2012 was a year of restlessness and unhealthy work habits. It was also a year of self-discovery (or self-annihilation, depending on your view of self!) and a redefinition of priorities.

2011 was brought to a close in Maui after a month-long trip around SEAsia. What followed was a year of 80-hour workweeks and, to be honest, I can’t even remember where I was, who I was with, or what I did for New Year’s last year. A safe bet puts me at the office or at least within an arm’s reach of a computer.

By the time 2012 appeared on the horizon I was already starting to reach my breaking point. I booked a flight to Maui to stay in my parent’s condo (which I can never thank them enough for letting me use!) and planned to work and surf from January to March.

But 2 days before I left, work chaos would strike again and I would be up for the next 48 hours finishing a pivotal chunk of code that a (self-made-ex) coworker decided to not deliver after a month of work. I very clearly remember the sleep-deprived delirium I was in when I first set foot on the beach and toppled into the water.

I would spend the next month and a half starting every day with an early surf session in Honolua Bay and try to squeeze in another in the afternoon when surf permitted. There are few things I’ve found more enjoyable and exhilarating than riding a wave bigger than you are over a coral reef. After that it was hard to get excited about putting on a wetsuit in the rain to go surfing in the frigid NorCal waters.

The next few months were characterized by even more work and in May, we expanded our company to 17 with the addition of 4 outstanding interns from Berkeley. Orchestrating the efforts of 8 software engineers while still trying to get my own work done (not to mention planning out the long-term strategy of the company!) was a horrible, misguided experience. I learned a lot – but it was not an ideal situation. Not even close!

In June I decided I didn’t want to do it anymore. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was burned out. I mean utterly, completely… damn near ineffably exhausted. I had no idea what I wanted to do – but it sure wasn’t this. I had no idea how I was going to talk to my cofounders (Yu-kai and Jun) about this. Fortunately, I didn’t have to.

On a surreal day in early July, Yu-kai told us we had no money. Silence sat heavy in the conference room and Jun was the first to speak. “Wait. What?” Jun and I never dealt with the money. Neither did Marc, who stood slack-jawed at the side of the table. I flitted between disbelief and relief for the rest of the hour-long conversation. There was no anger or resentment – I think we were all tired and in some way, a little bit happy.

So RewardMe was over and we were all unemployed and directionless. Many games of soccer tennis were played any many ideas were floated around. One such idea (spoiler alert: it doesn’t work out) involved Justin and I starting an import/export company. It went well at first but we failed to find an adequate pipeline for distributor sourcing.

And then I moved to SEAsia.

I covered my trip a lot in this blog so I won’t detail much here. But it was while I was spending my afternoons lying on the roof of a dive boat in the Gulf of Thailand that I realized that not only could I not escape building software – but that I didn’t want to. Creative writing, storytelling, logic, and technology are what I’m built for. I love tackling messy problems and creating step-by-step processes to solve them.

So I made a game and did a lot of diving and traveled until I knew what I wanted – I want to make games that tell stories and help to expand the medium beyond just selling fun. There is so much potential that is largely being untapped. I have a long way to go and what I can make now is not where I want to be – but as Ira Glass noted – persistence will pay off.

Now I’m back and have only one big question left to answer – where am I going next? Wherever I go I plan to stay for a while – an exciting change of pace over the last few years! San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Boulder, and Austin are at the top of my list – and they all sound pretty great.

This year started off with a bang and I’m positively thrilled about where it’s heading.

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I decided to not go through with my Divemaster on just about the day it was supposed to start. The question over whether I really wanted to pursue it or not niggled into my mind somewhere in Kuala Lumpur – probably while I was staring at the ceiling fan of my 6ft x 12ft cell. Did I really want to spend the next 2 months in a town with 2 roads and a dozen restaurants? Also there’s no surf. And let’s be honest, the Internet working 25% of the time is kind of a factor.

I really like this island – and if it had waves I would be staying here for a very long time. But it doesn’t. And if you’re not diving there is literally nothing to do besides eat, drink, and sit on the computer.

