New Year, New Destination -- Goodbye Thailand

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New Year's Eve on Ko Samui was fun, but laid back. I dove into the surf fully clothed to ring in the New Year and watched the fireworks go off all over the beach. I had a New Year's dance with Mr. No (that's Dr. No to you). We've been fighting with the rain somewhat at the beach on and off for the last 2 days. I'm having fun with my college friend Marie, and two of her friends -- it's good to have partners in crime over the holidays.

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It's amazing the things you think of while you're travelling. I just wanted to put some silly obeservations on (virtual) paper before I left Thailand.

Money. People work hard for it. Long hours are the norm. Thailand is a night culture and the night markets are the most interesting. Everything is for sale, no prices marked and the price is always negotiable. Everyone is getting a cut of a cut of a commission. It's impossible to know how all the individual merchant stalls can possibly survive packed together. The first sale of the day is lucky and people will make it even if they lose money, about the only time that happens. The money taken on that sale is touched on the other goods being sold for good luck. You generally take off your shoes when entering most stores in smaller cities and always in temples -- you come to understand why people wear sandals.

Religion. Taken very seriously. Don't make fun of that or the King and you'll be fine. Women don't touch monks or sit next to them on public transportation. Buddhism is much more complicated than I thought.

Motorbikes and mopeds rule in Asia. They can drive on the wrong side of the road, ignore traffic signals, and many other things. The more you can fit on your motorbike the more points you get: a family of 5? 3 live pigs, 1 dead pig, chickens and eggs, a plate glass window wider than a car -- go for it! God put horns into cars and buses and trucks for a reason -- for pete's sake, use them! Honda and Yamaha and the Chinese knock offs do very well.

Get in touch with what you eat. If you're going to go vege, here's as good a place as any. You must get in touch with your food here. The squeemish need not go to the markets or glance in the kitchens. What is that pale yellowish/reddish meat in the cellophane that we eat? I've seen pigs, chickens, ducks, whole fish, eels, chicadas and more for sale -- oh and barbequed rat too (alas the last 2 I have not sampled). My favorite story in this regard comes from Laos. The guides used to bring live ducks on the treks for the evening meal. The ducks became comotose and docile when hung upside down from the guide's belt. When the poor tourists realized that this was their meal, end of the ducks being taken along because no one was eating them. You always know the food is fresh here -- sometimes you can even hear it being killed out back (well only in small towns....)

Sidewalks. Sidewalks are meant to being taken up by anything except people walking. Make sure you look carefully, but not too carefully. You don't want to fall into the open sewar drains or anything like that, but you also really don't want to know what you're trodding upon either. Hacking, spitting, nose picking and slurping abound and seem to be moderately acceptable behaviors.

Americans are so so lucky that we don't have to speak a second language to travel. It is the international language everywhere I have gone. I do think that the Scandinavians and Dutch speak it better than we do, however. Speaking of which, although Sweden only has about 9 million residents, I believe 1/3 of them are currently on Phuket, Krabi or Ko Phi Phi at the moment -- with direct flights from $400 to the islands, how can they resist?

Concrete -- it's the new big thing. Stacy and I decided that should be our big investment -- everything is under construction and all new construction appears to be ugly concrete slab stuff. It's too bad because the old wooden stilt houses are very charming. Also, when the roads get built between Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, look out because the trade will balloon.

I'll miss the following things: kind people, bows, constant smiles, cute kids, local eggplant that I actually like, coconut sticky rice with fresh mango, green curry, red curry, massaman curry, any noodle dish, banana shakes and fresh succulent fruit.

A very happy New Year: New Zealand here I come.