About Me

Hello! My name is Alaitz Aritza. I know weird name right? It’s Basque, which is a region that occupies parts of northern Spain and southern France where my father hails from. If you read much of this blog you’ll find that almost everything about me is equally weird, but that’s what makes me so interesting! I grew up in Salem, MA (yes where the witch trials happened), but moved to Claremont California to attend Pitzer College after finishing at Marblehead High School.

While studying there I designed my own major, which I called “Music, Culture and Cognition”. My major encompasses three separate semi-overlapping fields (can you guess which?): music, anthropology and neuroscience. I almost called it psychomusicology, but decided it sounded too much like a rare brain disease. Want to hear more about how these seemingly disparate interests come together? Check out some of my college essays!!

When I tell people what I majored in I am invariably met with one of two responses: “wow that’s so cool tell me more about it!!!” Or “so what kind of job can you get with that major?” If I had to choose another field to throw in there it would probably be environmental science, I’m pretty concerned with what we as a species, particularly us first worlders, are doing to the planet. When I wasn’t in class you could most likely find me playing sports, hiking, making music or chilling with friends.

I love to travel, learn about new places, cultures, food etc which was probably sparked in part by trips to visit family in Mexico and Spain when I was younger, and a semester abroad I spent in Ecuador during my junior year of college. Since graduating last May I’ve been roaming around a bit, spending some time in Colombia and Thailand before settling (temporarily) in South Korea to teach English at a middle school on Jeju Island through the Fulbright Program.

I have always loved to write, and though most of what you will find here is academic or travel based, I have started to delve a bit into creative writing with journaling, fiction and even some poetry. I also play guitar and sing, if you like acoustic stuff check out some of the songs I've recorded on my sound cloud, linked in the upper right hand corner. Feel free to explore at your leisure and/or shoot me an email with questions or comments.

Korean Culture

I think my Korean experience has encompassed two of the most extreme forms of Korean culture. From a rural town on a naturally beautiful island or Jeju to the culturally rich densely packed urban metropolis of Seoul, there is no one Korean culture. Obviously Seoul has experienced far more western influence, and Jeju is much more traditional in terms of gender roles, age based hierarchy and so on. So for all the experiences I discuss you can assume they are more extreme in Jeju, but certainly occur, as I have personally witnessed, in Seoul as well.

 First and foremost Korea you have to respect your elders. This often means that even if someone if just a few years older than you you’re friendship can never be one of equals. One person will occupy the older brother/sister role, and the other the younger brother/sister role. They will even generally call each other by the Korean word for younger/older sibling.

The idea of ageism is so ingrained into Korean culture that there exists no one word for brother or sister as there does in English, where sibling is considered the most important part of the relationship and one can add a modifier to express the difference in age if they like. In Korean there exist four words, older brother, older sister, younger brother and younger sister. You have no choice but to denote which of you has circumnavigated the sun a greater number of times when discussing your relationship. Along with this, in a mixed age “friendship” the older person is generally responsible for covering the tab at a restaurant, and the younger one must always be careful to show the proper respect to his or her elder. 

Gender roles are also equally pronounced and adhered to. My host father works, my host mother cooks and cleans. This extends to the practice where by my mom cooks us dinner but doesn’t sit down to eat until were finished, at which time she will pick at the scraps her sons leave behind as if she is the weaker animal in a pack of dogs. And that’s how it is with most families, even in Seoul. I think things are starting to change in the younger generation, but most of them don’t have families of their own yet so it’s not really visible.

All these things are related to “manners”, a concept which is extremely important to Korean culture. I find this notion particularly interesting because different cultures have very different opinions about what good manners are. In the US we do not slurp our food or we do not push each other out of the way to get where we are going. We also don’t bring food to people we don’t know, or strike up conversations with foreigners to practice their language and tell them “America is number one country”.

People often tell me Koreans are rude, and I don’t blame them. But I do ask them to revise their opinions slightly, and see the cultural differences present in society as just that, not polite or rude, just different. It is true however that Koreans are more adherent to their cultural norms than Americans. This is probably because the US has such a variety of cultures that these rules had to become more flexible, as we are witnessing today in Seoul. When people tell me that Koreans are rude I tell them a few stories that show that it is a bit more nuanced than rude or polite, good or bad.

In Korea you will never be robbed. They say you’re more likely to see someone running after you holding your wallet than running away from you holding your wallet, and as far as I can tell, they’re right. It is also customary to eat food while you drink alcohol[1]. So I’m often sitting with other English teachers drinking, and some nice man will come up and hand us a plate of fruit or chicken, and either carry on his way or talk with us briefly. Koreans often invite us to sit with them and buy us food and drinks.

One time I was traveling along and spending the night at a national park when it began to rain. I was eating dinner at a restaurant, and within a few minutes I was approached by some kind Korean hikers. They asked where I was from and soon invited to eat with them. They paid for my meal and drinks, and then asked me where I planned to spend the night. When I told them I had no plan, maybe I would seek refuge in a nearby hostel or if I couldn’t find one head back to the city, they immediately assured me it was no problem; they had an extra tent and blanket, and were more than welcome to stay with them. I had an amazing night staying up drinking and conversing with my new friends, and in the morning they cooked me breakfast and asked me to spend the day with them. Unfortunately I was looking forward to a challenging hike that they were too hung over to accompany me on, but you get the idea.

How could anyone consider these generous seouls (sorry about that) rude? Well not all Korean manners are considered kind by westerners. Koreans are notorious pushers. As far as I know there exists no word in Korean for excuse me. It is all too common rough push in the back or the side while standing on the subway or walking through the street and their on their way. This is particularly common if their older than you. They also “eat deliciously” and spit voraciously. This means making as much noise as possible, especially when downing noodles or soups or when they walk up to the urinal next to you and huck a loogy that would make a 13 year old bully cringe with nausea. I have had many Koreans inform me that these things are actually considered bad manners, but as far as I can tell, from Seoul to Jeju, the vast majority of Koreans engage in these practices.

Along with this they have no concept of small talk. I will often walk out of my room in the morning or come home in the afternoon and my host mom will not say a single word to me until she calls me for dinner. For a while I would try to make conversation, using the little Korean I know to ask about her day or how she slept, but I was met with little encouragement. Eventually another teacher at my school informed me that it makes Koreans feel awkward to be asked a simple question like “how are you”. They would rather just walk by in silence unless there’s something meaningful to say. To a westerner this seems counterintuitive, by making small talk we progress to significant conversation. My family hardly even talks to each other except for when the parents (generally the mother) yell at the kids to do their homework or stop fighting, and the boys are often downright rude, staring at the TV or phone as their mom tells them to come eat their dinner.

