Playing favorites

When I left India I made the bold statement on social media that India was my favorite country I had ever visited. Since making that statement I've been asked several times 'why?'

India is crazy, India is a whole other world, culture shock, Delhi belly, pollution, poverty, blah blah blah. This is what I had heard most predominantly going into India. If I'm truly honest, India was a bit of an afterthought. I knew I wanted to visit Nepal and I knew I wanted to go to Sri Lanka. India just so happened to be in the middle, so it became part of the trip. Despite all the negatives I had heard (and a few positives) I really tried not to listen to them too much so I could form my own opinion.

My first few hours lived up to the negatives I had heard. I got to the hotel and had met a couple girls in the tour (one of which I became really good friends with) who were both a bit apprehensive about being there. The girls hadn't a wealth of travel experience so we of course set out to the streets in our own, me somehow the leader. In our naivety we couldn't walk most than 2 city blocks without being hounded by about four different touts all telling us that some places were closed, that we should go to other places, and wouldn't you know they could take us there for cheap. I got ripped off a couple cents eating some bad street food. When I went to pay for the street food we got surrounded by people all with their hands out begging for some money. One of the girls decided it was best to get in a tuktuk and leave the situation. I didn't think it would make the overall result any better,  But didn't want to argue or be 'that guy' so I agreed and we hopped in. We ended up at what I like to call a commission shop. We were told we were going to a market. We got brought to a shop loaded with pushy, yet polite, salesmen who were selling any clothing article or trinket a tourist could want. I hated it. After that we asked the tuktuk driver to bring us to a different market. An actual market. We got brought to a other commission shop. We walked straight out and when the tuktuk driver asked what was wrong we asked simply to go back to the hotel. We had maybe been gone an hour and we were all fed up. I ate back at the hotel before the tour meeting started really unsure how the next 3 weeks would go in this huge country.

In the couple hours I had between eating and the meeting started I had a little chat with myself about being as open as possible to the differences that India is compared to the life I am familiar with back home. It turns out, I didn't even need to think about being open-minded, the differences is what made it so awesome.

The following day the tour left Delhi for Agra which is really when any negative thoughts about India were left behind as well. It was considered amongst the group that Delhi is a bit of a hole, but the rest of India was awesome. After about 3 days I knew India had one me over for good. Even if I were to become violently ill (which, happy to report, I didn't have any stomach issues) India would hold a special place for me. The magnitude of how much I enjoyed it didn't hit me until I was actually in the Cochin airport ready to go to Sri Lanka.

As I was sitting there waiting to board the plane the feeling hit me. The feeling that no other country has ever given me. I want to come back immediately. I hadn't even left the country and I was already yearning to return. I could see myself returning to India time and time again, getting more comfortable with the culture and people, exploring new cities. The scenery, weather, people, food, music, religion, culture, transportation, fashion. It is all so distinct. That is why I loved it. There was so little influence from the western world that the identity of India was so strong that it forces an imprint on you. For some better than others. I couldn't get enough. All 5 senses constantly firing at you with stimuli never before experienced. Smelling Jasmine oil and incense while seeing cows in the street and woman dressed in beautiful sarees, hearing the langue of Hindi being spoken over the rush of tuktuks, and tasting dish after beautiful dish of mouth watering curry. It was so distinctly Indian and it was awesome.

Looking around the airport bookstore I was left so hungry for more of it all. I want to learn about the food, the religions, the customs. I want to listen to more music. I simply want to experience more and more of India. A land so unique unto itself it will imprint on anyone who visits. It imprinted on me profoundly and I can't wait to go back.

Dance Party Photo Photo

We arrived in Goa about 12 days into the India tour. Enough time to get a feel for India. My intitial impression was "this is a spread out version of koh phi phi" which, if you read my last post, know I didn't like. The fact that it was spread out made it feel much more manageable and tolerable. There was still an energy in Goa that was exciting.

It is important to note a distinction between Goa and Phi phi. On phi phi the locals stay away from the beach. In Goa the (female) tourists tend to avoid the beach due to the legions of staring men.

