Eleven Hours Ahead
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Hey ya'll! Since learning experiences and funny / embarrassing stories seem to be the daily norm here (to be expected), I've decided to keep a page with tips for anyone planning a trip to this neck of the woods, and also for memory and entertainment's sake. Even though the following stories have all taken place in Thailand - or Southeast Asia more broadly - I'm pretty confident that many of these tips could be applied to various types/locations of travel. So I hope all my readers benefit from this in some way, even if only from a laugh! (Note: I have created this list in ascendering order, as I will continue adding to it over time). Enjoy!!
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Tip #8: If you think the air looks hazy but nobody else agrees, its probably just your contacts.
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When I crossed the border into Tachileik, Myanmar (see my most recent blog post) we walked through a small village and temple where a big trash fire was burning. People living in rural, middle-to-lower class areas here often don't have access to the luxury of trash truck services, so they get rid of garbage by burning it instead. Makes perfect sense, except when you live in close quarters and you burn big fires the smoke tends to affect everybody around. The locals seemed very used to this, but there was definitely a minute or two walking through that area where it was genuinely difficult for us foreigners to breathe or see. Once we made it out to the market the air thinned, but I was still struggling to see past the haziness in my eyes. This led me to believe that the town must be super polluted and detrimental to the health of the local's lungs. However, nobody else seemed affected and after numerous comments on my part about how I could never handle living in this type of air, my friends finally asked me if I was hallucinating. It was only after we crossed back into Thailand that I realized, my blurry vision was really just smoke congealed on my contacts. Half an hour later when I put on my glasses, problem solved. :)
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Tip #7: Do not hail a red taxi in Southeast Asia the same way you would hail one in New York City.
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Whenever you're in a city in the United States - just using NYC as an example - you either raise your hand and step into the street or literally thrust your hand out sideways into the street to call a cab, am I right? Well unfortunately it's 100% not the same here which I didn't know until recently, although most red truck drivers will still stop when they see a hopeless farang making unfamiliar gestures on the side of the road. But really, if you don't want to be ripped off you should do like the locals, which means sticking your hand towards the ground as if you're pointing at it, with your palm facing in. Don't stick your palm out towards the driver and motion for them like you would to beckon a friend over because this can be taken as rude and demanding, which will definitely ensure you get ripped off. I was so embarrassed when I first learned this unique method of hailing public transport; I couldn't believe I hadn't figured it out earlier. Also, I honestly didn't understand how the drivers would be able to see my hand if it was only raised at waist level. Now because of this irrational fear, I always hail the red trucks with my arm out at an awkwardly high angle, but hey - whatever works!
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Tip #6: If you have an unexpected ant infestation in your room, it might be over a pack of gum.
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While everyone else has been struggling to fend off aggressive mosquitos here, for some beautiful reason they don't bite me and instead I've been dealing with persistent and surprisingly intelligent ants. The first time I noticed their presence was during my first few weeks here, and I quickly realized it was because I was keeping food in my room and leaving an easy trail of crumbs for them to find. I put all my goodies in a sealed back and moved them outside, then did a thorough cleaning of my room and asked a cleaning service to give it a thorough spray down. It was all good and insect-free for awhile, then just recently the ants returned with a vengeance. As I was heading to bed one night I noticed them crawling along my headboard and onto my desk. As soon as I killed a few, more would show up out of nowhere -- well they probably came from a crack in the wall, but how they found their way up to the fifth floor is another question. Anyway, after tearing my room apart to clean I realized my only hope was more ant spray, so I marched determinedly down to 7/11 and bought some. When I came back the ants were once again congregating on my desk, which I couldn't understand because I had just wiped it down completely. I finally opened my desk drawer and found about one hundred of them swarming over a pack of melted Orbit gum. So, as you can imagine, I went on a rampage killing them all and used probably half a bottle of ant spray (which weirdly enough smells like flowers). Since this incident though, I've barely had any problems. Moral of the story: keep your room clean and don't underestimate the intelligence of ants, despite the fact that they have tiny brains!
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Tip #5: Learn to SPEAK the language as quickly as possible, you will save money and majorly decrease stress.
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As I've mentioned in a previous blog post, red trucks are the cheapest form of transportation for foreigners in Chiang Mai. However, if you cannot speak Thai the driver will usually try to rip you off, and when you're taking these things basically every day you really can't afford to be ripped off (ooh accidental pun!) So if you're going to be in a foreign country for an extended period of time, specifically Southeast Asia, I highly recommend learning the numbers in Thai and how to say "How much?" and "Where are you going?" Don't bother trying to learn to read and write immediately because the aphabet is completely different, and interacting with the local people will be much more of a priority. Furthermore, don't be overconfident in your ability to properly pronounce your Thai address to a driver, especially when you have a card in your wallet that clearly states it. Case in point: the other day I was trying to get myself and two friends home from a temple visit in the Old City, and instead of saying S"oi Suthep" (Suthep Road) I said "Doi Suthep" which is a famous temple.. on top of a mountain... So instead of seeing one temple that day, we got to see two, but it was not a cheap ride!! Thank goodness for flexible, easygoing friends..
