What is your picture about Thailand?

Koh Pang ngan I love

My bungalow on a tree I stayed

Fried garlic chicken, street food I loved

Copies, copies, cheap, cheap, cheap

Thailand is one of the easiest country to travel around. So many tourists have been there, whatever you think and wherever you go, it's pretty much like someone has done already before you.

I planed for 1 year anniversary recently for my lovey dovey hubby who never been to Thailand and has a specific tastes for vacation. After many questions, I found out my husband, Tony was expecting a quite different picture about Thailnad from what I have been through.

I have been in Thailand so many times over 8 years, basically, while I was staying, I always stuck in one place for long time, paying less than $5 per night for my own little room with no AC and no hot shower or bungalow in the middle of coconut trees or by the beach. I ate local food from street, drank fresh fruit shake all the time, and usually one meal cost $1.5 (50Bhat) including one plate of fried rice with pork and a fresh watermelon shake. I had 2 meals everyday and lots of shakes and juice.

Sometimes a thief stole my money and stuff on a bus or even in a checkroom, probably it has been over $2,000 total. Or sometimes I had perverts who tried to touch me or had been watching me every night over my window, and thoes people were the only thing made me really really skeptical about my whole trip and wanna just quit but I tried so hard not to stop being cheerful and positive.

I remember, one day, I found out I had no money to get a room that night. I didn't even have $5 because my money was just stolen on a bus on a way to Bangkok. When I figured out I had no money, The bus was gone, people were gone, it was too late to blame. My check card didn't work. I was left in the middle of Bkk with 2 huge backpack. So I took my blanket out, put my stuff on a street, and sold them. Soon enough, Thai cpolicemen saw me and ran towards me. I got scared(Imagine! I was 22 years old young girl and chased by police in strange country), and grabbed my blanket, and just ran like crazy. Yes, of course with my big 2 back pack, one on my back and the other on my front. Fortunately, I made enough money to stay in a room with a bed and could feed myself that day.

There was once I travel around Asia, it cost me about $2,300 for 10 months. I know, WOW, but I gotta tell you it sounds great only now because it's passed. Beds were usually the heaven for lice and fleas, water stoped while I was shampooing my hair, some islands in Thailand still can't use electricity during day time. Even in India, it was winter and I was travelling north area. Sooooo cold. I had wear 9 t-shirts on top and 5 pants on bottom, every clothes I was carrying. Weather became even more harsh, so no place could provide how water, and I couldn't take a shower for 2 weeks. I'm telling you it wasn's only me by that time. My train had been delayed for 30 something hours, I got off in the middle of night at a small town, and all guest houses were closed. I was exhausted so fell asleep on stairs by the Ganges river getting rain. Once I went a desert-crossing, mice jumped into my sleeping bag stepping on my face and they were rolling around my body, I felt like it, because it gets really really cold at night even though it gets hot during day time.

Anyway, I love Thailand. Of course, I love Korea, America, India and so many other countries, but each countries and each city have unique smell. As soon as I get out of the airport, I feel great everytime I smell that air breathing with people, full of life, full of energy. To me, this different smell of city is poison. This scent is like mom's good smell that you could smell when she kissed on your forehead to say good night in your childhood. This scent is like sweet purple sky smell that you remember when you watch a beautiful sunset with the one you love. Or this scent could be like a smell of bitter enlightenment once you cried with broken-heart, made you realize what you were doing. Then someday, you smell that again, it brought you all the way back.

There is no one right answer. It's all about how you feel and how you see. It's all about You,You, You.

Do you wanna have more fun on your trip? Happy memories?

More fancy place doesn't make you have a better vacation.

More expensive tour doesn't guarantee you happier time.

Less money doesn't mean you will have hard time or you would get closer to the REAL thing.

My biggest tip, for your remarkable trip, is this.

Open your mind and try something new, and remember, no matter what, you will not get that moment back again. Even so so moments, you will miss that as soon as you get back to work.

Someday, if time allows me, I like to write about my old hippie yippie travels. But until then, I will write up about most recent trip, the way of easy access soon.