Dance party 1.

The group had gone out for drinks and dinner and I was feeling well lubricated. Somehow we ended up at a club that in order to get into one of the girls in the group had to pretend to be my girlfriend. Girls get in free, couples get in free, single guys pay a ridiculous cover charge. Whatever.

So we walk into the pleasantly air conditioned club playing good music and what do we see but the biggest deli of a sausage fest in a club I've ever seen. A quick scan and there were probably about 200 people in the club. I would guess 85-90% were men. In rolls a group of 10 white western tourists (who would get the stares anyway) of which, 8 are female who want to dance and party.

We sort of swallow the awkwardness of the situation, form our little circle and try and pick up our own energy, try to avoid being stared at (i don't feel personally stared at), try not to pay attention to the fact that hardly anyone in the room is dancing. The chute could have been pulled 5 minutes in. It was awkward. Luckily, after how ever many minutes a few more people adjusted to seeing us and started dancing and minding their own business. A few girls in the group were inevitably asked to pose for pictures with some of the men. Energy was still down.

A random dude started trying to join into our group. Back home, these dudes are promptly ignored and on several occasions I've cut in to block the guy from reaching for one of my friends going so far as pretending to be boyfriend to get rid of the intruder. Not here though. Not in this situation. We welcomed him in. It was alright that he joined but truthfully he didn't add too much by way of dancing or energy. What he did do though, was break the ice between tourist and local.

Maybe a couple songs later another circle near us was dancing pretty hard. We invited the merge. About a dozen people forming a new circle. A mix of cultures, a mix of dance styles. Synergy, if you will, if I can use such a term.

This moment was the catalyst. It woke the club up. Suddenly there was not only our newly formed energized circle, but many others on the periphery  of it wanting to get in on the act.

Suddenly, everyone was dancing in our area. People took turn jumping into the middle and doing their thing. Classic dance circle and given the cultural differences a real mix of styles. What was really surprising to see was the talent that stepped forward, that was in the club all along, waiting to shine. A guy was doing some cool animation styles, another guy started break dancing. They were good! Another guy in that group had plenty of impressive footwork. These guys were true club dancers. It was awesome to see. They even did some pre-set choreography they must have had up their sleeves for such an occasion. We were all playing off of one another. Such a mix of energy. I was asked by the one girl in their group of I knew how to salsa. I said only a little. I was a bit disappointed in myself, she was such a good dancer and it would have been a blast to do some salsa with her.

I found myself having more fun than I have most times I've gone out back in Canada. All this dancing with a bunch of Indian men and a few of my friends from the tour group, including a legendary kiwi in our group who dances the way I think everyone should when out: energy at 10 shame at 0, was proving to be a blast.

The night ended for me leaving a little while later and before I left I sought out the small group of friendly, skilled, local dancers which I had so much fun dancing with. I shook hands with all of them and thanked them. They thanked me. It was awesome. Such a turn around in energy from impressions walking in to feelings walking out.

Dance party 2.
The following night the group was out for a dinner which was the final night for some members of the group as well as our tour leader. So obviously, we had to go out.

Instead of going to a club we found our way walking to one of the beach restaurants that can double as a dance floor that was playing Indian dance music. We all sat down to simply have a drink. The music was pretty good but nobody was really into dancing. Occasionally, we saw a couple drunk Russian girls do some minimal dancing or a small group of guys start dancing for a song and then disappear. I actually thought the guys might have been getting a cut from the club to try and drum up energy.

We sat having our drinks for probably about an hour. I was getting antsy though. I was ready to dance. There was so little going on from any form of energy from anyone else I wondered if it would flop or if dancing would even be attempted. We needed a catalyst. After a rather good song played I could see a few people in our group doing the head bob. They were feeling it. I was feeling it. Again, we needed a catalyst but I wasn't sure I was feeling it to the extent of putting myself out there solo. I turned to the kiwi in the group to dance. Together, we would be catalysts and light the energy up.

