ASIA.
Disillusioned with the benefits of a degree in Philosophy, I bought a one way ticket to Bangkok, dropped out of uni and gave all my possessions away. With around a grand in the kitty and one client, I was overly confident that I would have enough to survive. Accompanied by the advice of a guy I met from Liverpool, I figured I would only need one bag (see below) and around $700 (£430ish) a month. The bag contained clothes, my laptop, some electronic thingamobibies and some documents that I’d thought I would need, such as a motorbike driving license (you definitely don’t need this ahahaha). The benefits of travelling with one bag are insurmountable, the freedom it allows one is insane. It really is liberating and you come to love every item you have. Those Nike’s were the only things I wore, they did me well and now I have this weird affection for them in all of their inanimate objectness.
My first step was arriving in BKK, the main airport of Bangkok. Tired as hell, the population of my plane walk for what feels like forever, through the expansive airport. Still pretty dazed and confused from the flight, I get to the taxi rank. Scrambling for the email on my phone with the directions in Thai I show it to the assistant while looking over the prices. ‘1150 Baht for an SUV’. I work it out to around £20, and for 30km I was already over the moon with how cheap Thailand was, just like I read about.
This was the first and last time I got completely mugged off in Bangkok.
All of the drivers huddle round my phone, while the woman copies it onto some paper for another driver to see. Everyone starts pointing and laughing at it, I really didn't have a clue what was going on, but had no other choice than to just let these guys get me to the hostel safely. Around 5 minutes later, this expensive looking SUV pulls up and a woman shouts at me to get in, while handing the driver to previously copied piece of paper. He shakes my hand and we’re on our way.
My first impressions of Bangkok were from the sheer amount of advertisements I was being bombarded with, embedded within Thai culture. Adverts for all sorts of consumer goods, with the occasional ‘Don’t tattoo yourself with the Buddha’ billboard. Driving down the motorway at a very illegal speed, on this huge toll-road banging straight into the city, I was feeling elated as fuck and couldn't wait to start my journey into this weird place. After around a half hour, the driver pulls into a side road, next to a large Indian temple, where he then gets out and asks a local for directions. I get out and it’s just like I imagined. Around 8pm, it was already dark out, the street vendors were packing up, I could just see the illuminating sign of the nearby 7/11.
On the words of advice from a good friend from Miami, I decided to devote the first 4 days of being in the city to not working and just getting completely lost. So, on my first day, I do just that. I mean, I get completely lost, I had no idea where I was and was wondering round the backstreet's of central Bangkok. It’s everything one imagines, bartering on the street with interims of shrines with a solid stream of mopeds beeping at you to overtake in a street no more than 2 metres in width. Wafts of heat from the street vendors followed by wafts of dead something whamming you in the face.
Bangkok was cool. Is cool, rather. It’s figuratively everything you expect and more. However cliché that may sound. People live to eat there, everything seems to be based around food, socialising, food and going out. Further, everything in the centre is built around malls. You soon come to realise the AC Oasis's that they are, for walking around in 35 °C + heat, coupled with a fuck load of people and the heat of the road traffic and the street vendors is crippling. You find yourself in this sticky sweaty mess on a regular basis, taking regular trips to the coconut stall in the food hall just so you can get out of the heat.
Coconut juice is awesome. For 20 Baht, so less than 40p, some bloke will pull out a randy machete and slice the coconut open for you. It’s akin to the elixir of life. I don’t really know how it works, but it just does. Hydrating and seemingly injecting health back into you, like food from a video game. It’s a shame they sell it for like £4 back here.
Now, when I speak to people about Bangkok, they have this weird depiction in their mind that it’s just rice paddies, poverty and a couple of sky scrapers thrown in for good measure. Oh my how wrong they are. It’s the centre of South East Asia and by far the most liberal (I'm looking at you Indonesia). The first thing you notice is the scale of the place. For approximately 20–30 Kilometres in every direction from the centre, Siam, it’s just Skyscrapers followed by large buildings with Temples dotted in between. Hi-Tech skytrains and undergrounds, money everywhere, capitalism and advertising in every corner of your peripheral vision. Your sensory preceptors are in constant overload. Don’t even get me started on the traffic.
Another thing you’ll quickly find out is just how ridiculously cheap the place is. Want to go on a 50km trip across the city on the BTS(skytrain)? No problem, 42 baht, less than a quid mate. Want some solid, tasteful grub? No problem, 50 baht on the street. A brand new Condo in the heart of the city, £400 a month. You get the picture. Coming from a Western country you will have insane amounts of buying power. Spending less than $1000/£700 a month, I was still able to live like a king, far better than in the UK.
