After returning from the ski trip I had finally completed my SE Asia adventure. Honestly I feel a little strange coming back. Life is good in SE Asia. You can live very comfortably on very little. People are generally very nice and willing to help you out. During my first week back in the USA all I could really think about was going back. I’m not saying that life in the USA is bad, but I think that SE Asia - and in particular Thailand - has a sort of energy that the USA will never have. The weather is perfect, the scenery is beautiful, the food is outstanding, the people are friendly, and it is all very cheap. Additionally the cities are always alive with people, food, and cars. Asian cities make US cities look incredibly sterile and boring (even San Francisco).
However, SE Asia is in no way the western world. Many of the things we take for granted don’t exist over there. Flush toilets are rare. Warm showers are as common as seeing a Ferarri. There are no refrigerators or microwaves and the cleanliness of the food isn’t always first class.
For those who are going to go to Thailand I have this to say. Don’t always think about things in your own currency. If an item costs $5, it can still be a rip-off. Likely you will always be quoted a price that is much more than the going rate. Always bargain. Next don’t stay at the Bungalow operations that charge 2000+ baht ($50 USD) per night. By doing this you’re just reinforcing the idea that westerners have lots of money and encouraging high prices in touristy areas. The average Thai person only makes about 8000 baht per month. Try to live at the same level as the natives. You’ll get a much more enriched and rewarding experience. The same thing goes with restaurants, eat at some hole-in-the-wall places and avoid the guesthouse restaurants that are full of toned down Thai food and bad western food.
Of the countries I visited I enjoyed Thailand the most (by far), followed by Malaysia, and then lastly Singapore. Malaysia is still very nice and has some wonderful qualities (such as its not very touristy). Thailand just has everything that Malaysia has plus an intoxicating nightlife.
With that I’ll wrap up this blog. I hope all my readers have enjoyed it as much as I have. I invite anyone to come over and see everything I brought back. Additionally I’ll treat you to some stories that I couldn’t fit into the blog.
Happy Travels,
Todd
Posted by todd at January 26, 2004 12:38 AM