Light it up we did. The kiwi, myself, and a few other from the group decided to start dancing. Within less than 2 songs I interjected myself with one of the dancing circles of dudes acting like an excitable and friendly idiot. This is the same strategy I've used on several occasions and the strategy that got me the epic cooking lesson in Thailand. It worked. Once again, as if in a snap of the fingers there was a cicrcle of energy that seemed impossible to conjour just moments earlier. Not only that, all of a sudden there were probably about 40-50 people dancing. There weren't even 30 in the area moments earlier.

We danced with the locals. What was different this time is that our little group seemed to get split up. Each of the westerners seemed to have their own little group of locals to dance with. I tried to replicate their moves and learn from them. At one point I learned that the particular song was a snake dance and I should dance like a snake. Dance like a snake I did, complete with hands clasped together in front of my face (replicating a tongue I presume) and waving my body to mimmick the slithering of the snake. Great fun. I took a brief video of the commotion and in doing so one of the guys told me to keep dancing. I tried to explain that I was filming to capture the moment.

In being the eager and excitable student I suddenly became the centre of attention. I was asked to be in pictures with some of the guys dancing. This wasn't so bizarre. Over the first 2 weeks in India I had been asked to pose for pictures along side locals a number of times. That number, however, was nowhere close to my female counterparts who probably received 5 times the number of requests and about 30 times more looks and stares. I didn't have a problem posing for the pics. It was fun and I didn't feel objectified or sexualized the way I'm sure many, if not all, of my female companions did.

After a few minutes I realized I had been in over 30 photos. In fact, I was doing more posing for photos than dancing at this point. The parade of people making requests seemed never ending. Where the hell did all these guys come from? They weren't here that long ago. I kept playing along and kept posing for photos. I decided that if these guys are going to get photos then I was to. I posed with a group of fellas to get a photo of my own. I was able to get some more dancing in and the crowd of people seemed to continue to grow, as did the photo requests which weren't so much of requests as it was a guy walking up saying "picture picture" while putting his arm around me and getting into a good stance for a selfie.

The dancing and photos kept going and then, without any warning and mid way through a song the music cut. What happened? The music had cut a few times earlier, but that was attributed to bad dj-ing. This time it didn't come back on. We then heard that the guys running the place cut the music. The reason? Too many people showed up who were participating who hadn't bought a drink. We were told that after a few minutes and some people cleared out that they would start it back up. We were okay with that, we would have some drinks in the interim.

10 minutes pass. 20 minutes. 30. No music. Chairs are being brought into the restaurant. It is clear that no party is being started back up. That's the end of that.

2 nights and 2 dance parties and multiple times people saying 'picture' to me 2 times in quick succession leaves the memory of dancing with locals in India. Another experience I would have never expected but sure glad I can add to the memories of this great adventure.

Nepal - a constant surprise

I was ready to leave Thailand. Bangkok was amazing but I really didn't care for Koh Phi Phi at all. After 2 flights and a lengthy connection in which I accidentally cleared Malaysian customs (turns out I didn't go to the 'connecting flights' area so now I have a Malaysian stamp in the passport) I made my way to Nepal. Luckily the airport wasn't busy and so was able to get my visa and clear the necessary desks and baggage fairly quick. I got a cab to take me to the hotel. It was about 10:30 pm

Surprise 1: the city was quiet.

I don't mean there was no hustle and bustle like I was expecting I mean it was quiet. Shops were closed and there was nobody in the streets. I was in thamel.... A busy district..... In the centre of the city.... A city I heard is busy and bustling. What was happening?  I mentioned this observation to a hotel employee who said that the city more or less shuts down at about 8:30 every night. I wasn't expecting that, I had a small meal in the hotel and went to bed. The next day, more surprises.

Surprise 2 - the city is NOT quiet.

After a long sleep and slow morning I hit the pavement to walk the city, the best way to get a feel for a place in my opinion. It was conjested, it was busy, it was loud, it was polluted. I would say that this is what I was expecting from what I had seen and heard before arriving in Nepal but this was everything to a higher degree. This leads me to the next surprise.

