Goodbye Thailand

Well everyone, it's time for me to leave Thailand (mostly because my visa runs out tomorrow). I can't believe I've been here for a month already, it's gone so fast! Time has a strange feeling here, I feel like I just arrived but at the same time I feel like I've been here for ages. Fisherman pants, eating at markets, afternoon naps to escape the heat, negotiating for a taxi (sawngtheaw) fare using Thai numbers...

Time for a bit of reflection. Warning: quite a long deep & meaningful ahead.

(for your reference NZD$1 = 23Baht at time of writing)
The weather at the moment is quite agreeable. Coming from freezing cold Japan, 35+ degree heat was a real shock to the system, and landing in Railay where there was no power during the day made it that much harder. But it forced me to acclimatise; I got over my hissy fit and got used to the heat before a week was up. The sea breezes in the south were most welcome and helped keep things cool, as did the daily tropical electrical storms. Up here in the north it doesn't rain as much; I miss the storms and the rain. In the mountains around Mae Sariang/Mae Hong Son we got rain again, and it has a strange soothing effect on the soul, being inside a rustic village hut and watching the pouring rain wash away the dirt and mud (and bring more dirt and mud). The humidity never goes away and is very taxing, especially because you never really feel clean except for the 2 minutes immediately after you shower. I even bought a small bottle of Johnsons baby powder which works wonders to keep you dry... for a whole 4 minutes after you shower. Then it's grime city again. (random Simpsons reference: Paul Grimes, or "Grimy" as he liked to be called) but as with the heat, you learn to get used to it because everyone's in the same boat. And there's always a 7-Eleven on the nearest street corner if you need a bit of A/C. I'm making the choice to stay in rooms without A/C to train my body to live without it, and so far I'm doing ok.

The food is Thailand is amazing! It can be a bit of a gamble if you eat at markets or street vendors, but it's become part of the fun. I really enjoyed the cooking class I did here in Chiang Mai, even though we only made the basic stereotypical Thai dishes it was still really interesting and fun to use fresh ingredients that we just don't get at home (e.g. turmeric - who knew it was a root that looked like ginger?) I believe food is an important part of a culture - and also, I just like eating - so this was a highlight for me. If you eat at a restaurant it's always the same menu: pad thai, tom yum goong, red/yellow/green curry, steak & chips, and it all costs around 80B (markets cost 25-30B). I've started eating local snacks too, I had a few weak moments where I broke down and bought a bag of chips, but on the whole Thai snacks are pretty good. One of my faves is green mango with salt/sugar/chilli dip. The unripe mango has a fresh tang and is nice and crunchy, and best of all a bag costs no more than 10B :) Most of the sweets have coconut cream or sesame seeds, and I recently discovered the beef (?) jerky which is also pretty tasty, something akin to biltong I think. Mum makes a mean version at home with coriander seeds. This stuff is great for long bus rides.

I've definitely lost weight here. I tried on my quick-dry pants the other day - I bought these at the height of my half-marathon training which was a stupid idea because after the race I put weight back on and the pants were almost too tight - and to my surprise they were loose around the waist. Pleasantly surprised of course :) The heat makes you lose your appetite, but being on the road means you're very active. I explore a lot and I walk everywhere, so my legs are super toned but my stomach is getting a bit soft haha. I try to do yoga some mornings to keep me limber and strong, it's a nice mental break as well.

On Facebook I mentioned "solo traveller's bipolarism". It's definitely an emotional rollercoaster being on the road by yourself. There are so many highs; the freedom and independence definitely agree with me and I like being able to do what I want, when I want, like when I took off to Sukhothai for a night (I felt so awesome after that). You see so many amazing things, new cultures, new food, and the shopping of course :P travel really does broaden the mind and the soul. It's humbling to learn about other people's way of life, see those who have less than you but are still happy, and you learn a lot about yourself as well as other cultures.

You make friends very quickly as a solo traveller, I've met people on buses, on ferries, (and on buses to ferries) wandering around the night market, at a cultural performance... all it takes is for you to catch each other's eye, smile and start chatting, "isn't this a cool market" or "bloody hot, isn't it?" which is almost always followed by going for a beer somewhere. It's an artificial environment; at home you don't strike up conversations with random strangers and befriend them so quickly, but everyone's in the same boat and I quite like the instant camaraderie. I've only met one dropkick so far, everyone else has been awesome. You find that it's a certain kind of person who takes off alone to backpack around SE Asia and you often have lots in common re: philosophies, attitudes towards learning about cultures, tourism, religion etc. Most people are very open minded. In saying that, it is hard to make lasting connections. The vast majority of people you meet are only for a day or an afternoon, after which you part ways again. Everyone has their own schedule and route to follow, and so far I've only met one person that I travelled with for more than a day. Facebook is a great tool for keeping in touch; as much as I don't want to be dependent on electronic communication, it's the easiest and most practical way of staying in touch. same as this blog - if I were to email each and every one of you separately I'd be spending all day every day in my guesthouse or internet cafe. On FB you can see where people are, where they're going, and you can drop them a line to say "let's meet up!". I have a few potential buddies in Luang Prabang, which is great.

Now for the lows. It was very hard leaving Laura and Stacy at the end of Japan. We made the mistake of staying in Tokyo too long and got Tokyo fatigue, it was even worse for me because I had a whole day by myself after they left. When you stay in one place too long you get sick of it and become apathetic, you don't want to go out and see anything, you just wallow and have too much time to think about the things you miss. When I got to Thailand it was all new and shiny and exciting again, I met another solo traveller (Brian) and we travelled together for 5 or 6 days and met a bunch of awesome people in the South, and I was happy again to have found a new family (of sorts). But I had a schedule to keep and moved on to Ko Lanta, where the first devastating low hit me. The reality is you are by yourself, miles away from friends and family. I am content with my own company but it is nice to share your experiences with people. My laptop is a real lifeline, I am so glad to be able to skype friends & family and stay in email contact. So please, leave a comment on this blog!!

I had another low last night, I had a good long skype with Dad and later on that night got a bit sad, I wished that friends could be here with me to experience all the highs. I kind of wish Dad could be here to go on a motorbike trip with me, it seems like the kind of thing Dad would enjoy. I am really looking forward to seeing Mum in Cambodia, it will be a relief and nice to have a part of home here with me. I am also really looking forward to my volunteer work, it will be a relief to be based in one place for a month and be around the same people for longer than a day.

Ok everyone, it's time for me to go. On the whole, I am having an amazing time and enjoying being here. Highs and lows are just a normal part of it.

I will write again and post some photos once I get to Laos. Sabai dee!

Love
May Lee