day, however, there were people in our group who moved through things like they were checking them off a list. Once they got a picture they moved on and you had better keep up. It was at that point when I felt like a tourist.
One of the things we hoped for on this whole trip was to make travel friends. People who share our ideas for travel and also want to make friends as they go through their adventures. We were lucky early on to meet a group that had been traveling for over a year and were incredibly nice. We even sort of traveled with them for a little bit of time. Meeting up at a few different places over the course of a week. It was nice having friends, even if for a little bit. Then thing is though in order to make friends both sides have to be open to the idea of it. Admittedly there are a lot of times where I'm content to just go along without having to be 'on' for new people, but there are times when things work out just right and you meet someone unexpected. This part of the trip was equal parts of both. Many of the people were quick to talk to us and yet there was at least one couple that seemed to keep everyone on guard. Normally I'm not concerned about the language thing. Being an American we just sort of barely get by knowing English. This time though it was hard because even in our small group of European tourists there were several times were it felt like we were being intentionally excluded from the conversation as people would suddenly start speaking in their native language while you were sitting next to them. Now I know that I shouldn't expect everyone to speak my language and some people may not feel comfortable with English as a second language. That comes with traveling abroad. This was something else. This was the equivalent of holding your hand to someone's ear and whispering while looking directly at the person you're talking about. I don't need to get to know that kind of person. We have plenty of those kinds of people back home.
Don't get me wrong. The jungle adventure was fun, even with some unfriendly people, sunburn, and a few scrapes and buises. Going on it makes one appreciate little things a lot more, which I think is another thing we wanted from this trip as a whole. A little bit of perspective. When I was here, I wanted to be there; when I was there, all I could think of was getting back into the jungle.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Travel Log: Phuket
What do you get when you cross Las Vegas with Chinatown? That's what this place has been like for the last several days. Originally it was supposed to be a quick stop on our way to another island or jungle adventure, but finding a tailor to do a wedding dress and having a back that suddenly decided to stop working caused us to stay longer than we planned. While it's not exactly a bad city to visit, the "charm" wears off quickly when you realize that every single place is like all the others. They all have the same stuff and "for you a good price". I appreciate how hard it must be to make a living here, but after the third day we've learned how to say "no thanks, don't want" and "too expensive" in Thai.
Apparently everyone is surprised by us being Americans. It seems that we're a bit of an anomoly because Americans aren't really expected to be here at this time. Everyone seems to think that we're Australian at first or possibly Canadian. We're working hard to not play up to the ugly American stereotype, however, it's easy to see how these things get started. There have been several times when someone on the street extends a hand for a handshake and I have to forcefully ignore them. The first couple of times someone put out their hand I took it and then was being lead to a suit shop. Now that I have a suit I shake my head no and have to seem like the asshole because I don't want to interact with some guy wearing a shimmering purple dress shirt who calls me "boss". Sometimes they just give up, but there have been sometimes where as I'm walking away I can tell they say something derogatory, which hopefully makes them feel better because if I can't understand the insult then it really doesn't count to me. Because of this I'm looking forward to getting out of this hyperactive sales area.
We did at least go to a couple beaches while we were here. While it was fun to see the islands that you know from movies, it felt like I was a part of what's destrorying them as well. The beach from the movie The Beach had hundreds of people standing around on it. The shore looked like a parking lot for boats. It's a little sad watching people, including myself, trample down the thing that was once beautiful so that we can get a picture of it and say we were there. It makes me appreciate times when we go somewhere and there is no one else around.
We leave for the jungle today. Hopefully we can do some sort of camping/hiking trip to drastically change up what we've been experiencing so far. While we do have to come back to Phuket for the wedding dress, we will only be here for another day and then we move on to hopefully nicer places that don't feel like there totally devoid of anything real.
Apparently everyone is surprised by us being Americans. It seems that we're a bit of an anomoly because Americans aren't really expected to be here at this time. Everyone seems to think that we're Australian at first or possibly Canadian. We're working hard to not play up to the ugly American stereotype, however, it's easy to see how these things get started. There have been several times when someone on the street extends a hand for a handshake and I have to forcefully ignore them. The first couple of times someone put out their hand I took it and then was being lead to a suit shop. Now that I have a suit I shake my head no and have to seem like the asshole because I don't want to interact with some guy wearing a shimmering purple dress shirt who calls me "boss". Sometimes they just give up, but there have been sometimes where as I'm walking away I can tell they say something derogatory, which hopefully makes them feel better because if I can't understand the insult then it really doesn't count to me. Because of this I'm looking forward to getting out of this hyperactive sales area.
We did at least go to a couple beaches while we were here. While it was fun to see the islands that you know from movies, it felt like I was a part of what's destrorying them as well. The beach from the movie The Beach had hundreds of people standing around on it. The shore looked like a parking lot for boats. It's a little sad watching people, including myself, trample down the thing that was once beautiful so that we can get a picture of it and say we were there. It makes me appreciate times when we go somewhere and there is no one else around.
