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i’ll jump right into a story. i’ve realized that my last few posts have been pretty ranty and i want to change the tone. because really, the traveling’s been truly awesome and so good to me, and i can honestly say that this has been the best experience of my life. the complaining was probably instigated from being just so tired and agitated from moving about every few days, anxiety that the impending ‘End’ was near, getting too much sun (too much heat and sun exposure make me fussy), and reverting back to the second phase of culture shock – that being the irritated phase.
so to jump right into a story because… well, i’m already nostalgic for the last few months.. it’s hard living in the past tense, but i think if i put these stories down on paper (well, online, as is the case), i’ll be better able to cope and try to do things in the present tense, like find a job and find a place to live!
ok, so to begin, bali then kyoto.
well, i had a pretty good last 2 days in bali as i mentioned in my last post. i was awesome in bargaining for the most part. i bought two nice traditional masks for about $6 altogether, and some other goods. part of it had to due with the fact that i got to the market just before closing when the vendors wanted to get rid of stuff before leaving for the day. the other part had to due with the excessive rain we got on one of the days i was there. the vendors were hoping that if they gave me a good deal, the rain gods would bestow good luck upon them in return! you see, the vast majority of the balinese are hindus (keep in mind that indonesia is predominantly muslim except for bali), and it’s a special division of hinduism only found in bali itself. so a few of the vendors, although displeased with how little they were getting, gave me a great price in hopes of good karma.
oh! also, i did get to meet up with my dutch friend mark again who i was suppose to meet in bali. we apparently had some sort of misunderstanding in our online communication which was partially the reason for his delay. anyway, all in all, i was generally happy with where i was. oh, mark also taught me how to say “no thanks” in indonesian, so that when taxi touts started hassling, i could snap back with “tidak, ga mau.” i love being able to say no in the native tongue!
anyway, we both got back to kuta beach from ubud on our last day together (he also had a flight, to sulawesi, a different island in indonesia, the same day i was flying out), and we got a sweet deal of 10,000 rupiah (less than $1) for the both of us to use the shower and the pool for the afternoon, before our flights at the guesthouse he had stayed at some nights before. at around 6 pm, it was time for us to go to the airport. well, my flight wasn’t till 1 am, but i decided to take the taxi with him, since it would cut costs for the both of us (drivers usually charge more for single passengers). and so after our brief goodbye, i had a 7 hour wait at the outside terminal area of the airport, not realizing i couldn’t just sit at the gate and read my book! the JAL check-in desk wasn’t opening until around 10 pm!
one gripe i have about bali is that they have very few banks, much less legitimate money exchange centers. and when you do exchange money (or have to deal with money in any form), a lot of times they’ll cheat you a couple thousand rupiah by rounding down. at an exchange place at the airport, this money exchanger tried to do the same, and i really had to twist his arm to give me the exact amount – although the second time i needed to exchange money again to pay immigration the mandatory exit fee, i changed my mind and figured it was chump change (and besides there’s no tipping in asia). so, thought what the hell, i’ll let him keep the 2,000 rupiah. (at a different place, the guy actually refused to exchange any money at all because he knew i wanted the exact amount).
freeze for a second here. being back to reality in the states, i’m having serious trouble getting used to tipping again. and bad bud light. and cars actually in real marked lanes and on the right side of the road! okay, had to get that out there. continuing on with the story..
so i finally got to the gate area, and jesu christo, there are cockroacks sneaking about on the seats and i’d catch sight of one every few seconds! i mean, i had seen a cockroach on the window of the money exchange place downstairs that i was taken aback by, but shit, on the seats in the gate area made it difficult for me to sit still. by this point, i had switched into socks and sneakers (which i had only done on treks in the entire 5 months i’ve been away by that point) and put on my long-sleeved flannel – one of only 2 long-sleeved shirts i still had with me, not counting my rain jacket. also, i had no pants, as i had sent my only pair of jeans home before i left seoul. so, i knew kyoto would be interesting (or that I would look interesting in it), because it was going to be 50 or 60 degrees over there, and i was only going to be in my denim short shorts and could expect to get a lot of strange looks. oh well!
i was really excited for my flight on JAL (japan airlines), because i’d heard so many things about how it was a lush airline. but sadly, it wasn’t nearly as nice as my asiana airlines flights to seoul and to bangkok. i mean, that airline was loaded, even on economy. each passenger was provided eye masks, ear plugs, long socks! (for the chilliness in-flight), a pouch for all of that stuff, great service, pretty hosts and hostesses, great food and drinks, and a nice set of good, plastic playing cards for those who requested (haa).
anyway, digression aside, about 7 or 8 hours later, i arrived in osaka kansai. as soon as the plane landed, i was in a ‘touch and go’ state of mind. you know, ‘no time to lose, i only have 12 1/2 hours in japan and i gotta make it worth it!’ so i was literally speedwalking the entire way to the exit, got to 2 different information desks asking ‘okay, i have 12 hours in japan, what can i do?’, studied a few maps, and decided on kyoto an hour and 15 minutes away by the express train.