Which is pretty much what I’ve been doing the past 3 weeks while I pounded out my first iOS  game, Save Penguin!

It was a great experience – and game development is something that I may pursue more seriously. It combines a lot of what I love – story telling, powerful algorithms, art and emotion, and so much more. It’s one of the more multi-disciplinary areas I’ve explored and I’m interested in seeing if it’s something I could do for the long term.  But for now, I’m taking a few days off as I travel up to Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand!

I visited Chiang Mai a few years ago when Courtney and I travelled around Thailand. It’s a pretty large city but it feels a lot smaller than it is. The weather is a little cooler, the people are a little friendlier, and the air is a lot cleaner (than Bangkok, that is!).

Once I arrive I’ll be writing more frequently again – my month of 12-hour programming days is now over.

And I seriously cannot wait to go running!

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Life on Koh Tao is a lot slower and a big part of my day – when I’m not seasick on a boat or 75 feet below the ocean’s surface – is spent eating, talking, and thinking.

My favorite place is a French café right off the main street in Mae Haad called Cappuccino. Like almost everywhere on the island, it has an open-air patio and is way too big for the number of customers it ever has at any point in time. Music from Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, and Maroon 5 wafts lazily from the interior of the café and is occasionally interrupted by raucous bursts of song from the caged birds on either ends of the patio.

Lined on the street below is an endless row of motorcycles and mopeds – a constant reminder that I’m in Thailand. And just beyond that are the kids weaving their motorcycles at 30mph between the cats, dogs, and people walking on the road. It’s never quiet here. Thankfully, my brain has learned to filter out the symphony of choking engines that seems to permeate every inch of this country.

I usually order a double latte – which is slightly smaller than a Starbucks “tall” and is served in a glass mug on a glass platter with a packet of sugar (why?). There is no option for the type of milk (“non-fat?”). For the longest time I was stumped over how to order straight coffee because the only options are “Expresso”, “Latte”, and “Americano”. I learned today that Thais refer to any coffee without milk and sugar as an Americano. Good to know.

Life here is simple. It’s a great place to think.

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I landed in Kuala Lumpur with a backpack and little more than a vague idea about where I was going. My first time traveling without a real “plan” was on my previous visit to Thailand two years ago. Arriving in a new place with a guidebook and a booked room has just the right combination of safety and spontaneity to get your adrenaline pumping while still knowing everything is going to turn out fine.

This was a bit different.

The last time I looked up information about my trip to Malaysia was when I booked my flight a few months back. Once I found that Americans are granted 90-day visas on arrival I closed my browser and went on to other things. That’s all I need, right?

So when I landed in (what I would come to learn was called) the LCCT terminal of KUL with no plan, I started to get nervous. I felt a bit silly a few minutes later when I stumbled into the largest McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Coffee Bean I’ve ever seen.

Based on the fact I was flying Air Asia – one of the largest budget airlines in Southeast Asia – I figured I was probably in a separate terminal from the main airlines. It’s fairly common throughout Asia to have terminals that are physically separate under the same airport code. A sign labeled Low Cost Commuter Terminal confirmed my suspicions and I was off to find a way to get to the main terminal (KLIA).

A few minutes later, while cruising on what would be called a luxury bus in the U.S. for about US$0.75 I started laughing – quickly drawing questioning looks from the other passengers. I’m constantly amazed at the quality, frequency, and clarity of instruction on public transport in Southeast Asia. Despite my challenges early this same day in Bangkok’s airport (BKK), here I was – 15 minutes after landing at a foreign airport – on a bus in the right direction with a 90-day visa. Incredible.

When I arrived at KLIA I still didn’t have a map – something I really wish I would have found on arrival. I assumed I would be looking for something like “City Central” and hoped it would be on some kind of light rail. As soon as I entered the terminal, “KL Sentral” caught my eye. I’m already starting to like Malaysia.

Granted, no light rail – but it’s hard to complain about a 45-minute luxury charter bus ride for US$3 that’s faster than a cab.

SIDENOTE!
Airports of the world – please, please, please heed the following advice! A public WiFi network throughout the airport with access to basic airport, transit, and tourism information would be INCREDIBLE. Free internet would be great – but at the minimum at least let us take advantage of carrying around these SIM-less bricks in our pockets.

