Ok, I'm giving in and blogging -I'm starting to lose track of things! The past few days have been at beach places, so they're more about the chill-out factor and the people.
Langkawi is a duty-free spot in Malaysia resulting in cheaper and more varied liquor, but still a lot of Muslim-run places that are dry! Go figure. Had some nice times hanging out on the beach with other (mostly solo) backpackers, all of whom with remarkable tenacity and strength of character that inspires. I have learned a few good life/travel lessons from them:
-always look for street food stands that locals prefer: the food is tastiest and the company most interesting, even if the atmosphere is minimal
-travel requires guts; if you have them, you're guaranteed an experience of a lifetime. Or you can stay home where there's always TV...
-solo travel doesn't need to be the result of having no other options. Solo travel can be a preferred choice (sorry, Mom and Dad, I know you won't like this lesson!). Solo travel means you meet more people and have more new experiences.
Had a lovely dinner at an off-beach place on Lipe last night with my crew: 2 Netherlanders, 2 Americans and a German. Chicken larb -the best so far on this trip, but not as good as Ryan and Shelley's. Just as we were paying, a tropical rainstorm started meaning that we were forced to huddle in the restaurant another 1.5 hours. Anke said she liked that we had no control over the weather and must submit to its directive. Shortly a group of Thai musicians wandered in, struck up a conversation and began playing music for us. I wondered if they were going to pass a hat around, but instead they offered to share their food and cigarettes with us. The highlight may have been when they invited Katy to sing Black Magic Woman. I loved how much fun they all had making music. I was reminded of Jim Kunstler's advice about the post-oil world: he advised that people learn to make their own music. I think (and fear) he's right.
Watch this space later as I'll upload some pics in a few days.
Langkawi is a duty-free spot in Malaysia resulting in cheaper and more varied liquor, but still a lot of Muslim-run places that are dry! Go figure. Had some nice times hanging out on the beach with other (mostly solo) backpackers, all of whom with remarkable tenacity and strength of character that inspires. I have learned a few good life/travel lessons from them:
-always look for street food stands that locals prefer: the food is tastiest and the company most interesting, even if the atmosphere is minimal
-travel requires guts; if you have them, you're guaranteed an experience of a lifetime. Or you can stay home where there's always TV...
-solo travel doesn't need to be the result of having no other options. Solo travel can be a preferred choice (sorry, Mom and Dad, I know you won't like this lesson!). Solo travel means you meet more people and have more new experiences.
Had a lovely dinner at an off-beach place on Lipe last night with my crew: 2 Netherlanders, 2 Americans and a German. Chicken larb -the best so far on this trip, but not as good as Ryan and Shelley's. Just as we were paying, a tropical rainstorm started meaning that we were forced to huddle in the restaurant another 1.5 hours. Anke said she liked that we had no control over the weather and must submit to its directive. Shortly a group of Thai musicians wandered in, struck up a conversation and began playing music for us. I wondered if they were going to pass a hat around, but instead they offered to share their food and cigarettes with us. The highlight may have been when they invited Katy to sing Black Magic Woman. I loved how much fun they all had making music. I was reminded of Jim Kunstler's advice about the post-oil world: he advised that people learn to make their own music. I think (and fear) he's right.
Watch this space later as I'll upload some pics in a few days.
3 comments:
Quite right about solo travelling. Takes a lot of nerve, but well worth it.
I'm in Sri Lanka now. They very kindly let me into the country, despite all the paranoia. Didn't have to go to jail or anything.
Not quite sure out larb really can compete! Thrilled by the reports. Will email more later.
Hi Thor! Great story, I am following you and your experiences from today on! We had a good time in Lipe, hadn't we... Now I am safely in Bangkok (picked the right airport, good coincidence) and I just went to jail... For a very interesting 'sightseeing' experience. And a chat for about 2 hours with a Dutch prisoner. That was impressive! In a few minutes I'll lie down in the swimmingpool to recover ;-). xx Anke
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