Obviously a glaring omission I’m making here is the culture. The heritage and beauty of the country can really only be experienced. Photos just don’t do it justice. Me and the girl I met from Cali got completely lost in and found ourselves walking past Monks in these closed of Alleys. Eventually we find this central courtyard filled with various buildings. Upon which we are almost beckoned into the main, central and largest one.
Of course, Thailand is a Buddhist country. There are no shortage of Buddha statues or representations of him(him?). Further, every single Temple or Monetary is graced with the same craftsmen ship you can see in the Vatican, arguable better, far more profound and mind boggling. For instance, there was this guy that you can find at Wat Pao, called the reclining Buddha.
Encased in a special building, this picture doesn't do it justice to just how large it actually is. Basically, it’s a huge gold Buddha chilling on his side.
I mean, the Buddha is cool n’ all, but you do very quickly get bored of seeing him absolutely everywhere. Like I was not joking when I said that he is everywhere. Everywhere.
After spending around a week there, it was time to move on. I was going to follow my original plan and move to the north, to a place called Chiang Mai. It was supposed to be perfect for me people like me, with a thriving community of remote workers and coworking spaces, even cheaper prices than Bangkok and far more beautiful. I had finished my contract, had money in my pocket and things were looking great. I even had two friends that were going with me, a guy from New Delhi and a guy from Montreal. For once in my life, I really was enjoying every last minute of my day. From start to finish. It was incredible. It was time to say goodbye to BKK, one last stop in China town then the next day we’d be flying out.
Hello Chiang Mai.
Now, my stay in Chiang Mai didn't go to plan. I got food poisoning straight away, found it exceedingly boring and dusty and not to mention, crashed my moped on the motorway and almost died.
It’s not good to linger on these things, but let’s just say, fuck Chiang Mai. Yes it’s beauts, but I found out that I really am a city boy. I don’t do country side, weird insects that appear as though they really do want to kill you just for jokes, or nice people. I need Ambulance sirens, barging people on public transport and so on. I don’t particularly like Starbucks, but going from somewhere where you physically cannot get away from them to somewhere where there is only one and it’s directly in the town centre makes me really uneasy. I can honestly say I was already out of my comfort zone moving 11000+ Km away from home, I didn't need this shit.
Anyway, here are some nice pictures.
Right, so I'm stuck in CM, the Canadian bloke had left, luckily I hadn't rented out a condo at this point and we were still in this obscure Chinese hostel. My Indian friend turns to me and simply said ‘Let’s go back’. My response?
At this point I had fallen in love with Bangkok. I was having intermittent problems with online banking and paypal which was making my life hard, but it was okay. It kinda felt like home. It was the stomping ground. The following two weeks we all spent going out practically every night. Bangkok is uber international. You make friends, good friends. People speak to each other. I know it’s insane, imagine just saying hi to someone in DSTRKT or Gatecrasher. There’s a solid chance you’ll get slapped. In Bangkok you’ll get a hi-five, a drink and if they’re Arab, Shisha. If you have seen the movie the Hangover, you’ll have some crazy idea of what Bangkok is like. It’s far, far more than that. Sky bars, pool parties, models, crazy looking fish, insane night clubs and the best late night food. It’s all a bit of a blur and after that I got a serious two week contract with a French bank, but I do have some pictures.
Every Sunday we would go to a night called Maggie Choos, which was a ladyboy cabaret and easily the best in the city. After experiencing it first hand I actually get annoyed when people are like ‘did you ever get tricked by a ladyboy?’. They’re just normal people, either gay or have gender dis-morphia. Can you tell that they’re a Ladyboy? The answer is yes, because boobs. Sorry Thai ladies. Apart from that, you’d be hard pressed.
My findings of Bangkok is that it is kinda run by gay people. I don’t mean government. The actual city, from the best bars, to the art galleries, to the cafes and pop up stores, gay. If you ever go to Bangkok, make gay friends. They know the best places to go.
So many memories. The one on the right actually has an English mom. These guys are super pro and great at their job.
I made a friend from Ohio. He showed me this picture in the smoking area. It kinda sums up just how open BKK is and how friendly people are there. It really is a good crack (lol).