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I had a decision to make: buy a last-minute ticket to Manila or take my chances on making the cross-city bus ride to the international terminal in time to catch my flight to Kuala Lumpur. With a little under 90 minutes till my flight and an estimated bus ride time of 15 minutes it wasn’t an easy call to make – but I decided to make a mad dash for the international terminal, Don Mueang. Worst-case scenario, I figured, was that I would miss my flight and end up buying a ticket to wherever looked interesting.

50 minutes later (15 was a bit optimistic) I was jumping out of the bus on a race to the ticket counter. As I power-walked through the terminal I followed the “Domestic Departures” signs because I wasn’t seeing any “International Departures” signs and I only had time to check one route. Weaving through confused Germans with too much luggage and identically dressed Korean couples I finally found the Air Asia ticket counter (of course, it was the last one). Thankfully, Air Asia doesn’t seem to follow the 45-minute counter-closing rule that they bolded, italicized, and underlined on the emailed itinerary.

At 12:35 I reached immigration – a mere 5 minutes after the boarding of my flight began. I started mentally patting myself on the back over my superb on-the-fly decision making skills. I wondered where I would have gone if I hadn’t made this flight. Probably Hong Kong or Taipei – both are on my short list for must-see-soon places and they’re close to my next stop, the Philippines. Or maybe Jakarta – I do really miss surfing and Indonesia is a world-renowned destination for it…

A frustrated Englishman bumped against me as he huffed and switched passport control lines again. What the hell was taking so long? I tip-toed over the person in front of me and saw the “In Training” sign on the counter in front me. I sighed.

10 minutes later (and for those keeping time, that’s 5 minutes before the plane’s doors are closed), I was digging through my bag to find the scissors that I was trying to sneak aboard the flight for apparently nefarious deeds. I finally found the weapon (a pair of hair trimmers with ¼ inch blades) and threw them in the trash – much to airport security’s delight. Free to go I grabbed my half-open backpack and started my final trek to the very last gate in the terminal. It was an awkward journey – walking while stuffing things back in my bag. At last, just minutes before my flight was to depart, I reached my gate to find my plane had not yet arrived.

Thanks again, Bangkok!

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This is not at all what I expected I would be doing when I left 3 weeks ago. I try to stay away from using cliches as much as possible – but this quote by Lennon is too good to pass up. “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” I think this is the first time that I really get that quote.

I had planned on traveling around Thailand for a month before my trip to Malaysia. The goal was to find a place that I wanted to stay for a 2-4 months to work and write and figure out next steps. Things were going as planned during my first two days in Bangkok – the city very quickly reassured me that it was not somewhere I wanted to stay for any length of time!

I was divided pretty evenly between the next 3 places I was going to go: Chiang Mai – a big but quiet(er) city in the North of Thailand, Ubon Ratchathani – a less-frequently touristed city on the far East side of Thailand, or Koh Tao – an Island known for diving in the Gulf of Thailand. I chose Koh Tao on a whim (I wanted to see the ocean…) and have been here for the past 3 weeks.

When I return from Malaysia and the Philippines in mid-October I’ll be starting my Dive Masters Training on Koh Tao and won’t be leaving until the beginning of December at the earliest.

To be honest – this both terrifies and excites me.

Here’s what’s exciting:

• I’ll be learning something new in a medium I’ve loved for a large part of my life (water)
• The people here are friendly and interesting
• I love islands and have wanted to live on one for a long time
• I’ll be diving twice a day, almost every single day

Here’s what’s terrifying:

• I would have to run 2 laps around the perimeter of the island to complete a marathon. For reference, two typical college campuses would not be able to fit on this island. Not having options when it comes to where to go, what to eat, and what to do is frankly not something I’ve been exposed to for any length of time.
• I’ll be spending a lot of my time doing something unplanned. This isn’t bad – in fact, experiences like this are what I’m doing this for – but it’s often a bit scary diving (ha) into something new
• I’ll be diving twice a day, almost every single day (I sure hope I keep liking it!)

