Sawadeeka

Hello internet. It is true. I am alive. I have been majorly occupied these past few weeks that I have gone completely oblivious of what I do, and should do. If you remember a post from the middle ages about my knee infection, and are still praying for it to heal, then consider yourself released from that obligation because... IT IS HEALED, FELLOW EARTHLINGS! Believe me, need not to be ashamed with your utter happiness from this piece of news. It happens to the best of us.

And you guessed right, I did went to Thailand. A glorious 2 weeks vacation, an amazing experience to say the least.

Let’s get one thing straight first of all: Denica loves Thailand. It was one hell of a trip. It was I think my first trip to another developing Asian nation by myself, and that adds so much more to the experience. No tours, no parents to set the schedule. Just my excursions, what I want to do, what I want to see first hand and was ultimately immensely delighted by their rich and peaceful culture.

I set out with only one particular goal in mind: to experience Thailand. I don’t do 3-days-tourist-trips to see tourist infested spots in a country; I want to enjoy what locals proudly enjoy, eat what they gloriously devour, listen to testimonies of their lives.

And my little Thailand trip has provided me that. We did everything, ranging from eating from the side of the street for as little as BHT70 (EUR 1.5) for a bowl of deliciously warm kwey tiaw soup, McDonalds when we rushed to the Lumpinee boxing stadium because our Thai massage took longer than we thought, cooled down with Thai fine dining on the side of the river accompanied by complex yet beautiful Thai dance. I had the benefit of knowing some locals, allowing me to experience their local favorites that aren’t to be found in my little Lonely Planet guide to Bangkok.

It was also my first time to experience the differential treatment posed by locals to foreign tourists. I know how in Bali they always have 2 prices: local and Bule prices. Being a local, I never really paid attention to this issue. Being an Asian myself, I could really pass as a Thai. But the minute I open my mouth it's like they had an epiphany. It was actually an interesting thing to see though, some resent me being their foreign customer, some adores my visit because they know they can skrew me.

Yes, Thailand is a highly intriguing country and was a remarkable experience indeed.

So these coming few days, I am going to finally write and post pretty pictures of Thailand, the way I felt it.