Author: lindsay

well, we’re leaving bangkok. probably not for good, but for a little while anyway. 2 days ago, we left out guesthouse and headed out on yet another adventure in the city to find a new one. i had read about one in our travel guide that had really great things to say, so without much research, and a, “kev, seriously, we’ll figure it out!” we jumped on the skytrain and tried to manage our way.

as you might expect with me in the lead, and our impeccable directional abilities, we got lost. very, very lost. 3 1/2 hours worth of lost, in a part of town where NO ONE spoke any english. kev, being the good sport he is, didn’t give me too hard of time, but did harrass me plenty about the address i happened to scribble down incorrectly in my rush to get out and see something new! needless to say, about about a million hours walking around with our heavy packs in the 100 degree heat, we happened across an aussie, who hailed us a cab and brought us to tourist heaven.

while i’ve read a lot about this street over the last few months, nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelming jive of this place. this cancunesque, gringolandia mecca seemingly beckoned for all the whities of the world to come hang out, party till 4, buy ridiculously cheap things and lounge by the pool 24-7. it was QUITE the change from start of our trip, but an interesting one just the same. i almost have a sense of guilt about being here, but haven’t let that stop me yet! we’ve eaten our fair share of 20 baht pad thai noodles and devoured one too many delicious “bannana pancakes.” and did i mention our guesthouse had a pool?! a ridiculously chlorinated roof pool, where we read for hours upon end and lathered on a ton of sunscreen. it’s been a blast. (dad, i would consider THIS a vacation :))

yesterday, however, we (read: I (poor kevin!) :)) decided it was again time for something new. i ended up convincing kev that we should head down to ko phargan, for the full moon party on the 19th. we’re leaving tonight on a 9 hour bus trip south, to do a little island hopping! I cannot WAIT! it too will be a big tourist haven, but i’m excited to meet some new people and experience island life. maybe i’ll even get to do a little surfing! we shall see! here’s where we’re headed!

on an entirely different note, yesterday, amidst all of the craziness of this place, we saw something great. a woman peeing on the street with no regard for the people, motorbikes or stray dogs among her. she was extremely well dressed, and while kev adverted his eyes, i practiced another serious character building exercise ( yet again) as i tried not to gawk and grin. while i did try to give her a bit of privacy (not that i can imagine she cared!!!) i couldn’t help but walk by with a big ol’ goofy grin.

yes, my friends. welcome to thailand. where well dressed women, imitate the squatty potty, and take care of business right on the street (beats waiting in line for the women’s bathroom, that’s for sure!) while elephants meander right along side the motobikes.

anyway, i’m off to find some lunch. the feast of tomatoes and bread i had for breakfast has worn off and this girl’s getting hungry!!!!

love and sarongs from thailand,
lindz

so we made it!!! better late than never for a post, i suppose! i had great intentions of writing yesterday, but i just had too much to do in the good ol’ internets, and ran myself out of time (and money :)) before i could post!

so here i am!

day 3!!!! i can’t believe we’ve already been here for 4 nights, it’s crazy really.

so we’ve been having an awesome time so far. I’m not sure what kev has posted or not (so sorry if this is a repeat!)

we got in really late on saturday night — after a 16 hour+ flight, kev was too tired (or something!!!) to ward off the unwanted harassment of the non-metered taxi guy, so we jumped into his supped up honda accord, with fuzzy pink steering wheel cover for quite possibly, the longest taxi ride of my life. i’m not sure if it was because we were just totally whipped, or because we were getting seriously taken by this guy, the ride was long. veeeerrrry long. but interesting just the same. i even had 2 maps printed out, 1 for us, and 1 for the driver, so we would be less likely to get screwed, but after hearing “oh, very far!!! very long drive!” in his broken english, i knew no amount of maps, or “sir, it says we were supposed to turn on on nut road?!” would make us get there any quicker (or cheaper for that matter!:))

so we’ve been staying in a really cool little youth-style guest house. the people are really helpful and friendly, and overall, it’s been a great experience. we’re changing guest houses tonight though…time for something new. here’s a picture of my room the first night. they didn’t have anything “smaller” available, so TADA! big awesome bed ANNNND A/C for the price of just-about-nothing!!!

yesterday, kev adorned his newly purchased yellow “long live the king” shirt (the majority of thai’s wear yellow shirts on mondays to honor and respect their king…as monday was his day of birth! — i’ll try to post pictures later :)) and we went to see a movie in this ridiculously huge and spiffy cinema. (we’ve been seeking out air conditioned places like it is our job here!!!!)we saw hancock, which was honestly really enjoyable/humorous. although it was easy to get lost in the movie, and forget we were in a foreign country, we were snapped back into reality when we the national anthem began playing, and we all stood and paid respect (yet again :)) to the king at the beginning (and end) of the film 🙂

also, we have eaten some ridiculously good food. the first day, i had this huge plate of delicious noodles for seriously, 33cents (10 bht). craaaazy!

