Travelling

Coming home in 3 days. I always knew I’d feel like crap about now, but man - do I. I think travelling changes you, maybe. I’m not sure I want to go back to an office job, doing the same mundane crap day in and day out. I know the last 5 months have pretty much been the most exciting and happiest months of my life, and the thought of not being able to just get up and grab a train or bus to anywhere on a whim really makes me feel quite suffocated. Meh. At least I’m looking forward to my first paycheck, whether I’ll be working in an office or not. ...

Being in the USA for 5 minutes; the first thing I notice is the difference in perception of time from the east. People in the west adhere to strict schedules and want to get the most of of their days by minimising “wasted” time (travelling etc). Highway displays, showing times to other routes and cities, drive-thru EVERYTHINGs, the phrase “for your convenience” is used a load. The east, people seem to appreciate their time they have, taking life at their own pace rather than feeling a pressure to be as productive as humanly possible. I always knew that we in the west squeeze every ounce of value out of the time that we have on this planet. Our drive thru chemists and Starbucks, the “time is money” ethic, doing things “better, faster and cheaper” and delivering a level of professionalism that replaces all human character in favour of robotic efficiency. I’m in a cab where the americans are arguing with the driver over a 5 minute difference, from taking one highway over another. Who cares how fast you’re going? It’s 8pm, you have no kids to get home to, at the worst, you’ll miss the first 10 minutes of “America’s Got Talent” but you’ve no doubt got TIVO, so just chill out, relax and enjoy the ride. ...

Most people I’ve spoken to who have been to Laos have said they wish they had more time to spend there. When we arrived at Vientiane, I couldn’t really understand why. Sure it was nice and the food was great, but there isn’t much to do. Considering it’s the capital, it’s pretty empty. Vang Vieng was fun for a couple of days, but it got old very quickly. There’s only so many backflips you can do into the Mekong, a finite amount of drinking (unless you’re “party party party”, which i guess I’m not…) and about 2 or 3 decent caves to see and explore. The Blue Lagoon was awesome though. But Luang Prabang was a different story altogether. We have spent 9 days here, and even though a few of them were spent idly meandering down the main street, grabbing pastries, baguettes and really awesome pizzas, we could have stayed another week. Again, it’s not like there’s loads to do, but the atmosphere is so welcoming, friendly and relaxed that we were okay being lazy. I love it here. So I’m pretty sad that today we’re leaving for the Laos border town of Huay Xai, on our way back to northern Thailand. ...

Waking up at 5:00 am, regardless of the reason, is never an easy thing to do. It’s easier for me, as the curfew in Laos states I should be inside and off the streets by 11:00 pm, but regardless, I like my sleep and therefore, it’s a difficulty. However, this morning, watching the Alms ceremony in Luang Prabang made it worth it. Being out in the street this early, there’s not many people around. The sun is barely up, and I’m finding it very hard to keep my eyes open, or stand up straight steadily. So there’s me, on a cross roads outside my guesthouse, wobbling and bleary eyed like a drunk guy, plus bedhair - i must look a right state. At about 5:30, things start to come alive a bit more. Men, women, and children - and the occasional “Falang” (the Lao word for “White Westerners”) - start to bleed out onto the street. The Lao people carry bamboo floor sheets, small rice pots and plastic baskets, and set up on the pavement along the Sakkaline road. By about 5:45, there’s about fourty people sitting on their sheets, with a few people walking around selling Sticky Rice to tourists. I don’t buy any; I heard that you shouldn’t take part in the ceremony if you’re not a buddhist, and I don’t want to be disrespectful. ...

“Laos the rain, bruv!” I don’t think i’m ever not going to stop using “Laos” in this way. For those who don’t get it, in England, we have a demographic of people that use the phrase “Allow it, bruv” meaning something to the effect of “I know that what I’m doing is wrong, but please allow me to do it”. So anyway. It’s approaching rainy season here, so every now and again we get full on torrential rain that “prevents” us doing activities such as swimming in lagoons, visiting temples, or even walking down the Sisavangvong road, looking for food. I use inverted commas, because it doesn’t really stop us from doing much, and it’s actually quite nice because it’s so damn HOT here. ...

Mammoth storm this evening. Seriously massive. Tried taking some shots with my DSLR, but there wasn’t enough light. Sucks. In all seriousness though, that was the biggest storm I’d ever been in; the sky literally turned black, and within 10 minutes, we had gale force winds, sideways rain, thunder and sheet lightning. Incredible. Susie and I took refuge in a sushi restaurant (LUCKILY, HA) and ordered a massive batch of maki and tempura. Well nice. I then proceeded to save everyone’s lives (as you do) when I noticed a multi-power cord underneath a small brown table, that was being soaked by the rain; it was plugged into the mains, on, and had a desklamp plugged into it. I pointed it out to the owner, who ran out and switched the whole shebang off. What can I say, I also heroically saved their potted palms from stacking it in the rain (twice) without fear or hesitation. Yeah the storm here was ace and the most memorable bit of Laos so far, but i’ve DEFINITELY left my mark on Vientiane. I’m made of legend.

2 days in Bangkok again. This time, sans Songkran and my posse of awesome. Sad times. On to Lao though next, and hopefully there’ll be plenty more people / places to visit and see, and hopefully more opportunities for photo glory. Bring on Vientiane.

Sitting in the bar at our resort in KPN, I don’t think I ever want to leave. I’m thinking of staying here for another 6 months, getting trained in Yoga and becoming a buddhist. Getting my whole body covered in spiritualistic tattoos, and taking up muaythai boxing. Man, that’s a dream… But it won’t happen, because my mac’s at home. I’d miss it too much.

The 13th to the 15th of April in the New Year in most of south east Asia. It’s a celebration of water, and traditionally involves dousing yourself with water that had been used to wash monks, which in the process becomes blessed. Traditionally, everyone is in high spirits, an it’s a time for people to visit their elders, wherever they might be. In Thailand, it’s called Songkran. It’s progressed through the years however, and while it still bears it’s holy significance, it’s now a huge party that takes place everywhere, for 3 days. It’s not even the 13th yet, and already I am utterly soaked. Street vendors and shops sell water guns and plastic pouches for phones and wallets, and the Khao San road - Which is usually packed - is devoid of stalls. There’s now a bloody massive area cordoned off for water fights. ...

Happy Saturday! The sun is shining most-awesomely today, the Bangkok smog has relented making it a bit cooler and brighter, and consequently, people seem a bit happier. Maybe that’s just because it’s Saturday though… Anyway, I’m currently being stalked by two people from our guest house in Bangkok. The first and most intrusive, is a retired schoolteacher from Canada, who lives in Japan. She kind of resembles a dumpy, blond, wicked witch of the west, with a nose to match. She’s currently working on a teaching-material delivery solution that she can sell to schools, and is therefore on her computer most of the time. She originally asked me if I knew how to get online–as she was having trouble, and I wasn’t–and then concluded that when I fixed it for her, that I could troubleshoot any issues she has in the future with her MacBook Air. So far, she’s followed me to the health spa, the restaurant down the road, and almost out to dinner last night (Susie an I ran away like school kids when we saw her creeping down the stairs of our guest house). She also moved rooms to be OPPOSITE ours. None the less, conversation is always of a technical nature, and usually boring, because - as is the way with most people who use technology but don’t understand it - she tends to dispute what I say to her, like she knows better. Usually I just politely nod and agree, and then wonder why the hell she’s asking me in the first place. ...