Mark’s Vagabonding Blog

Bangkok, Thailand

Oh man. I lost my pen!!! How can I have been so careless? What a bonehead! How am I going to survive here without my pen? Oh, why couldn’t it have been my my sunglasses . . . or even my wallet? Those I can live without. But that was such a valuable, trusty pen. Bic . . . black ink . . . medium point . . . felt good in my hand . . . always worked when I needed it.

Well, lesson learned. Keep an eye on your pen.

Luckily I have two more just like it.

Bangkok, Thailand

It’s been a while since I’ve writen anything, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing to report. Oh man, is there something to report.

I learned a $500 (U.S.) lesson this week, maybe more. I never though that I would be one to have to write about this. It’s only supposed to happen to other people, like cancer or something. But on Wednesday, Nov 2, I lost my wallet. I don’t know if it was picked, or if it just fell out of my unzipped pocket. But it’s gone! Stupidly, I had everything in it, except for my passport, clothes and deoderant. I lost all my cash, credit cards, ATM card, drivers license, subway pass, phone card, and whatever the hell else was in there.

It’s still possible to get something back, but the odds are slim. I know the money is gone, and I canceled the credit cards and ATM card, and they were not used, but my major concern is my drivers license. Also having my identity stolen.

My license concerns me, because I currently have no home address in the U.S. (my home country). I was living in Florida, but quit my job and moved out of my apartment. I am using my sister’s address in NJ as a home base, but it is not my home. I still had a FL drivers license. Now, if I don’t get it back, I have no U.S. ID except for my passport. To get a license when I don’t already have one will be a pain in the ass, no matter where I decide to live when I get back, if I get back.

It happened when I met June (For those who don’t know June, she is my Thai friend whom I met in Florida, USA 2 years ago at work. We date off and on, on and off, off and on, on and….) at a train station, and we went across the street to catch a bus. We accidentally got on the wrong bus (39), and saw the right bus (254) ahead of us in traffic. We thought we could jump off of 39 and hop on 254 in the traffic. We ran, but we didn’t make. So we waited for another bus 254. One came, and we took it to where we were headed. Shortly after stepping off of the bus, that sick feeling a guy never wants to feel, happened. I felt for my wallet, something we all do every few minutes, and instead of my wallet, I felt my ass.

I think it was the running, coupled with me not zipping my pocket. Or it was picked. One or the other.

Anyway, I didn’t panic or roll around on the ground crying, although that would have been fun. I immediately accepted the fact that I had done a stupid thing, and we went to the police station. He suggested calling my credit card companies first. It wasn’t an easy thing to accomplish from a foreign country, but we eventualy got it done. We went back the police station, then to the police station where we started the trip (where we ran for the bus). One of the officers showed us a stack of credit cards and passports that other people had lost, so I didn’t feel so bad. There was also a guy picking up credit cards from a wallet that he had lost a week earlier. So there is still hope for me. His wallet was still gone, but the credit cards were returned to him.

In my wallet I had June’s adress and phone number labled “In Case Of Emergency, Contact.” We were hoping for a phone call, but none came. Now the only hope is that a nice Buddhist found it, and will return it to me through the mail or something for the Karma.

Meanwhile, yesterday June had to fly to her hometown of Lampang, because her mother is sick. I hope she will be okay. There’s more to that story, but I probably shouldn’t disguss it here.

Anyway, I’m still without access to my money, and June had been paying for everything, including buying me a new thing to carry my stuff when I get my cards back. It’s something that wraps around my waist. Not quit a fanny pack, but similar. It’s thinner, and I can hide it under my shirt. I will keep it on me even while I sleep!

June lent me 5000 baht ($123) to hold me until my ATM card comes. It is being shipped to June’s apartment. Ordinarilly I would have stayed at her apartment while she is in Lampang. But the reason I am not disgussing her mother’s illness is the reason I am not staying there. So I saw June off at the airport, then had to look for a place to stay last night. All of the hostels were booked, so I stayed at a 700 baht ($17.50) dive hotel as a last resort. It gave me a place to sleep.

Today I found a hostel called Discovery Lodge. I am staying in my first dorm style room ever since college, but so far I am the only one in the room. If it stays that way, it will be like having a private room at dorm rates: 300 baht ($7.50). It seems like a nice place so far. And it’s even air-conditioned! It’s hot here, has anyone ever told you that?

Tomorrow I will have to hang out outside of June’s apartment building and wait for FedEx to bring my cards. I think they were FedExed. That will be pretty awkward, it’s not exactly in a busy, bustling section. “What’s with that white guy hanging around, there’s no hookers here?” The security there kind of knows I’m waiting for something though. But it will still be weird. I hope it comes early. Actully, I hope it comes period.

I don’t know how long June will be away, but I figure I can last about a week on the money she lent me, if I walk everywhere. I walked a good 5 miles to get to this free internet. I won’t walk back.