Surprise 3 - the earthquake from last April is still having a huge affect on daily living in Nepal.

Again, not much of a surprise but the degree of effect is what was surprising. Everywhere I would walk there was damaged buildings, sometimes people would be working on them but mostly large piles of rubble just sit and some building have wood supports holding walls and roofs up. The devestation is everywhere.

Surprise 4 - there are no tourists.

I booked a rather highly reviewed hotel in the middle of thamel... The heart of the city if you will. There were 3 other people in the hotel. I booked a dorm room. For 4 nights I was the only person in that dorm room. I was shocked at how few tourists there were. What really hit that home was how much the people who depend on tourism were suffering. On multiple occasions I had people come up to me and talk to get me to use their services. One man was so brash he began an impromptu tour through Kathmandu, it was after a couple minutes I asked him the catch and he wanted me to buy him food for his family he said he hadn't been able to get work and is in need. I didn't buy him food because what he was asking me to buy was a ridiculous amount of rice but I did give him a small amount of money. Like I said, a number of times I was approached to have a "tour guide". What was tough to see is when people would ask and I could see their desperation in their eyes. One man asked just to guide me for 30 minutes, nothing much. He didn't want to beg, he wanted to work, he just couldn't get work. In pokhara (another city) I talked with a shop owner who almost broke into tears when he told me about how slow business has been since the earthquake. I was his first customer of the day. It was 7pm. I knew these weren't lines I was being fed, the evidence was everywhere: empty hotels, empty shops, desperate shop owners, it was not uncommon to eat in restaurants where I was the only patron or one of a very few patrons in the establishment. I made a very concious decision on the first day after seeing this. I wasn't going to barter very hard when asking for products or services. Living in Canada I'm already quite privelaged by comparison to mostly nepali people (even though I'm feeling the budget pinch because of the weak Canadian dollar), I certainly wasn't going to haggle over a couple dollars (if that) given Nepal's current state.

Surprise 5 - how polluted it is.

I knew Kathmandu is a polluted city. I wasn't expecting the degree where masks are common and everything has a brownish greyish tinge to it. Any trees and plants look like they are fighting hard to live. On my 3rd day in Kathmandu I had to buy a mask because my chest was getting tight to a point I needed a reprieve.

Surprise 6 - how fun the public transportation is.

I've been on plenty of busses, trains, planes, cars etc on this trip. I haven't had as much fun as I did on a public bus. It was awesome. It was crowded, people were loading up provisions, people sat in the aisle, young guys put luggage on the roof and hung off the side of the bus, there were even chickens loaded onto the bus (literally on top of the bus). Some busses had people sitting on the roofs playing instruments and dancing while zooming down the highway. I was fascinated and thoroughly entertained. I'm sure some westerners would hate it,  But with the 'part of the adventure' mindset I try and hold, I couldn't get enough.

Surprise 7 - how much I needed to be in nature.

This is more of a surprise for myself and not a reflection of Nepal. I went on a 7 day trek to the lower annapurna mountains. I didn't realize I needed it but I felt so rejuvenated every day I spent in nature. It makes sense, I've been in so many cities and around so many people. Being in nature (especially mountains) and adding up the kilometres on my feet was great for my mind, body, and soul.

Surprise 8 - drugs are easy to get.

