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Bangkok: 99.9% germ-free

Sunday, April 17th, 2005

Touchdown
Arrived to the dawning sun over Bangkok and an assault of already thick oppressive heat. Met some fellow kids at the baggage claim and we shared a cab to khao san rd while we debriefed India and shared mutual awe at how EMPTY and CLEAN Bangkok is. Where are the people? the animals? the traffic? the rubbish? the life? Bangkok feels oddly sterile and dull in comparison to the frenetic pace of India.
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if it all gets too much, just head for the mountains

Wednesday, February 9th, 2005

Well finally back in the big smoke Bangkok after a month of lushing-out in laos, meeting inspiring people and doing blissfully little.

iNDiAN PREPARATiONS
i stayed in Vientiene for a week while i waited for my indian visa to be processed – a story in itself. i arrived at the indian embassy feeling ultra prepared armed with my passport, two passport photos and both lao and thai currency. But of course one needs three passport photos, the fee can only be paid in us dollars – $56 (of which $16 is a “facsimile fee”), and there needs to be a photocopy of your passport to accompany the application form. Naturally, the indian embassy is on the perimeter of town where there is neither a currency exchange nor a photocopy facility. So after 4 hotly negotiated tuk-tuk rides to and from the embassy, and follow-up phone calls to wrong extensions or receptionists that don’t speak english, my visa was processed without a hitch and is now in my hot little hand. i have a ticket to fly to Kolkata in two days time!!!!
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Mai pen rai (it doesn’t matter)

Wednesday, January 12th, 2005
i am leaving bangkok tonight on the overnight train into Laos. it has been re-energising to spend time with family and old friends who were passing through this crazy city. i had hit a bit of a 2-month trough - ... [Continue reading this entry]

international roaming – backpacking in the age of mobile phones

Sunday, January 2nd, 2005
well back in thailand and i am finally getting a handle on a few things here - language and bartering. my thai must be improving because now instead of the usual laugh or shake of the head response, i am ... [Continue reading this entry]

The silence has ended

Saturday, December 11th, 2004
Just a quick note to let you know i survived. . . 10 days of silence, waking to a bell at 4am, eating 1 or 2 meals a day, showering with a bucket of cold water wearing a sarong and in ... [Continue reading this entry]

Meditation in Chaiya

Thursday, November 25th, 2004
Well i heard there is a typhoon in the phillipines coming our way. Where i was, cliffside in a bay in ko pha ngan only accessible by long boat (read: wood, leaky, low to the sea, overcrowded) was getting mighty ... [Continue reading this entry]

Synchronicities and decisions

Saturday, November 20th, 2004
Just had a crazy 28-hr trip from Pai. i took the last seat of a 9am minibus to Chiang Mai. On the bus i met a thai business man who told me about a cheap flight to bangkok he was ... [Continue reading this entry]

The life of Pai

Monday, November 15th, 2004
Perhaps a good rule of thumb is to never email while angry, lonely or drunk; well apart from the latter i am sticking to that. LESSON ONE: Meeting people is easy in Pai (known here as Utopai, get it?) Every night ... [Continue reading this entry]

Plans change, particularly when at the discretion of a libran mistress

Wednesday, November 10th, 2004
After finding a brilliant organic vego cafe/restaurant/bookshop in chiang mai, which then became my local hang out, i met up with some folks who have spent that last few months in a tiny town called Pai and said i must ... [Continue reading this entry]

in the foothills of Northern Thailand

Sunday, November 7th, 2004
After only two intoxicating days in bangkok staying in chinatown, i am already in northern thailand. i started reading way too much lonely planet and got anxious that i didn't have enough time to go where i wanted to in ... [Continue reading this entry]