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Published: September 10th 2007
Hello from Bangkok, Thailand!
My journeys are fully underway, following two weeks of solo travel prior my program beginning tomorrow morning. I will journal as often as possible, but I have very little time. Please let me know if you do not wish to receive to update notification e-mails every time I add a new entry. I will try to journal in an organized manner, but I have had many experiences, some of which I will fully elaborate on, and some of which I will forget to. If you have any questions or comments about my travels or experiences, please feel free to leave a message on my blog page and I will do my best to explain.
I will begin by saying I was quite apprehensive of solo travel before I left the States. However, without question, I am absolutely certain, it was a good decision. I have a bit of experience with travel, but this journey has been different, and I have been satisfied to have overcome the frustrations and challenges on my own. It is not easy, and I still continue to struggle, but it’s quite rewarding to work through it. I find it interesting now
that I am at my university, because I see the other students in my program going through much of what I did.
It’s hard two believe but I left Chicago two weeks ago tonight. After a 26 hour flight, four plane meals, a few beers, and absolutely no sleep, I arrived in Bangkok about midnight. I had no choice other than to get acclimated from the get-go. I wasn’t quite sure where I would stay that night, so I took a bus to the area of the Bangkok train station, with hopes of traveling to the north the following day. It turned out that the three guest houses in the area were either closed or had no vacancies, so I got a taste of the Bangkok nightlife right away, unfortunately, with my pack. Upon daylight I took a 12 hour train to Chiang Mai, a mountainous city (700,000 population) in the north of Thailand. I found a guest house in the city center for 200 baht (6 USD), cold shower, fan, no toilet paper, but a nice room, with a great view. Still a bit jet-lagged, I woke up and walked around the city the next morning. I was
intrigued by the lifestyle differences, so I simply saw as much as the city as I could.
My guesthouse was named the Royal, with the reputation as Chiang Mai’s young backpacker’s haven. This factor made the transition considerably easier. I made many rewarding relationships with travelers from around the world. In my days and nights in Chiang Mai I met and went out with Scottish, French, Canadian, German, British, Spanish, Irish, and Dutch. Everyone was very nice and enthusiastic. I’ve developed a notion that travelers are a different breed, void of any stereotypes of which are common among nations. (This may change when I meet Italians, but I strongly believe it as of now!) It’s not always easy initiating conversation with foreigners, but it has helped a great deal that I have vast knowledge in the international language: Football. Particularly as an American, foreigners are quite impressed when an American can carry on a conversation about their national team, or the club which they support. I have done my best to abolish negative American stereotypes, and football has been the best way to go about doing that. I’ve realized that everywhere you go, there are good people, and not
such good people. Nationality shouldn’t dictate character traits or personality but inevitably, it often does. However from my experiences I strongly believe that there is a substantial variance in western vs. eastern ideology (I will address these thoughts later).
My second day in Chiang Mai I went on a jungle trek. Normally the trekking group is young travelers, but there is no way of telling who else you will go with. It turned out that I went with a group of eight German business men from Kassel, Deutschland. At first I was nervous, but I had a great time with them. As soon as I told them I spoke a lick of German, not another word of English was spoken. Many of them could speak English, but they wanted me to try my best to speak in German. They where jolly fellows and they didn’t let there age slow them down. As a result of them sticking together, I became quite close with my Thai trekking guide. My relationship with him has been the most rewarding thus far. We got along well from the beginning (He’s a big Liverpool Fan). His name is Baat, and after growing up for
20 years in a mountain village hill tribe void of any technological innovations, (i.e. electricity, computer, cell phone) he’s got some intriguing views on life. His knowledge of the jungle is unbelievable, and I appreciated many of the things he showed me, and bugs he fed me. The jungle was amazing. Quite dense, the kind I wouldn’t want to go off the path in. Some aspects of the trek were challenging. September is the last month of the rainy season in Thailand, and I realized quickly that when a monsoon storm hits, it hits hard, and in fact, it is quite relentless. During the nights of my trek we stayed in the native Karen tribal villages in the Southern Himalayas. It was quite an eye opening experience. These natives know nothing of our lifestyles in the west, nor do they desire to know. Yet these people are happier than most westerners, and truly embrace all that life has to offer. My trekking guide cooked Thai for all our meals. We slept in wooden bungalows with mosquito nets. I’ve never experienced darkness and peace like I did these nights. Nothing but the stars and the enveloping buzzing of cicadas with the
occasional bullfrog croak. We also rode elephants through the jungle, but the highlight was the bamboo rafting. Because I was the youngest and fit, (not an old German Man) I was the captain of my raft, polling through the steadily fast paced Mekong River. Standing on a water level raft, avoiding rocks and trying to stay afloat was quite exhilarating, more so than white water rafting.
Upon arrival back in Chiang Mai following the trek, I went out with my friend Baat. We became quite good friends, regardless of the language barrier. We both understood only about 1/3 of what the other said, but it was one of those relationships where you bond on a level more in-depth than speaking. We laughed and smiled when we went out, and cheered when we watched Liverpool demolish Derby 6-0. I enjoyed meeting his family and witnessing his traditional Thai lifestyle.