And yet, despite my concerns, I’m more than happy with where I am right now.

As I’ve gotten older I’ve seen how what I thought I wanted and what I actually wanted can differ greatly. Even though we all try to pretend that things don’t change and that the future is predictable – it just isn’t true. Not even a little bit. Think back 5 years ago and try to get inside the mind of who you were then. Try and recall where you thought you’d be and what you thought you’d be doing in 5 years. How’d you do?

Goals change, friendships and relationships come and go, industries are created and economies crash – the only constant is change and I’m trying my best to embrace it!

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“Okay now please put on ze bikini,” she said.

“My bikini?”

“Yes. You have it on, no?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” I turn around in my brown swimming trunks. “Does my bikini look alright?”

“Fine. Good. Yes.” She says, half-smiling over her shoulder.

I see now what people say about the French not caring much for learning English. Joelle would be my dive instructor for the next 5 days – taking me on 9 dives all around the West side of Koh Tao. Koh Tao is known as the best island in Thailand for diving – and now I understand why!

I arrived on Koh Tao with no real plans. I thought I might go diving or I thought might wander around and leave in a day or two – the odds were about 50/50. So when I hopped off the ferry, slightly seasick and disoriented, I walked unseeing through the cacophony of “Taxi Boat!?”, “Taxi Cab? Hey! Hey! Where you go?” and found myself on the Southern part of Mae Haad with very few other tourists around.

It’s currently one of the “off seasons” in Thailand (September-October). It was pretty noticeable in Bangkok, where I was often the only Westerner around and I would go half a day without seeing another non-Thai person. In Koh Tao it was shockingly obvious, but for a slighly different reason. The islands of Thailand are almost exclusively driven by tourism, and when there are no tourists, the cities look like ghost towns for half the day.

I stepped onto a nearby, open-air patio, remembering to leave my sandals on the steps, and walked over to a woman casually reading behind a desk. I was so exhausted from my 12-hour journey (and that’s one of the fastest ways to get there) that I agreed to the 500 baht charge for a room that should probably be around 300. Welcome to Koh Tao (and the islands of Thailand in general) – where everything is 20-100% more expensive!

I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I thought I was in Sairee my entire first day in Koh Tao! Even after renting a motor scooter to tour the island (for just US$5 a day!) and seeing dozens of “Mae Haad Guesthouse” signs on my way out, I still had absolutely no idea that I wasn’t in Sairee. So after a long and rather uneventful day I headed back to my room and strongly considered hopping on the next ferry out.

Thankfully, I woke up the next morning and decided I would regret admitting that I had visited one of the best and most affordable places to learn to SCUBA dive and didn’t even get wet.

Scuba Diving on Koh Tao

Koh Tao and dive schools should be a case study of the affects of decision paralysis. There are something like 40 dive schools on this 8 square mile island. I tried doing research on the internet before-hand, I really did. But, in the end, I just ducked into the first place I saw that looked semi-respectable – Easy Divers. And it turned out to be pretty great! After the 3-day Open Water course, I was hooked and  immediately jumped into the 2-day Advanced course.

Because it’s the off-season, I was just about the only person learning to dive and so both of my courses – from first learning how to use a regulator to diving down to 100ft – were taught one-on-one. In fact, on several dives, there were just 4 people on the boat – the captain, the deckhand, Joelle, and me! Combined with the fact that Easy Divers schedules their dives around the other schools, we were often the only other divers in the area and had the reefs to ourselves. That means that for 45 minutes at a time I got to explore an entirely new world without seeing another soul (well, just one other soul). I can’t stress how amazing this whole experience was – I can’t wait to go on more dives to explore things like underwater wrecks! Apparently, the other islands of Thailand, including Koh Samui and Koh Phi Phi, have their own, distinct environments to explore!

My final dive was a night dive. It is literally pitch black just 30ft underwater and it was a little unnerving when a sleepy, but normally very aggressive, triggerfish appeared in the beam of my flashlight just a few meters away. Fortunately, it was in no mood to fight and lazily drifted out of sight. The night dive ended up being my favorite dive because of the sheer number and variety of animal life that becomes more active at night… though walls and fish suddenly appearing in front of you takes some getting used to!

