Things I won’t miss about Thailand:
water outages
being called a farang
conservative clothing
satelitte internet
We haven’t really fit in here perfectly… we still can’t speak Thai which is probably why people still think of us as “farang” (white foreigners). We have met some very nice friends here, but the people we seemed to have most in common with were usually short-term visitors. But this is a geek speaking; only 0.001% of humanity wants to talk about computers and movies and video games with me. I’m sure we’ll find more likeminded geeks in Tokyo than we did on this laidback little island.
Things I am going to miss about Thailand:
snorkling
laid-back attitudes
our neighbour Beeya
watching the ocean from our livingroom
the dogs
shopping at Thongsala market
Wan’s, Lipstick, Starbugs, Ando’s, etc
swimming in the warm ocean
geckos
drongo song
toilet sprayhoses
sangsom buckets
sleeping in to the sound of the surf
paying 1/3 as much for everything
noone worries about being sued
the bike
So the bike finally made my “good things” list! I was terrified of motorbikes to begin with, and when taking into account the road conditions and reckless drivers, I didn’t think we’d make it through six months intact. But the freedom of jumping on and being on the road in seconds is incredible. The size is just right: even narrow roads seem spacious, you can park it anywhere, and gas goes a long way further. And on Koh Phangan there is little traffic, no lights (well, there is one), and if you get a flat you can have it fixed for $4 and be back on your way in 30 minutes. It’s so… civilized.
There are so many other things that I love about this place. I love that most businesses are run out of people’s homes, and it isn’t uncommon to walk into a travel agency and see a child sleeping in a bed in the corner. People worry less about doing things “the proper” way and worry more about getting things done. Yeah, this leads to injuries and badly built houses, but I’ve seen a lot of innovation come out of it too. The real point is people here don’t care if their buildings are crooked or badly wired or whatever. You could spend your whole life fixing things, or just accept them and spend more time at the beach.
Living on the beach has been… well I can’t imagine a nicer place. The tides, the fish, the birds: nature is great. I wish I could go snorkling every day; walk on the beach every day.
Tokyo is going to be sooooo different!