So I’ve only been here for about 3 weeks, and I’ve already lost my sunglasses, and my wallet with about $500 in it. But I still don’t have to go to work tomorrow.

Mark

P.S. Don’t keep all of your eggs in one basket.

If there are any Barnes and Noble employees reading these, I was in a department store yesterday in Bangkok, Thailand which has a bookstore within that sells new books. I was looking at the books in English (I’m still illiterate in Thai), and one of the books had a B&N 20% off sticker in the upper right hand corner. But there was no one to share the laugh with. Now I know what happens to the books we return.

Are there any B&Ner reading this? Specifically SRQ B&Ner’s? Let me know!

Would you rather take a warm shower with very weak water pressure, or a cold shower with decent pressure? These are the choices a vagabonder must make. For some, whether to take a shower at all.

For those old enough, do you remember what Exxon was before it was Exxon?

The differences between Asha Guesthouse and Suk 11 Hostel:

Suk 11: Private rooms w/ bathroom and shower. Warm shower, good water pressure. They also have shared bathrooms, and dorms. Fan or A/C bedrooms

Asha: Private rooms, w/ shared bathroom facilities. Incredibly small toilet stall! Not even big enough for a small child. And brutily hot! (Okay, maybe brutily hot because I had just come from walking for kilometers in the hot sun and was already sweating my butt off) And you had to get your TP from the dispenser on the wall as you enter the bathroom facility. So you had better take enough! The shower I used was the warm one, but most of the water was lost through the fixture, not the shower head, so it was very weak. I guess that’s why I saw someone go into the cold one when the warm one was free. She chose cold, and strong. Unless she needed a cold shower. You also have a choice between fan or A/C bedroom.

Suk11: Coin operated laundry

Asha: Free laundry machines! And I found at least one that works! Man did I need that.

Suk11: In touristy Sukhumvit sex area. Constantly accosted: “Fucky sucky?”

Asha: Off the beaten path. I wasn’t accosted by anyone on the street yet.

Suk11: Very cool character

Asha: Okay character

Suk11: Free breakfast

Asha: No free breakfast

Suk11: Private room w/bathroom and A/C: 500 baht

Asha: Private room with A/C, shared bathroom facilities: 400 baht

Suk11: Condusive to meeting other travellers

Asha: Condusive to meeting other travellers

Suk11: No pool

Asha: Pool (clean)

Suk11: Kind of noisy

Asha: Not as noisy

It’s pretty much a wash, but I’ll give the nod to Suk11 for the bathrooms. Asha is not bad though, and the staff is great at both places. I’d recommend them both. But I have nothing else to go on as far as hostels are concerned as these were my first two.

Back to the quiz. Exxon was Esso. There are still Esso stations here, no Exxon.

I got my flip flops.

Mark

Bangkok, Thailand

I was sitting at the free breakfast at the Suk 11 hostel about a half an hour ago. A cute girl asked if the seat across from me was free (British accent). I motioned for her to sit. It seemed she was alone. She seemed shy. I caught her stealing glances at me, as I’m sure she did me. We did not speak another word. Opportunity lost.

I am wearing a Thai shirt that June’s sister gave me last year. June says the gay guys will like me in this shirt. I brought it with me because it is light (it’s hot here!). Maybe the girl at breakfast thought I was gay. But June also said it was not a gay shirt. Although on my way here a girl stopped me and asked me if I knew where there was a shoestore.

I’m moving to another hostel today, actually a guest house: Asha Guesthouse. I made reservations a few days ago, but they never replied, so I went there yesterday to check on it. I couldn’t find the place, and I walked forever looking. Finally I went into a travel agency to ask if they knew where it was. They didn’t, but then their motorcycle messenger came in and he knew where it was. He gave me a ride there on his bike. Very cool.

I think I will go to the huge weekend market today, it is very close to the Asha GH. I don’t even know what day it is any more. I just found out yesterday that it was the weekend. I still need to pick up a cheap pair of flip flops for the communal showers. the Asha GH has shared bathrooms and showers. I am gradually working my way to staying in dorms. My room at the Suk 11 was private.

At Suk 11 there is a door in my room that goes into the next room. I thought it was locked. Last night while I was sleeping at around 3:00am, I heard a loud sound (kind of like a door that was half locked being opened). I saw light, then dark, and the sound of a door closing. Probably someone came home drunk and though that was their bathroom, or said, “Hey I wonder where this door goes!” Kind of scary.

I still haven’t met anyone yet. June couldn’t bare being away from me so she called me at my hostel (there are no phones in the room either) the first night while I was exploring Bangkok. So I spent my second day on my own . . . with her. I stayed at her apartment that night too. So I paid for the Suk 11 that night, but never stayed there. But I think now I will be on my own more. Not to say anyhting bad about June, but I just need to do this alone. I think she understands now. The more I’m with her, the more comfortable I am. I don’t want to be comfortable, I want to feel like someone who has been dropped in the middle of the unknown.

