This is Thailand

In the spirit of avoiding studying, I've been reading some old emails. Here's an excerpt from one I sent from Thailand, 2003. There were more exciting emails, but this just brings back all the good memories. How I miss having a life!

I was so hyped about coming back to Thailand after my last awesome trip here, I actually began to get really worried on the flight over that I would hate returning to a developing country, that there was no way it could live up to my expectations. Well, that didn't happen. It all began with the taxi driver from the airport, who wouldn't let me put on my seatbelt. "This is Thailand" he says. The he proceeded to blatantly steal my change from each toll on the road. That actually sums up this country perfectly. This is Thailand. I love being in a place where you can explain anything by just invoking the place's name. The tour you booked is nothing like advertised? This is Thailand. Your boat inexplicably turns around after an hour and returns to port? This is Thailand. Some lady on the train keeps insisting that you share your chips with her (by gesturing then sticking her hand in the bag and taking them)? This is Thailand.

Even the taxi drivers are awesome. After the aforementioned first, I was kindly offered some prostitutes by the second, and the third seemed to be curiously scared of the cops. He kept muttering about the police, and when he dropped me off he saw some cops and made me jump out quickly before he zoomed off. Wonder what that was all about? This is Thailand.

I headed north to volunteer for this foundation that works with the hill tribe people, doing water projects to get the villages fresh water. That's how I found myself pushing a truck up a 3km dirt road in the rain, covered in mud, with a bunch of scottish 17 year olds who were volunteering. That's how I found myself sleeping on the floor in a hill tribe's family hut. That's how I found myself lugging 50kg (110 lb) bags of cement, and sacs of gravel and sand, up a hill to help build the holding tanks for the water. And that's how I found myself saying goodbye two days later. Hey, this is supposed to be some sort of vacation! It was actually good to do something productive though, and get a real glimpse of the primitive lives of the hill tribe people. And also to see them eat one of the village dogs that had been getting scrappy. This is Thailand.