empty silence
Silence might drive some people mad, or it might provide the time one needs to think. I am the latter type–I employ moments of silence to contemplate many things. This so-called useless and idle time today was during the bus ride from Ban Phe back to Bangkok. Of the things I came to realize, one that I will note here is it is inconsiderate to censor my own words when there is so much more to say. My original post on this travel blog, which I will undoubtedly re-modify to include the full text, had so much more in the two sentences I removed in order to be what I deemed at the time more considerate towards my greater audience. This is after all the world for more than it simply is. With this said, I will make the attempt to include more than just the events with more insight on the discussions and situations which I experience on this trip.
The three days in Ko Samet were superb overall, yet without the individuals I encountered it would have been just any other island. The drama of human life, which I usually try to remove myself from at times, is what separates the great moments from the dull. At the bungalow I was staying at, Naga, my cousin and I met Theresa on the way back to our place to get a snack after some drinks over at Jep’s on our second night there. Theresa, an individual with potential to stand out from the usual others, discussed among other things her experience living the life of solitude at a monastery in North Thailand for two weeks. Later that night, her acquaintance Christine, who was quite a liar who thought herself better than us, asked Theresa to accompany her to the restroom only never to return. At the Silver Sand Bar, I ran into Christine once again, where she admitted she did not in fact have a hearing problem. To her disappointment, I reversed the statement which she made about embarrassing me into one that she should be the embarrassed one for lying in the first place. I imagine that she was dumbfounded as she had nothing to say in response.
The next day at the beaches before my great Thai massage on the beach for 200 baht ($5USD), I was greeted briefly by Theresa once again who seemed to had not fallen into the self-obsessed trap of Christine from Holland. That evening, Theresa actually was at the restaurant we had asked her to meet us at the previous night. I should probably include that seeing Christine again was somewhat awkward, yet she did say hello. That evening after a delicious meal of fried egg with shrimp and tomatoes at the restaurant across from Seven Eleven, I watched The Constant Gardener and played ping pong with Hac as we were taking a break from drinking. During our ping pong match, Corina who I had met two nights prior at the Naga bar along with a group of girls from England, stopped by to say hello. We had a brief discussion on travels along with religion on which I shared the similiar view of hers that it was a far wiser idea to see the world than to be fearful of it.
Well enough for now; I will probably be going to Chinatown tonight for dinner. Before I forget, Khao San road is the place to be if you’re craving the backpacker crowd.
Very interesting post today, Hao. It is always better to give your honest insights and not hold back. I am glad that you have come to realize that most places in the world are exactly the same. It is the people you meet and who touch you that make it special. My favorite saying is “Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away”. I hope this is one of those moments for you. Take care and stay safe.
Aunt Kim
August 14, 2006 at 10:45 am
the world is filled with 3 types of people, the good, the bad and the ugly. we always love the good, we can always give the ugly a second chance in life, but the bad need not even be near us; keep them out of your reach… for this category always spells deceit and interferes with the embellishment of your life, in terms of both spirit and knowledge.
bác khôi
August 14, 2006 at 9:13 pm
Hello nong chai, long time no post. I see you had some progressive development in interpersonal skills through your stay in Ko Samut. Maybe from your interactions, you left a moment of thought in that person’s mind for them to consider. Continue seeing more and learning more from the points that you encompass. Remember action brings upon consequence which you accept or act on further. Take care and I suppose you came to realize that ‘crowd’ who seeks out their own take on authentic is like any other group of people. Comes with the good, bad, and ignorant.
Hiep
August 14, 2006 at 9:47 pm
Hi Hao,
Seemed like you grow up alot since you travel out to Asia. And you got a chance to meet and to talk with different peoples came from different part of the world. Now you can learn and understand more about their thoughts and expressions,between good and bad persons, too. So after you got a chance to chat with them,you could figured out who are right or wrong even they were liar. Better stay away from the bad peoples. I’m very proud of you, son! When do you leave Bangkok to Singapore? How long does it take you take you to fly over there? How do they charge for the airfare ticket? When you guys get there, remember try to look for the hotel that near the Chinatown area and shopping mall; but i’ts cheap and clean. Hao try the Amara hotel, I did’nt remember exactly where it locates.You have to look for yourself. If you want to transport around the city, try to buy the subway pass which is cheaper than go by taxi. There are alot of good restaurant to eat or food vendor on the street. You have to eat their cha ca, fried tofu,fried shrimp balls plus their special thit bo kho they sale over there,too. They are very delicious!Your dad and I are still graving for that. Also there is a place where they sale cooked hot foods very late at night. They put tables and chairs around there, so people can sit down to eat. Don’t forget to drink alot of fresh coconut juice and green sugar cane juice with fresh sqeezed orange juice, even their mango smoothies are so good and refreshing,too. Their strip malls are very long,liked miles of blocks you can go until you shop and drop. Always bargain them as much as you can, don’t buy at their regular price; remember to walk away when they don’t want to sale at your bargain price. Have a fun trip over there and stay safe.Miss and love you guys alot!
Me cua Hao and Co Hoan.
Dad
August 15, 2006 at 8:59 pm