I have never been a city girl
When I travel, I almost always skip the tourist traps. There’s so many temples around Asia but I just hate the whole “travel to the thing, look at the thing, take a picture of the thing and say you saw the thing” kind of thing. I love the feeling of going somewhere on the quieter side of things, where you can walk around a village and pop into some local families restaurant/home for a meal. One of my many Pad Thai’s was at the joint to the right, I stumbled upon it in search of food just near where I was staying. It was an open porch covered in cardboard wallpaper with notes from other travelers who must have had the same appreciation for the shop as I did. Seems like nearly each one was in a different language, all hung for different lengths of time. I loved this shop, it wasn’t on a TripAdvisor post… I don’t even think it had a sign but it was perfect.
Make Friends & Keep Them
Alright so, Mel & I met back in Shanghai and our friend time was cut short due to her calling for diving. Having said that, the moment we realized we shared a birthday and were Virgo twins there was no stopping our friendship. As soon as Mel left the Hai and landed in Thailand, the plans started to brew. We picked some dates and off I went to visit the gem in her natural habitat near the sea. It was funny seeing each other in beach attire, we had spent so long in the Shanghai winter beneath layers upon layers of sweaters that we didn’t even consider each other owning shorts let alone swimwear. Girls are funny in the sense that it’s not often they reach out to each other and maintain genuine friendships but just do it! Send the first text, comment on their pictures, hype them up and stay in contact! Cherish the beautiful people in your life.
The people, the food, the shoelessness
Thai people are so lovely and they’re sure to be caught sharing a smile which is a much needed change from Shanghai where interactions are quite minimal. You’re greeted as soon as you walk into a shop and are bound to have a pleasant interaction despite any language barrier that may exist. While in Thailand, I ate so much Pad Thai that I wasn’t far off from becoming a giant noodle myself. I loved that every shop prepared their Pad Thai a bit differently than the rest and seeking out my favorite one was more than pleasing to my tastebuds and I. I know you’re probably thinking, “Don’t you want to try other Thai food?” and sure, I did but I openly admit to having Pad Thai for three meals a day more than once! Thankfully, Mel had no opposition to this Pad Thai connoisseur I was on the way to becoming. Among most people on the island, Mel was always shoeless. At first, it made sense around the beach but then I realized most everyone had ditched the route of captivating their toes and skipped this part of their attire regardless of their destination. Despite what history and hygiene has to say, I really appreciated the freedom minus the blistering hot sand that had no regard for your decision to go soleless. Though my feet were not accustomed to this lifestyle just yet, I really admired it. It was simple, many people on the island spend most of their days in and out of water and off and on the beach so it becomes easier to toughen your feet and forget the shoes. The only part of the whole shoelessness that I couldn’t quite swallow was no shoes while driving a motorbike……. being a bit accident prone, the idea of sticking my bare-feet down during and unexpected stop has pain written all over it. Having said that, the island inhabitants seem to get along just fine and I rate the simplicity, it’s beautiful.
Sawadee Ka สวัสดีคะ
Of all the wonderful things Thailand has to offer, the thing that stuck with me was how pleasant everyone was. Coming from Shanghai I grew accustomed to a bit of a furrowed brow in the hustle and bustle of the massive city but Thailand was different. Greeting someone was almost always met with a smile and it seemed everyone had time to share one. It could have something to do with the general island life but I’ve still yet to meet a Thai person without a contagious smile. I immediately understood why Mel left the Hai. It was obvious why moving to this island was so desirable. Things were simple and appreciation for life was abundant. I wasn’t there long but I felt somehow attached to the place and the people I had met. Between spending the days snorkelling after baby reef sharks, diving deep into the unknown and nights with too many espresso martinis, I was ready to shred my return ticket and ditch my shoes for good. I’m convinced that in another life I was a vagabond who floated from place to place to take in my surroundings and learn about the wide variety of people on this spinning rock but that’s the funny thing about living isn’t it? We often long for the things we don’t have though they may be perfectly attainable. I’ll keep Tao close to the soul and know that there will always be a dot on the map to run to when the chips are down. A place where smiles are free, the sun is hot and the rest of the world can just melt away.
meraki mik 