Spicy

Asia » Thailand
December 21st 2007

Published: February 21st 2008

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Yellow Head

wicked...

I have, once again, fallen to the dark side after my return to Japan. The island is as cold as ever and even the kids pass up the chance to go outside and play on the jungle gym. It is a somber time of year for me, a time when families gather under their heated tables and share big pots of boiling nabe, only I’m not part of one of these families. Luckily, I went a little overboard on the “DVD CD DVD CD” purchases in Thailand. Now most of my downtime is spent glued to the TV screen watching my 100 baht movies and dreaming of a heated room. I have to tone it down a notch though and get back into my study regime since my Japanese has begun to stagnate. In the winter, procrastination is usually the name of the game but that will soon have to change.

The trip to Thailand was, for lack of a better word, spicy. The heat, the pace of life and the smell of freshly cut chilies floating about in the air made this country unforgettable. At times, just walking down a street was enough to throw you into a coughing

The One. The Only

Khao San Road

fit. And it wasn’t just the soft-stomached farang, or foreigners, who succumbed to the power of the chilies. The locals were right there with us, coughing away.

The years of tourism and the sheer amount of tourists that Thailand attracts every year have left a well-beaten track throughout the country. It is hard to escape unless you travel to the extreme countryside. Even though this isn’t the type of travel I usually opt for, for my 15-day hiatus from work in Japan, it was exactly what I was looking for. Plus in my daily hung-over and exhausted state simply following the flock was well, easy.

Most of the days were spend devouring curries, drinking all forms of liquids, and relaxing on the beach. Thai food continues to live up to the pedestal that I have placed it on in my mind. It is amazing. Sweet, sour, spicy, salty, and sweet. It has it all. Unbeatable. It was especially a treat after a year of not leaving the shores of Japan. Not that I don’t love it here but after a while Japanese food can become a little bland. The Thai chilies sure fired up my taste buds, maybe

In Deep Thought

After being hit on by a lady-boy, an 80 year old prostitute, and a man with one leg. Nick ponders the wonders of life on the infamous Khao San Rd.

a bit too much at times.

Like all of the new age health freaks that flock to Thailand for their 7-day fasts and colonic irrigations I had traveled there for a cleansing of the mind. At some points you have to escape from it all to get a clearer picture of where you stand. Thailand is a good place for this. It is easy to forget about your everyday burdens and worries. It’s left me refreshed and helped me with the decision of what lays after my current job.

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