I had an experience today that drove home these dichotomous behaviors. After saying farewell to my friend in Seoul, I sat waiting for a subway heading for the airport to return to Jeju after a month abroad. As I was reaching for my iPod, a man approached me. He was very kind and genuine, interested in practicing his English and learning about me. As we sat on the subway conversing quietly, a woman sitting across the aisle screamed out something in Korean at us. The man looked embarrassed and whispered to me, “she said to shut the mouth”. Having lived in Korea for 6 months I wasn’t the slightest bit offended, but highly amusing. We kept quite after that, even though the lady sitting adjacent to us smiled and told us she did not think we were speaking too loudly. As we came to my stop I waved merrily at the rude old lady and carried on my day.

Anyway I guess what we can draw from this is that some Koreans are really kind, and some are not, some like foreigners, and some don’t. Pretty much like anywhere else right? So maybe the only difference is that in Korea they are more obvious about it, they’ll bring you food or push you out of the way, where in the US well probably just glare or smile. Who says people in the east are more introverted? I kid of course, in many ways they are, but at the same time I think that’s way too general a statement to make about any culture. In some ways, like the ones I've just described, they are far more open, especially if they are older than you are. One thing's for sure, the older you are, the more you can get away with, but you’ll also probably be paying the bill at the end of the day. I guess when you put it like that it doesn't sound so different from the US J

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[1] I think this stems from the fact that Koreans drink a lot but their bodies aren’t particularly good at metabolizing alcohol, hence the Asian glow, so food helps with that. Studies also show that eating helps reduce a hangover and other bad things that go along with excessive drinking

Three Cities in Thailand

 Bangkok and Khoa San Road – City size, big – dorm 150-300 baht[1], nice two person room, 350 baht (no hot shower) – cheap meal, 70 baht – average temp 70 (night)-95 (day)

Thailand is truly a country with many faces. If you’re arriving by air, you will more than likely fly into Bangkok and head directly to the Thanon Khao San area, the main backpackers drag. Here you will be offered everything you can imagine, from a taxi to a ping pong show (don’t ask), a coconut to a scorpion, a kebab to a tattoo, a beer to laughing gas, Pad Thai to burgers and fries…the list goes on. You will likely hear the sound of croaking frogs and turn around to find a lady with crazy hats stroking a wooden frog with a mallet to attract your attention long enough to sell you something.

The music is pretty much exclusively 90s-current pop/dance music–all those songs you’ve heard somewhere but were too drunk to remember and could never enjoy sober anyways but kind of remind you of your time in college and high school since for some unknown reason they are played so ubiquitously at all dance parties. The music is too loud to hear yourself think, let alone talk, and you’ll often have to fight through a crowd to get anywhere, especially as you approach the center of the street. 

Not sounding like your cup of tea? Try one road over at Rambutri road, where it is less crowded, less noisy, and the vibe is a healthy dose of live, often acoustic music (scorpions and frog ladies still abound). In just a few steps you’ve left the frat house[2] behind and entered a far more relaxed atmosphere. If this is a step in the right direction your next stop after Bangkok should probably be Chiang Mai, otherwise head south to the islands.

In my experience the further north and the more rural you get you can expect the Thailand to become cheaper, chiller, and colder. For people over 30 reading this, chiller means nicer locals and tourists, more available weed, better food, a more relaxed atmosphere, as well as better live music. Further south things are usually more expensive, and there is more of a raucous party vibe, with less live music and less friendly locals. Certain places are exceptions of course, like the rock climbers haven of Ton Sai.

Day trip ideas – Floating markets, Ayutthaya ruins

Chiang Mai and the Pae Gate – City size, medium – dorm 150-250 baht (not sketchy), nice two person room 300 baht (yes hot shower) – cheap meal 60 baht – average temp 60-90

Like Bangkok, Chiang Mai is a large city, so it is quite multifaceted, but to get a quick idea of the place from what we know already; Chiang Mai is to Rambutri as Rambutri is to Khoa San. The Pae Gate is the most touristy area, diminishing radial outwards as in turns into backpackers bars, wats (temples) and further still real live Thai people who have no relationships with tourists and tourism (Chiang Mai heavily populated by college students). Pro tip, just across the river to the east of Pae Gate you can find an area with a mainly Thai rather than western crowd, accompanied by some stellar live musical performances (for more on this see my section on tourism in Thailand).

Just to the north west are the main backpackers bars where you can hear live reggae or ska or more crappy dance music, and to the east before the river you go through what one might call hooker alley, where Thai girls and lady boys call farangs (foreigners) into bars to try to get them to buy drinks and lord knows what else[3]. Also on this street is a Moi Tai ring surrounded with bars where you can see free practice fights most nights, and if you continue down along it will lead you to a vibrant night market selling everything imaginable. The food in Chiang Mai is pretty sensational, and it just keeps getting better...

 Day trip ideas – doi suthep national park and wat phrathat, Wiang Kum kam ruins

Pai – City  size, small –Dorm 100-200 baht, nice two person room 250 – cheap meal 50 baht (best food in Thailand, and that’s saying something) – average temp 50-85

In keeping with the comparisons, Rambutri Road is to Chiang Mai as Chiang Mai is to Pai. It is also the first stop on a wondrous motorcycle loop around northern Thailand, This first leg of which takes you on a whirlwind tour including nearly 300 turns winding through mountain vistas with turn offs for multiple hot springs, national parks, and waterfalls.

Pai is a multicultural hippy mecca and you may end up staying longer than anticipated, especially if you’re a musician. There is at least one open mic every night rotating through the majority of the towns bars, and other joints will happily higher traveling or local musicians for 300 baht an hour and up per performer. You can also engage in trekking or rafting, and many of these day and multiday trips are superior to those offered in Chiang Mai, since big cities are often build where it’s easier to build them, and most of the impressive nature and more authentic hill tribes reside in more rural regions.

A warning: nights are actually cold here! You can see your breathe at times so make sure you get a good blanket. Only one place that I stayed failed to provide a suitable one, the backpacker’s haven called the circus. This place also only had three or four bathrooms and one hot shower for the some 100 youngsters that flocked there every night, and charged you to use one of their towels!

They did however have a really chill vibe, complete with hammocks, shady areas, a swimming pool, billiards, couches, lounging areas, a guitar, a fire pit, a large grass area to sunbathe or practice yoga, juggling, hoola-hooping or any other crazy hippy thing you can imagine, and were located just a ten minute walk from downtown. They have a policy that to use their area without spending the night you must pay 100 baht, but fortunately this seems to be unenforced, and you can find a place down by the river that’s closer to town, cheaper, with way better accommodations and just head up to the circus to relax the day away.

Recommended day trips – pai canyon, white Buddha

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[1] Cheaper ones are a bit sketchy, for example no lockers.

[2] No offense to any frat bros reading this, you apparently like to read or you would have never see this to begin with, so you’re evidently not the type of frat bro I’m referring to.

[3] The main area where I experience this type of nightlife, mainly catering to older white males, most prominently on display was in a town to the west of Bangkok called Katchanaburi. However this area is also famous for its natural beauty (impressive caves and waterfalls) as well as historical significance (the death railroad, museums and cemeteries).