While working, I thought, why not just live here. By chance I met this really cool guy who was starting his own brewery in Taipei, who introduced me to this guy from Denmark who happens to have also played a lot of online poker who also happens to run a startup in Bangkok and is a part of the tech scene. He tells me that he’ll be at this huge tech conference thing and that I should go. Bang, the stars aligned.
Quickly I found out that they need devs. Desperately. Hopefully this doesn't come across arrogant, but I did very well, literally securing interviews left right and centre and I don’t mess about when I use the word literally. Literally. Unfortunately for me I was already planning to go to Bali (I’ll get on to that), but made awesome contacts. I went to two interviews and got a great sense of the scene. However, around this time, I also came to the conclusion that there was no way for me to leave my friends high and dry, the ones that I signed a housing contracting with back in February. I would have to be back in the UK no matter what. Don’t get me wrong, this isn't a bad thing. But I literally felt like I was king of the world at this point. Partying every night, going to the coolest places, I actually had money for once, I actually had the ability to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. On top of this, my skills were in demand. I could work anywhere I wanted. I would sit down for dinner with friends and not have to worry about anything other than how spicy the Papaya salad was.
This is what I had longed for, this was the dream, this is what I imagined back when I was sitting in my scruffy uni accom looking blankly at my Kant essay which at best was a 2:1. It’s hard to describe that feeling.
After my contract finished, I was pretty strung out. I needed to relax and get away. As it so happens, I was sitting next to this girl who was scrolling down this site called workaway. She was going to Nepal to help teach English to women and rebuild their centre or something to that effect. As she’s looking, I notice ads ‘DEV NEEDED URGENTLY’, ‘Site needs to be built, immediate start’. Hmmmm. So obviously I take a look and what do I find on the site? ‘Web developer needed for family in Bali. Free accommodation, free food, free yoga’. Hot daymneee son. I message the guy, he asks me when I can come, I say next monday. Blamo.
So I actually don’t know where to start with Bali. I could write an entire book or short story, just on the family I was staying with and my experience. But I’m concious of how long this is getting so I’ll keep it relatively brief. If you want to know more, you’re going to have to ask me when you see me.
I stayed with this family in their beautiful mansion, 2 hours away from Ubud in an area called Balian (West side represent). Huge waves, jungle, top Auzzi and EU surfers and the friendliest people I've ever met. The family owns and runs a multimillion dollar jewellery business, but was starting to export homemade mosaic kits, on top of the 14 villas they ran which were next door and the dance school they offered for free to local kids. Also, Nasi Gorang and Goat sticks. Man I miss those Goat Satays.
The internet was wank but I ended up getting a dongle. Which meant that I could work from wherever I wanted, whether that be the beach
Maybe pool side with a couple of bevvies to keep me going.
Bali was badass, but like Chiang Mai, I found it boring, especially in the early days. The youngest brother was a really cool guy though, he played a lot of LoL and that kinda brought me back into reality. But he could see that I was bored and would take me out to places. He actually had a huge motorbike crash, much worse than mine, but would go and see a healer. The healer was this old wise man who would kind of just pull you in different directions, popping your bones and rubbing your muscles.
Shit looked damn painful.
The family really took me in. It was cool. Bali is a super spiritual place. Animalism mixed with Hinduism with a little Islam thrown in for good measure. People there believe in Karma. Do good to others and good will come to you. There isn’t a sense of people being nice just to get you to buy something. If you smile at someone driving past on their moped, even if you don’t know them, they’ll give you a wave and say hello. In fact, it’s more likely that they’ll go ahead and say hello to you first.
On my third night there, there was a Blue moon. For us westerners, that’s basically when there are two full moons in one month. Ever heard of the saying, ‘Once in a blue Moon’? In Bali this a big fucking thing. You have to do your offerings and respects to the Gods. Everyday you’ll give small offerings to everything from you garden, to your fridge to your crops. My take home was, don’t piss off the Gods.
So I get woken up, given some clothes and was told to meet at the temple.
It’s a pretty cool ritual, basically you’re given food and flowers. With each different coloured flower, you pull half off and throw it as an offering, then put half behind your ear. Once you’ve done this, you then stick rice to your forehead and I think Chakras, but basically different point of your body. Then you eat some small foods which I imagine is you consuming the blessed stuff. Although I could be completely wrong as at the time I was just concentrating on not fucking up.