okay, i’m going to have go to sleep now and continue the story tomorrow. stay tuned…
a really big one..
so i’m back stateside. and a bit depressed. i feel… lost to say the least – ironic, innit, as i barely felt lost at all while abroad. the last few months feel like one massive dream. a super sweet one though.
to pick up where i left off, bali ended up being a sweet ol’ place after all! i just had to find the right places and the right people. ubud was a real treat – it’s the town elizabeth gilbert, author of eat, pray, love, lived for three months to find her inner balance. i tried vainly, but half-heartedly in truth, looking for the people she mentions in her memoir. it’s a very relaxing, artsy town. the last two days though were simply filled with shopping, as the clock was ticking unwittingly before my eyes. (i ended my trip a week sooner than intended, which i would give anything to have in my grips again now. but i’m glad that my trip ended on a pretty good note.)
AND i did get to have a whirlwind day tour of kyoto, which i’ll recount in a later post (my encounters with geisha-models, locals, etc). and of course, loads of more stories about southeast asia to come.
i am currently in maui, just arrived today after two nights in honolulu. i’ve got some stories i’ll have to recount about my days there as well. don’t worry though, i’ll keep good on my word, as i’ll have nothing much to do other than some logistical stuff i have to take care of and endless use of the internet! ay, back to the old habits already!…
just a quick tidbit. i judge airlines by their deck of cards. it’s a little know secret, but did you know that you can request a complimentary set of playing cards from most international airlines? so far, asiana airlines has been the best, then northwest airlines (surprisingly), and japan airlines comes last, of the three airlines i’ve flown this time around (not including the budget airlines air asia and hawaiian air).
i just got to my parents’ home a few hours ago, so i still have much organization to do and picture-sorting. i promise to upload most of my pictures in the coming week if not for my friends’ viewing, then for my own nostalgic review.
i think so far, it’s hard to pick one part of my trip that i liked the most. but the highlights of my travels were laos, vietnam, and southern thailand.
will write again soon. for now, i’m gonna stuff myself silly with good home-cooked food. mm hmm!
here’s an email i wrote to some friends. sorry if i forgot to add you to the list, or i probably just didn’t have your email and was too lazy to look it up on facebook.
anyway, here’s the email:
hey folks,
i’m now in thailand! it’s feels like a guilty pleasure to be here – i’m enjoying it so much that i feel it’s wrong. i haven’t seen, been near, or heard about the protests, though i hear it’s big news in the states right now.. the media hyping things up as usual? don’t know, but i haven’t felt unsafe other than from the predatory eyes of the old, fat western male sex tourists (more on this later).
most of you have probably read my blog at some point, not sure, but i thought i would write a more personal email, especially because it’s less work to write an informal email rather than a blog post… ok, so this isn’t really brief. LONG essay to ensue.
i’ve been in bangkok since tuesday night. so about a week. (it’s currently monday at 1 pm right now). it’s so easy to lose track of time here – i think i’ve spent most days not knowing or being confused about what day and time it is. it’s kind of like i’ve escaped all responsibilities. in fact, i’m a little afraid for myself. i could easily see myself just staying here for months and not coming back for a while, which isn’t and hasn’t ever been part of the plan. i DO NOT want to become a travel bum, but it’s SO easy to get sucked into this kind of lifestyle. (it’s a vicious cycle, really. the more you postpone coming back, the more delayed you are on catching up on ‘real world’ goals and plans, like jobs and school, and so you’re tempted to stay away even longer…) but i AM considering traveling for more than a month or two. still considering china, india, australia, but now bali, turkey and germany are in the works. we’ll see…
the one thing that sucks about traveling is that you meet new people and make many new friends, but they leave just as quickly as you’ve met them. at least there’s facebook to keep in touch these days. so far, most of the people i’ve met have been amazingly awesome. my god, i love the aussies. even when your first impression of them is only all right, they end up being just so cool. europeans are great too. i think there are loads more of german and aussie backpackers than people from any other country. supposedly, 60% of thailand’s tourists are japanese, but other than on day trips, i haven’t seen too many of them – they must stay in fancy hotels or only travel in groups.. americans and canadians are hit or miss. i’ve met a few, a couple of women and a guy, who are cool. but many of them, especially nearly all of the canadians, suck. but those are just my experiences.
speaking of foreigners, there are three types of prices when shopping. there’s the japanese price, the european price, and the american price. japanese price is the highest price. i guess they pay the most of any traveler bc they tend to be the richest tourists. most locals do think i’m japanese, but i’m trying my hardest not to get so ripped off. they quote like 300 to 400% of the actual price, and you try to get it down to like 150 to 200% if you’re good. they respect good bargainers here. i’ve been successful about half the time. it’s actually really fun, and you have to smile and have a good time with it. water is like 7 baht (33 baht to a dollar, so that’s about 20 cents), my hostel is 180 baht a night, food on the street is around 35 baht. clothes are really cheap too – $2 to 5… i really should’ve brought an empty suitcase (or no suitcase at all, and just bought that here too for a quarter of the price you’d pay in the states), and thought to buy an entirely new wardrobe. you want everything you see, because things are just so cool. but i haven’t gotten much yet, since i still have a long way to go, and i’m trying to save the shopping for the very end of my trip.