I still haven’t taken any pictures, but my camera is being put to use. I use it as my clock.

I better go. Check out at Suk 11 is approaching.

Mark

Oct 27, 2005, Bangkok, Thailand.

I lost my sunglasses already (clip-ons actually, but they were the reason I got those glasses. Magnetic, polorized sunglasses. I liked them. I lost my eyeglass case along with them). When we returned to Bangkok on the 10 hour bus ride from Lampang a couple of days ago, I noticed they were gone. I guess my learning has officially begun. I don’t think they were stolen or anything, I just need to pay better attention.

And I would say my vagabonding officially starts now too. So far I have been with June every day since I’ve been here (about a week and a half). And I want to thank her for all her help and hospitality. But it’s time to do it alone from here on out. I will still see her, but it’s all me now.

We stayed at June’s childhood home in Lampang the first 4 or 5 days. That was nice, and I’d like to thank her mother for the hospitality, again extreme hospitality. But she doesn’t understand English, so I don’t think she will see this.

We didn’t do a whole lot of touristy things, which is not what this trip is all about. I don’t want to do all the touristy things, I want to experience the country, and towns the way Thais do. And to relax. We did a lot of everyday things: Went grocery shopping, trips to the bank, the temple, and stuff. And we ate at some cool food stands, and small restaurants. And had many well made, authentic Thai meals at home.

Speaking of Thai food, I think I need to cut down on the spicy food for a bit. It burns going in, and it burns coming out. Sorry, but I just had to share that. When I order food now I need to say, “Mai phet.” – No spicy.

We did do one touisty thing in Lampang. We went to the hot springs, and waterfall. That was a cool place. We boiled eggs in the hot springs, and ate them for breakfast the next day. I have even eaten chicken. C’mon bird flu! I haven’t frollicked with any chickens yet though.

Another interesting everyday thing we did–well, June and her mother did it, I just watched–was fed the monks. Every morning the monks walk the downtown streets with metal bowls, and people buy food from the street venders and put it in the bowls. They then kneel down and pray to the monks, while the monks chant prayers to them. The females who place the food in the bowls must be sure not to touch the bowls with there hands, as monks are not alowed any contact with female people. This takes place, literally, on the street, with cars driving by amidst the hubub of the city. The monks then take the food to the temples where they must eat it before 12:00 noon.

Another day we brought food to the temple, and watched them eat all the food they collected that day. We didn’t do this for my benefit as a guest or tourist, this is what they would have done anyway.

Today I checked into my first hostel, SUK 11, and will be on my own for the whole day for the first time during my trip. So this is the official start of my vagabonding. Yesterday I was was without a place to stay until about 6:00pm. Suk 11 had nothing until today, so I ended up splurging at a $20/night hotel last night. But now I have a room for next 3 days. The tough part about dong this will be securing a place to stay everyday. I just made an internet reservation for another guesthouse for the following 3 days. I hope something is available there.

I haven’t really taken any pictures yet so if you are looking for pictures, go to DPChallenge and look at some of my Thailand pictures from last year. My handle is “Mark of SRQ” which isn’t really true any more, I’m no longer from SRQ. I have no home. Hopefully I’ll take some more pictures this year.

My backpack is too damn heavy!! It’s not very comfortable either. I made a mistake. I suppose the weight has something to do with the lack of comfort, but the pack itself is heavy too. Yesteraday I was walking around with it all day, and when I finally took it off I was leaning forward as I walked.

Well, I better go, there are people waiting to use the computer. I’ll try to update more than I’ve been.

Mark

Well, I leave for LAX Airport in about 15 minutes for my year long vagabonding trip to Southeast Asia, and I’m finally starting my blog now. My whole preparation for this trip has been last minute.

I’m currently at my cousin Mary’s beautiful home in Irvine, California. I’m visiting her and her husband Marty as my first leg of the trip, and I want to thank them for all their extreme hospitality.

Mary had some work for me to do at her office to make some extra money for my trip (hope the IRS doesn’t read this). Yesterday an SUV parked in front of the office, and out popped Diane Keaton. How cool is that? She’s a lot smaller than I imagined. Not that I imagine the length of Diane Keaton often.

I also want to thank Laura and AnnMarie for all they have done and will do for me during this trip.

My plane leaves LAX at 1:00am. I will land in Bangkok at 11:05am on Oct 18. June will meet me at the airport, then a few hours later we will be on a sleeper train to Lampang, about 9 hours from Bangkok. The next day is June’s birthday. Everyone wish June a happy birthday.

Well, I better get out of here if I want to make the shuttle to the airport.

If anyone is reading this, please comment, I want to know you are there.

Gotta go.

Mark