I cant walk usually more than about 100 metres in Kathmandu before I get asked by someone if I "want something". Sometimes there are descriptions about what that 'something' might entail other times they turn attention elsewhere as soon as I shake my head and say no. What's really interesting is how it happens. Here's the sequence:
1) man spots me (white guy alone, clearly tourist)
2) man smiles and appears as friendly as he can appear. Interesting distinction is that in pokhara the men who asked me this were really put together and coherent, I even bantered with a couple. In Kathmandu the guys looked rough, like functioning barely enough to get their own hit of whatever it was that had a grip on them. Anyways, man says something basic to get my attention - hello, where are you from, want to go on rickshaw, how are you. Whatever.
3) if asking if I want services I politely decline. If a question, I answer with as few words as possible while trying not to be rude (i know what's coming).
4) they say "okay" but still take another step towards me, the tone of voice changes to that of someone telling a secret in a rush and then they lean in and say "want something". This has a few forms. Something else, some marijuana, some hash, some drugs, something for fun. The follow up has variances, but its all the same, and these requests are everywhere.
5) I decline and keep walking. I never stop moving my feet leaving the man behind. Exchange over. Maybe a minute or 2 later it begins again with someone new.

Surprise 9 - the longer I'm in Nepal the more I like it.

Coming off of koh phi phi and with my initial impressions of Nepal, I wasn't sure how much I was going to like it. When I reflect on my own internal state I was also starting to get some serious travellers fatigue setting in. The trekking took good care of that. Despite the negatives of Nepal I found I really liked it. Like anywhere else I've been it has its pros and cons but overall I have enjoyed it. The people are friendly, the culture is rich, the nature is scenic, the food is delicious (nightly dal baht while trekking,) I saw things ive never seen, learned about a place first hand, learned about myself. All in all another interesting chapter in the journey.

Feeling full

This morning I went to a cooking class to learn Thai food. The group met at the market and learned all about different Thai ingredients before heading to the class. In the class we made 5 different dishes, eating each one after making it. The food was amazing, the company was good and the price was reasonable at about $40 Canadian for the whole affair. We were even given recipe books at the end of it all. A very good cooking class and I would easily do it again.

This evening I had a different cooking class. It really began last night with going to a local hole in the wall restaurant that had several locals in it. I quickly realized that it was run by a family and they live in the back of the restaurant (which is common). My meal was so delicious that I asked the young boy of about 13 if I could learn how to make it, he had the best English skills. He asked his aunt who is the main chef and they said I could. I was eager to learn.

Upon arriving this evening I was instantly recognized and I placed my basil chicken order, same as yesterday, thinking I would be allowed to watch the aunt prepare the meal and I could maybe ask a few questions. I was wrong. Instead, I watched the aunt prepare dish after dish, each time the boy explained to me what the dish was she was cooking. I asked what certain ingredients were and was shown every time. To my surprise the aunt started leaving one spoonful of food in the wok as the food was going out and started giving it to me!

I didn't even care that I wasn't getting the food I asked for. I was watching a Thai woman with more than 20 years of cooking experience make authentic dish after dish of Thai cuisine and then was getting me to try everything! this was bliss. After about 7 dishes I realized that I was simply going to be waiting for a time when the customers slowed to a point where I could be shown how to cook, not just watch the action happen. In the waiting I sat down and chatted with a girl from Quebec who was on the last night if her own 3 month travel adventure. Knowing I was simply waiting didn't bother me a bit.

Eventually the customer traffic slowed and a couple of the young boys (using Google translate) told me it was almost my turn and that I would be doing the cooking. Wait, so after being fed multiple dishes, I'm now going to be coached step by step through this process by this amazing Thai chef?! Ok! Well, my turn came and I was up for the challenge.

At this point there were only 3 "customers" other than myself left in the restaurant. The remaing about 8 people in the shop were family, all linked in with the shop itself. I popped up and was extremely animated about cooking. As an aside, I was extremely animated throughout the process as it helps when there is language barrier and also sets a friendly energy people gravitate towards. I began cooking and was told by both the aunt and the boy what to do and how to do it. It was amazing and the type of moment that solo travellers are always wanting to experience. In my animated state I shot a bit too much fish sauce into the wok and was told that other than that I had done well. When the dish was done being prepared and plated 2 of the young boys took photos of me with the aunt and the grandfather even had fun giving me 'bunny ears' as we posed. The other customers were even laughing at this exchange.

