I sit in Chiangmai Thailand at modern coffee shop. I sip a Mocha frappe… I think I spent 65฿ (about $2). Elle and I came here to work a bit since we are on the move to Bangkok. We take a sleeper train at 16:00, yeah 4PM.
We are going to see the countryside and perhaps find some meaning to Madonna song lyrics.
Oh yes, modern. Internet here is a bit hit and miss, connections often get bumped and speeds are marginal. Modern in a second world country.
I just read an article about someone’s experience living in Bali and it got me thinking. I mean really. We just spent the day hiking ON waterfalls. The lime in the water made stone that was sticky for our feet. And played with tigers. We post pictures of these grand adventures for our friends to see. But we often leave out the rest.
And its not that we mean to keep you in the dark, it’s that we have a disposition and view of these other things that perhaps goes, “that’s just the way it is here.” EXCEPT for the Internet! That we are often thinking, “WTF why doesn’t the Internet work!” 🙂
In any case here is my list of “that’s just the way it is here” for Thailand so far…
- Every modern toilet has a sprayer nearby (like the one you use to do the dishes) sometimes no toilet paper and often no soap. Here is where you put the phrase… that’s just the way it is here.
- The sink may or may not have hot water. It may drain out on to your feet or out the wall on to the ground. Again, that’s just the way it is here.
- Showers are special. They are spacious if you can find one, it will often be the size of a bathroom. AND conveniently there will be a toilet and sink IN it. There is just a hole in the floor for water to drain. Pro tip: leave the toilet seat up to keep it dry 😉 Again, okay I think you are getting the hang of this… that’s just the way it is here.
- Trash is everywhere. There are few trash bins and often just a large black trash bag on the ground. Locals burn trash and the smell of burnt plastic in the evenings is common. The cover photo for this article is Thai railway workers sorting trash near the Chiangmai train station – by-hand without gloves. Yes, that’s just the way it is here.
- Yeah like having a conversation, getting directions etc. in general end up being pointless. And we just smile and say “kop koon krap” which is thank you. Again… ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”
- When we get hungry we just find a picture of food that looks yummy. Sometimes there are pictures and if you want to pay twice as much an English menu “Card” .
- Getting around. Walk wherever you can. In the road is expectable. Just do it against traffic. People will move. Cars, scooters, tuk tuks. There is a scary sort of flow that works. And its true people may honk, sometimes. But often just to say, “hey, I’m here.” If you are walking and want to cross the street. Here you just start to walk. If you wait, it may be a while. Yep, … that’s just the way it is here.
- And that reminds me, sometimes you’ll be walking down the street and you are overcome with the most horrid smell. If I imaged its likely some nasty sewer. Hold your breath for a minute and keep moving. That’s just the way it is here.
And that’s how we do it. We focus on magic and bliss. And let everything else roll off. Except for Internet! We still sound like Office Space sometimes, “PC load letter! WTF does that mean?”
And now for more tigers, monkeys and waterfalls!
