The Land of Smiles vs. San Jose, California

Of course, EVERYONE loves Thailand. Travelers have been raving about it for YEARS and they will for many more. No wonder, it's got alot to offer. And don't get me wrong, I really do LIKE it. It IS the "Land of Smiles" (and truly friendly, generous people), it's got tasty food (though I'd argue that the Thai I get at home is even better), nice countryside, amazingly HUGE Buddhas, it's easy, AND, it's alot like being in San Jose.

But, San Jose?! Yeah, or Los Angeles, or maybe even Honolulu 20 years ago. The weather's warm, the buildings are nondescript and spread out on bland streets with distances too great to comfortably navigate by foot, there are pickups by the hundreds, the pavement + sidewalks are cracked and cluttered with junk + weeds, and NOBODY walks so there's little street life outside the markets (and even at these many people pull up on their moto, and get their food bagged to go without ever getting off!). Car culture and poor city layout are two of the things I most despise about The States and that I've so enjoyed being away from in most of the countries we've visited.

I didn't decide to devote substantial amounts of my life + money to travel to be immersed in the familiar. I CRAVE the bizarre, the foreign, the challenging... it's those things that I'll remember 10, 20 years from now. Whether I had a fantastic room or that the buses were comfy will be irrelevant then. Coming on the heels of Spain, India, China + Vietnam, which are BY FAR our most reminisced destinations amongst ourselves, maybe it's unfair to expect to be impressed yet again. It IS my third visit to the country too, and though I've progressively gotten more off-the-beaten-path with each trip I've still failed to find the allure that so many expats that have settled here seem to have. And, while I don't agree with others who complain that Thailand's been "Done", it just doesn't hold much of the exotic allure of the East. (On a side note, at least NOW I have a better guess why people rave about Laos - IT doesn't feel familiar.)

What Thailand DOES have, and in spades, are night markets. Never before have I seen such an abundance of prepared foods and grilled meats + seafood. None of it done for tourists sake either. Men, women, teens + children throng the aisles, moving under the dim glow of lights, selecting a bit of this + that, often for only 10 baht (30 cents) a serving. Some take their selections to go, but many fill the tables set out and share theirs over bottles of cold beer or rice whiskey. It's the place to see and be seen in the evenings, and it's been a nice opportunity for us to meet people too. And in many of the off-the-beaten-path towns we've now visited, the people HAVE made quite a memorable impression.

Like I said, we HAVE had some memorable experiences, even besides the food. Check it out...

"Link" to recent photos from Isaan Province + the ruins at Preah Vihear. And here's a "link" to Darin's blog about P.V.