I asked the aunt to try the dish I had prepared and asked her opinion. "too salty" was the response. I had put too much fish sauce in the wok. I was told it in the moment and now was tasting my mistake. It was salty, but not inedible by any means so I sat down and began eating. The family watched me take a few bites wanting to watch my reaction (the way I had reacted over the top to other dishes previously) to which I didn't really have much of one after about bite number 3. I thought the fun was over and now it was time to eat and let them get back to running their restaurant. I was wrong again. The mother then told me that they would make me another one and the one I made was free. I told them it really was fine and that I've already been treated far too nice. Nevertheless, about 5 minutes later I was brought a fresh plate, prepared by the aunt. I thanked her multiple times.

Eventually I finished the meal and had enjoyed my interaction so much and simply being around this family I just leaned back and took in the moment. To my surprise I was spoiled once more. The boy came by with a dish saying that it was his favorite and wanted me to try to see what I thought. Of course, I tried and gave another animated reflective expression. Moments later another of the boys, maybe about 11 years old, had made a dish and once again I was encouraged by the family to eat. There was nobody left in the restaurant at this point except me and the family. The younger boy hid his head as I tried his food. Apparently I was the culinary critic whose opinion was sought after. The dish was good and when I expressed as such, the boy was relieved.

Eventually, a clean up was being started and I knew that was my sign to leave. My meal, the one I ordered, cost 50 baht and the pop I had was 30. The total of this bill was about $3 Canadian. I knew I was going to give extra, for the experience, the hospitality, the patience, the laughs. To me, it was priceless. I handed the aunt 300 baht ($12 Canadian). She refused it and the boys in the restaurant told me my bill was only 50 baht. They were giving me the drink for free. They took 100 baht and gave 50 back, refusing to accept any more than that. I pulled out Google translate once more and explained that I wanted her to have to money, that I had fun, and that I would remember this meal. She accepted. Time to go

What followed was a series of bows, hands put together as a sign of thanks, and an invite from the family to come back tomorrow. I walked down the alley way on a way to buy an ice cream (which has become a bit of a nightly ritual for me) feeling so grateful about how my day had gone.

I was full.

What a photo doesn't capture.

Cambodia has been completed.

Although the nation has some major issues such as a culture of littering and infamous corruption at every level of society, Cambodia was one of my favorite countries this far.

Everywhere we went there were people who were smiling and going about their daily business with little seemingly weighing them down. Cambodian people have a certain lightness about them that is hard to find elsewhere. In my 2 weeks I saw hundreds, maybe even 1000 children, and not one time did I see a Cambodian child crying. Not once. Everyone was always so friendly.

To look back on my time I of course have the many pictures I took and the memories but typically the pictures serve to trigger the memories. Pictures tell but a fraction of the story. There are many elements that the picture doesn't capture. A picture can't tell someone why a particular photo was interesting or what the person you photographed said right before or after. A photo can't tell you what the humidity felt like, or how the air had a mix of lemongrass, incense, and garbage. A photo can't tell you how you wanted to take a different photo but you had to line up your shot this way to avoid another tourist being in the shot. Really, pictures just don't do it justice.

But years after a picture was taken, if some of those memories can be triggered just by looking at that image, then maybe a picture is just fine.

The bangkok experience

I arrived in Bangkok the night before my tour was to start. I got in late and after a couple weeks of dorm rooms I thought I would splurge and pay for a hotel room, the hotel the tour was to start out of. All prearranged, complete with airport pickup, it was all very easy. The next morning, feeling rejuvinated by having a large comfortable bed and all the hours I could want to lounge in it I eventually got out of bed and killed time. I had a breakfast, worked out, spent some time on the internet etcetera. When all that was done I had about 2.5 hours until the orientation meeting to start the tour. I figured I'd go explore Bangkok.

