Ok, I know I said I was finished yesterday but, honestly, I'm beat and sitting at the computer is about all I have the strength to do right now. I'm back in Chiang Rai and I'll be on a train to Bangkok tomorrow night. I'm thinking I'll spend my last day in Thailand on Khao San Rd. (backpacker central) before I have to fly back to Australia Saturday evening.

It poured again last night so I was in bed early. I'm still not feeling very well either and I have a feeling I know what gave me this sore throat. Let me just say that the next time you spend an evening with a Thai hill-tribe, bathing in the stream might not be the most hygienic thing to do. I spent last night channel surfing and the only thing I could find in English was the Disney Channel. I can now finally say I've seen a complete episode of Kim Possible and several episodes of the Mr. Bean cartoon.

I wanted to share a few words of advice about traveling through Thailand just in case this really is my last entry for the week. First of all, if you ever take a trip like the one I've just enjoyed, don't expect it to be a vacation in the traditional sense. (Or, if you're Australian, don't expect a holiday.) I swear I'll need a vacation to recover from these past two weeks. I've lost count of all of the cities I've seen, the places I've eaten, and the hotels I've slept in. I couldn't even find my way back to the guesthouse yesterday because I couldn't remember where I was staying. It's been exciting and was exactly the type of trip I wanted. I'll be happy to sit on the beach in Cairns in a few weeks, though. Second, I've had a blast being probably one of the more unique-looking people in the country. There may not be an abundance of high ceilings or legroom in Thailand, but if you're over six feet tall, you'll definitely want to come visit here. Back to my other point about finding your away around a foreign city, I want to emphasize the importance of carrying your hotel or hostel's business card. It should preferably have a map on it and also be in both Thai and English. You can imagine why that would be helpful. Finally, don't let a lack of fluency in the language deter you from coming. While the basics help, anyone whose job it is to help you enjoy your trip will speak at least basic English. (Don't get frustrated and do the whole speak slowly-and-loud thing at them. It doesn't work.) In terms of health, my advice is simple. Drink a lot of water but don't let your lips touch the stuff in the tap.

Also, any additional languages come in handy too. Especially in places like Thailand with backpackers and travelers from all over the world, any thing that helps to communicate with more people is going to be helpful. Fortunately for me, I've been to Israel and taken a couple of Hebrew language classes at Rutgers. Thailand is a very popular spot for Israelis who have just finished their military service and I jumped at the chance to practice my Hebrew here as often as I could.

I'll miss the cultural differences and the food. I'll also miss the reaction I get from native Thais upon seeing my big feet and red hair for the first time. I've had a lot of fun telling people where my accent's from and that New York really is as great as they think it is. (I've also told them to stay away from New Jersey... just kidding!) I'll have to go back to calling napkins by their Australian name, serviettes, instead of paper or tissue as the Thais understand them. I've really come to appreciate the subtleties of the English language and how lucky I am to be a native speaker. I wouldn't mind now living in another country for maybe six months teaching the language, except I might need a refresher because I couldn't begin to understand all of the rules. I've never been surrounded by so few English-speakers as I've been in Thailand (except maybe in Brooklyn) and it's easier for me now to understand why people say English is the most difficult language to learn later in life.

Speaking of random thoughts, my fellow cast member Chris just emailed me and reminded me that I never mentioned the direction in which the toilet water flows in Australia. (Will: this is for you, too!) Ok, it's kind of complicated but I'll do the best I can to explain it. The water in most drains (i.e. sinks, showers, etc.) does spin the other way in the southern hemisphere. Just like Australians like to drive on the other side of the street, they like to have their drain water spin clockwise. Toilets though are a different story, since they usually have a very powerful suction that pulls the water straight down.

Safe travels!

Jason

Thank you, PC.

Posted by Jason at 07:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Comments

Posted by: *mich* | October 1, 2006 12:30 AM

Posted by: Jason | October 1, 2006 05:29 AM

Posted by: Christopher | October 1, 2006 10:01 AM

Posted by: Jason | October 2, 2006 01:48 PM

Posted by: Jason | October 2, 2006 01:50 PM