We leave for the jungle today. Hopefully we can do some sort of camping/hiking trip to drastically change up what we've been experiencing so far. While we do have to come back to Phuket for the wedding dress, we will only be here for another day and then we move on to hopefully nicer places that don't feel like there totally devoid of anything real.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Friday, April 10, 2015
Travel Log: Island Life
I sometimes wonder if a universal translator would be helpful or harmful to us. I suppose the immediate benefits are obvious, everyone would be able to understand everyone else. When I ask for noodle soup with chicken I'm not going to get a whole fried fish that's staring back at me. Then again , just knowing what the words translates to doesn't always mean you'll get their intent. People who speak my own language say one thing and mean an another. I understand the words, but have to watch for the subtext. Still it's a little strange being in a place where everyone except me speaks at least one other language. There have been several times when people are talking near me and I being self-involved, I wonder are they talking about me. In some cases they probably are. In others it's like being at the grocery store when the checkers are talking amongst themselves and you're barely there. As it is, I know enough German to know someone is speaking German. Oh I can also say good morning, count to five, and tell them my birthday is in May, you know, if that sort of thing comes up. I know enough Spanish to ask for bottled water and tell them that they have a nice cat, may I give it some milk. The rest of my language skills comes down to good old fashion mountain man gibberish.
We arrived on Koh Tao about four days ago and I've been sick the whole time. It started as a little sniffle and cough and has lingered on and become an exercise is expelling grossness from my face. Still I've been doing my best to not let that keep me down since we're right next to Paradise. The other portion of the restort we're at is called Paradise Zone. Granted it's a hike up about 15 flights of stone steps through some ant infested jungle, but it's really lovely once your heart starts beating at a normal pace again. Originally we were coming to the island to learn scuba, but given my cold and the week long course, we decided against it. Instead we'll likely snorkel, when I can breath normally again anyway.
We're leaving the island today and heading to Phuket. That makes today a travel day, which means schedules are going to be somewhat flexible. Hopefully we'll make it there sometime this evening. That will give us a day to get settled because on the 13th is the Thai New Year and there is a country-wide water fight to prepare for. It should be a good time, assuming I'm not wearing my white tuxedo out that night. It will be a little strange heading back into a city after nearly two weeks of island life. Living like a cat has its advantages, but I suppose it's time to mix it up a bit.
We arrived on Koh Tao about four days ago and I've been sick the whole time. It started as a little sniffle and cough and has lingered on and become an exercise is expelling grossness from my face. Still I've been doing my best to not let that keep me down since we're right next to Paradise. The other portion of the restort we're at is called Paradise Zone. Granted it's a hike up about 15 flights of stone steps through some ant infested jungle, but it's really lovely once your heart starts beating at a normal pace again. Originally we were coming to the island to learn scuba, but given my cold and the week long course, we decided against it. Instead we'll likely snorkel, when I can breath normally again anyway.
We're leaving the island today and heading to Phuket. That makes today a travel day, which means schedules are going to be somewhat flexible. Hopefully we'll make it there sometime this evening. That will give us a day to get settled because on the 13th is the Thai New Year and there is a country-wide water fight to prepare for. It should be a good time, assuming I'm not wearing my white tuxedo out that night. It will be a little strange heading back into a city after nearly two weeks of island life. Living like a cat has its advantages, but I suppose it's time to mix it up a bit.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Travel Log: Full Moon
1Tuk Tuk: 2 stops, 2 buses: 2 stops, 1 ferry and 17 hours later we made it out of Bangkok to our first island. The party island. The first thing I'm learning is that schedules are very flexible here. 7 o'clock could mean anything in a two hour window and patience is as good a friend as a traveler's neck pillow. After arriving here we got settled into our bungalow near the local chickens and quickly realized that paying extra for air conditioning isn't being spoiled, it's essential if you want to sleep for more than an hour.
This place is known for its Full Moon Party, which is really just an excuse to have 30,000 tourists on the beach at the same time all dancing to the same beat. Thankfully we met some fellow travelers who are on the tail end of their nineteen month long holiday. Makes our hundred day vacation look like a qaint little getaway weekend. Glow in the dark body paint and buckets of alcohol combined with fire and water made for a pretty amazing time. I feel like I really got to know that guy crouched in the sand digging with his bare hands for like five minutes.
It's a lot of fun watching people the next day. There are those who still had paint on their faces and looked like were ready to keep going. Then you had those that had a thousand yard stare as they slowly shoveled scrambled eggs into their mouths in some hope that it would make them feel better.
The last two days have been spent laying in cabanas reading and napping. Sometimes it feels like we should be doing more with our time, but part of vacation is knowing when to do nothing until the next adventure comes along. Tomorrow is a trip to a different island and most likely learning how to swim with the fishes. Until then we'll just have to get along with relaxing in the shade.