It started like any other stroll. "Where should I walk?" I thought to myself. Naturally I pulled out the phone and looked up Google maps. On it I saw "grand palace" about 4 km from the hotel and thought 'seems like a place worth visiting' so I set out. After starting my stroll and walking for about 20 minutes I consulted my phone again. I didn't have an offline map so all I could use was a rather broad picture of the city, but this would be adequate because the palace was right by the river, which I would surely notice on my walk. I kept talking thinking I should see a landmark soon. Shopping centres are often in Google maps and I hadn't seemed to cross any. After about 15 minutes more walking I figured I should actually figure out where I am. In doing so I realized that out of the hotel I took a left and not a right and as a result, was walking east instead of west. I was going further away from my intended destination.

'Oh well' my brain said 'now you get to see more of the authentic Bangkok. When youve walked far enough just turn around and walk back.' So I kept walking. Like any major city, there are many transport options and Bangkok is no different. Train, boat, taxi, tuktuk, and motorcycle taxi are all viable options here. The more I walked the more I thought about going far and simply getting a tuk tuk back. I have a soft spot for tuktuks. As I was walking and watching the traffic I saw that the majority of people in the tuktuks were white tourists. By contrast, the majority of people on the motorcycle taxis seems to be locals. 'I could take a motorcycle taxi!' The more I walked and watched the motorcycles the more I wanted to take one. It's not everyday you get to ride on a motorcycle in Bangkok.

I turned around in my walking and thought several thoughts about safety, how nobody on earth knew what I was doing, how fun it would be, questioned if I could be fearless enough to have this experience etc. Eventually I just thought 'fuck it' and approached a motorcycle stand. I walked up to the guy and he didn't speak English. Nothing point at my phone couldn't solve. Upon looking at the phone he started up his motorcycle.... Only to give me the snub. You see, a young girl probably about 16, approached wanting a ride. I didn't exist anymore and he told her to hop on. She made a look at him and a look at me that clearly indicated 'but he was here first.' She laughed and hopped on, I laughed because I'm a foreigner who doesn't speak the languege as opposed to a teenage girl who does. So I kept on my merry way and saw another motorcycle stand a block up the road that had more than one driver. Game on. Quickly, I was surrounded by 3 bangkokians (is that a word?) None of which spoke English, but all of which glad to give me a ride for a price that is more than a local would pay, but far less than what I would pay at home. I didn't care. I was going to go in a motorcycle and haggling and extra $3 wasn't going to stop me. The fellow who agreed to drive me had no idea where I needed to go, but his colleague told him so he seemed confident. We were on our way. Before long, I was riding in the back of a motorcycle riding around the streets of Bangkok. It was awesome.

Amongst my joy and excitement and having this experience we soon pulled into a freeway and were zipping many kilometres to get to the grand palace. In my mind the trip was about 10 kms. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Excitement turn to curiosity 'why is this taking so long?' 'where is he taking me' 'this is way further than I expected'. About 25 minutes into the ride I realized my driver was lost. ' Oh well, more ride for the money.' We pre-negotiated the price.

After about the 35th minute my driver pulled over and gestured to a place that looked palace-ish. Ride was over. I didn't get off the bike. Something was wrong. I consulted my crappy zoomed out Google map, not being able to read the street names and read the street signs. I knew they didn't match. We weren't at the grand palace.

I pointed to grand palace on the map. He pointed to the palace we were parked near and put his hands together and bowed. As if to say ' this is the grand palace'. I knew I shouldn't get off the bike, because then I could be stranded and I had NO IDEA where I was. Instead, I did some quick thinking and asked him to take me to the national museum (less than 100metres from the palace). Well, we drove around another 10 minutes or so before we finally did arrive at destination. My thoughts confirmed that I was not at the grand palace originally. Here I was though, made it to the grand palace. In spite of my enthusiasm for doing the motorcycle cab and navigating what could have been a bad situation I looked at my watch and saw that I only had about 1 hour until my meeting started. I arrived, and it was time to turn back.

I didn't know the exact distance but I figured that was walkable in one hour. Upon checking the Mao I realized that in all my internetting earlier in the day, and Mao referencing on the motorcycle that I had no battery left. I decided to turn the phone off in an attempt to preserve the battery should I need it. I knew I had to walk east, I knew it was a few km, and I knew what some of the buildings near the hotel looked like. I could do this right? 'we'll see' my inner thoughts said.

