Dream Vacation Wrap Up
8 planes
6 hotels
5 cities
3 countries
3 trains
3 boats
Countless taxi’s
1 Trip of a lifetime
My last night in Bangkok was spent with a good friend of mine. We went to dinner and then to the top of the
Marriott hotel for drinks overlooking the entire city. The nightly breeze and 80 degree temperature
made looking over the city lights quite peaceful, even amidst the club thumping
music. It was nice to reminisce with
someone who comes from the same place. It’s been over 10 years since either of us lived in Oklahoma, but perched high on the 48th floor overlooking the city we
laughed about simple things and a much different way of life (ie: noodling,
look it up). That night I stayed in a hotel that is either where someone goes to get a hooker or where someone goes to die. The room was about the size an apartment bathroom in New York City - a double bed, a bathroom that was both the toliet and the shower. The sink could be reached by just sitting on the edge of the bed. There was a safe in the room though - a nice idea, if only it had actually been nailed down to something. If I'd forgotten the password I simply could have picked it up and made it a checked bag on the flight. But I only needed a place to stay for the 3 hour time span between leaving drinks and going to the airport - no need to sleep since I'd be on planes the next 23 hours, but I was aiming for a nap. Instead I laid on top of the sheets for 3 hours praying I didn't get bed bugs or a weird rash.
I hesitate to criticize any place I travel too. I am a visitor to their space. I am there to observe, to learn, and to better understand them. But really I am there to better understand myself. I appreciate and seek out the highs and lows of going to a new place. It is so easy to transfer the comforts of home to a new place. It's so easy to seek out convenience and luxury. But beaches are nearly all the same - so Mexico will suffice for this experience. 24 hours on airplanes and half a world away calls for a life changing experience. It calls for stepping out of the comfort zone - running in fact. It calls for being scared, being humble, being open. One night I stayed on the 33rd floor in a suite overlooking Bangkok and ate at the #10 restaurant in the world, the following I slept on a top bunk of a moving train, squatted to pee and was given food I couldn’t even decipher. One night I stayed in a villa with its own private pool and the very next night I stayed in a hostel hotel with a rat and a cockroach for a doorman. But the duality with which I travel is the same way I live my life - high and low and always willing to try something new.
I am often asked how the random, often absurd, things happen to me in life - ie: the thai massage which ended in my nipples slathered in generic oil or me navigating a blind illiterate man through the streets of Thailand. The answer is that I put myself out there. I deliberately set myself up for the story, for the interesting experience. I invite in the unknown variable and welcome the stamp of change it will imprint on my life. I approach the unfamiliar with a healthy mix of fear and curiosity, interest and trepidation. If the situation feels wrong – it is, but if it’s uncomfortable, I push past, try and learn, experience, adjust my expectations and perceptions.
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Today I told my father I would be in Oklahoma soon, his response "why would you come to this shit hole state? I'd rather be anywhere but here". It's the same thing I heard repeatedly growing up. As an adult it's an abrasive and caustic answer, but as a child, it was the fuel I needed to let me know there was more out there. It was the understanding that I needed to go far. My father was always looking to run away, my mother was looking to always settle down. The dreamer and the doer.
My father never did leave Oklahoma, I've moved 3 different times. My mother told me on this trip that I inspire her to dream big, to push herself. The dreamer and the doer - I like to think I struck the balance between the two, the duality that represents who I am. But balance is a tricky thing, some days it's so easy and other days it's the elusive goal that is caught between the numerous falls.
The comfort zone. Since blowing mine up 9 months ago, I'm not entirely sure what that means to me. There are certainly things and places that make me comfortable, but there is no longer a box drawn around me. There is no longer an invisible line I am afraid to cross for fear of repercussion, retaliation, or resentment. I don't advise everyone taking the same course of action I took, but I do advise everyone to look at the things they rely on in life, the necessary comforts, and I urge them to pick at least one and do the opposite, especially when traveling. There is a built in safety net - a return ticket. A person can always go home again, but there is no second chance for a new experience.
And because I love a good countdown....
Top Ten Things I learned in Thailand:
1. There are 32 varieties of mangoes
2. Do not talk about the King in public.
3. It is still very much a cash only society, few places take credit cards.
4. Breathe in and out through your mouth in Bangkok - the smells are pungent.
5. Traffic is horrific - take the train or boat or anything other than a cab if you can.
6. Chiang Mai deserves at least 2 days.
7. Asians love fried chicken - KFC is everywhere.
8. They also love 7-11
9. There is a language barrier - smile. They LOVE to smile.
and lastly....
10. Be afraid. And then keep going.
I hesitate to criticize any place I travel too. I am a visitor to their space. I am there to observe, to learn, and to better understand them. But really I am there to better understand myself. I appreciate and seek out the highs and lows of going to a new place. It is so easy to transfer the comforts of home to a new place. It's so easy to seek out convenience and luxury. But beaches are nearly all the same - so Mexico will suffice for this experience. 24 hours on airplanes and half a world away calls for a life changing experience. It calls for stepping out of the comfort zone - running in fact. It calls for being scared, being humble, being open. One night I stayed on the 33rd floor in a suite overlooking Bangkok and ate at the #10 restaurant in the world, the following I slept on a top bunk of a moving train, squatted to pee and was given food I couldn’t even decipher. One night I stayed in a villa with its own private pool and the very next night I stayed in a hostel hotel with a rat and a cockroach for a doorman. But the duality with which I travel is the same way I live my life - high and low and always willing to try something new.
--------------------------
Today I told my father I would be in Oklahoma soon, his response "why would you come to this shit hole state? I'd rather be anywhere but here". It's the same thing I heard repeatedly growing up. As an adult it's an abrasive and caustic answer, but as a child, it was the fuel I needed to let me know there was more out there. It was the understanding that I needed to go far. My father was always looking to run away, my mother was looking to always settle down. The dreamer and the doer.
My father never did leave Oklahoma, I've moved 3 different times. My mother told me on this trip that I inspire her to dream big, to push herself. The dreamer and the doer - I like to think I struck the balance between the two, the duality that represents who I am. But balance is a tricky thing, some days it's so easy and other days it's the elusive goal that is caught between the numerous falls.
The comfort zone. Since blowing mine up 9 months ago, I'm not entirely sure what that means to me. There are certainly things and places that make me comfortable, but there is no longer a box drawn around me. There is no longer an invisible line I am afraid to cross for fear of repercussion, retaliation, or resentment. I don't advise everyone taking the same course of action I took, but I do advise everyone to look at the things they rely on in life, the necessary comforts, and I urge them to pick at least one and do the opposite, especially when traveling. There is a built in safety net - a return ticket. A person can always go home again, but there is no second chance for a new experience.
And because I love a good countdown....
Top Ten Things I learned in Thailand:
1. There are 32 varieties of mangoes
2. Do not talk about the King in public.
3. It is still very much a cash only society, few places take credit cards.
4. Breathe in and out through your mouth in Bangkok - the smells are pungent.
5. Traffic is horrific - take the train or boat or anything other than a cab if you can.
6. Chiang Mai deserves at least 2 days.
7. Asians love fried chicken - KFC is everywhere.
8. They also love 7-11
9. There is a language barrier - smile. They LOVE to smile.
and lastly....
10. Be afraid. And then keep going.