My Type

Let me cut your hair they say, you know the girls will surely love it

Let me dress you up they say, those old rags will never do

But can’t you see girl, I don’t care what you wear

Can’t you see baby, I like you for you

I don’t want a girl, who likes me for my haircut

I don’t want a girl, who marvels at my clothes

There are more important things, than pants that match the outfit

So much more important, that the shine of your shoes

It’s the glimmer of your smile, the sparkle in your eyes

Your smell and your touch, I’m not talking about perfume 

Your kindness and your humor, that’s what really matters

The way we care for one another, and teach each other too.

So please, oh please love, don’t put on the make-up

Don’t you know mascara, only hides the real you?

I love the way you look when you wake up in the morning

Roll out of bed and throw on those running shoes

I want a girl, who cares about the planet

The people, the animals, and global warming too

Some may think it’s strange that I’ve never cared for styles

Passing fads and fancies, I only care for you

Take me Home to Baños

Take me home to bñaos, through the paseo entre los montes

Take me home to where I belong,

Where the plants grow wild and the rushing rapids carry water to the masses

I may not have been born here but I’ve lived here all along

A land where bars are run by cats

Coming is easy but leaving takes a toll on the soul

The food will warm you, the baths will feed you

The hostels will house you but I’m afraid you’ll have to cloth yourself

The days are clear while the nights bring cloudbursts to feed the land

The plants and the waterfalls grow vast and sturdy

Under the watchful eye and loving care of the medio ambiente

And the tourists bring money to complete the cycle

Pennies for the adventures of a lifetime

If you’re lucky you might catch a glimpse of the snowcapped volcano

Pila de la ciudad, it’s peak

Peeking through the cover of clouds

Heading off to Somewhere

Heading off to somewhere

Going places unknown

Getting lost and restless

Tryna find my home

Walking through an alley

Just tryna keep chill

Bumped into a mayan

Stuck on some pyramid deal

Flying on a jet plane

Tryna get my fix

Hopeless young and trustless

Singing songs for tricks

Searching for a spell caster

Who will share with me his secrets

I must be running from something

Or could it be from someone

Looking for verdant pastures

Where the grass is greenest

on my way to nowhere

Just beyond that next peak

As I Woke Up in the Morning

As I woke up in the morning

Summer rain began to fall

I looked to you when I needed some advice

You never helped me much at all

Sitting at the kitchen table

Fall wind began to blow

I lit a kettle on the stove

Figured it was time to go

Curling up under a blanket

Winter mist hung in the air

Snow perched softly on a tree branch

It looked so pretty in your hair

I tried and tried to please you

Like I've never done before

But when I came home last night

Found you walking out the door

Strumming on this old guitar

Spring sun rays shining on my brow

Singing, sitting, sleeping asking

Can I get you back some how

As I lay down in the evening

Heard this tune ringing in my head

Found you knocking at my door

Found you laying in my bed 

Us and Them

First come the men in suits and ties.

They make promises of better lives,

Of development, of education, of security.

They speak with eloquence and smile as you sign their papers.

Then come the men in khakis.

With condescension in their eyes and money in their pockets,

They brandish their guns, and uproot you from your ancestral homes

They push you somewhere unlike anywhere you have been before.

They fence you in and take from you your livelihood,

Your food, your water, your hopes and your dreams, your past and your future.

They demand you leave your world of production and enter our world of consumption.

This is their sustainable future.

Then come the people with blue shirts.

They shake your hands, listen to your problems, and ask you questions.

They say they want to help.

Then as quickly as they appeared, they are gone.

But you remain.

As trucks roll by, spraying water on the dusty roads

Where once your crops grew and your animals grazed.

They will never understand your reality.

They will meet with you in air conditioned rooms, 

And then get back on their air conditioned bus,

Which will take them back to their air conditioned hotel.

Is this what solidarity means? Is this what solidarity has become?

And these are the people who are doing more than anyone else to help you.

By getting on their air conditioned planes and explaining to all their well off friends

About the exploitation that keeps those air conditioners running 

And those planes flying.

"Isn't there something more?", you ask.

We ask it too, but nobody seems to have an answer.

Music Therapy

There was a man playing music on my bus

The 71 congrado-congresso, toda la amazonas,

Sube, sigue por favor, cierran las puertas.

He held a charango in his hand

A zampona hung from his neck

And chajchas hung from his wrist.

He was adorned with a brightly colored poncho,

An Ecuador bag, and loose white pants

He played from 5 or 10 minutes.

I was so glad he was there

I had been craving my ipod on the bus lately

It’s too dangerous to take my 160 gb.

I haven’t bought a smaller one yet

My brother in law keeps promising

To bring me his extra one but never does.

I took out ten cents to give him, and,

Considered offering him a dollar to say on till my stop.

When he was done he and I applauded together.

The rest of the bus was silent.

Then he began to speak.

He spoke of how we are the one, aboriginal, mestizo race,

And how we mustn't forget that

He offered cds for a dollar, and asked each person individually for money.

He thanked everyone, but made a few choice remarks,

When he was denied by a few people in a row.

He didn’t seem very happy,

But there was a moment when he was playing

That he and I smiled at each other

Music can do that.

Music therapy.

I gave him my dime and he dropped all the coins

In his brightly colored Ecuador bag

And hopped off the bus.

Journal – Four Wonderful Weeks: Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, Nam Tok, Chiang Mai, Pai, Mae Hong Son, Mae Na Chon, Krabi town, Railay (Ton Sai), Phang Nga, Koh Tao, Prachuap Khiri Kahn

Thailand’s a pretty cool place, but not everywhere I went was equal. You can get a good basic understanding of how much I liked a place just by looking at how long I spent there. I traveled solo for most of the trip, and carried with me a 40 liter pack filled with clothes, toiletries, books, my I-phone, and my wallet.

Jan. 17^th Saturday night I arrived in Bangkok with Zoe, another Fulbrighter. We tried to waive the classic tourist option of jumping in the nearest cab, and were informed by the lady at the information desk that a bus would take us Khao San road. A friendly Thai student who we asked at the bus stop told us the same, but as we tried to board the empty bus the driver refused to let us on. It was very strange, possibly one of the first acts of institutionalized racism I have ever experienced. So we took the tourist route after all and dropped ten dollar for the 50 km ride into town. Once we got there we met up with Hannah, another Fulbrighter ,and after walking around a little bit I checked into the first empty hostel we found, a slightly sketchy dorm room with no lockers available and no locks on the doors. It turned out fine; I was bunking with some friendly Indian guys, a Pakistani, and a Thai girl. Then we hit the town, running into another Fulbrighter, Matt, extemporaneously. The night life was bumping!! Though a little fratty for my taste (see my section on tourism in Thailand.) The street food, however, was excellent, as it was everywhere in Thailand. Bangkok is just another polluted city, but I had a fun time there. Interestingly the military government shut down all parties at 2:00, which is great if you want to get to bed but kind of lame if you’re trying to go hard, as we were that night.