the thing that’s sort of expensive are cabs, because they will take you for a longer ride to get more money off of you. you also have to say “meter” to have them turn the meter on – otherwise, they’ll just charge you a ridiculous price. it does get frustrating, because even though you’re paying only a dollar or two more sometimes, you know they’re taking advantage of you as a foreigner. plus, it does add up when you’re on a budget.
oh, speaking of people thinking i’m japanese, no one believes i’m american. really. europeans and aussies will mostly understand and nod, and not ask too many questions after that. but none of the thais do, they just don’t get the concept that america is a diverse country. for instance, one woman at this street food stand ask if i was from japan. i said no. then, she goes, china? no. malaysia? no. taiwan? no. singapore? no. hm, thailand??? no!! she literally ran through every single asian country (except korea actually) until finally, she says america? and i said yes. then i add that i’m korean by descent. and then she has that look in her eye that said, “ohhh! of course you’re korean, not american.” or other times, when i say i’m american, they’ll say, “but you look same same.” (they love saying same same.) i’ve had a few situations like this in korea too, and i’m realizing people who haven’t been outside of their own country have a fairly narrow view of what america is like… but i guess you could say the same about us americans too and our views sometimes.
as far as diversity in this country, i’m actually very surprised by how diverse/colorful this place seems, at least compared to super homogeneous korea. there are indian-, arab-, east asian-, and southeast asian-looking people. i don’t think i could ever pass for thai, but it’s suffice to say that there are many different shades of asians here. in korea, i was a darky. really. i was so dark in korea (they love pale skin over there and in most of asia), that i could not find make-up my shade in cosmetic stores. yes, really. there were only 2 shades – pale and very pale. nothing my shade.
oh, one funny side note. in korea, there were some stereotypes about certain foreigners. the americans were obviously the soldiers or english teachers, the russians or blondes were the prostitutes (i think this is a universal one around the world – if you’re blonde, you’ll often get asked if you’re russian, i.e. a prostitute), many of the indians worked at samsung electronics, and the nigerians were the drug dealers. as far as drugs, oh man, the laws in asia are so strict! a friend of a friend of mine (an american guy) in seoul was arrested for dealing some hash (but not much, he was small-time) and now he’s in jail for about 6 months, but who really knows how long. he had no way to get closure on his job or his apartment, which is just sitting barren. there’s no real trial, as he’s simply guilty. my friend himself found out only because he got a call from the bar-owner of this expat bar who told him not to answer any phone calls he didn’t know, because the cops would simply go through this dealer’s cell phone, make calls and arrest anyone for being associated with this guy. needless to say, my friend was really paranoid.. anyway, weed is considered a serious drugs in almost all asian countries (although not india, i hear), but especially in se asia.
now back to being in thailand. being a single asian female traveler is really interesting. i’ve seen a couple of them but not too many. there are a lot of couples here, which i was very surprised to find out. hopefully, i’ll keep meeting lots of good people along the way. being an asian female is REALLY interesting. if i want to talk to or meet another traveler, i feel that i have to go out of my way to befriend them, only because they won’t approach me first thinking that i don’t speak english. also, as mentioned earlier, there are a lot of disgusting older white men. it is fucking disgusting. i get disgusting looks all the time from them. they’re just so gross, dude. i don’t get the sex tourism here.
additionally, there’s a shit ton of infidelity among travelers here to the point of being disturbing. by this i mean that girls and guys who are seemingly single as they’re traveling alone or with friends might actually have significant other back home that they don’t mention until you find out after friending them on facebook! a couple of the girls i’ve gotten to be friends with have hooked up with some guys, and it turns out they all have girlfriends back home. what does one make of this?
back to the sex tourism. the other day, i went to a pingpong show with some friends. have you guys heard of it? i don’t want to describe it in detali at the moment, so you should look it up. but oh man. you see the strippers do all sorts of weird things with their netherregions and pingpongs and darts and coke bottles. crazy shit. dude, there was also sex on stage! ack. but it’s sort of one of those things you have to see when you’re here. go-go bars, pingpong shows, and ladyboy bars.
speaking of unsightly things. there’s a lot of poverty here, a lot of beggars too, which was rare in seoul. other than for tourist purposes, most of the city isn’t very well maintained. the rivers and canals are totally murky brown or dark green. the social services here could probably be better all around..
um, what else. it’s really hot here! high 80s and 90s. i sweat like a dripping faucet from every pore of my body. but the thais, interestingly enough, do not seem to sweat. i don’t know how that works…
anyway, that’s all for now. i would love to hear back from you guys! i’m taking a bus up to chiang mai, thankfully with an aussie friend tomorrow, and from there, i’ll go to laos on the slowboat.. if anyone wants to meet up with me anywhere around the world at any point, let me know! i would seriously consider it.
Min