Staying on Koh Tao

Koh Tao is a very, very small island. There are no Western chains besides a few dive shops and 3 or 4 7-11s. Internet is horrible. Hot water is hard to come by and I only know of one places that sells decent coffee and bread. There is almost nothing to do besides work, lay on the beach, or go diving.

Yet for some reason, I want to stick around for a while. After living here for 8 months, Alex Baackes explains life on Koh Tao better than I can. So I’m staying here for a while – at least till the end of the month when I’m going to visit Malaysia and then head to the Philippines to meet Courtney for a weekend before she heads back to the States. Yesterday I rented an apartment for a month in the middle of sleepy Mae Haad (there are literally 3 main roads, each only a few blocks long) for US$275. And that’s not even on the low-end!

So, for now, the plan is to work and dive and explore one of the islands of Thailand. Hard to complain!

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When I decided I was moving to Thailand I wrote down a few things I wanted to accomplish before I got on the plane. It’s been 45 days since then and I’m now in Thailand so I figured it would be a good time to see how I did.

Summed up in a word: eh.

Some of the goals were a bit too audacious considering everything else that was going on (like learning Thai). Some of them were a bit  too simple (like visiting my parents). On the whole though I’m satisfied with this first go and the next one will be much more polished!

Here are the goals, in no particular order:

• Learn basic Thai

  Way to start off the list with a big, giant failure. I started trying to learn Thai, honest I did. Unfortunately, things just kept getting in the way as I tried to complete the other things on this list. FAIL

• Earn $200/week via trading

  This turned out a lot better than expected and I’ve been able to support myself on trading income. PASS

• Sell everything

  Everything was probably a bad choice of words, but I did sell almost everything I own. My parents talked me out of selling my car, which was probably very smart advice. This took up way more time than I expected it to. Also, people on Craigslist are, as a rule, unreliable. PASS

• Stop all non-essential accounts

  I currently have absolutely zero recurring expenses and it feels fantastic. There are definitely things in life that are worth recurring expense, like housing and Netflix, but right now I don’t need them. And although I’m joking about Netflix being on par with housing, it was the last account I cancelled… and only because it’s not available here. PASS

• Visit my parents, my best friend, and my dog

  Before I left for my extended travels I wanted to see those I care about one last time. PASS

• Complete my obligations to RewardMe

  This one is still in progress as I continue to help RewardMe (as much as I can) find a new CTO. IN PROGRESS

• Stop drinking coffee

  This one is on the list because independence precludes being dependent. A headache in the afternoon on the day I quit confirmed I had made the right choice. PASS

• Lose excess weight and get back in shape

  Months and months of 12 hour days at RewardMe had taken a toll on my body as I prioritized work over my health. The last few months gave me time to adjust my priorities. PASS

• Start a blog with 10 posts and 30 visitors/month

  While I didn’t quite make the 10 posts mark, I was a bit conservative with the number of visitors. As with learning Thai, other things just kept getting in the way. Being that I only scored a 50%, I’m going to have to mark this as a failure. FAIL

• Write and post 1 simple iOS app

  I didn’t even write 1 line of code so this one is probably the biggest failure of them all. I do plan on completing this one in the next few month. I think I’m starting to see an overly ambitious trend here. FAIL

• Write 10 chapters on technical interviews

  Another failure. I ended up writing just 2 chapters before I realized that I should focus my time elsewhere first. FAIL

Tallying everything up scores me a 55% – also known as an F. So why don’t I feel like a failure, then? I think it’s because I feel like I accomplished all the big things on the list and understand why I failed at the others. With only two of the failures do I really feel like I dropped the ball (learning Thai and writing an iOS app).

Going forward I plan to continue writing lists like this track my progress towards the things I want in life. I think people (myself included) tend to say the things they want are the things they have – protecting themselves from admitting that they may have failed. If I diverge from my planned path, I want to be able to look back and recognize what choices took me off course. Especially if I like the new, unplanned route better!