Jan 18^th Woke up pretty hung-over, what I would later learn is called a Chang-over (Chang being the cheapest Thai beer, which is also unregulated so it can either be anywhere between 3 percent or ten percent depending on the on bottle you get, though they are all marked at 6 percent). The Indian guys from my hostel informed me that the Pakistani had tried to steal the Thai girls laptop during the night and that most Pakistanis are thieves. It seems likely that there was some racism involved in this accusation but I liked the Indians anyway, they were very kind and one spoke great English and another had a really fantastic beard. Anyway I planned to hightail it out of Bangkok that morning, but given that I could barely form coherent thoughts from the excessive amount of liquor I had consumed the night before, I decided to accompany Zoe, Hannah, Matt, and Hannah’s brother on a day trip up to the city of Ayutthaya, which houses some of the more impressive ruins in Thailand. This was my first experience on Thai train, where I paid about a dollar for the two hour 120 km trip north. One interesting thing I found was that the squat toilets let your excrement fall directly onto the track as the train clattered along. Once we got to Ayutthaya we hired a tuk-tuk driver to ferry us around to some of the more interesting sights. Not the most exciting stuff but the last one in particular was pretty cool.

Then we hopped a shared mini-van back to Bangkok so Hannah’s brother could catch his flight home. Hannah was feeling sick, so Matt, Zoe and I got dinner at this amazing looking restaurant. It wasn’t amazing though. The food was ok but the foreign waiter was a dick and the food took about an hour. I’m pretty sure they forgot about our order and then lied about it. Anyway at least they agreed to give us a free bruschetta. After dinner we sipped some drinks and ate a subpar lava cake while watching some really impressive beat boxer dude and his breakdancing buddies before calling it an early night.

January 19^th The next day started with a really nice breakfast for fruit, yogurt, and granola after chatting with some interesting guys from Holland who I shared a dorm with. I then met up with Matt and we left Bangkok behind, heading North West towards Kanchanaburi by minibus. We walked around a bit and had an awesome lunch at a restaurant populated only with Thai people (pro-tip), and saw the memorial graveyard of POWs from WW2 who died working on the death railroad. Then we took what remained of said railroad north for a pretty ride through rural Thailand, passing sugar cane fields and often hugging sheer rock cliffs. As night fell we were fortunate enough to witness a stellar sunset over the River Kwai. The last stop of the railroad left us in Nam Tok, a town entirely devoid of tourists. We did see one Thai couple from Bangkok, but that’s about it. Fortunately the paragraph description of the town in my Rough guide was enough to lead up to a sweet bamboo shack, what Thai people call a bungalow and we got yet another great meal from a street vendor. Matt taught me how to play bridge and we drank a few beers before hitting the hay.

January 20^th The next day started off a little slow but picked up nicely. We got up early and walked to a highly recommended cave nearby, but it was closed. There we ran into the Thai tourists again and they helped us rent a motorbike and we set off in search of another cave. It took us a while to find it, but the ride was absolutely gorgeous and we also made it (accidentally) to hellfire pass (the area where the highest number of workers died working on a particularly dangerous portion of the death railroad) and saw the informative and dramatic museum and railway sight. The cave (Tham Lawa) was definitely the highlight of the day once we made it there, with multiple expansive chambers filled with incredible stalactites and mites and the occasional group of bats. Not to mention that we were the only ones in there. The one downside was that the pictures didn’t come out too well. Once we got out we were in high spirits and decided this would be a good time for Matt to try his first foray into motorcycling. He promptly fell down. Fortunately he and the bike were both unharmed, so we headed back to town, forgoing an elephant camp we passed after seeing the chained up babies and hopped a bus back towards Kanchanaburi. Once we got back Matt headed to Bangkok to catch his flight home, and I checked into a nearby guesthouse and caught a magnificent sunset over the river Kwai while playing with the kitties that lived there. The night scene in Kanchanaburi was weird to say the least. Lots of old white farangs and Thai prostitutes. The girls would sit outside the bars and call you in, chat you up, and play pool with you. And then they would try to get in your pants. One actually grabbed my dick. I spent most of the night chatting with some nice middle aged Thai ladies and lady boys that I met outside a bar. They were a little weird, but very friendly, even buying me beers to get me to stay with them longer.

Jan 21^st The next morning I rented a motorcycle to head north towards Erawan Falls, the 7 tier falls with crystal pools in a jungle setting rumored to be one of the most spectacular natural wonders in Thailand. Filling up the tank before heading out I met a cool Italian guy who was heading in the same direction, so we decided to ride together. The ride was magnificent and the falls spectacular, an hour long hike culminating with a dip at the top to cool off with fish nibbling at our toes.

After drying off I left my new friend and hit the road to get back in time for the night train to Chiang Mai, passing some monkeys, a snake, and stopping to buy a bottle of petrol at a convenience store (the lady at the gas station refused to put in less than 60 baht) which I ended up carrying with me until I rented my next bike up north. I got to the station with just enough time to grab some food and a coconut shake, but the nice elderly couple from Colorado who I shared a sleeper car with insisted that I eat half of their dinner as well. Being thus well fed I read up a bit on Chiang Mai and fell asleep to the rocking of the train.

 Jan 22^nd I awoke half an hour before the train pulled into Chiang Mai, not a bad way to cover 700 km for less than 30 dollars. Met some nice English blokes in the train station and we headed off together in search of lodging. We found a really great spot called eagle house at the recommendation of my rough guide, and spend the day walking around the Pai Gate area and enjoying the local eats. I made a smoking motion to our waitress at a vegetarian restaurant and she pulled me aside and handed me a bag of weed, refusing to accept payment for it!! Not bad Chiang Mai. Later that night I realized that I had lost my debit card somewhere along the way. Needless to say I was a little freaked out, but as usual my host family came through when I needed them and managed to cancel the card for me late at night after the English speaking hotline had closed. They also helped me check my balance the next day to find out my money was all safe, boy was I relieved. I think the most likely scenario is that I left my card in the machine and it got eaten. In Thailand, unlike any other country I’ve been in, they give you your money first and then your card, so I probably just took my money and walked away. Anyway I pulled myself together enough to get some falafel and play some beer pong with the English blokes. Turns out one of them was a really nice guy while the other was something of a chronic liar, I was glad to see them go a couple days later. The nightlife around the Pae gate was reminiscent of Kanchanaburi but a bit less sketchy. There was a Moe Tai ring where you could see free practice fights and plenty of bars with ladies and lady boys calling in people from the streets for a beer and god knows what else.

