Routine

I'm am noticing and now anticipating the patterns of the day. Daily events are replacing clock time altogether. The absence of any need for clocks has resulted in phrases like "swim o' clock" and "pad thai thirty".

Every morning the water is calm, but every day there is something different about the beachfront. Today there were lots of what looked like ashes washed up. Yesterday it was random objects covered in barnacles: a beer bottle, a flip flop, a lighter, a light bulb. The day before was lots of seaweed, while on my first day there were tiny bright blue jelly fish - about the size of a penny. What will it be tomorrow?

Later in the day, we get our single shipment of newcomers. Backpackers fresh off the daily boat from Ko Samui - usually one or two sets of folks - lumber up the beach looking like lurching sea turtles, carrying their homes on their backs. The smart ones pass every other option on the beach and find us on The Rocks. Each day when they arrive, it's kind of like opening a nativity calendar to see who our new friends are going to be today.

The regulars take their showers like clockwork, some in the morning, some before sunset.

As the sun gets just behind the trees (the real sunset is on the other side of the island - we're a sunrise beach), the daily frisbee toss starts - Usually Sam's doing. In such a humid place, even this breaks a huge sweat.

Then, at precisely the same time each day, the jungle revs up and lets out a siren, a symphony of bugs, reptiles, and who knows what else. It is the signal that the evening has begun. The opus lasts about five minutes, then is quiet. As part of the collective song, the gecko that lives next door sounds off like a jack-in-the-box, revving up with exactly three sets of "Gh-Gh-Gh-Gh-Gh-Gh" like turning the key in the ignition, followed by five hoots of "Gek! Go, Gek! Go.." (Oh so that's where their name comes from!)

I have taken to hiding out in my hammock at this time of day slathered in bug spray. The mosquitoes are out in force for about 30 minutes. A good time for reading. The picture is the view from the hammock during the day.

Now the guesthouse staff sets up for their nightly barbecue. They set out tables and torches, and turn on all the twinkly lights in the trees. Lay out all the fresh fish and meat to await what is hopefully a good crowd for the night.

A little later the thump of pleasant lounge music starts to signal folks to join up at the bar.

Then comes the hard part. Deciding which delicious restaurant to eat at.

The party choice is made for you, as each night of the week sees a regular party at a particular bar in town.

Drink, smoke, laugh, sleep.

I think this routine has been mastered. I'll soon begin researching my next stop.

Simple

Life on the beach is relaxing in a way that is hard to describe. I haven't had this little to do in.. well, ever.. My days are delightful.. filled with great food, sunshine, and new friends.

A normal day is: wake up, eat some tropical fruit or eggs for breakfast. Read in my hammock. Take a dip in the warm light green water. (I think it's green because the sand is a bit yellowish). Take a walk, eat some lunch, maybe shop for some necessities, then before you know it, it's sunset - and time for dinner and drinks. This routine is especially simple, basic, and pleasurable.

As it turns out, I have landed at spot popular with long time regulars. The beach, the bungalows, the restaurant, the bar, and the staff are not to be beat for backpacker prices. For this reason , there are a number of people from around the world that return every year for months on end.

Sam: A friendly New Yorker that stays in the US as little as possible and lives here up to 7 months a year. Hergin: an Amsterdam bartender that saves her tips to return here again and again - not to Thailand, mind you... but to this beach, this guesthouse. Paul: a tall, bald, tattooed athletic Brit keen on long swims, beach Frisbee, and Thai massages. Nathan: a high energy Brit who is loads of fun keen heavy metal music and who has introduced me to the Handsome Burger, a local street food stop which is mainly a tent and a card table. They are also Handsome Gasoline, Handsome Travel, and Handsome Laundry ("make your clothes smell good 10 years!").

They know each other as well as many of the local merchants and residents. This makes for an atmosphere I didn't expect to get in such a transient place. It really is just like the Buc every night at the bar. The regulars give it a homey feel. And the Thai resident DJ at the bar is actually excellent!

Every night there is a BBQ at my guesthouse on the beach. This is probably the best cuisine I have had on the island. Great ribeye steaks, prawns, and amazing duck with mango. The cheaper food in the small nearby village is always great as well and about 1/3 the price of the beachfront stuff.

I met Peter and Fayette, a couple from London. Their journey and their experience leading up to it where shockingly similar to mine. We left home on the same day for a long term journey and both our first stops ended up directly next door to one another on the same beach. They both quit their jobs, and had the same stresses I did in preparation to get out on the road. So far my plan is more leisurely than theirs - they have more stops on their trip and more goals. They left today, while I'll be here for awhile I expect. Fayette left me with something to think about. They are taking a Thai massage course for 12 days in Chiang Mai. Having something like a new skill to take away from a trip seems like a great thing to do. I'll ponder that one.

Ian showed up here as well and now lives next door. Since he is such an experienced traveller in these parts, he was able to give them some good tips for travelling here and in India, they're next stop. Yesterday we all hiked up to a great waterfall above our beach. Great to have a fresh water bath!

Last night I met a woman from Ireland who used to live on Oak and Steiner streets in San Francisco, only a half block from my house. Wow.

With things this pleasant, no plans to leave any time soon.

Kazinski

Stopped for dinner on the bus around 1 am (?!), got back on, went back to sleep, and woke up in Surat Thani at 7am at a breakfast stop and a bus change. On that stop I met Paul from London who reinforced my desire to see Krabi beach.