I started walking. In my walking I did end up seeing the real Bangkok. I saw markets, shops, people arguing, a girl pee in the streets, a polluted canal, and much more. I was getting the authentic experience I wanted. So I kept walking. One thought was about how I wanted to know I was walking in the right direction, another thought looking at the clock wondering if I could make it back in time. I didn't want to show up late for the meeting and be " that guy". So I kept walking, the guessing of myself growing, the thought that I might not get there in time increasing. All I had was the sun as the compass. 'Ok' if I can't figure it out by 5:30 then I will get a cab.

I kept walking in what I thought was sort-of-kinda-maybe east. Well, 5:30 came and went. I asked a traffic cop where it was using the hotel key to show the address. He pointed me in the direction I was going. I was right! Then he said in very broken engligh "take cab, far". Rejuvinated with navigational confidence I simply thanked him and started walking. Well, 10 minutes later, not just 20 minutes from the meeting time I couldn't see any of the landmarks I took note of earlier in the day to guide me back. This was a problem because the landmarks were 30 storey apartment buildings. If I couldn't see them by now, I was never going to walk back in time.

I approached another motorcycle taxi stand. With much less enthusiasm and thrill I asked to be taken to hotel. Guy I asked didn't know where it was, his friend didn't know where it was, some guy in the area trying to be helpful didn't know where it was, so evenntually the driver asked wheat I'm assuming is a young university student if they knew. She did not, but did look up the address, and when that failed... Called the hotel directly. Wow! I just had 4 people try and help, one of which went way above and beyond. I was partially laughing at the situation and pleased for having this local interaction. I was also very aware of the time. 14 minutes left.

We negotiated the fare and we were off, first driving in the wrong direction so the driver could do a U-turn. It took a few minutes to get sorted but as we drive along the freeway I realized that although I had my direction correct, I wasn't even close on distance. It would have taken a good couple hours to walk it. I got to the hotel at 5:57. Paid the driver, ran up to the room to grab my necessary paperwork and then came back down to lobby. I sat in the chair before the time switched over to 6:31.

I was in time. By seconds.

"Welcome everybody." The meeting started.

Big decisions

"I love that the biggest decision of my day is which direction to walk on the beach."

I heard this line 10 years ago sitting in a first year social work class. My professor, a woman in her 60's with the energy of a teenager, was talking about self care. She was explaining its importance and how her biggest method is retreating to a beach every year where nobody else is around. Peaceful solitude.

The line resonated with me and continues to do so. As someone who is usually quite busy and with multiple ongoing commitments this seems like a dream scenario. Just decide which way to walk. Since landing in New Zealand I've been traveling 100% solo and so have had no schedule to adhere to or commitments to hold. The other day I was in a small tourist town called whitianga. I had intentions of going to a place called cathedral cove on a neighboring beach. When I woke up in the morning the weather was not going to cooperate and not going to make a beach day much fun. I thought of alternatives but in a beach town with a small population when the weather doesn't cooperate your options reduce drastically. I found myself thinking about potential ways to spend my days, but after examining logical possibilities I found myself with an unexpected question "which direction would I like to walk?"

I headed east. I decided to hike an old historical site which also acts as a viewpoint and nature reserve. Midway through my walk it hit me. I had a sudden wave of peacefullness that would be hard to describe. I tried to think back to when I had felt like this before and couldn't recall a time. It wasn't that I was overly jovial, I was simply at peace. I had my moment where what direction to walk became my biggest question of the day. I think that the moment I realized it I probably had a huge grin on my face. I spent the next 3 hours slowly strolling through the coastal forest of new Zealand absorbing the beautiful nature around me. It was wonderful.

I have slowly been able to feel the honey moon phases of the trip dissipate and it's a far cry from every single moment of every day being amazing, but unexpected moments of contentment sure are wonderful, especially when they resonate back into your past of a phrase and a time that fuelled imagination.