One day in Chiang Mai I walked to the three main city Buddhist Temples and visited the famous Doi Suthep in the Mountains. Although it’s difficult to fully appreciate the temples with little knowledge of the religion, the architecture is astounding. Again, that night I went out with my trekking
guide Baat and he told me of a place under the radar as far as the traditional tourist path goes. Because of his recommendation, I visited Pai, a small city in north-west Thailand, where many Thais but few westerners travel to. Pai is any outdoors person’s heaven. If anyone reading this makes it to Thailand, Pai should be on the top of the list. I rented a motorbike for two days and rode around to hidden waterfalls, caves, hot spring, and canyons. The motorbike was kick shift, so it was quite fun, but also a big adjustment riding on the left side of the road. The landscape was breathtaking. I got lost quite a few times, but figured it was half of the adventure, and never got too worried. Some of the mountain roads are absolutely horrendous though. Due to the rain, the washout and potholes make the dirt paths almost impossible to navigate. At one point I got stuck in a two foot mud puddle and with the help of a villager, eventually got out, but it was quite messy. The night life in Pai was great, gipsy and hippie travelers who decided to never leave, working on organic
plantations and displaying there musical talent in small pubs for a living. Last Thursday I left Pai for Chiang Mai and then flew to Bangkok.
The exchange rate is very favorable to westerners, and this is why so many decide to travel in SE Asia. Although, Thailand in specific is very accommodating and depends on the tourism of westerners. The cheap prices are wonderful for travel and eating. The food is tremendous, but dangerous. I have eaten Thai every meal except for breakfast. It is very cheap to go out, a dish averages from about 30-50 baht (ninety cents to a 1.50) However you need to be careful of what you order. Spicy takes on a whole new meaning here. There is farang (tourist) spicy, and then there is Thai spicy. I have been gradually adjusting and I ate Thai spicy for the first time last night. Holy Hell, I was literally incapacitated for about a half-hour. It was brutal, but both my classmate and I finished our dishes. We then learned that when eating Thai spicy, it is rude to finish your dish, because the cook interprets this as an insufficient spiciness for the dish. My body has
just about finished adjusting to the food. Overall I feel much better with more energy. The lack of processed food with preservatives certainly cleans out your system. The Jonny Cash song, “Ring of fire” has taken on a completely different meaning, if you know what I mean, but I have gotten used to it. Many adjustments have been made, but the only things I have yet to warm up to are the stray dogs, and lack of toilet paper. But I've found that if you bark back at the dogs they go away, and I always have a pocket pack of kleenex just in case.
My adventures have been a blast, but I feel that the most rewarding experiences thus far have been the football that I have played. One night in Chiang Mai I wandered over to a group of Thais playing street ball on a basketball court. One of them invited me in and they all appreciated my efforts. It’s quite difficult playing in keens, but I did my best. Many of the Thais play for Chiang Mai University and they are very good. None of them spoke English, but again, we laughed and smiled and everything
went well. They called me BenniZaragosa because I was wearing my Zaragosa jersey. Following the games, I rode on the back of one of their motorbikes and we all drank beer at his restaurant, trying to talk. Also, earlier this evening was the first time I played at Rangsit. There was a Tournament going on in the back of the International College. Rugged field with not a blade of live grass. It was quite awkward at first, I just stood and watched the students play, but the Thais are always willing to meet a traveler and the coach of the team playing in the following game invited me to play. I borrowed a pair of kedds and played sock less, much different from home, but this is how it went. It was 6v6 with small goals. Very funny though, I was the only foreigner so stuck out pretty seriously. They weren’t sure what to expect, and myself as well wasn’t sure what to expect. It was a friendly match, but also very competitive. Many fans on the sidelines, and I’m positive everyone was talking about me, but they all cheered when I got the ball. I ended up scoring the
only two goals and both times, half of the fans and my whole team stormed the field and picked me up. It was really funny. Everyone was happy, competitive, but very respectful. The coach was the only person who spoke English, and he told me that he has signed me to a contract through January. They gave me a uniform and I can’t wait to play again. Next weekend there are two more games. I’ve realized soccer has really been a way to build a bridge between cultures, you don’t need to speak and as long as you make an effort, everyone is happy. I have never really been content with the accomplishments I have made in soccer, but having the ability to get into an international game certainly is gratifying.
I am now at my University, but a bit sad that my solo travels prior to my program have ended. I have learned quite a bit, growing, and opening up my mind to new ideas has been very rewarding thus far. I realized after my first day that regardless of a whole summers worth of preparations for my travels, there was really no way of adequately preparing myself
for the adjustments I have made. At first I questioned what the purposes of my travels were, why I was doing it, and what I wanted to learn from it. It is not in our nature to step outside of our comfort zones, but the great thing about travel is that you can have fun while doing it. The standard of living is significantly lower in Thailand, much of the country is poverty struck and lives on less than a dollar a day. I thought to myself, as a westerner why would I desire to sacrifice prosperity, to live poor standards? I quickly realized that the perspective I was learning helped me to better appreciate the beauty in life.
My thoughts on what truly is beautiful in life have changed even in only the two weeks I have been here. Thailand’s country motto is, “The land of smiles.” While I reserve absolute judgment until I have seen more of the country, this is certainly true in the north. Thai citizens fully embrace the relationships they have, whether it be family or friends, because for many Thai’s this is all they have. However this issue is not dwelled upon. The
ideology of Thailand is quite different from what I have been exposed to in America. People believe in idealism opposed to western materialism. People think collectively opposed to individually with an emphasis put on the whole, opposed the individual. It’s wonderful! Selfishness, is never an issue here. Altruism is a virtue of everyone’s lifestyle. These are my thoughts so far. I am certain they will develop as I continue my travels!
In my next blog entry I will write about my program here at Rangsit University. So far I have been very impressed, and the program allows much freedom for travel!! Hopefully everything is nice in the states, enjoy the fall, don’t think of me festering in 95 degree humidity until winter.
Also, mom, I got a new pair of shorts, they were only $1.50! And Peter and Emily, I learned the journal you bought me was made from elephant dung. I saw the process of making elephant dung into paper, it’s quite interesting.
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Steve
non-member comment
amazing
sounds like you're having the time of your life. glad to know someone who takes the initiative to actually do something like this. so many people are all talk. have a good while and keep up with the interesting stories. they are much more fun to read than my chem book