What do you think? Are short-term goal lists like this a positive force or too restricting?

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Your first day in Thailand – especially Bangkok – can be overwhelming. No matter what time of day you arrive, your first step out of the Suvarnabhumi airport will be met with an oppressive, sticky heat. If you’re really unlucky it will be raining.

Bangkok is attempting to rebrand itself as the “City of Life” – and I think it’s an apt description. Underneath temples of incredibly beauty and glorious national monuments you’ll find stray dogs and cart vendors peddling questionable meats. Toothless old women smile radiantly at you alongside 10 year olds playing on their iPads.

A final note before we jump into the tips – Thais are predominantly Buddhist and a large percentage of them believe in fate. This is an important part of the Thai mentality to understand before doing things like walking across the street. Motorcyclists driving at Kamikaze speeds will not slow down – life and death has already been determined.

Now that I’ve gotten you all pumped up and ready to visit Bangkok, here’s my tips for enjoying (and surviving!) your first trip to Thailand.

Thailand Tips to Enjoy Your Stay

1. Have the courage to cross a busy street – but do it with caution.

   Watching new visitors cross the street in Thailand is pretty hilarious. Mostly they just stand by the side of the road hopelessly looking back and forth and waiting for some compassionate Thai driver to slow down and wave them across. This rarely happens. On roads that are more than one lane across it never happens.

   The proper way to cross the street is to wait for an opening and just go for it. While crosswalks with stoplights are honored, crosswalks with no stoplight should be viewed as mere recommendations. Thai drivers will not aim for you, but if you’re in their way they’re expecting you to move. Drivers will make only slight corrections to their path to avoid hitting you!
   If it’s a big street and you feel uncomfortable, just follow a Thai person across.

2. You will be gross. Plan to take multiple showers.

   Thailand is a tropical country – it’s always hot and it’s always humid. As soon as you step out of your cold shower – and you will grow to prefer taking cold showers – you’ll be sweating again. The only time you’re not sweating is when you’re in air conditioning or enjoying the temporary cold breeze after a sudden torrential downpour. Everyone is sweating, everyone knows everyone else is sweating, and yet I continue to be shocked by the lack of BO on public transportation. Expect to sweat and plan to take a few showers a day.

   Also note that if it’s the rainy season, there will be puddles everywhere and you will undoubtedly step in something gross. If this bothers you (or you have open wounds on your feet) plan on bringing shoes.

3. Take advantage of public transportation.

   Transportation throughout Thailand is terribly cheap. If you’re coming from a Western country and are used to public transportation being either extremely slow (buses) or very expensive (taxis) then prepare to be surprised.

   Skytrain
   I had the pleasure of staying at a great guesthouse (link at the end of this post) located near the Skytrain these past few days. Joy, the owner, recommended that everyone grab a BTS (Skytrain) ticket and just hop off whenever we saw something interesting. The Skytrain doesn’t go everywhere, but it goes to the shopping center (MBK) and through much of Bangkok center. It even gets you across the big river running through the city, the Chao Prayah. If you ever need to get back to the Skytrain, every cab and tuk-tuk driver knows “Skytrain” (but not BTS). Tickets run between US$0.50 and US$2.00.

   Taxis
   Unless it’s rush hour (which in Bangkok is pretty much 7am-7pm), taking a taxi is probably the best way to travel. Taxis drivers in Thailand are required by law to run the meter – so make sure you request it. Some will say no. Unless you’re really tired, you can wait two minutes for one who will. Minimum metered fare is about US$1.00. A metered ride across the city (about 5 miles or 12 kilometers) will set you back at most US$7.00. A ride without the meter will be between US$7.00 and $20.00 – depending on how drunk you look.

   Buses
   The bus system throughout Bangkok is fantastic. Fares are around US$0.35 and there are about 100 lines throughout the city going just about everywhere. There are also so many buses that I’ve never had to wait more than 10 minutes at a stop! All buses have their roman number in big block lettering on the front and back so it’s very easy to find the right bus without knowing Thai. To flag one down at a bus stop, put out your right hand palm down when the bus is approaching. To board, jump on as fast as possible (the bus will only wait until you have your feet off the ground before continuing) and take a seat. An attendant will come around to take your fare and give you a ticket once you’re seated. If you are unsure where to get off, simply try your best to say the name of the location you’re going to the attendant and they’ll get your attention when it’s your turn to hop off.

