Hott Mess Thailand

Today I witnessed a perfect example of why westerners sometimes have difficulty with the Thai way, and I feel obliged to share it with you.

There I was, waiting in the Sri Racha immigration office for my re-entry permit (something I have to do before leaving the country. Did I mention I'm going to Bali??!) and it all went down.

First thing I'm going to say is they have changed their system within the last month and now require a different process than when I went to Abu Dhabi. So, I was on the losing end before even walking in the door being that I was unaware of these updates. As a result, I waited a long, long time and people who came much later than me were served first. Jerks.

In my patiently waiting stage, I witnessed two farang interactions with Thai immigration officials. An older Dutch couple, house owners here in town I'm guessing in their 70s, wanted a 2 month extension on their visa. I assume this was to buy them more time so they could eventually get the year-extension. IO's (immigration officer) response, with a winning smile plastered across her face was No, we simply cannot do that for you, but we would be happy to provide a 7 day extension. A. I am sure they could have done it, and B. I'm sorry, but 7 days. Whoop-di-do. These people were old though, and couldn't seem to muster too much of a fight. Actually, it was sad. This kind of stuff happens all the time.

And, hopeless farang number 2, a Frenchie who also wanted a visa extension was told he would have to go all the way to the border and back to Chonburi Immigration office in the same day if he wanted his extension. I know this information means nothing to you, but that's a minimum of 5 hours one way, not including the actual visa process, and the office here in town closes at 4. This is so not possible. He was a little more well-trained in the managing and dealings with of Foreign/Thai relations, and must have asked at least 20 times what they wanted of him. Repeating it in several different ways, in the hopes of getting a better answer. He didn't. Sucks.

Luckily my re-entry permit went off without a hitch (by this I mean I only spent 45 more-than-necessary minutes of my life waiting while aimlessly staring at the wall and learning about the woes of farang life). And, umm, I'm headed to Bali!!!!

Bali Hey, Babo.

A special treat in the title for those of you who speak Korean (all 2 of you). 

Moving right along... THIS THURSDAY I'M GOING TO BALI!!! FOR 6 DAYS!!!!! I recognize the all caps may be a bit overkill, but this is seriously exciting stuff. It will be the longest amount of time I have gotten to spend in an Asian country where I'm not living, and it's Bali. Sweet sauce. 

I've been researching like crazy, and am happy to report there is a lot more than beautiful beaches for me on the island (not that there's anything wrong with that. please. bring on the beach). I can wake up at something crazy like 2 am and hike a volcano to watch the sunrise from the top of the crater. Done. I can snorkel in the coral reefs, go fishing in the rivers and eel fishing in the rice paddies (for some reason I am particularly excited about the fishing), see animals and plant life that have only existed so far for me on PlanetEarth, go white water rafting, take cooking classes and ride a bike through the rice fields and countryside, etc etc etc. And after all of that, I will of course park my white (soon to be tan) little butt on the beautiful sandy beaches with a book (not on Bali though, the Gilis). Done and done. I am so excited!!! 

So far, I only know I'm going to start my trip in Ubud and likely base myself there for the majority of my stay (I recognize this city name means nothing to you, same for me 24 hours ago). Everything else I will figure out upon arrival. Hoo-rah.

I Have the Most Amazing Friends. Ever.

And by that I mean friends who bring me cheese!!!!!! Thank you thank you Blaire and Jarvis. You are awesome. 

Look it. I mean, they brought me three different kinds. Amazing.

I was able to spend an evening with them in Bangkok before they continued their Thailand adventure, and it was really great. Very relaxed, having the opportunity to catch up a bit and talk about fun travel stuff (something I will dearly miss after returning home) like airline carriers, visa issues and all that jazz was just perfect. They have a friend they're staying with here and he was kind enough to let me crash on the couch. We didn't do much, made it out to the night bazaar for food and a little shopping, but even in that small amount of time, it was so cool to see their first reactions to Thailand and Asia. The couple has travelled all over Europe and been in Mexico, but never made it to the east until now. 

I forget how different it all is. I could see it in Blaire's eyes and reactions. Talking about the language, about the transportation and really just everything, it is all an adjustment. And I mean, of course it is, this is Thailand. You really can't get much different than the US. But somehow it seems so normal now. There not at the "normal" stage yet and are still trying to soak it all in. I forgot how overwhelming it can be. And it really, really is; Thailand is just a buzz. I can't wait for an update from them when it's all said and done. 