Jan 23^rd The next day I got a fabulous banana and pineapple pancake from our hostel (they also did great curries and vegetable omelets all for cheap). Then we rented bikes and road up to this temple called Wat Phrathat on a nearby mountain in Doi Suthep National Park. Neat place, lots of gold. Also a beautiful ride with impressive scenery and a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Chiang Mai. Even got to do a fun little hike near the summit, and arrived at the ruins to the south of the city just in time for sunset. Then we feasted at another veggie restaurant and smoked a small bowl while getting lost on the way to a happening bar our hostel owner had recommended to us. We quickly found ourselves wandering around a completely non-touristy part of town, but were still able to find a friendly Thai who smoke some English and was able to point us back in the right direction. Turned out the bar was completely non-touristy as well, full of well-dressed 20-30 something Thais. We stuck out pretty horrendously even by my lax standards in our bro tanks and elephant pants, but the cover bank was literally kick ass and we had a great time singing, drinking, and making new Thai friends.

Jan 24^th One week into my Thai adventure and I set off the epic Mae Hong Son trail, a 700 km motorcycle loop through mountains, valleys, hot springs, national parks, and waterfalls. The first stop was Pai, some 150 km and 300 turns away with the English chaps and some Russian swami and his lovebird in tow. Wow what a beautiful ride, stopping off for a dip in Mokfa waterfall and Tha Pai hot springs, basking in the epic views all day long. I truly began to fall in love with my semi-automatic  125 cc Honda dream during this trip. A fitting name for the bike. Finally we took a quick stop at the awe inspiring Pai canyon to catch the sunset before finishing up the last 10 km into town. Upon arrival checked into the first empty guest house we could find and soaked up the hippy vibes at the walking street night market before hitting a lively bar with a fire pit and a healthy dose of US exchange students. Little did we know that this was actually one of the lamest and most mainstream of Pai’s few bars…

Jan 25^th Started out the day by riding over the much lauded guesthouse called the circus school and checked into a 12 person dorm. They didn’t provide a towel or decent blanket and the rooms are shoddy at best; whenever someone rolled over the whole room would shake. But besides the sub-par accommodations the place is amazing. Swimming pool, billiards, hammocks, acro-yoga, juggling, etc., all strewn about the large courtyard and chill area. I played a few songs on a guitar they had sitting out and it wasn’t long before a befriended a Barcelonan smoking a porro and we departed with a Canadian girl, a guy from new Zealand and another Spanish guy from Madrid (after an unreasonably long wait for breakfast) to go river tubing. This adventure was kind of boring, picture floating slowly down a dirty river in the hot sun, but certainly a relaxing way to spend the day with numerous smoke breaks. Then we hit their favorite restaurant (the krazy kitchen) where an elderly pothead lady serves up pad Thais, strawberry lemon shakes, and tons of marijuana. She showed us a neat trick, bringing out the extra smoothie at the bottom of the blender that wouldn’t fit in out cups to top us off after a few sips instead of throwing it away (genius!). We then returned to Pai and hit up an open mic night at a bar called edible jazz. There are some great musicians in Pai! And I had the honor or performing alongside them.

Jan 26^th After a very cold and loud night I realized I didn’t have to actually stay at the circus in order to enjoy their pool/hammocks/ atmosphere. So I checked into a really nice spot by the river, paying only a dollar more a night for my own room, shower, and wonderfully warm blanket. In between lounging in the pool and sunning myself on the grass we took bikes up to the waterfall and Chinese village nearby (both underwhelming) and then headed to the giant white Buddha on a hill for sunset. After that I had dinner with the Russians and the swami told me that I’m a natural leader and I have to seize opportunities as they pass by, not wait around. We also did this walk in the woods life destiny personality test thing that was pretty cool.

Overall it was a good experience and he said he wanted to teach me, or rather for us to teach each other, which was nice but I think there may have been a sexual undertone. Anyway that night I stopped in at a jam bar with cheap beer and played a couple of tunes. The audience was very supportive and actually wouldn’t let me leave! Finally a woman who worked at a nearby bar came over and offered to pay me to play at her place for an hour so id decided to stay in Pai one more night.

Jan 27^th So I planned to hang around and work on my songs the next day (I had never played an hour solo set before) but by this point I had become thoroughly enmeshed in this strange multicultural group (symbolic of Pai) and they were planning to go check out this national park that I had suggested to them so I decided fuck it lets ride. Beautiful views but not much else met us at the park.  Decided to skip out on the krazy kitchen dinner (it’s really slow there, wonder why…). Instead I walked around walking street stopping in at whatever street food stall caught my eye, feasting on a burrito, a veggie wrap, a spring roll and ice cream, all unbelievably delicious. Maybe the nicest thing about the concert was that my friends all came to see me play. The guitar sucked, it was missing a string and then another broke half way through. Other than that it went really well. People seemed to enjoy the mix of songs and they were a very good natured bunch, even asking for encores. Plus now I know I can play in front of people for an hour no problem! It was a good experience for me.

Jan 28^th So the interrupted motorcycle trip resumed finally with the gay British Spaniard (he had emigrated from Spain some years ago) and the Russian swami following along (you can’t make this shit up) and we stopped at this jaw-dropping cave (Nam Lod) after eating this unbelievable breakfast at this unbelievable vegetarian restaurant (I got  an eggplant sandwich followed by an apple crisp, but everything on the menu looked to die for, I was saddened that I hadn’t eaten there at least once a day during my stay in Pai) Anyway the cave was pitch black and we rode around on bamboo rafts which seemed to be floating on a river of fish. 

We got out and explored multiple caves with our friendly guides who seemed to be there mostly to hold the smelly lanterns and point out stalactites that looked like random animals of artifacts. The cave was massive and awe inspiring and the boat trip felt like something out of harry potter. After that we grabbed a quick Thai feast before high tailing it to Mae Hong Son with a couple stops at the more impressive view points and some short nature walks. Once we got to Mae Hong Son we checked into a nice cheap place overlooking the pond and headed to the night market to grab some grub before calling it an early night.

Jan 29^th The next morning we had a great breakfast before hitting the road early. Our first stop was the Pha Bong hot springs that was really more like a smelly naturally heated pool, but it was nice just the same. After that we went off in search of Thailand’s biggest waterfall which was well off the main highway through some of the most beautiful rural villages and mountain roads on this trip chockfull of rural villages and mountain roads. Gone was the tourist Thailand where English signs and western meals abound, we were really in the boonies now.

Although the ride was amazing the Mae Surin waterfall itself was underwhelming, it was big and pretty but I had read in my guide book that we could take a trek down to see it up close, but the park rangers informed us with hand signals that we couldn’t, perhaps the trail was closed as my book was written some years ago. Anyway they were kind enough to refund our money and we continued on our way, but not before stopping for an amazing meal in one of the small towns we had passed through. This was one of many times I was very glad that my guide book had a small dictionary at the back which helped us order our meals, proof that Thailand can be as touristy or as non-touristy as you make it. On our journey onward we stopped for a glorious sunset high in the mountains, but realized we had little chance of making it to our next intended stop (Doi Inthanon National Park) unless we fancied riding for a few hours in pitch black, which we did not.