The mother of the family, Shankari, ran the show. She was an Alchemist and a Magician, who came to the land 30 years ago, building everything from scratch, as her spirit guides told her to. The family was really big and so was the staff, although I think there was less staff there than a few years ago. It was a profound place and I got to hang out at some really beauts spots.
I was super bored but eventually other ‘workawayers’ came, from Poland to Canada to Mexico, it was really kinda nice. Company made Bali far more tolerable and I ended up only going slightly crazy while I was there. When you’re in Bali and you have all of that solitude and natural beauty around you, you can’t help but sit and contemplate life. Really helped clear up my mind.
Also, monkeys.
Bali was cool, but Bangkok was beckoning. Thera Makasiii and goodbye.
So I only actually have a day back in Bangkok. I planned to go to the Islands in the south before I had left. Luckily my friend was also going. Shebang. Time to go the Krabi.
The hotel wasn't too bad. You really never get tired of these infinity pools. I can’t stop going in them. Ha.
Where we all were really heading for is a place called Tonsai. Imagine Utopia. Imagine Utopia with any drug in any medium you want. That’s Tonsia. A beach enclave surrounded by cliffs and some of the best rock climbing in Asia. You get to it by boat, walking over the cliffs or waiting for low tide and walking around from the main beach.
I can’t really explain it. It beats everything that the Mediterranean has to offer. Money doesn’t mean anything here. Who you are doesn't matter here. One day I’ll go back. I only had a short amount of time there and really wish I had more. But Bangkok was calling.
This is a view from Benjarti park, me, this lad from Hawaii and a girl from Taiwan decided to try and see the sunset here. We failed miserably and ended up all falling asleep in the park. But it was super nice.
What does one do when they’re in Bangkok? Well…
I knew I was having to head back to the EU pretty soon. Saying bye basically entailed going out every night, just like before, but this time it was just way more emotional. Knowing that every night could potentially be the last time where a prostitute tries to drag you off into an alley, or the last time you’ll be partying at some art installation in the middle of a club, or just going crazy with your friends in the middle of some stupid after-party the cabbi convinced you to go to.
Coming back to Bangkok was actually very sobering. While I was away, the bomb went off, the one you’ve seen all over the news. The realisation that I was standing right there, in front of the shrine, multiple times before either to look at it or to walk to this place called Central World. If I was standing in the same place a week later than I did I could of been blown up. It’s as simple as that. If there’s one thing to take from Buddhism, it’s probably the concept of mindfulness. That isn’t just ‘living in the moment’. It’s truly experiencing the moment and revelling in it. Everyone’s going to die at some point. Worrying, fearing, being anxious, being scared, it’s all a waste of time.
The very last day was pretty sad. I spent the entire morning throwing up, sitting in the same place for like 4 hours, just chundering the last 2 weeks content out. In that limbo state where you know that 20 minutes ago you tried to throw up but only a little water was coming out and you can’t really comprehend how you still feel queezy. I’d said to my friend that we should go get food later that night and she recommended this place called Bombay Blues. I soon fix up and we head on out.
Man I wish I knew about that place before. It’s this real nice Indian joint. They make you take your shoes off before you go in, then everyone sits on the floor next to each other. Between you, you get a Shisha and a bunch of food, then just play Jenga. We ended up sitting next to these South Korean Lawyers and were just getting smashed. At least, I was. Still being drunk from the previous 2 weeks and picking up this weird man-flu, I was determined to make it through to the end.
hahhahahahahhahaahha
So what next? Well, I knew I had to go somewhere West. I really wanted to go ‘Dam and see my boy who’s out on Erasmus there, but the dates didn't match up. I checked the cheapest flights on skyscanner. To my surprise, Oslo was the cheapest flight out. For like £170 or something ridiculous. I was all over that like a donkey on a waffle.
To sum up Norway. It’s expensive. People are insanely beautiful and are impossibly suave. They’re liberal, have social-capitalistic values, are open to immigration. Basically, it’s somewhere I’d very much like to live. They also have loads of Turkish immigrants and you know what that means. Kebab shops everyyyyyywhere.
I didn't know this and I really should have, but it has a bunch of culture. Looking back on it, it’s quite obvious that they would do.
All of a sudden I found myself sitting at Tottenham Court road, surrounded by edgy Central Saint Martins girls. It was like waking up, like the last almost half a year had been a dream. I had somehow survived and had just appeared back in old blighty. I felt compelled to put a couple of Skepta tunes on. Home sweet home.
I didn't spell or grammar check this and I don’t really care. You’ll still the get gist.
