August 26, 2003 Bangkok, Thailand
I wasn’t planning on hanging out with the hippies, since I feared that we no longer had anything in common. Unfortunately, I had no choice.
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I befriended an eager young British guy on the VIP bus, who was just starting out on his own year-long trip. I did my best to disillusion him with my tales of too much travel.
He was an outgoing sort, and befriended many of his fellow travelers, who I ate dinner with. The conversations centered on which countries they had “done,” how easy it is to get opium in Vang Vieng, or wherever, and how fun it is to smoke pot in Luang Prabang, or wherever. Like the Cyber Nomad before me, I was annoyed, and herby vow to never visit those places.
When I was asked the standard traveler’s question “how long have you be in insert country name?” (usually #2, after “how long have you been traveling?”), I was forced to explain that I was living in Bangkok, and was just in Laos to get a Thai visa. Needless to say, the hippies were not pleased. “Why would you want to live in Bangkok?” “Why would you want to learn Thai?” “Why aren’t you ‘doing’ Laos?”
I should have just said I’ve been smoking opium in Luang Viang for the past three months. Or wherever.
Aside from the hippies, Vientiane was OK. Well, also aside from the fact that there’s nothing to do there. I walked to the big French monument, which you can climb. That entertained me for about 30 seconds. The balance of my time was spent reading old newspapers in cafes (curse Bangkok’s shitty bookstores), and reading email in internet cafes. Vientiane has a few bars and nightclubs, but right as you’re starting to have fun at 11:30, they kick you out.
Monday I had to wait another two hours at the Thai embassy to pick up my passport. I was hot and sweaty, and frustrated by the lack of orderly queuing. But the mission was accomplished.
its a shame you've grown so far from your comrade mike pugh's too-eager optimism. there is no need to criticize those thirsty to see the world in this way. it's just a different way and in all faireness, it sounds much more appealing to me to smoke opium in Laos than to grovel and whine about bangkok's shitty bookstores and spending your time checking your email. although, I think a combination of these worlds is perhaps most healthy, i feel like your posts are becoming more and more sarcastic and more and more pessimistic. have fun, learn thai, make friends and get a smile on your face. christ.
Posted by: anonymous on August 27, 2003 08:05 AMHi Terry, you are an inspiration to me. I read you site every couple of days to see how you are going. This is your forum. You can say what you like. Hammer the crap out of the good for nothing opium smokers if you wish. Far from bragging about it, they would be hung if they were caught in Singapore ..... Take care friend!
Posted by: funkyrocker on August 27, 2003 01:37 PMoh shut the fuck up funkyrocker, get off your moral high ground.
Posted by: on September 4, 2003 09:22 AMwell, i think its terry 's point of view. and every man does have their, so if you dont like his comment for something then you better not to read it.
go on, terry.
I got banned from Mike Pugh's Vagabonding site for daring to criticising His Magnifience, so for those who think he is so optimistic and cool: think again. The guy has Nazi tendencies!
To be honest, I wasn't even criticising him directly, just the whole mass market backpacker travel route which has people going to Khao San Rd/Phuket/Chiang Mai/Koh Phan Gan for a weeks, and then thinking that they have "done Thailand". In reality, they have just seen a McThailand -- a Disney Thailand, a sanitised Thailand whored up to suit smug rich young western backpackers who can't handle real Thai food, who can't "hang loose" enough to be with Thai people, and who can't be bothered to understand anything of the Thai culture. Of course, it is not just Thailand which suffers from this -- the whole world has become hostage to the LONELY PLANET brand of market tourism. That's why, if you follow the backpacker route, you will never be left alone by touts and begars and conmen. It is like a Silk Route for easy pickings from bored pretentious purantical backpacker kids from the West.
I am still astounded that Mike Pugh banned me from my site just because I dared to criticise him. If he was an optimist, why woud he care? At least he could offer me a counter-argument. He seems to forget that the number one rule of America is: never interfere with your brother's right to free speech. Otherwise, we might as well be Nazi's. As the old proverb says: "I might not agree with what you say, but I will give my life to defend your right to say it." But I don't get any of this sense of self-sacrafice from Mr Pugh.
The irony is that I used to call myself "The International Vagabond", when I left home and began "walking the earth" in the Year 2000. I actually got my inspiration for the Vagabond name on Khao San Rd in 1996. I was talking to some English guy one grey-skied July day over copious glasses of beer, and he described meeting someone who gave him a business card headed "International Vagabond". I thought it was a cool title, one which exactly matched my personality.
So, my point is, Vagabond isn't an original name, it has been floating around for years. But judging by his "no criticism allowed" policy perhaps Mike Pugh should be stripped of the Vagabond title. I suggest we call him "The Nazi" instead.
Posted by: Code Rot on February 27, 2004 09:00 AMIt's a shame that Bangkok does have a bad name, because I think there is so much more to it than sleazy bars and pickup parlors. It is a worldclass city, in every respect. But I am tired of the backpacker cliche: "I have to get out of Bangkok as soon as possible." If only they knew what they were missing out on.
Posted by: alure on March 1, 2004 11:48 AM