on a totally different note: after seeing only a hand full of white people so far, i have come to realize that i don’t need to darken my skin to fit in a bit better. no. i need bangs. and cute shoes. you would not believe how cute the shoes are here…and i am not even a shoe person!!!! but for less than $3 you can snaz yourself up with some cute little heeled shoes….and since kev has already done a little shopping of his own, i think it’s about time i “splurge” and buy myself some shoes….and bangs.

kev’s still sleeping as i type this. we’ve been on some crazy sleep schedules lately. i woke up 2 hours ago (6am) and haven’t been able to sleep….unfortunately by 8pm, i’m totally spent, and ready for bed. but, since i’m up, i’m doing a little research on where to go next…there are SOOO many places i want to see, so much i want to do. it makes me nervous that i wont be able to see everything in a month. one of the more touristy things i’m really excited for, is the full moon parties in Ko Phangan. it’s this giant beach party, where thousands of people come to hang out and celebrate the full moon. this month, it’s on the 19th…which might be pushing our schedule a bit to get there. we shall see. i’ll be trying to talk kev into it as soon as he gets up 🙂

anyway, i think this is enough of an update for now! i miss you all, and wish you were here to eat pad thai with us!!!

xxx

well, here marks post numero uno for little ol’ lindz. i’m just hanging out at signatures with kev doing a little research, listening to a little mr. mason jennings, and trying to mentally prepare myself for our departure in t-7 days. the last week has been a whirlwind, and the days seem to be getting shorter and shorter by the minute. there just never seems to be enough time.

it’s incredible, really. i don’t think i have prepared enough…on any level. surely not mentally…i haven’t even thought about saying goodbye to anyone, even though tonight, for instance, will be the last time i see corie at all. period. until i get back.

physically, i don’t feel prepared.
yes, i have packed my things:

3 shirts
1 pair convertible pants
1 skirt
some undies
tennies
tevas

(doesn’t sound like much, does it?!)

but still, i don’t feel prepared.

i have an international drivers license, my passport, birth certificate, $50 in baht, health/immunization records and about 20 passport sized portraits (courtesy of kevin adam) all in a rolled-up waterproofed, moneybelt sized bag, and that’s about it. of all of those things, kevin has made each of them all happen. whenever i travel, i kinda just fly by the seat of my pants (not like that’s anything new :)). sure, i read up on the culture, and the lingual aspects (the things that really interest me) but the more mundane (read: important) things that would probably keep me safer, etc, etc, i just don’t really worry so much about. thankfully, i have never gotten myself in a sticky enough of a situation that i couldn’t get myself out of. and yes, while i realize that pre-planning may make things initially easier, i figure, hell! i have 6 months to figure this out. why stress/think about it any more than i have to?!

this is my attitude. this is why my mom is nervous. this is why having kevin along to worry about the important/boring things makes me quite the lucky traveler. unlike south america, i feel like this trip is going to be intense. the weather conditions, the fact that short of using my fingers, i cannot properly use the utensils needed to eat (and god knows, i need to eat!! :)) people on the streets will probably be like, “who is this american girl. why can she not use chopsticks without looking impaired?! let’s refuse her food until she learns to eat without totally making a fool of herself (and her travel companion)…” not really. but still. if i saw someone trying to use a fork like i use chopsticks, i would have no other choice but to double over in laughter, stare, and point until the poor individual turned and ran from embarrassment. and i wouldn’t even feel bad. because they would have deserved it. coming to a foreign country and not knowing how to use their utensils…please.

that is why i have decided to bring..dun, dun, dunnnnnnnn!!!!!

what do you think now, you crazy little chinaman! bring on the farang comments! come on, bring it! with my newfound confidence, i can take it! laugh, point, stare! at least i will be able to get your delicious pad thai IN MY MOUTH!! and not on my face…or skirt, or shirt…or….

i need to prepare.

i just sold my 70 liter pack, and purchased a 35 liter INTERNAL frame pack, which i think might be a tad small, but will be far better than the one i had in new york. much better.

also, on a far different note…i love mason jennings. more than life itself. i think sitting here has just inspired me to also bring my ipod so i can “keep it real,” while meandering around the streets of bangkok.

okay, i’m off to see seany’s new ride. i best be off. i’m sure i’ll update again sometime before i leave.

keep it real.