Other than getting a reality check on the hectic life I lead, I really enjoyed being around someone from home. Hearing the Texas accents, catching up on all the news, seeing the A&M t-shirts, and talking about how amazing cheese is is what it's all about. And there I go, bringing it up again. I really can't help myself. It. Is. So. Delicious.

A mere 3 days later, January 12. And the cheese sticks are long gone. Probably not the best idea, but delicious none-the-less.

When Annoying Becomes Entertaining and Unusual is Perfectly Normal...

then I'm in big trouble. And looks like, as of yesterday, I'm in really big trouble.

Case and point. Last night as I was riding into Bangkok to catch up with friends who are on vacation here (meet Blaire and Jarvis), I started out with my usual en-route routine consisting of ipod and book and anything else I can do to help me tune out the incredibly loud, incredibly annoying thing that just-so-happens to always be playing on television. That thing may be some absurd movie like "The Baron and the Demons", or more likely, a game show, Thai music videos, or an all out entertainment variety show hour (that could last easily up to 7 hours. They're not fooling anyone with this "hour" business). There I am reading my book, listening to my tunes, keeping it together, and I find myself distracted by the costumes and dancing on the television. Ummm, wtf. I literally took my ipod out of my ears, put down my book, and proceeded to focus entirely on something so absurd I cannot believe it even exists. Yet, I was watching it. And enjoying it. Gawd, talk about freakin' me out. I sat there for maybe 10 minutes zoned into the slapstick humor, silly dances and outlandish costumes. I even laughed out loud. That was the moment I realized I was in a whole new element, and I had to check out of it immediately. There I went, back to my music and my book, to only sneek a peek at the tv once every 10 minutes or so..

And then today as I was leaving the internet cafe/restaurant/karaoke bar/house, which has recently become my new favorite hang-out as the internet in my apartment has been sub-par (to say the least) for almost a month now, I saw the little boy who lives there standing in the restaurant pantsless. No bottoms whatsoever. And, he was pulling up his shirt to expose the only previously covered part of his body. People were eating food in the same restaurant. Hell, I've eaten food in the same restaurant at the same time he happened to be without pants in the past. But today, I thought to myself, this is probably not normal, and I should probably be a little bit bothered by the fact that people (albeit children) are in the nude while others are making and eating dinner. But, I'm not really. 

I am taking these incidents as a sign that I have been gone too long, and I am realizing more and more how difficult it will be to go back. Where will I find kids without pants standing around in restaurants? When will I be able to enjoy Thai music videos and old-school dramas? 

Culture shock for me this go-round is going to be a B.

The aforementioned friends in town also got me thinking about how my perspective has changed. Details on that visit will eventually make it on the blog, but for now, I need a nap. In the meantime, it was great to see people from home and at the same time new to Thailand. I am very interested to know what they think about everything after they are back stateside. I would be jealous of their Chiang Mai and Koh Samui adventures, but I'm going to Bali next week!!!! Yep, leaving you with a cliffhanger and headin' for my nap. 

Oh, Sweet Gift of Time

Today, just when I was feeling blue, Thailand came and dropped this sweet sweet gift right in my lap. It was very thoughtful, really. By gift I of course mean a vacation. Yes, that's right, another one. And it couldn't have come at a better time. Not only do I have no responsibilities other than signing my name on a piece of paper next week (if you didn't already know), I am now, in addition, completely free the following Monday, Tuesday AND Wednesday. 

Oh, sweet sweet gift. Whatever shall I do with you? Rest assured, regardless of where I go (I'm thinking Bali, or Hong Kong, but really mostly Bali), I will be taking advantage of this. 

New Day, New Me

Ehhh. Not quite. But I do have a couple resolutions for the new year. It must be your lucky day, b/c I'm even going to share them with you. Go figure.

1. Stop biting my nails. I mean, I'm 23. It's time I kicked that habit. I'm almost 15 hours in and I can just feel them growing out beautifully...

2. Whip this body into shape. Increased activity is key. My first step in this plan is Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) lessons. Good luck to me!   ---- UPDATE: Muay Thai was a bust as the only shop I know of has closed. I'll just have to be a little more creative. Tonight's plan: briskly walking (yeah, that's right, it's what awesome people do for exercise), lunges, cruches and push-ups. This will be day 2, so hopefully all goes well.