Luckily we saw a sketchy looking wooded sign on the side of the road that said coffee 18 km and had a picture of a bed on it, so I kept an eye on my km marker and sure enough 18 km later we were pulling up at what must have been the only guest house in 100 km.  The owner was nice and we managed to talk him down since we were clearly the only people staying there, and the rooms were fantastic little wooden huts for an unbelievable low price, so without a second thought we decided to spend the night in a town I later found out was called Mae Na Chon. A place like this in the States could have gone anywhere from 100-200 dollars, even in the middle of nowhere, but 6 got us each our own private cabin. We were pretty exhausted but not so much so that we didn’t fancy another delicious rural Thai meal; this time it was noodle soup washed down with some of the local whiskey offered to us by the restaurant owners. Bear in mind that when I say restaurant I really mean house that served food for money, as is often the case in rural Thailand. These were some of the most fantastic and authentic meals I got, and it never would have been possible without a little adventurous spirit and my own set of wheels.

Jan 30^th After a great night’s sleep we took to the road again, landing at Doi Inthanon national park after a few hours and one of our last delicious truly rural Thai meals. This national park boasted the highest peak in Thailand, complete with stunning views, two beautiful royal chedis complete with stone and marble carvings and amazing beautiful gardens right on top of the mountain. We also went on an interpretive nature hike with some friendly older Thai ladies we met and finished just in time to hit two of the parks most impressive waterfalls, Vatchirathan and Mae Ya before closing time. After one more meal in the boonies (an amazing curry) we headed north (now we were on a well-lit highway so we didn’t mind so much riding after dark) for an hour and a half and found ourselves back where it had all began: Chiang Mai. It was Saturday night so it took about 20 minutes of searching but we soon found a nice hostel and went out for a quick beer before calling it a night.

Jan 31^st The next day the Spaniard and I (we lost the Russians somewhere between Mae Hong Son and Doi Inthanon) headed back over to the Eagle guest house since we had enjoyed it so much the first time. I returned my motorcycle and we got a great western breakfast and spent most of the day walking around and checking out trekking and rafting agencies, as I planned on joining one the following day.  (I didn't use my camera much on the trek so excuse the lack of pictures). Unfortunately most of the people I talked to agreed rafting season was just about over and the rapids weren’t flowing like they were a couple months ago, and the other agencies seemed like they were just interesting in making a sale, so I joined on the self-proclaimed “non touristy hill tribe trek” which was two days one night and included rafting and elephant riding. I was a little reticent about the elephant riding, as it seems highly immoral to enslave such intelligent animals but it was the same price as the “just walking” two day tour without rafting or riding so I figured what the heck. That night there was a live free outdoor concert which featured a myriad of excellent performers from all over the world, and for the umpteenth time the past few days I felt extremely blessed to be where I was, doing what I was doing. I met some cool Europeans and then some cool Thai’s who I let drag me to another bar in the backpacker’s district although I had to wake up quite early for the trek the next morning. This place was bumping!! In one little corner there was a live music reggae bar, a live music ska bar, a live music metal bar, and a regular dance party bar, along with many others all with their own vibe and tons of frolicking young people. One of the Thai guys (a bartender at a popular local hostel) even insisted on walking me home after refusing to let me leave for about an hour though I assured him I knew the way. His intentions may not have been entirely pure but he was really nice and respectful so I didn’t mind letting him walk with me.

Feb 1^st Woke up bright and early the next morning to get started on the trek, the highlight of this was definitely the cool people I met. The trek itself was very underwhelming; we spent most of the time walking on dirt roads that cars could have driven on, often around cabbage fields, and didn’t even see any hill tribes or impressive views. There were some really interesting Czech boys who were studying in Seoul, and German girls who were pursuing their masters taking a semester abroad in Bangkok. It was refreshing to be around people my own age, since I had spent most of the trip with people far older than me. The guide was also a fascinating guy who came from a nearby tribe, and we spent some time discussing Thai politics and the problems with the elephant camps. He confirmed my fears that they were only kept around to please the tourists, and if it wasn’t for foreign influence they would most likely be living freely in national parks, kept from wandering into cities by low voltage electric fences. Instead they spend their lives in captivity, literally chained from birth to death except for to go on walks with tourists on their backs. We did see a few interesting things, like when our guide found a hole in the side of the road and dug away at it until a tarantula jumped out and latched on to his stick, or when we came across multiple budding marijuana plants by the edge of someone’s cabbage farm. It was also nice to spend a night out in the woods, cook dinner and make a large fire with a fun group of people.

Feb. 2^nd The next morning we hiked a little more and arrived at a river where we did some “white water rafting”. It’s in quotation marks because there was no white water. More like floating down the river, but it was somewhat enjoyable. Anyway then we headed back to Chiang Mai and I stayed with the German girls. We showered (amazing) and hit up a night market for dinner and some shopping (puke) before meeting up with the Czech guys and heading to the backpackers bars. The party was good but not nearly as raucous as last time I had been there since it was now a weeknight. Pretty soon the military rolled through and shut down all the bars as they had our first night in Bangkok, but we weren’t ready to go home so I asked a local if there was somewhere we could go to continue the party. He pointed us to a place not far away called Spicy’s, which was also recommended by my guidebook as the only late night party joint around. It was just your standard club, but kind of hidden behind a few doors and we hung out there for a while before heading to bed.

Feb 3^rd After this I was ready to head down south, so I woke up early, cabbed to the airport and hopped on the first plane to Krabi.  It was a nice flight, and during my layover in Bangkok I decided to forgo the overpriced airport food and wandered out into the streets around Don Muang. It wasn’t long before I found some street food and got a much more satisfying meal than I would have at the airport for a fraction of the price. After falling asleep at my gate and waking up less than a minute before my plane left the runway I arrived safely in Krabi and took a bus into town where I checked into a guest house recommended by the rough guide. The scenery on the Andaman coast was spectacular, with limestone cliffs jutting out as far as the eye could see. I booked a tour to explore Phang Gna Bay and headed to the night market to grab some curry and a smoothie.

Feb. 4^th The tour was again a bit underwhelming, as it seems many guided trips in Thailand are. It was heavily populated by wealthy older tourists and families, and I found myself fighting my way through crowds to get a glimpse of some rock that was in a James Bond movie which didn’t seem any more beautiful than the other 5 million rocks around the area. After that we got to take a ride in a kayak which was a lot of fun because you could go through these little underpasses to discover tranquil shaded mangrove swamps inside these massive boulders. But as soon as it began the kayak part was over and we were being whisked away to the next sight: a floating village built by Muslim families hundreds of years ago. This place was also really unique, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch under the shadow of gigantic crags and a golden mosque. After that we got to wander around the small village and check out the handicrafts, people playing and even kids in the three classroom school! Then it was back to the boat and back to the bus which ferried us to a not very impressive waterfall next to a cave temple whose main attraction was a plethora of the little monkeys you can see almost anywhere in Thailand. It wasn’t a bad day but I felt like just another tourist, and my 40 bucks probably could have taken me further on my own. By the time I got home it was too late to catch a boat to Railay, so I grabbed dinner and relaxed until bed time, as there wasn’t much of a party scene in Krabi town.

