Many Have Tried, and Many Have Died Ridin' with the Amazons....

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Get back home little daddy, your will is a little too strong
All you wanted was to ride in the saddle, but you did it with the Amazons
It's alright, Daddy, oh, you better get back home...
Many have tried, and many have died, riding with the Amazons


So it was a rough day, and this is how it went.....

I took my seat on the plane, and right when I sat down an English man sat down beside me. He was in his 30's and friendly, and we struck up a conversation. Normal travel talk like where have you been....how was that.....where are you going.....are you on holiday.........where are you from......talk about the weather there.......the normal stuff.

Against the monk's teaching, somewhere towards the end of the ride my mind started working and I became paranoid.......valid or not, I'll never know. Why is he asking my travel plans......why did he mention that he likes weed.......what if he put drugs in the water bottle when I went to the toilet.....what if this airline nausea isn't nausea at all, but roofies..........what if this is all a set-up........what if this was like the movie I saw............

From there it only got worse, my friends..........then he asked if I wanted to share a cab to Krabi town because we were both going the same direction. "Ummm.....no, I'm going to have my cab driver drive me around the city to sight-see", then the second I got my bag I ran off. Yeah, I felt like an ass, but I knew Tony would be supportive and that's what counts so I brushed it off and got in line for a taxi.

Now the taxi situation is different in Krabi than Bangkok......there, it's very legitimate, and cheap, no problems. Here, it's independent businesses with booths set up in the airport calling out to you like carnies. I told them where I was going, paid, and took my slip outside. A man with the business's logo took my slip and I showed him the address of my hostel. He barely looked at it and showed me to a huge mini bus. I was kinda thrown by this, and reiterated "I want a taxi, I don't want a bus". He said, "We go now, we go now" and ushered me in. I got in, he got in and started driving and my paranoia turned to panic as I looked behind me to see the English man watching me drive off, and the doors locked.

From there, it only got worse. While he was driving I kept shoving my phone in his face saying "This is where you're taking me......I want to go to my hostel, OK, do you know where it's at???" He spoke little to no English. Then I looked in the seat behind me, and jumped up and looked behind the seat behind that. He would glance up in the mirror, probably horrified of the American freak he had spazzing out in his car.

We started to go a different direction than what my internal compass dictated so I put my feet up against the back of the seat in front of me and started searching around my bag for a weapon of some sort..........I found my Bic pen.......and I took off the cap and gaged my size compared to his size, I'm practically an Amazon next to him........and it got worse........"Oh yeah, you think you're gonna take me somewhere I don't need to go...you're about to get a fountain pen jammed into your ear and you don't even know it yet" He pulled over and waved another man over.....I gripped my pen tighter and screamed "Where are you taking me!!!!", he looked at me in complete horror, then I realized he was asking for directions. I took a deep breath as he rounded the corner and I looked up and there was my hostel. So now I'm a freak and an asshole.

I dropped off my belongings and walked dejected to Viva, the best Italian food I've ever had...........with all the excitement I had worked up quite and appetite and polished off 1/2 craft of red wine, Greek salad, homemade ravioli with butter wine sauce, chocolate ice cream and crepes, and topped it off with some Grappa.

I was working my way back, feeling less raw about things, and saw three little Thai kids shoo-ing away a dog with a big palm leaf and it didn't seem they were being very nice. Now, being an American and believing in 'justice for all' and missing my own dog, I hollered out to the kids in broken Thai "No, stop....be nice to the puppy.....puppies are sweet". They just stared at me. Then, this happy little pooch walked up to me and I said "See!!!! What a sweet puppy!" At this moment, the dog laid down and wrapped his paws around my feet and started gnawing away like I was a top-choice T-bone steak. The children roared with laughter because every time I took a step the doggy became more excited and zealous and latch on harder.

I walked 4 blocks with a 20lb meatloaf attached to my feet. Not only the kids, but everyone who saw laughed. I can still hear their taunts.........

I guess there's not one clear 'moral of the story' in my day. In travel and in life, you'll panic, you'll over-react, you'll go with your gut no matter where it takes you, you'll make assumptions, and you'll have to wash slobber off of your feet sometimes. The only consolation is picking up phone and calling someone who loves you and believes that you're a lion even when no one can see. So I called Tony, and relayed my triumphs and failures of the day. He listened, encouraged, laughed, and supported......and made it all OK.

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Comments

[Honey]

My sun shines iin Thailand
...and her name is Amy.

[Mark Donkin]

What a great read!
I’m just working my way through your blog as I’m travelling on my own round S/E Asia from July. I'm sure it was horrible at the time but this blog entry made me "Laugh out loud" a few times. Great righting as you painted the picture of panic so well! I experienced very similar on my first trip to India! (I went for a jog down the beach and ended up being the pied piper for stray dogs, t’was hilarious). Asia is a funny place, since it’s so different to home (Im from England BTW). Once you get used to it you'll fall in love with those differences (As i'm sure you already are) . Most times perceived sketchiness is just their way of doing things. It is always better to be safe than sorry especially as a lone woman traveller. I hope you have the time of your life and I look forward to hearing your exploits. It’s getting me very excited for my own trip!

[Katherne Adkins]

Awesome
This is by far the best one. Stay strong and remember to have fun

[Shinbone Gypsy]

Thank you!
Hey Mark, thank you for reading myI write blog, and reaching out. I try to keep it interesting and relay my real-life experience, so I GREATLY appreciate encouragement. Thank you for sharing your India experience....I wanted to go there, but figured it was too hardcore to do solo! Good on you!

[Shinbone Gypsy]

hey!
Thank you so much for reaching out! I appreciate the shout-out out here......it does not go unnoticed!

[abdul]

Amazing
Your blogs always make me laugh, I’m doing my essay on backpackers, to see how they changed but it look like your having a fab time. When you write, you do it with laughter and hummer, thanks for making me smile xx

[Shinbone Gypsy]

Thank you!
Hello there, thank you so much.......I try to only write them when I'm in the best of moods....however sometimes that's few and far between. I have changed from the begining.....it happens and there's nothing you can do. However, with my nervous as nilly father reading my blogs, I try to keep them upbeat and make folks laugh while they're sitting in their cubes, you know. I'd be happy to give you the real skinny of what it's like day after day on the road....but probably will write a candid blog on my return home. But again, thank you, I really really appreciate it.