Happy Happy 2010!

I mean, like, it's a whole new decade already. Where did the time go? And how am I this old? Well, that one is never going away, so I'll move right along to the point. This year I did New Years up Island style. Wahoo!

We spent our time on the island of Koh Pangan. Well, most of it, as KPG is only like a million miles from where we live. Reality: A 12 hour overnight bus and 2.5 hour ferry and we were in business. The ferry ride did nothing but reinforce my extreme fear of being defenseless in open water. I freakin' hate it. Riding on a long-distance ferry isn't too far behind flying on the list of my fears. Especially in a country like Thailand, where you know, they sink. I'm reporting after the fact so I have clearly made it safe and sound, but that's not something I have interest in doing again, ever. I would like to say for clarification that if I were to find myself on a sinking ship, I would not go down without a fight. Mother nature, sharks, you'll have to deal with me. I got my dukes up.

In the end I'm glad I swallowed my fears and stuck it out, as it was a great New Years. Below is some photographic proof. 

Bright and early 7 am just getting on the ferry. This one's for you mom. Here I am, alive and well. 

The view from my bungalow was so much more than I ever expected. We ended up at the perfect place, staying not at the main beach but in a different area of the island. It was nice to have a little distance and privacy. 

I spent a lot of my time in this position. 

Afternoon spent at the beach. This is the touristy area, and it was jam-packed full of people 24/7. 

Welcome to the full moon party. It was a fun experience but I have to say I'm not really in big-time party mode anymore. I mean, seriously, when did I get so old? Either way, I'm there. First one to hit the hay, first one up the next morning. That's the new me. I kinda' like it though. 

As you can see, the locks on our bungalows were foolproof. Clearly, no one could break past this security. I didn't mind though, and I felt completely safe where we were. I would not have appreciated that arrangement so much had we been in the main area, but it was great for our location.

From the cliffs. 

This photo isn't on KPG, rather Koh Si Chang, just off Si Racha. I ended the new years holiday by taking a day trip Sunday and relaxing one last time on the beach (well, last time for a few weeks anyways). I thought the water here was even prettier than on Koh Pangan. It was amazing to see how much nicer it is now then when we would go over the summer. I wouldn't have dreamed of swimming in it at that time; now, it's beautiful.

And the details:

I'll start off with my absolute favorite part. Jet-skis!! For me, it doesn't get much better than riding a wave runner in the ocean, especially when it's a particularly pretty ocean. I am always in pain when I finish, having beaten the crap out of my body going right into the waves at just the wrong time. Bam. Ouch. I love every second. I am not a crazy driver on land at, quite the opposite. On the jet-ski I can really let loose. It was super cool to ride with the cliffs all around, and we went out much farther than I ever would have imagined (that kind of sort of freaked me out). Awesome. I thought it was soooo expensive (500 baht for 15 minutes, roughly a dollar a minute), and I'm so glad my cheap-ass self was convinced to go ahead with it. 

I was also really impressed by our accommodation. We were in the absolute perfect location. Far enough away from all the mess, but we could still get anywhere we wanted on foot. And, on top of that, it was nice. I had a big porch all to myself, several hammock options, and the best part of all -- a big, very clean bathroom. If you give me that I'm a happy camper. The rooms weren't any bigger than the beds they put in them, but I couldn't have cared less. It was clean.

We were very fortunate to have someone on the island book a room for us, as this NYE was the biggest night of their year. People were sleeping on mats in our bungalow office, on the beach, benches at the bar, couches and hammocks, anywhere and everywhere. I was very lucky not to be one of those people. Go me.

I had some delicious Mexican food, an occasion that never goes under-appreciated. 

Other than that it was pretty much your typical tourist hell-hole. No complaints though, we were with great people and had a great time. I will say, like always, I wasn't as impressed with the water as I expected. All in all, Thailand has very few remarkable beaches. Now, from the photos I've seen if they're remarkable they are absolutely breathtaking. But, so far, the most beautiful beaches I've seen are all in Mexico. Hopefully I will make it to Koh Pi Pi and Riley (pronounced Ray-lay) and see for myself. A word of advice: don't go to Phuket. Every other island in that area is better, don't listen to Lonely Planet. I promise you.