Feb 5^th Technically Railay isn’t an island, but it is cut off from the mainland by unrealistically large limestone crags so it can only be reached by boat. Along with this it boasts some of the region’s most impressive beaches. The next morning I headed down to the dock the next morning and after a short wait hopped a long-tail boat to Railay. The ride in was awesome, it was reminiscent of my trip to Zion, massive rock formations looming over you in every direction. When I arrived however I was struck by two things, the beautiful beaches and the expensive accommodations. After asking around a bit I learned that the backpackers area was located by the Ton Sai beach, and so I waded through the high tide and jungle paths to make my way over there. Railay is undoubtedly a rock climbers paradise, and you can’t walk far without craning your neck to see daring souls hundreds of feet above you suspended only by ropes, muscle, and bravery. Ton Sai wasn’t the most picturesque of the beaches, but the fact that it was surrounded by jungle rather than resorts certainly added to its appeal. Unfortunately all accommodations and bars were set back a few hundred meters from the beach, relegated by a 5 star resort that had purchased all the beach front property and was beginning to construct a wall to keep out the backpackers and rock climbers. I am glad I made it to this amazing place before the changes became too noticeable. Everything in the south is more expensive, especially on areas cut off from the mainland.

Walking up to my 400 baht bungalow I passed an Israeli guy sitting on his hammock strumming a guitar, so I went over and jammed with him for a while before heading down to the beach for a swim. There I met some Canadian girls and we set off in search of the caves and viewpoint discussed in my guidebook. The climb up to the view point was spectacular, something in between hiking and rock climbing, it was a nearly vertical ascent assisted by thick ropes and good footing. Halfway up there was a turn off for the lagoon, so we went to check that out first. It was incredible. After a steep climb down we found ourselves at a salt water pool, literally standing inside this giant massif. There were trees, caves, mud, and if not for the giant slack line stretched across the pool we could have been living in Jurassic Park. 

Unfortunately we arrived at low tide so the water was too shallow to attempt a crossing on the line safely. We met a cool Chilean guy and explored the cave, where we found a mosquito net and mattress pad, looks like someone’s been living in here! After that we made for the viewpoint which provided stunningly beautiful views of the Railay Peninsula. After that the Canadians headed back to Ton Sai while the Chilean and I went to another beach to catch the sunset before trekking back in the dark with only out I-pones to light the way. I met his friends and we had a nice meal at mama’s chicken before heading to the Viking bar for a good night of relaxed drinking and smoking. The bar was great, they had a slack line, cheap drinks, they sold weed and mushroom shakes, and even let you smoke out of their bamboo bong. It was a great place to meet cool people, and the night flew by all too quickly.

Feb 6^th Woke up and got a delicious tune melt from this cool breakfast joint nearby my hostel. Did I mention there are only dirt roads on Railay, and my bungalow is like halfway up a mountain? It’s actually really nice, except when you’re coming home drunk at 4 in the morning and the generator only runs from 6-12 p.m. so there are no lights and you forgot your headlamp and the fan obviously won’t turn on so your reallllly hot. Its times like these you learn to appreciate the cold shower. Anyway, I met up with the Chilean guy again and we decided to rent some climbing shoes and give the bouldering a try, we had heard there was some decent stuff in a nearby cave and down by the beach. Man was it tough!! I mean not just because I hadn’t climbed in almost a year, though I’m sure that was part of it, but they were just really hard routes!! I think I understand why most people stick to top roping. Anyway after getting our butts kicked for a while, we grabbed some lunch and went to get our butts kicked some more before retiring for the day and renting a kayak to explore the bay before sunset. Not a bad day but nothing to write home about.

Feb 7^th The next day we took part in the deep water soloing trip. This combined rock climbing a cliff jumping and basically means bouldering over open water so that when you get tired or just plain old scared you can turn around and jump into the water. Just over 20 bucks got us a pair of shoes, lunch, and transportation. They even brought some crappy snorkels along so we could float around and observe the marine life once we were tuckered out from all the climbing. The place they took us was on a nearby island, really beautiful and much more suited to novice climbers. There were plenty of easy routes down low, while the brave and the experts could fly up the walls like monkeys and jump from some 30 meters. I was way too scared to do that. In fact to my surprise the routes were so easy that my main limitation that kept me around ten meters was fear rather than lack of climbing ability. But regardless, it was a lot of fun to get some decent climbs in and get the adrenaline pumping, and I also spent some time snorkeling around. We had a picnic on a nearby beach which was also quite enjoyable before doing a bit more climbing and heading home. When I got back I wanted to take off for the eastern seaboard since I’d already seen a decent amount of the west and only had a few days remaining, but the long range buses stopped their evening service at 5. So I went as far as I could go which put me some 90 miles north in the town or Phang Gna. For some strange reason the bus left me on the side of the highway rather than at the bus stop, but there was a police man who put me on the back of his bike and for a dollar or two drove me the few kilometers to town. Once there I found a pretty nice cheap hostel, grabbed some pad se ew, turned on my fan that wonderfully enough didn’t shut off at midnight, and settled in for a good night’s sleep. 

Feb 8^th I spent the majority of the next day traveling by bus and ferry to the island of Koh Tao, deciding to forgo Kho Phangan (as I had Kho Phi Phi) due to time constraints. Neither journey was too noteworthy, though the ferry ride included a pretty sunset and pulling up to the islands in the middle of the ocean was pretty nice. Once I got to Koh Tao I quickly realized that most of the party scene happened at the beach a few kilometers down the road, so I hitched a ride over there with a teenager on his motorcycle since the cabs were all asking somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 dollars to drive me there, which seemed extremely steep to me after a month in Thailand. Once I got there it took some wandering around to find a place to stay, the island was pretty populated, mainly with scuba divers. But as always in under an hour of searching, being turned away by cheap places and refusing to settle for expensive ones I managed to find a room at a midrange place. The lady who owned the place agreed to give me a discount on the condition that I leave the next day, she just wanted to fill her last room and knew at that time it was unlikely anyone else would come by and I wasn’t going to pay her asking price. So I got my own large quite room just meters away from the main drag. Not bad! It seems most of the partying on Koh Tao happens at the beach bars where tourists drink themselves silly while breathing in excessive amounts of gasoline put off by the elaborate fire shows. It’s not a bad scene and generally descends into a mix of dancing and flaming jump rope and limbo as the night gears up. It’s a very college party vibe, with mid-20s-mid-30s Europeans realizing the glory days. I met some crazy French people and danced with them for a while until we were drunk enough for a night time dip in the ocean before calling it a night.