   Tuk-tuks and Motorcycle taxis
   Don’t take them until you’re comfortable negotiating and taking buses, taxis, and the Skytrain. Tuk-tuks are expensive and the drivers are more likely to try and scam you than almost anyone else in Thailand. Motorcycle taxis in Bangkok are dangerous for the uninitiated.

4. If it’s the rainy season, bring an umbrella.

   Torrential downpours will happen.

5. Smile and don’t be rude.

   If you’re traveling to Thailand you may have already heard about Thai Face. The simplest way to explain it is to contrast it with American (and in general, Western) values. Americans place an extremely high value on truth and honesty. If someone tells an outright lie or extends the truth, they will be “called out” on it. If someone is rude, others will be rude back to that person. Americans wear their feelings on their sleaves, so to speak. Thais, on the other hands, value social lubrication above almost everything else. Someone who is always happy and never reacts negatively will have a higher social standing. Put in to practice, if a Thai person doesn’t like you, you may never know as they will always smile and try to make your interactions go smoothly. This is less true in extremely touristy areas (like Khao San Road), however.

   Thais tend to snap if they lose face when they are drunk. If you tend to be an asshole when drinking, don’t get too drunk and don’t be an asshole to Thais or you may find yourself in a 10 on 1 fight before the night is over. Pro-tip: you will lose.

6. If you’re white and someone asks where you’re from, they’re trying to set a price point.

   Believe it or not, the friendly Tuk-tuk drivers around Khao San Road have met a few people from California before and they’re really not as interested in you as they seem to be. They also don’t have a former boss or an uncle living in California (though that San Francisco number they’ll show you in their cell phone is pretty solid evidence).

   Thai people are extremely friendly and are happy to help you in any way they can. But just remember that sales people in every country are the same. Tell someone you’re from Switzerland or Luxemburg to see just how high the prices can go!

7. The palace is not closed and it’s (probably) not the King’s birthday.

   This is the classic Thai scam. If someone is trying to be extremely helpful and speaking English WAY better than you would expect someone driving a Tuk-tuk to speak – it’s probably a scam. The palace is not closed, it’s not a national holiday, and there is no secret Wat or marketplace with excellent prices for gems and tailored suits. And while I’m at it, that’s not Armani and Diesel jeans are not US$30.

8. Eat street food – you’re not going to die.

   Thai street food is fantastic. I’m constantly amazed by just how many vendors sell food along the street, especially in the non-touristy areas. From meat skewers to boiled noodles to fried rice – it’s all delicious. If you want meat, make sure the cart has high turnover or you’re dining before 1pm. While it’s probably fine, it’s best to be safe and avoid meat that has been sitting in the sun for a few hours. Everyone will understand enough English to get you your food without much trouble. If in doubt, “Khao pad pak” for vegetarian fried rice or “Khao pad gai” for chicken fried rice. Anything you get at a cart will be between US$1 to US$2.

9. Laundry is cheap and nearby – don’t overpack!

   Enough clothes for 5 days is all you need. Laundry services are cheap and plentiful (usually US$1 per kilogram or US$2 per pound) and safe. You can pick up your clothes the same day if dropped off in the morning and you can pick them up the next morning if dropped off in the evening.

10. Don’t put your stuff underneath the bus on a bus out of Khao San Road.

    Anything remotely valuable will probably be stolen. If you must take a bus out of Khao San Road and can’t go down to the southern bus terminal, then do one the following:
    1) Remove EVERYTHING valuable from your luggage and bring it to your seat with you.
    2) Buy two tickets and put your luggage in the extra seat. Considering a ticket for a 10-hour journey are about US$30 I’m happy to pay a US$30 tax to make sure I hold onto my thousands of dollars of electronics.

