A Westerner’s Sojourn to the East.


I will start to by apologizing for the delay in getting the report out. Not long after I arrived in BKK, my laptop went poof. When I got home I found that over half of the hard drive, processor and motherboard were fried. This even though the computer is dual voltage, and was plugged into a converter before power was applied. It has taken me about a week to retrieve what was left of my files on the hard drive and get it transferred to my new laptop. Of course the manufacturer would not warranty the repairs to the old when as it was “currency” oriented and they do not cover damage done by electrical burn ups. So my strong advise to you all is not to take your laptops with you to SEA as the power system is very dangerous for western equipment. Oh well, another $2000.00 lesson learned. (I probably could have retired off of what I have spent on lessons learned over the years)

Additionally I had to move upon my return, and “A Series of Unfortunate Events” descended upon me like a wet blanket. The house I am moving into is owned by my best friend of 25 years. I agreed to move in for 3 - 6 months while he sold it. Imagine my surprise when during the middle of moving in, the power is shut off. It has taken 4 days to get it hooked back up, as the house was flagged by the county for an electrical inspection when the power was ordered disconnected. So now, a week after my return, I am finally moved, and have power. Cable is the last thing, so I will post this when my cable modem is working again. On with the report!

Preface

This marks my first trip to Asia. I have traveled all of the Caribbean, and Western Europe. I have traveled extensively through most of Central America, and have been to Mexico several times. My first trek to South America was in February of this year, my virgin trip to Rio. The farthest EAST I have been is Fiji back in 1995. This report will be different than my Rio report as I did not get as many pictures of the girls (I will expound on this point later). This report will be more of a travel journal than a pussy report. Sorry if some of you don't find that appealing.

Other than Russia, and Greece, I have never been to a country that did not have an alphabet at least similar to Western English. This would be my first trek to a land with Sanskrit as a basis. Looking through my handy phrasebook, I found myself increasingly convinced that this language was nearly indiscernible.

I studied many aspects of the Thai culture both in the library and on the internet. I acquired a half dozen tomes of wisdom and experience to prepare and guide me through the cultural challenge ahead. A veritable binder of info lay at my beck and call on the trip. I was ready…….

Having returned, just recently, I can now state without fear of contradiction, that I was sooooo wrong!

Thailand (and I assume much of SEA), is so different from the rest of the world that I have traversed. It was almost like visiting a different planet (albeit one with a 7-11 every 400 feet). I have put together though a brief list of observations about Thailand…..

1. I never saw anyone under the age of say 60 or so, that did not have brilliantly white teeth.
2. The Blow Job bar is the single greatest invention since breathing.
3. April in Thailand is like a perpetual shower of sweat.
4. Songkran is the most annoying holiday ever invented.
5. Negotiating skills are a must in Thailand.
6. Touts in Thailand are extremely aggressive.
7. Sewer system evolution is still in the dark ages in Thailand.
8. Thai is one of the most melodic languages I have ever heard.
9. Thai women are on the average, the most petite I have seen anywhere.
10. The myriad of food alternatives in Thailand is amazing.
11. Thailand is a much safer place to travel than Rio de Janeiro.
12. The cab drivers in Thailand try even harder to rip you off than in Rio de Janeiro.

I am sure there will be many more observations to come, these are just the first that come to mind.

With all this in mind, I have attempted to put down the events of my trip to Thailand, The Land of Smiles.

Let's try that again AFTER I reduce the pic size.....sheeez.

(Message edited by Valterreekian on May 05, 2005)