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Tip #4: Plan at least 12 hours ahead when doing laundry
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This may not be true everywhere, but at least in Thailand the dryers do not work. Some people even claim they make clothes seem wetter, not to mention we only have one dryer per building in contrast to about ten washers. This is because everyone dries their clothes outside which is economical and sensible given the hot climate year round (even in the cold season the temperature doesn't drop below 65 degrees Farenheit). So we dry our clothes on the little balconies outside our rooms. The first time I did this I hung my clothes on the bannister, which was very counterproductive given that it's the rainy season and the bannister isn't fully sheltered. The next weekend I was better prepared: I bought extra hangers and hooked them on the cieling so that a.) they wouldn't get rained on and b.) because they dry a lot faster when hanging, and c.) because you can dry more items this way (you will sweat a lot so expect frequent washing). For this drying system to work properly the first step is to strategically plan when you will do laundry since drying takes a lot longer than in the US. For students like me this is crucial because I have to wear a uniform to school every day, so if my uniform isn't dry, well, I guess I'm wearing it wet... no thank you!
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Tip #3: Keep your shoes outside or flipped over, especially the ones you wear often.
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A few nights ago I had my first encouter with cockroaches and I have never seen my roommate laugh so hard. I get back to the room at night and she's watching TV, then all of a sudden she points to my shoe, the one I had just taken off five minutes earlier. There is a huge, ugly, nasty cockroach crawling around it. And then it starts crawling towards my room, and then into the bathroom. The whole time I'm shrieking like an idiot while trying to throw things at it. Finally, my roommate, who is used to dealing with cockroaches in Cambodia, but who is enjoying watching my struggle, grabs the broom and squishes it. Two minutes later, another cockroach appears near the shoe rack. This is how I made the decision to go out that night. But on a seriousness note, my roommate informed me that cockroaches while being completely harmless (duh), are attracted to smelly things, which - god knows why - they consider a good place to lay eggs. Hence why we find cockroaches in our shoes, and why its a good idea to keep them outside or flipped over so you don't find any unexpected surprises. Moral: stay clean people, and if you see any white little things on your shoes, chuck 'em! Better safe than sorry..
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Tip #2: Keep purse zipped up at all times, especially when crossing the street.
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You're probably thinking, "duh, of course I would do that for safety; I already do that anyways." Well, you'd be surprised, and my story actually has nothing to do with safety... The other night I was out getting dinner with a friend, and on our way home we were chatting and laughing about something inconsequential, while also trying to cross multiple streets. Something you should know about Southeast Asia: the roads are mayhem. Cars and motorbikes are everywhere and people don't stop for pedestrians because there aren't any laws forcing them too. So crossing the street ends up being like a game of frogger - I am not kidding. So my friend and I get past one street and as we're running across the next my bag spills open. While abroad I have been using one of those cross-shoulder bags for convenience and safety purposes, and if I forget to zip it up it can get easily flipped over. Well, all of my things spill out in the middle of the street, including my phone. Guess what? Nobody stops. I watch my two-year-old warrior of an iPhone get run over by a truck, with motorbikes zooming by all around. I cover my eyes with my hands as my friend goes to retrieve it, dogding vehicles like a pro. Guess what again - my phone SURVIVED. Well, not completely. The LCD cable is all messed up, so my screen is on the fritz but it didn't even crack. And other than that everything works! It's truly a miracle, but please please save yourself the extra stress and keep that bag closed at all times!
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Tip #1: Even when you think you have plenty of cash, still always bring your ATM card when traveling in or out of country.
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Last weekend a group of us went to Pai, a mountain town in northern Thailand four hours outside Chiang Mai. It is a scenic, hippie little place with lots of hiking and waterfalls, and toooons of backpackers. The only unappealing aspect is the 742 turns that it takes to get up the mountain, which, if you're taking public transportation, you'll move through at an alarming speed, especially on the way down. However, with a little dramamine it's not so bad, expect when you barely have any money. See, in my rush to pack up after class on Friday, I forgot to grab extra cash from the hiding place in my room, and here I also never carry my debit card unless I plan to make a withdrawal (which isn't often because the ATM fees are ridiculous for foreigners). So I realized at the bus station that I was essentially broke, and of course my wondeful friends offered to front me money until we got back. Problem solved, right? No. Shortly into our first night, one of my close friends discovers that her ATM card will not allow her to withdraw money, while my other close friend has only brought a certian amount of cash and no bank card, meaning she can only lend each of us a limited amount of money. Thus, the three of us - all broke - had to come back a night early and in our stressful state, didn't really get to enjoy the beauty of Pai. Even though we may be able to visit again, and the situation could've been a lot worse, the moral of the story is: always take the time to prepare yourself with the ability to access money in case of emergency, because many places don't accept ATM cards at all and you never know when your friends will end up in a pinch!
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