Hey everybody,
I'm cold. I haven't worn long pants or shoes in several months so my perspective is somewhat skewed.
Anyhow, my last few weeks in Thailand were pretty mellow... exactly what I was looking for. I went through some mixed emotions when I stopped working, I felt a bit guilty quitting while the work wasn't quite finished but I knew that if I didn't take some time off then I wouldn't have a chance to do anything fun before I came home. It was tough... I'd put so much into that project that I didn't know what to do with myself once it was over. It was like my reason for being there was finished so I wasn't sure what to do or where to go. I decided to treat myself to a 4-day liveaboard scuba trip, which turned out to be fantastic. The Similan Islands in the Andaman Sea are supposed to be some of the best dive sites in the world and the sea life I saw was spectacular. I have three words for you... Wall of Fish. It just has to be seen. Of course, I came back with swollen ear canals, I must've been somewhat congested because equalizing underwater was extremely painful, so I was laid up for about four days with throbbing inside my ears, which was fun.
I then took off for the other side of Thailand, the gulf, and met up with my old roommate Jimmy on Ko Tao where he and his brother were finishing their open-water dive course. We spent about a week on Ko Tao and Ko Phangan lounging on some tropical beaches and then I came back to Khao Lak to spend my last few days in Thailand. Last Friday they held a party on Koh Kho Khao to commemorate the end of the volunteer work... the houses are finished except for a few details that the contractors need to work on, but villagers have already started moving in. It was exciting and gratifying to see the houses in finished condition, many of the villagers showed up to the party which was my first opportunity to meet most of them. Jimmy was there as well, which in a way made it more real for me because it was a link to home. He took some great pictures, one of which I've attached to give you some idea of what the houses we've built look like. Then it was a 14-hour bus ride to Bangkok and 19 hours of flight+layover and I was home.
So, what do I think after 6 months in Thailand? It's an interesting country. Selling porn is illegal, but selling a girl named Porn is okay. There are two worlds living in parallel, the first and third world. Where else are you going to see a satellite dish outside a corrugated tin shack? There are more pickup trucks in Thailand than in any other country in the world. Everyone has a cell phone, almost no one has a flush toilet or hot water. Many towns don't even have water pipes, each family has to have their own well or cistern. Stray cats and dogs are everywhere.
There's an incredible amount of natural beauty in this country, especially on the beaches and in the jungle, but if you want to see it I suggest you go now.
Thailand is whoring itself out to tourism and it doesn't seem like there are many controls on how it's being done. Air, water, and noise pollution don't seem to be of much concern to the general population. There are plenty of areas designated as national parks, but these are slowly being sold off to the highest bidder, usually a resort. In 10 years' time it's going to be a completely different country, for better or worse.
I'm going to miss a lot of things about it, though. Thai people are incredibly welcoming and friendly... everyone smiles at you when you walk down the street, kids will wave at you from the school buses, people will try to randomly start up conversations with you whether or not you speak the same language... just being back home one day reminds me how different that is from the US, at least California. I'm going to miss seeing a family of 5 piled on one moped or 25 laborers in the back of one pickup truck. I'm going to miss papaya salad. I'm going to miss the relaxed attitude toward just about everything. I'm going to miss the crazy driving. I won't miss Thai pop music.
Well, that's just about it. Sorry I didn't have any more ass stories for ya, but the opportunity didn't present itself. I did moon a guy when I was scuba diving, but he didn't see it so I guess that really doesn't count.
Well there are a few final pictures:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/isDpxXSiYyaExW4t6
Take 'er easy everybody. As always, the dude abides,
Dave
I'm cold. I haven't worn long pants or shoes in several months so my perspective is somewhat skewed.
Anyhow, my last few weeks in Thailand were pretty mellow... exactly what I was looking for. I went through some mixed emotions when I stopped working, I felt a bit guilty quitting while the work wasn't quite finished but I knew that if I didn't take some time off then I wouldn't have a chance to do anything fun before I came home. It was tough... I'd put so much into that project that I didn't know what to do with myself once it was over. It was like my reason for being there was finished so I wasn't sure what to do or where to go. I decided to treat myself to a 4-day liveaboard scuba trip, which turned out to be fantastic. The Similan Islands in the Andaman Sea are supposed to be some of the best dive sites in the world and the sea life I saw was spectacular. I have three words for you... Wall of Fish. It just has to be seen. Of course, I came back with swollen ear canals, I must've been somewhat congested because equalizing underwater was extremely painful, so I was laid up for about four days with throbbing inside my ears, which was fun.
I then took off for the other side of Thailand, the gulf, and met up with my old roommate Jimmy on Ko Tao where he and his brother were finishing their open-water dive course. We spent about a week on Ko Tao and Ko Phangan lounging on some tropical beaches and then I came back to Khao Lak to spend my last few days in Thailand. Last Friday they held a party on Koh Kho Khao to commemorate the end of the volunteer work... the houses are finished except for a few details that the contractors need to work on, but villagers have already started moving in. It was exciting and gratifying to see the houses in finished condition, many of the villagers showed up to the party which was my first opportunity to meet most of them. Jimmy was there as well, which in a way made it more real for me because it was a link to home. He took some great pictures, one of which I've attached to give you some idea of what the houses we've built look like. Then it was a 14-hour bus ride to Bangkok and 19 hours of flight+layover and I was home.
So, what do I think after 6 months in Thailand? It's an interesting country. Selling porn is illegal, but selling a girl named Porn is okay. There are two worlds living in parallel, the first and third world. Where else are you going to see a satellite dish outside a corrugated tin shack? There are more pickup trucks in Thailand than in any other country in the world. Everyone has a cell phone, almost no one has a flush toilet or hot water. Many towns don't even have water pipes, each family has to have their own well or cistern. Stray cats and dogs are everywhere.
There's an incredible amount of natural beauty in this country, especially on the beaches and in the jungle, but if you want to see it I suggest you go now.
Thailand is whoring itself out to tourism and it doesn't seem like there are many controls on how it's being done. Air, water, and noise pollution don't seem to be of much concern to the general population. There are plenty of areas designated as national parks, but these are slowly being sold off to the highest bidder, usually a resort. In 10 years' time it's going to be a completely different country, for better or worse.
I'm going to miss a lot of things about it, though. Thai people are incredibly welcoming and friendly... everyone smiles at you when you walk down the street, kids will wave at you from the school buses, people will try to randomly start up conversations with you whether or not you speak the same language... just being back home one day reminds me how different that is from the US, at least California. I'm going to miss seeing a family of 5 piled on one moped or 25 laborers in the back of one pickup truck. I'm going to miss papaya salad. I'm going to miss the relaxed attitude toward just about everything. I'm going to miss the crazy driving. I won't miss Thai pop music.
Well, that's just about it. Sorry I didn't have any more ass stories for ya, but the opportunity didn't present itself. I did moon a guy when I was scuba diving, but he didn't see it so I guess that really doesn't count.
Well there are a few final pictures:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/isDpxXSiYyaExW4t6
Take 'er easy everybody. As always, the dude abides,
Dave