Feb 9^th The next day I had to wake up semi-early to check out on time, and I was still quite exhausted from the previous night of debauchery. So I checked into the cheapest hostel in the area and promptly fell asleep for another couple hours. When I awoke well rested I got some lunch, rented a scooter and set off to explore the island. My first stop was a short hike to a lookout point on the southern edge, which boasted magnificent views from the large boulders at the peak and sat next to the islands most pristine stretch of sand, freedom beach, with palm trees jutting out of the sand just meters from the water casting shade on hammocks and lounging tourists. Despite its beauty it was a little out of the way and thus not as populated as some of the other beaches, so I grabbed a banana, coconut, pineapple shake and hung out for a little while. On the way back I passed a street stand that looked like they made a mean sandwich, and indeed they did. I also saw a French bakery across the street and was enticed inside by the smells and stayed for a delicious blueberry pie. It had been awhile since I’d gotten one of those! I then continued my exploration till I found myself on the far north side of the island, closer to where I was staying, and visited another look-out/snorkeling area with great views of the adjacent islet. Along the way I stopped at a few guesthouses I saw on the side of the road to find the for the same 10 dollars I was paying for a dorm I could stay in my own bungalow just ten minutes down the road, and decided to check in there the next morning. After that I was ready for some good old fashioned beach bumming so I walked along the beach until I found a quite spot, took a dip, and laid out on the sand until the sun set and the mosquitoes started closing in. By then was ready for dinner, and after a day of Western food I was ready for a nice Thai meal, and so I got a reallllly spicy vegetable curry that hit just the right spot. Man, I miss Thai food! After that I went to check out a bar a little down the beach where I heard they sometimes had live music. The rumor was true but it was really nothing compared to up north. I met some nice European girls there and we talked for a while before checking out a lady boy cabaret show in town. It was interesting, a lot of scantily dressed lady boys singing classic western songs like “I Will Survive”. For the finale they took a few boys from the audience and dressed them up like girls, I kinda wanted to get picked but I was way in the back. After that we headed to the beach for (what else?) more drinking and dancing. I had planned to check out an advertised party at a nearby club but I was having fun with the girls I had met and was feeling too lazy to try and meet new people so I decided to just hang out by the beach. After the party ended we grabbed some food (an amazing hamburger from a street vendor for me) and headed to bed.

Feb 10^th First things first, after I woke up I went to check into this new bungalow place down the road. It was really nice to be in my own room again, and they even had a path that led down to the beach! I walked down and chartered a long tail boat (I’ve always wanted to say that) to take me over to the nearby island. I probably could have swam but it was only a couple dollars and the guy who took me out was friendly and even let me drive a little ways, which was cool. The islet was extremely beautiful but wayyy overpopulated with tourists. So I hiked up to the nearby viewpoint which was, again, strikingly gorgeous but maddeningly crowded. One nice thing was that there were these big boulders on top and since no one else there was daring enough the highest one was empty, and I was able to scramble up and have the best view to myself for a few minutes before some groups of Europeans were encouraged by my display and followed suit.

After that I headed back down and decided not to get any of the overpriced food and just tough it out for a couple hours till I got back to the mainland. There was a slightly submerged sandbar leading to the second, far less crowded island so I waded over and relaxed on the sand for a while until I found some snorkelers my age who appeared to be done snorkeling and just relaxing on the beach and I asked if I could borrow their mask, as renting them is way overpriced and this was supposed to be one of the best snorkeling spots on the island if not the world. It was indeed quite impressive, great visibility and a plethora of fish of all shapes, sizes and colors. After a while I headed back to the other side of the strait, which had cleared out considerably since midday and lay in the sand till the boatman arrived at 4 to take me back to the main island. After a shower and some dinner I hung out at the hostel and checked my emails since there was no Wi-Fi at my place. It was in a conversation there that I heard talk of this banana bar, which was apparently one of the few safe places to buy and smoke weed on the island, and since I was sick of the beer party/fire show vibe I decided to ride over and check it out. Only problem was the headlight on my scooter was broken and it was a pretty far ride up and down hills and along a dirt road, but I decided what the heck, strapped on my headlamp and set forth. It was quite a dangerous ride, in retrospect I probably shouldn’t have done it at night, especially without a headlamp, but I made it alright. I was the only person there (this place was in the middle of nowhere) but there were actually some hostels around, not a bad place to stay if you wanted to avoid the crowds. I bet 10 or 20 years ago the whole island was like this. I’d really like to hit some places like that during my travels next year. Anyway a French guy showed up not long after me, nice guy, construction worker, and we split a bag of some of the best weed I’d had in Thailand and smoked some bamboo bong with the owner before heading back to our respective homes.

Feb 11^th The next morning I decided I should probably hit the road to make sure I was back in Bangkok (some 700 km away) by the next night so I could catch my plane the morning of the 13^th. But the ferry wasn’t till two so I decided to go check out another viewpoint on my scooter, the highest on the island, where there was rumored to be another smoking bar. As usual the rumors were accurate, and I got to smoke the last of my weed while sipping a fruit shake looking down on the island below me. After that I returned my scooter and munched on a delicious veggie sandwich before boarding a boat headed for the mainland, Lomprayah to be exact. From there I grabbed a Pad Se Ew and hopped a train. I opted to skip the sleeper train and just go as far as I could for as cheap as possible, which landed me in Prachuap Khiri Kahn around 11 pm. As the ticket salesman had promised, I was indeed able to find cheap lodging there without difficulty, so I went across the street to where the night market was closing, found the one lady there who spoke some English, and got a mouthwatering dish of stir fried veggies (phad phak ruam) before bed.

Feb 12^th On my last day in Thailand I got up late and ordered another stir fried vegetable (my last L) while I waited for the train that would take me towards the end of my journey. It was a long ride! I underestimated the distance from Koh Tao to Bangkok, and it wasn’t until the sun was sinking into the horizon that I arrived in the city. Three things I can say about taking a long train in a 3^rd class vs a 1^st class (sleeping) car. The first and most obvious, though the third class car is not very comfortable the price difference is extraordinary, from maybe 35 dollars to 6 dollars to cover 500 + kilometers. Secondly, the food is wayyyy better in third class. In first class a professional looking lady comes to take your order from a set menu, and brings you back some overpriced reasonably tasty food. In third class vendors jump off and on the train at each station selling cheap snacks, peanut brittle, ice cream, drinks, fruit, and even meals with rice, meat and eggs. The vegetable options are lacking, but other than that it’s a pretty impressive system they got going on. Finally, the toilets are very different, squatters vs western style flush toilets. So anyway once I arrived I jumped on the back of a motorcycle and headed back to where it had all began, Khoa San. During the train ride I realized I had a bag of weed in my bag that I had totally forgotten about, so I checked into a cheap place, high up, with a balcony and smoked for the last time until I was to return to the United States 6 months later. I also bought a cheap hammock (that and my elephant pants are the only material items I retained during my month abroad), but refrained from going out since my flight departed at 8 the following morning.

Feb 13^th I stumbled out of bed just after five o’clock and walked out to the main road. As my hostel owner had promised, there were a group of taxi drivers waiting. Seeing me not drunk with a large bag, they realized immediately where I was headed, and whisked me into a waiting cab, and before I knew it I was on a plane with only my pictures, my journal, and my memories to prove it had all really happened. And so ended my adventure.