Often billed as the world’s largest water fight, the Songkran Festival in Thailand has its roots in centuries-old Buddhist traditions celebrating the new year. But when you allow people to splash water on each other in 95+ degree heat in a popular tourist destination with a low cost of living, you have to expect that tradition will be quickly sidelined by tourists out to have a good time.
Personal Services in Southeast Asia
From massages to manicures, and from haircuts to handjobs, whatever you want someone else to do to your body, it can be found in Southeast Asia for cheaper than you’d think.
Khao San Road
Both loved and loathed, sometimes by the same person at the same time, Bangkok’s Khao San Road is a must-see for any tourist or visitor. Depending on your age and travel group, you will spend anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 days walking the 4 block stretch.
Fun With Food
One of the fun things about traveling to new countries is trying the food, and everyone has a different tolerance for new things. I have friends that will eat anything, in any country, with no concerns. I have another friend who packed a duffel bag full of Pop-Tarts to eat for every meal while was on vacation in Cozumel for a week. To each their own. It’s one thing to try something new when you’re at your favorite Mexican restaurant at home. It’s completely different when you’re trying random street food in Southeast Asia. Sometimes you have to push yourself a little, and you may be pleasantly surprised. Other times you may realize that you should have trusted your gut and gone to McDonalds.
Thailand’s Full Moon Party
Take 5,000 people or more, add a half-dozen bars blasting music ranging from hip hop to techno, throw in booze that’s literally sold by the bucket, put it all on a beach in the gulf of Thailand, and what do you have? The full moon party in Koh Pha Ngan.
Blurry Photos
One of the first things I did when I got my phone was to disable some of the Google location services and to turn off embedded GPS data in photos. The former helps Google (and others) track where you are at all times. Google has other ways of knowing where I am, but if I can make it a little tougher for them, I’m OK with that. I also didn’t see much need for having every photo include the GPS location for where it was taken. But early in my travels, I turned both of those settings back on.
Attempted Hustle
I know you’re probably getting tired of hearing my stories of being hustled and scammed, but I wanted to share this one with you. I had a taxi driver who tried to hit me with three different scams in a single trip. I was a little impressed with his creativity.
Converting Foreign Currency Back To Your Home Currency
I’m sure that you have read and memorized the tips in my post about how to get the most foreign currency for your dollar when you travel. In case you need a refresher, here it is. So here you are, walking around a foreign country with a fistful of Euro, Yen, Dinars, or Dong, enjoying your trip. But as your trip comes to an end, what do you do?
St Patrick’s Day in Bangkok
One thing I haven’t really mentioned is that I was having a bit of a rough time over the past few weeks. I was in Saigon, staying in hostels, touring the city during the day, and hitting the local watering holes at night. Which is a good time, but it wasn’t sitting well with me. I think one of the problems is that I’ve been feeling a little homesick. If I didn’t have other commitments in Southeast Asia over the next few months, I would have considered heading home for a break. I don’t know what a vacation from your vacation is called, but it’s what I needed.
Another Tuk Tuk Scam
As I left the Wat Pho temple in Bangkok, I found a line of tuk tuks waiting, which is fairly common at most of the tourist destinations around Bangkok. A Thai man standing outside of the exit stepped in front of me as I left the temple and invited me to see some sights. He pointed to a map that was set up on a stand next to him and listed several stops, including the Lucky Buddha, Fashion Center, Standing Buddha, and the Marble Temple. He quoted me a price of 100฿ (about $3.18) for the tour, for the driver to take me to each stop, wait for me, and then go to the next stop. Since I paid 50฿ just to get to the temple, this seemed like a good deal. As I tried to double check my math to confirm that 100฿ was really less than $4, he sensed my hesitation and said, “For you, I make good deal. 50฿ for all. Tuk tuk take you, wait, and go next place. 50฿.” He poked at the stops on the map, emphasizing that I’d get to see it all. That seemed like a great deal, since it was around $1.50 for a ride to several tourist stops. So I agreed, while a little voice in my head wondered aloud what the scam was and whether I’d end up losing a kidney. (Spoiler: I did not lose a kidney) However, I eventually figured out what the angle was.