God Bless the USA
Okay, so anyone wonder how you travel in Southeast Asia? Here's the last 39 hours:
Caught a night ferry from Ko Samui (mattresses laid next to each other in the engine room, actually slept great), got on minibus heading to Hat Yai at 0500, stopped in two minutes at drivers friends store, drove 3 min. and told we'd be picked up at 0530 (I was with a cool guy from Manchester), at 0645 van comes and we crammed in like sardines (12 people), drove 4 hours to Hat Yai and dropped off, driven 3 min. to friend's restaurant, picked up at 1100, drove 3 cramped hours to Sugai kolok, walked across Malaysian border, stopped to change money and talked for a half hour with owner who brought out all his photo albums (don't think they were CM products mom), haggled with taxi driver, drove 40km to train station, taxi driver throws big scene, eat at little restaurant as only foreigner and HUGE language barrier (had something good that I have no clue what it was (very spicy, but like heck I wasn't going to eat it)), rode train for six hours, found cheap hotel in Jerantut at 0130, caught shuttle to k. Tembling jetty at 0800, rode up jungle river in little boat for 3 or more hours (kept breaking down), arrived in Kuala Tahan (a little outpost before heading into jungle), laughing with little boys playing soccer on Playstation and writing this at 1300. Boats, trains, cars, motorbikes, elephants, you name it!
You know i realized on the boat up in between watching water buffalo and shifting my weight so we didn't capsize that i haven't even talked to another American in over a week. Very weird. I'm sure there are some around just maybe not the places that I've been, more like the plush resorts that i have been careful to avoid. I guess the places I've been staying aren't exactly what is considered classy, but it's good enough for those who live here so it's good enough for me. Maybe a house is pretty small, maybe the mattresses (if there) aren't very soft, maybe there's a hose instead of toilet paper, maybe there's no A/C, maybe some cleaning products wouldn't exactly hurt, but this is the way they live and there is nothing inborn in me that makes me need more. There is much that we Americans can learn from others, and things they can learn from us; both are reasons I'm here. But when it comes to where my loyalties lie; as I told a Dane that questioned whether I would really fight and die for my country, I say Godwilling, with honor and without reservation.
Caught a night ferry from Ko Samui (mattresses laid next to each other in the engine room, actually slept great), got on minibus heading to Hat Yai at 0500, stopped in two minutes at drivers friends store, drove 3 min. and told we'd be picked up at 0530 (I was with a cool guy from Manchester), at 0645 van comes and we crammed in like sardines (12 people), drove 4 hours to Hat Yai and dropped off, driven 3 min. to friend's restaurant, picked up at 1100, drove 3 cramped hours to Sugai kolok, walked across Malaysian border, stopped to change money and talked for a half hour with owner who brought out all his photo albums (don't think they were CM products mom), haggled with taxi driver, drove 40km to train station, taxi driver throws big scene, eat at little restaurant as only foreigner and HUGE language barrier (had something good that I have no clue what it was (very spicy, but like heck I wasn't going to eat it)), rode train for six hours, found cheap hotel in Jerantut at 0130, caught shuttle to k. Tembling jetty at 0800, rode up jungle river in little boat for 3 or more hours (kept breaking down), arrived in Kuala Tahan (a little outpost before heading into jungle), laughing with little boys playing soccer on Playstation and writing this at 1300. Boats, trains, cars, motorbikes, elephants, you name it!
You know i realized on the boat up in between watching water buffalo and shifting my weight so we didn't capsize that i haven't even talked to another American in over a week. Very weird. I'm sure there are some around just maybe not the places that I've been, more like the plush resorts that i have been careful to avoid. I guess the places I've been staying aren't exactly what is considered classy, but it's good enough for those who live here so it's good enough for me. Maybe a house is pretty small, maybe the mattresses (if there) aren't very soft, maybe there's a hose instead of toilet paper, maybe there's no A/C, maybe some cleaning products wouldn't exactly hurt, but this is the way they live and there is nothing inborn in me that makes me need more. There is much that we Americans can learn from others, and things they can learn from us; both are reasons I'm here. But when it comes to where my loyalties lie; as I told a Dane that questioned whether I would really fight and die for my country, I say Godwilling, with honor and without reservation.
posted by Jonathan Hassell at 13:42
2 Comments:
28Feb05: 22:15 (Auburn time)
You the man; but who's yo Momma!
or is it who's yo Daddy!
Say, the health conditions there would favor house training a dog. Maverick will be on the next Container Cargo headed to SE Asia.
Great to welcome a real live Hippie to the family.
Remember 3 things
Dad
i'm not a hippie
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