From here a boat to Kho Pan-Ngon (2 hours) and then a taxi (40 min). On the boat, I met a gent from Manchester who was on his 7th trip to Thailand and the 2nd in the past 12 months. He tipped me off that Ko Phi Phi is indeed rebuilt after the tsunami, however it is now super pricey, so I may scratch that one from the plan. On the taxi/truck I met a nice German couple who gave me some tips on where to stop. I got dropped off in the jungle beach town of Thong Ni Pan Noi and wandered around with my pack until I found what I was looking for - a cheap bungalow right on the beach. 300b per night (yes! [$10]) but a communal bathroom and no hot water (ouch!). Also, the toilet is not "western style". This will be my first of these.

I am going to call this hut "The Kazinski". It has four walls but they are like swiss cheese, a decent sized bed with a sheet and pillows but no blankets, two windows with wooden covers that slide off, two shelves, a mosquito net and a broom. Oh and a gecko mummy that is stuck to the wall pretty hard.

Now, I chill.

Out

Woke up early to make the decision on my first stop and reserve trvel. Ready to be out of Khao San. Had breakfast with Ian and he helped me find a trip to Ko Pha-Ngon for 500 baht - about $16. This includes a 10 hour overnight tour bus, and ferry service to KPN. I'll leave 6pm today and arrive at noon tomorrow. We killed the afternoon taking a city bus adventure to the J.J. Market, a huge flea market in Bangkok with lots of cool stuff. Too bad no more room in my pack. Maybe stop again there on the way back. Caught the bus at 6pm but failed to realize that the special A/C feature of the bus meant I should dress warmer for the trip. Brr!

Organize

Since I was so busy before I left town, I never really set aside a lot of time to figure out where I wanted to go while I was here in Asia. I figured I would have plenty of time for that once I arrived. Well now that I'm here, I'm burning valuable days on Khao San Road, while not a bad spot, is far from paradise. So today I plan. Here is a rough draft of my plan which is likely to change frequently.

• Bus to Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan islands. Known for the full moon parties, I will likely miss that. But it sounds crowded and sloppy anyway.
  


• Possibly head over to Krabi and Ko Phi Phi. Supposed to be paradise on Earth. Phi Phi got flattened (completely 100%) in the tsunami but is supposed to be back in business.


• Bus or plane to Chiang Mai


• Bus to Pai


• Bus to Chang Rai, Chiang Khong to head toward Laos


• Boat down Mai Kong river to Luang Prabang, Laos. Kim said this was a good place.


• Work my way down to Don Det which Kim said was a must must do.


• Possibly come back through Cambodia and hit Ankor Wat


• Work my way back to Ko Chang, the other paradise on Earth island in Thailand


• Return to Bangkok and SF

This seems like a lot to fit in for a relaxing trip. So stay tuned for edits.

Today I got my cell phone unlocked and got a Thai phone number... woo hoo! Very handy for connecting with folks (who have phones). I'm checking to see if I can get free text messages. If so, I'll post my number for friends back home to text me.

I also took a boat ride down the Mai Nam Chao Phraya river to check out Chinatown, BKK. Amazing array of street food there and everywhere I have been. So much, so varied, and so delicious. The Thais really love to eat well.

I had to change my hotel room tonight because the hot water quit on me. Too bad my new room is still directly across from a live music stage. Thank goodness I'm used to sleeping across the street from the Beauty Bar in SF.

Arrival

So far so good!

I made it to Taipei airport. It's not as nice as I expected. More or less like LAX. It smells like cigarette smoke even though there are designated smoking rooms in the far reaches. There's not much to eat here but there is plenty of duty free merchandise with many attractive well-dressed sales people to answer any questions. Only since all the stuff is priced in Taiwan currency it's hard to tell if anything is a good buy. However, since a bottle of water is $3 US, I didn't bother doing the math - as if I have any way to carry anything anyway.

The flight from SFO was long - 13 hours. China Airlines had good service and a clean plane but no frills to speak of. I had a decent vegetarian meal, but the cold dry recirculated air gave me a sore throat by the end of the trip. After leaving SFO at midnight Thursday, we arrived in Taiwan at sunrise Friday and a 3 hour layover before taking off for Bangkok.

I met a few nice folks in the Taipei airport during the layover - all of them from the Bay Area. All had been to Bangkok before and one guy, Ian, promised to split a cab with me from the airport to Khao San Road where were were both staying. Very helpful to have a partner in that journey.

The flight to Bangkok was about 3 1/2 hours and in a much nicer plane with better movies.

The trip to Khao San was uneventful. The awful traffic and crazy drivers I had heard of were nothing compared to those of Lima drivers. Piece of cake.

The room I pre-paid is just OK. Not as nice as the hotel in Lima I stayed at for about the same price. I think I can do better if I shop around.

It was great to finally get a shower and relax for the first time in many weeks. I found Ian again and we had some tasty and spicy food, walked around a bit, and met a local who helped us with our Thai.

Time to crash!!

Preparation

My job is quit. I am mostly outfitted for travel.

My next mission is to let go.

Even though my mission is to take my trip as it comes, I can't seem to help but try to plan every detail of my trip. It is a daily struggle not to keep a checklist of things I haven't done yet.

My sense-of-adventure side says "You have your ticket and your passport. You're fine." While my planning-for-success side says "Don't waste this opportunity for experience - and make sure you avoid any disasters." There is no clear winner.

I want to make a calendar of banking issues to take care of at home.

I want to have the perfect set of gadgets... a mythical all in one shaver device.. the perfect set of light but high quality ipod speakers. The idea is to go as light as possible but to have everything I need.

I did manage to kill a mission to buy a new fleece jacket I probably won't need in the tropics.

As the departure date gets closer, I am beginning to resolve to the fact that I will not have everything I want, complete every task, see every person I would like to before I go.

My next step is to try and feel excited and free rather than loaded down with tasks to accomplish. I am told this will come a week or two into my trip.

I'll mark an approximate date on my task calendar.