A Not-So-Slight Change in Plans: I’m Going to Thailand

The plan was to hang out in Nepal for a month, drop back into India for a couple more and then move on the Egypt. After checking my bank balance and doing some rough arithmetic, however, I decided that it might be time to settle down for a few months, cut back on expenses and catch up on work.

I knew I was arriving in Nepal late in the season and would have to give it a fairly cursory visit. This was okay with me — what I really needed to do was find someplace comfortable where I could catch up on writing and spend some time tinkering under the hood of my site. My photos from the Ganges had gone semi-viral and crashed the site twice, so I really needed to offload all my photos and optimize things.

And two months in Laos, followed by two more in India had really cut down on the amount of time I could spend online. Nepal proved to be just as difficult — though wifi is common and often free, the power is out at least twelve hours a day. My week in Pohkara turned out to be a lot less productive than I’d hoped, with most of my time spent juggling batteries and staring at wall sockets.

There are people who can sit down and write wherever and whenever they feel like it, but I’m not one of them. I have to wait for the inspiration to hit and then write like hell before it fades. And it always seems to hit when the laptop batteries are at 20%.

Finances were the other concern — the savings account was looking pretty thin and a few months of low rent and cheap food sounded like just the ticket. I had another 2-3 months left on my Indian visa and considered finding a hideout there but the wifi and power problems would still exist. And though India is an incredible place, it’s not what I would call relaxing.

Moving forward to Egypt was a complete unknown — what if I hated it? From there, I would be moving on to Morocco or possibly all the way to the Americas with few cheap flights in between. So backing up seemed to be the best option. Malaysia was a possibility, as was Thailand and Vietnam.

So after talking it over with friends and giving it some serious thought, I’ve decided to head to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand and get an apartment for 2-3 months. Why Chiang Mai?

1. It’s inexpensive, fully-wired and foreigner-friendly. I can get a nice apartment for $200-$300 a month and rent a scooter for $75-100.

2. I’ve always wondered what it’s like to live as an ex-pat and there’s a great group of people already there who can show me the scene. Some I’ve met online and a couple in ‘real life’ so it’ll be nice to have a bit of community on arrival.

3. I’ve yet to explore the northern half of the country, so some two-wheeled adventures are definitely in the works. Also hoping to hit some national parks and try my hand at nature photography.

4. It’s warm. After a couple of months in northern India and Nepal, I’m looking forward to burning the long johns and wearing sandals somewhere other than the bathroom. Yes, I’m a wuss. I’m okay with it.

5. Thai food. No explanation needed.

6. My brother just got a job in South Korea, so he’ll be able to come visit and I’m planning on crashing on his couch after I leave town (He doesn’t know this yet).

7. I’m working on a book project (not as exciting as it sounds, alas) and really need to lock myself in a room for a few weeks and knock out some pages. A couple of freelance projects are in the works and broadband would be very helpful.

So what can you expect to see on Johnny Vagabond over the next couple of months? I’ve got a bunch of posts from India and Nepal that only exist as notes and fading memories at the moment. I’ll be exploring and photographing Chiang Mai, then riding the bike up to Chiang Rai and Pai for some two-wheeled fun. Watch for some how-to posts on improving your travel photography as well as the usual oddball conversations and interactions with crazy characters.

I can’t wait. Thanks for following along.

Tagged as: blogging, Route, Thailand