Day 105 - On when your birthday isn't your birthday anymore....
So it was my birthday on friday the 23rd of Feb, I turned 27...or did I? Well, I think if we're using official birthday timing (OBT), I didn't. I'm not saying I'm still 26, no, what I'm saying is, officialy this year, my birthday was the 24th for a change.
Ok stick with me here, I'm not insane. I was born on the 23rd Febraury 6.30 pm in the UK, or something like that. Therefore through into the equation that I'm seven hours ahead of UK time in Thailand and I didn't Officially (using OBT) hit the 27th year of my life untill about 1.30 am on the 24th here, and that dudes, is a first.
Here's how handsome I looked on my birthday. Me and my American buddy Tray.
We all had a really good night out, we went to a bar here called Bed, and it really is the best place to hang out and have a little dance. It's basically a big ovel shaped building, with a dance floor, and walls lined with a big bed. Oh and the music is really good too. Met a friend of a friend who was from liverpool, and spent the rest of the night introducing her to people: "Hi (insert name) this is Lisa, she's from the bad part of england." I was joking. She loved it. It was all in all a pretty chilled out affair, with lots of silly face pulling.
Also for those who are interested this was the view from my apartment as the sun set on what was in previous years, my birthday, pretty nice really.
Finally the world is round(ish) so it's not surprising that you meet people several times. So far I've unintentionally met a few people more than once (some more than I'd like to have). I've also deliberately "bumped" into a few a people a few times, and this week Johanna, a girl friend I met in the first week of travel is back in Bangkok so we're going to catch up which is cool. She was one of the fantastic three that experienced the floating Nun, and that means we'll always be friends. (The floating Nun by the way, is still up there as one of the top three highlights of this trip.)
As for Other friends here, 2 of my closest disappear this week, Tray to America, and Mirco to Switzerland. It's a little sad, but the world is round, and maybe thier planes will forget to land and come right back. you never know.
Finally for the record, I finished my YesMan book today, it was brilliant. I'm giving this copy to a friend...... so depsite what I said, I'm going to go and buy a third. Brilliant.
Happy Pancake Day!
Hello, Happy pancake day. I nearly missed it, if it wasn't for a throw away comment from my bro. And I was fully intending to have a pancake, but forgot! I could go and get one now. I'm not going to. I'm lazy, even if it is my 5th favourite national holiday, just behind Christmas, My Birthday, Bonfire night and my half birthday.
And I guess while we're on the topic of celebrations, Happy chinese new year too. I went to China town here in Bangkok to "celebrate" but after standing waiting in front of a stage for 3 hours with nothing happening, hungry tired etc, we gave up and decided to go and eat random fried squid and vegetables from astreet vendor before we died. The only other incident was that the nice large baloon I bought for my friend was "baned" from traveling on the metro, so got given away to an over joyed tuk-0tuk driver. Made his day bless him. The other cool event recently was I "traveled" to go and see one of my thai friends homes (and family that live in it) an hour outside bangkok. It was cool to be out of the city for a day, and the family were lovely, My friends brother has 3 kids and they were too cute. (Dont worry, I'm not feeling broody)
Other than that, the last two weeks slipped by with ease, too much ease really, without event. Today on the other hand I feel alive. I've always loved that expression, feeling alive, and to feel it is great. I'm not sure what snapped me back to enjoying time rather than just using it, in fact I do, and in the absense of anything else to talk about I may as well go for it huh?!
Firstly it was random email from a travel buddy, that said something simple, but inspiring, and it made a difference. I won't say what it was, If i do i may inadvertantly give you a "feeling alive" day, and we wouldn't want that would we.
Secondly, After (no jokes) 4 weeks of looking I found my favourite book here in bangkok: YesMan by Danny Wallace. I gave my first copy to my Dad shortly before I left, and where as I think he didn't enjoy it, I think it simply rocks. So I'm now the proud owner of a second copy. I'm NOT giving this one to Dad (sorry Dad) or to anyone esle for that matter. I started reading it again, and while I dont think I've ever read a book twice EVER, this one is worth it. If you want a feeling alive day, or even few days if you're a slow reader, go and buy it NOW.
Thirdly, I've finished watching the DVD set of "My name is Earl" which I love as much as Yesman. Again, if you've never seen any of them you life is not complete. Go get yourself a treat buy the set, take a sick day off work, and enjoy.
I wish there was a fourthly, but I can't think of one. Oh I guess listening to pumped up Hip Hop on my MP3 has helped too. and eating some brie. that helped. Well thats about all for now. Hope all's well whoever you are, wherever you are....
(There's an important day coming up at the end of the week, which I'm strangely excited about, and if you haven't posted the card yet firstly, it won't arrive on time, and secondly we're not friends anymore.)
Day 86 - GUESS WHERE?!
It wasn't easy. It was tough. It was a bit difficult. But I made my decision. It wasn't something many people were behind me doing but......Yesterday I arrived in Cambodia.......and then left again 30 minutes later. My Visa for Thailand was about to expire and to get another I had to leave the country and return again.
That said you can guess that I have decided to stay in BKK for a little while longer. It's not something everyone was behind me doing, I'm not sure if it will turn out to be the best option but here I am, I have an apartment (which is WAY cheaper than a hotel) and I'm adjusting to not having the threat of moving on in the next fews days hanging over my head. So life will continue in the short term as it has been until now. I have a couple of things I'm going to investigate doing here while I'm in Bangkok, but more on that another time.
The trip to Cambodia itself was an event. 6am - 9pm almost entirely sitting on a bus. On the way there the bus had no seats left so I was left sitting on a small plastic stool by the door. I was not too impressed, as we bumped our way down the motor way to the border.
When we got to the border town, the driver (who had collected all of our passports to get the visa sorted) decided to drop us 10 km from the border at his friend's hotel for lunch. I just wanted to get to the border and back as soon as possible but knew these kind of things happened on this route. I sat there feeling sore (from the bus) and miserable that we were wasting time, just as I approached annoyance, one of the guys who was also on the bus cracked. He had had enough. And his way to deal with the frustrations? He dug out a small guitar and pan pipes from his bag and entertained for the next 30 minutes until the hotel felt we weren't going to buy anything else from them. It was Brilliant. The situation need a pressure release, and this guy did just that. I climbed back on the bus, smiling, probably a little too much that we were finally getting there.
The half hour queue to get of Thailand was fine, met a Greek couple who were cool and we ambled into Cambodia together. Poipet, the cambodian border is like a mini Las Vegas, and strangely the border post is reached only after you have walked past several large casinos. As we did this, A "nice police man" came up to us.......
Now before I continue, I don't support corruption. It stinks, but sometimes, just sometimes maybe it's ok......
The standard "Visa run" procedure is this: Leave Thailand, our queue was 30 minutes. Then Queue into Cambodia on this day was about 1 hr. And like wise the queue to exit again: over 1 hour. Total time 2.5 hours.
Our police friend, for the small fee of 4 pounds, would give us a helping hand..... "Fee" paid, the lovely copper escorted past those waiting in the hot humid queues (past several snarling westerners) stamped our visas, and we were safely back in Thailand after no more than 30 minutes. I was pretty happy with this, After my journey here (Guitar playing aside) I could really do without standing in a line for that long. So then only another 4 hours bus journey back to Bangkok, brief rides in a taxi and the skytrain and I was home safe and sound. SO there we go.
Who knows what the next few weeks will bring. I'm going to actively look at trying to not be a bum for too long. But until the next time. See ya soon.
