Follow Me Everywhere

For the last month, I have been traveling through Thailand from the southern islands all the way up to the northern hill tribes. It has been awesome and I have loved every minute, but alas it is time to move on. So in an hour I will be on a bus to Laos. With this in mind, I find myself sitting back and reflecting on Thailand and all the crazy stuff I have seen. There is an expression I use now (T.I.T.), which means This is Thailand and pretty much nothing surprises me anymore. So here is my list of things I have seen so far that I have not seen anywhere else in the world (In no particular order).

• Although this is not unique to Thailand, traffic lanes are more or less optional. Asia seems to have an organized chaos that just flows. So if you are ever driving, no need for a lane, just a space large enough to afford you a few inches on each side of your vehicle.
• I have found accomodation for as cheap as $3 a night. If I’m willing to shell out the big bucks ($10), I can live like a king.
• Transportation is cheap. $5 dollars for a 3 hour bus ride or 15 cents for a two hour train ride.
• “Empire of the State” by Jay-Z and “I Gotta Feeling” by Blackeyed Peas are played relentlessly.
• Swedish people love the south of Thailand and I’m pretty sure there are no Swedes left in Sweden.
• Fire jump ropes are a form of entertainment for drunk tourists.
• Food comes out as it is prepaired. Which means when you are with a group of people, one person can get their food in 10 minutes and one can get it in 1 hour.
• I’ve seen a boomer firework explode in a crowd of tourists sitting in bean bags. Nobody batted an eye.
• I’ve also seen a ramp to offload passengers from a ferry slip and fall a few feet with people on it. There isn’t much in the way of safety laws around here.
• Get accustomed to cold showers cause warm ones are a luxury!
• M150’s are the Thai’s version of redbull. It’s lethal stuff and is rumored to be laced with drugs to keep you up. I don’t believe it.
• Sangsom is Thai rum that they call whiskey (I think they call every alcohol whiskey). It goes down incredibly smoothly, but leaves you with a massive hangover.
• It’s not uncommon for an elephant to be rolling down the street amongst cars, people, and motorbikes.
• 7/11’s dominate Thailand. They are literally on every street corner.
• On a trek, you can purchase a pig for $60, have it killed in front of you, put it on a spit, and feed the village for the night. Pretty intense, but a great experience.

Overall, Thailand is a very interesting place with tons and tons to see. I know I’ve only scratched the surface, but I must be on the move to go tubing in Laos!