36 Memorable Moments of 2012

(WINTER:)

1.

Warrior Dash 2012: Hawaii

The Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand

"I'm either lucid dreaming right now, or I'm in a video game."

These were the thoughts that entered my head as I stepped onto the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. The colors that greeted me were brilliant -- not brilliant like British speak for "this is awesome, yo", but brilliant like vibrant, rich, and breathtaking. The shapes and magnificent sizes of the structures seemed otherworldly. Due to being misdirected and conned by the peddlers outside of the palace walls, Brian and I missed the 2:00pm free tour in English of the palace, so we had no choice but to explore in complete ignorance and naivete. I had no idea what any of these buildings were used for, how old the buildings were, or what they looked like from the inside. No matter, there was plenty to see on the outside, and the mystery added to the structures' mystique.

Bangkok: Making Mistakes

A successful trip to the National Museum

One tip of the many I was given by close friends who have traveled in the area was“prepare to be ripped off. Just accept the fact that you will be. The sooner that you can accept this, the sooner you’ll get over it when it happens and the more you’ll enjoy everything else about your adventures.”

This piece of advice paints a picture of the traveler as a fairly innocent bystander being taken advantage of by the big, bad scammer who promises cheap seats on a riverboat to the best local eateries in town... until the wide-eyed traveller is left with nothing but overpriced tickets and, at best, decent food made by a chef who collects money and makes sandwiches with the same unwashed hands.

Bangkok: New Arrivals

When Brian and I first arrived in Bangkok, a new anxiety hit me. I was excited and a little bit afraid for my life. I  relate the feeling to being next in line at the county summer fair’s rickety roller coaster: you figure it’s safe enough because hundreds of people do it every year, yet you know that one wrong turn or small lost piece in the system can send the entire thing crashing down, thus ruining your summer and maybe your life.

Southeast Asia -- Peggy's Advice

I had dinner with a college friend the other night. It's such a trip to reconnect with a friend with whom you've lost contact for almost 3 years after being attached at the hip for a solid 2 academic years.

In that time, she's been doing big things; among those big things is travelling, including an extended solo journey through many countries in Asia.

I shared with her the seeds of my 2012 (or 2013) plans of visiting Southeast Asia. Her advice to me as we dined over Berkeley Thai curry (in her words, as best as I can remember):

• Open an account with Schwab -- you'll be able to withdraw cash from any country without having to worry about ATM fees or currency conversion fees.

• Get traveler's insurance. I got really bad food poisoning when I was in Singapore. Ironic, right? Considering how Singapore is supposed to be one of the cleanest cities in the world? I was in the hospital for one night and two days. That hospital visit would have cost me $300 if I didn't have insurance. Traveler's insurance also covers costs for things like lost luggage, interruptions in your travel (like having to take an emergency flight somewhere, or missing a connecting flight and having to check in a hotel), and medical emergencies. Just be sure to read the fine print. For example, it might say that they only cover medical costs as long as you don't do anything totally dangerous, like bungee jump.

• You'll find Wi-Fi everywhere - especially in a lot of hostels. Bring your netbook. 

• Don't be afraid to go to to SeA alone; you'll make friends along the way. I showed up from the United States not really set in travel dates or even destinations. I made those plans with the people I met along the way. It's cheaper and easier to map out your destinations as you go along, anyway.

• Bring a book. I only brought one book when I started the trip, but I ended up reading 7 in total. Most hostels have a "take a book, leave a book" kind of thing. I had a lot of time to read on 3-, 5-, sometimes even 12-hour bus rides.

• Try all the food. Sure, I got food poisoning early in the trip... but it never happened again after that, and I'm glad that I go to eat everything that I did. I've never had as good of food here as I had there (referring to the, for example, Thai and Cambodian cuisine in the United States). You figure, those street vendors sell just one dish all day every day -- they have perfected that dish. There's no way that these restaurants will be able to compare to those vendors!

• Haggle prices for everything... but accept the fact that, as a tourist, you WILL be duped at least once on the trip. Prices are marked up for tourists sometimes 3x the price for locals. You might be able to slide and wriggle your way through some of these traps since you look Asian. In Thailand, there are temples that are free to enter for locals only. I walked right by security (Peggy is Chinese) while my White friends were stopped and asked to pay. However, I did pay $20 for a boat ride that should have only cost me $5. When I found out I got gypped, I was super upset for a little while... and then I got over it. This kind of thing happens. And what's $20 in the long run, anyway? ...especially when their prices are in reality cheap when compared to U.S. prices. 

Southeast Asia -- Peggy's Advice

I had dinner with a college friend the other night. It's such a trip to reconnect with a friend with whom you've lost contact for almost 3 years after being attached at the hip for a solid 2 academic years.

In that time, she's been doing big things; among those big things is travelling, including an extended solo journey through many countries in Asia.