11. Don’t tip.

    Tipping is appreciated, but 100% not expected. Some people will be visibly shocked if you try to tip them and may even reject it outright!

All about U-Baan Guesthouse

U-Baan Guesthouse in Bangkok feels like a real home

I stayed at U-Baan when I arrived in Bangkok because it was highly rated on Hostelworld and it’s not on Khao San Road. It’s right next to the Wongwian Yai BTS station and just about the only guesthouse in the area. If you’re looking to experience a Bangkok where people don’t constantly approach you trying to shake your hand and ask you where you’re going, then you’ll love this place. Getting to Khao San Road takes about 10 minutes by taxi. A 2-minute walk to the Skytrain and a 10-minute ride will get you to the MBK shopping center. I only wanted to recommend this place because it was BY FAR the best guesthouse I’ve been to for the price.

Good luck and have fun! Have any other tips you think people should know before visiting Bangkok?

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The post Thailand Tips: Surviving Your First Day in Bangkok appeared first on Steve's Blog.

I’ve spent the last few weeks selling, donating, and giving away pretty much everything I own. As freeing as this was at first, it has started to get really hard! There are just so many things I feel I need to have with me – especially when it comes to clothes. I’m not very stylish – in fact, I tend to wear the exact same thing almost every day. But it’s nice to have the option to maybe wear something a little different. It’s a little comforting.

I originally had planned on bringing an 80L backpacking backpack with me to Thailand and filling it about 3/4 full. In preparation I had started laying out everything I own on our living room floor. When one of my housemates saw it he was shocked at how little stuff I now had to my name. Turns out, it was still way too much stuff.

I started looking around on the internet for packing advice and stumbled upon a site detailing what to pack for pretty much every locale. It’s a pretty large article and very thorough – definitely worth reading if you’re planning on any kind of extended stay. Halfway through it convinced me to get a smaller backpack. I (fairly impulsively, in hindsight) headed over to REI and picked up an REI Lookout 40 – it’s significantly smaller (half the size!) and I was pretty concerned it would be too small – but online reviews said it wasn’t. Turns out they were kind of right. I still had to figure out how to do without about 20% of what I thought I needed. Here’s what made the cut.

My Packing List for Thailand

Clothes

• 5 t-shirts
• 6 pairs of underwear
• 2 pairs of jeans
• 1 pair of swimming trunks
• 1 pair of workout shorts
• 1 pair of khaki shorts

Electronics

• Macbook Pro
• iPad
• iPod
• iPhone 4s (with GSM and CDMA)
• Canon Powershot
• Kindle
• Mighty Mouse
• Outlet converters

Documents

• Passport
• International Drivers Permit
• Copies of Passport and Driver’s License
• Checkbooks for 3 checking accounts

Toiletries

• The usual (toothpaste, deodorant, etc.)
• 6 months of contacts
• Nail trimmers and tiny scissors

Travel/Security

• Compass
• Cocoon CoolMax Travelsheet
• Laundry Bag
• Packtowl Ultralite Towel
• FirstAid Kit
• Extra luggage locks
• Pacsafe Luggage Travelsafe 12L (found this on Alex in Wanderland’s Gear page and it’s pretty great!)

Other

• Business cards
• Playing cards
• Notebook
• Thai language book
• Swimming goggles

All-in-all it’s a total of 44 items that I own (not including transient things like toothpaste, razor blades, and floss and I’m considering power cables as part of the item). I plan on buying a few things once I get to Bangkok, brining myself up to a much more reasonable level – probably similar to Colin Wright’s 72 things when he started out.

I leave for Bangkok in a little over 48 hours. Think I’m missing anything?

UPDATE

I’m now in the terminal and unfortunately without my backpack! EVA Air decided to be strict about the 7kg carry-on limit and so I had to check my bag – I hope I see it again. On the bright side, I bought an awesome new messenger bag, a Timbuk2 Command Laptop Messenger, and didn’t get ripped off when I had to buy it at SFO! So far, I’m pretty happy with it holding my laptop, iPad, and the Steve Jobs biography.

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The post My Packing List for Thailand appeared first on Steve's Blog.