This place is known for its Full Moon Party, which is really just an excuse to have 30,000 tourists on the beach at the same time all dancing to the same beat. Thankfully we met some fellow travelers who are on the tail end of their nineteen month long holiday. Makes our hundred day vacation look like a qaint little getaway weekend. Glow in the dark body paint and buckets of alcohol combined with fire and water made for a pretty amazing time. I feel like I really got to know that guy crouched in the sand digging with his bare hands for like five minutes.
It's a lot of fun watching people the next day. There are those who still had paint on their faces and looked like were ready to keep going. Then you had those that had a thousand yard stare as they slowly shoveled scrambled eggs into their mouths in some hope that it would make them feel better.
The last two days have been spent laying in cabanas reading and napping. Sometimes it feels like we should be doing more with our time, but part of vacation is knowing when to do nothing until the next adventure comes along. Tomorrow is a trip to a different island and most likely learning how to swim with the fishes. Until then we'll just have to get along with relaxing in the shade.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Travel Log: Day One...or Two
I sometimes wonder how many pictures I must be in taken by people I don't know. Today was a busy day of trying to do all the main tourist attractions. This included at least one wardrobe change before we left the hostel. Even though it was 90 degrees with 90% humidity The Grand Palace doesn't allow shorts or bare shoulders, which I suppose makes sense since it's a royal palace and all. They do, however, allow tour guides to wander around with stuffed animals on sticks as they led herds of tourists carrying umbrelas into each photo opportunity. My confused face will likely be showing up in so many different photos of the royal lawn or whatever. After getting into line and then realizing that everyone had already bought tickets to get in, we decided it was too hot and too crowded to really enjoy, so we wandered off to our next destination.
It's strange to think that even in a strange place there are very familiar things. Things you wouldn't even think about. Stop signs are the same shape and color here, with only the word 'Stop' being different. Traffic markers are all relatively the same, which makes me wonder who started what and who decided that was the best way to go about it. Apparently the yellow dashed line means it's legal to pass and the double yellow line means it's illegal, which stops no one. I don't know what I was expecting. It's not like we traveled to Mars, where the people here decided to just skip all the widely accepted rules. Although it makes me wonder if someday we do come into contact with an alien species, who will adopt the most from the other. Will we see what they're doing and suddenly realize that the bike lane has been this ludacrious experiment that has been doomed from the start?
Traveling through the various markets it occurs to me just how hard it must be to make a living. I've been very spoiled in my life in that I've always been lucky enough to have a job that doesn't require me to try and sell things. Convincing someone that they need something has always been a tricky task. It's probably even harder when ten feet away someone else is selling that "ancient" Buddha coin necklace for 10 Baht and you want 15. I sometimes wish that everyone had some kind of low level telepathy or maybe empathy. That way you could at least understand where the other person is coming from when you interact with them. The problem with not speaking the language is that it's hard to know what the intention is with someone else. Are they being nice because they are nice or are they being nice because they know you have money and respond better to a smile and friendly advice? I think I've seen too many strange movies where there are ulterior motives for everything and everyone. Maybe most people are what they show on the surface and it's safe to accept that as the truth. So far it seems to be that they are simply being nice because they are so I suppose it should just be accepted.
Tomorrow we're off to an island for a Full Moon Festival.. It will be nice to actually get out of the big crazy city and start the real vacation. I feel like this place has been an interesting gateway to this whole adventure, but it's not what I've been looking forward to. That's somewhere else.
It's strange to think that even in a strange place there are very familiar things. Things you wouldn't even think about. Stop signs are the same shape and color here, with only the word 'Stop' being different. Traffic markers are all relatively the same, which makes me wonder who started what and who decided that was the best way to go about it. Apparently the yellow dashed line means it's legal to pass and the double yellow line means it's illegal, which stops no one. I don't know what I was expecting. It's not like we traveled to Mars, where the people here decided to just skip all the widely accepted rules. Although it makes me wonder if someday we do come into contact with an alien species, who will adopt the most from the other. Will we see what they're doing and suddenly realize that the bike lane has been this ludacrious experiment that has been doomed from the start?
Traveling through the various markets it occurs to me just how hard it must be to make a living. I've been very spoiled in my life in that I've always been lucky enough to have a job that doesn't require me to try and sell things. Convincing someone that they need something has always been a tricky task. It's probably even harder when ten feet away someone else is selling that "ancient" Buddha coin necklace for 10 Baht and you want 15. I sometimes wish that everyone had some kind of low level telepathy or maybe empathy. That way you could at least understand where the other person is coming from when you interact with them. The problem with not speaking the language is that it's hard to know what the intention is with someone else. Are they being nice because they are nice or are they being nice because they know you have money and respond better to a smile and friendly advice? I think I've seen too many strange movies where there are ulterior motives for everything and everyone. Maybe most people are what they show on the surface and it's safe to accept that as the truth. So far it seems to be that they are simply being nice because they are so I suppose it should just be accepted.
Tomorrow we're off to an island for a Full Moon Festival.. It will be nice to actually get out of the big crazy city and start the real vacation. I feel like this place has been an interesting gateway to this whole adventure, but it's not what I've been looking forward to. That's somewhere else.
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